On the occasion of 154th Gandhi Jayanti, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday paid floral tributes to the ‘Father of the Nation’ Mahatma Gandhi at his Rajghat memorial in Delhi.  On the special occasion of his Jayanti, Prime Minister Modi emphasized on Gandhi’s teachings and said that his impact is global and motivates the entire humankind to further the spirit of unity and compassion.

“I bow to Mahatma Gandhi on the special occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. His timeless teachings continue to illuminate our path. Mahatma Gandhi’s impact is global, motivating the entire humankind to further the spirit of unity and compassion. May we always work towards fulfilling his dreams. May his thoughts enable every youngster be the agent of change he dreamt of, fostering unity and harmony all over,” he wrote.

President Murmu said that the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi were an outcome of sustained practice and that they find their relevance even today.

“His thoughts were not merely idle musings, but an outcome of his sustained practice. That philosophy which is not made part of life was, according to him, “dry as dust”. Thoughts, words and deeds were of a piece, in his case,” the President of India wrote in a post on X.

Born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi led India’s successful non-violent freedom movement against the British. A lawyer by profession, Gandhi staged peaceful protests and led several movements against the British rule demanding India’s independence. He believed in non-violence and led a simple life.

Besides PM Modi and President Murmu, politicians across party line paid tributes to Gandhi. In a post on X, Congress party wrote, “On Gandhi Jayanti, we pay a billion tributes to the Mahatma, whose life-long dedication to the cause of freedom won India her Independence. Let us pledge that his values of peace, unity and non-violence—the bedrock of our nation—continue to act as our guiding light.”

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti also remembered Mahatma Gandhi and said that he was deeply moved by his enduring legacy and that his message of non-violence remains a beacon of hope for equality and justice worldwide.

“On Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, I’m deeply moved by his enduring legacy. His message of non-violence remains a beacon of hope for equality and justice worldwide. Gandhi’s profound influence on Dr. Martin Luther King and the US civil rights movement reminds us of the power of his ideals.” the US Ambassador to India wrote on X.