“Be the change you want to see in the world.” This inspirational quote was uttered by the Father of our Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on October 2 to mark his birth anniversary. This year we will mark 152nd birth anniversary. The United Nations also observe Gandhi Jayanti as International Day of Non-Violence every year.
Mahatma Gandhi was a great leader, lawyer, a nationalist who inspired Indians to lift the weapon of non violence against the oppressive British rule. He led the nationwide campaign for basic rights of women and underprivileged. He was born on October 2 in Porbander, Gujarat and was assassinated on 30th January 1948 in New Delhi.
“Live as if you will die tomorrow and learn as if you were to live forever.” His life was a living example of philosophy as the art of living. He played a vital role in India’s freedom struggle which impacted peoples’ life. Mahatma Gandhi had to desire to see clean India. “Sanitation is more important than independence.” He further emphasized that one cannot keep your towns and cities clean, until you take a broom and a bucket in your hand.
Mahatma Gandhi took part in Kumbh Mela Haridwar, he went there as a volunteer to do sanitation work. He was delighted to see thousands of devotees taking a dip, in the secret Ganga however was deeply saddened by unhygienic habits of the people and even by the mucky state of Haridwar. He said “I had gone there with full of hope and reverence but while I realized the grandeur of the holy Ganga and the holier Himalayas, I saw little to inspire me in what man was doing in the holy place. “He wanted each and every citizen to feel the significance of cleanliness and perform the same as their prime duty.
He said “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”Gandhiji made each and every person to give relevance to cleanliness. Gandhiji started an ashram in South Africa where each member of the ashram, had to share the work to be performed in the ashram including cleaning the latrines. One day Gandhiji found that latrines were not clean and it was suppose to be the turn of his wife. When he questioned her she said that she did not want to clean the latrines as it was the work of untouchables. Seeing his wife’s reluctance he said he would clean the latrines. His wife realized her absurdity and promised that she would clean the latrines.
“What is the point of education if we learn and do not improve.” Don’t you feel the these lines should shake our heart when we see the pathetic conditions of sanitation in our locality, when people just dump waste near the board even after reading the instruction on it. The leaders like Mahatma Gandhi lived their thoughts not mere words, however with their deeds.This Gandhi Jayanti let us take the swachata pledge and adhere to it. Let us unitedly take an initiative to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation and follow the Swachh Bharat Mission. The valuable teachings of Mahatma Gandhi inspire each one of us irrespective of age, gender or religion and take the initiative for the betterment and cleanliness of our surroundings.
