Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and the Father of
the Nation was born on 2nd October 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat.

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on the very day every year as the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of India.

In his autobiography My experiments with Truth Gandhi recalls that his childhood and teen age years were characterized by education in a local school, marriage to Kasturba at the age of
13 and an intrinsic love for ‘truth’ and ‘duty’.

Gandhi, as he was popularly called, proved that non-violence is the most effective instrument of social change. His teachings are promoted even today to avoid violence and find peaceful solutions
to conflicts.

Through his sheer dedication and self-belief, Gandhi freed India from the British Raj (British Rule). He proved to the world that freedom can be achieved through the path of non-violence.

For Gandhi ‘Non-violence’ and truth were two inalienable virtues. He summed up the entire philosophy of his life as : "The only virtue I want to claim is truth and non-violence. I lay no
claim to super human powers : I want none".

The United Nations General Assembly announced on 15th June, 2007 that October 2nd will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.