Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. This year will mark Bapu’s 151st birth anniversary. October 2, is observed as a national holiday across India. Cultural programs and teachings of Bapu along with prayer services are held in colleges, institutions, and various government offices.
A great leader and an inspiration to many Mahatma Gandhi led a life based on great ideals and principles. He was a true follower of Ahimsa. Mahatma Gandhi is undoubtedly the most well-known Indian in the world. His teachings of non-violence and civil disobedience have inspired many leaders. Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr being some of the legendary leaders who followed the teachings of Bapu.
On the occasion of Bapu’s 151st birth anniversary here are some unknown facts of Mahatma Gandhi:
1. Gandhiji helped establish 3 football clubs in Durban, Pretoria, and Johannesburg all of which were given the same name: Passive Resisters Soccer Club
2. The poet Rabindranath Tagore gave the title ‘Mahatma’ to Gandhiji.
3. Gandhiji never won the Nobel Peace Prize. He was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1947, but never received the award. He was nominated in 1948, the year he was assassinated, but the Nobel award is not given posthumously. I
4. Gandhi was responsible for the Civil Rights movement in four continents and twelve countries
5. Mahatma Gandhi walked almost 18 kilometers a day throughout his lifetime
6. Gandhiji served in the army during the Boer War.
7. Most relics of Gandhiji including the clothes he wore when he was shot are still preserved in Gandhi Museum, Madurai
8. Steve Jobs was a fan of Mahatma Gandhi, his round glasses are a tribute to the Mahatma.
9. Gandhiji had a set of false teeth, which he carried in a fold of his loincloth
10. There are 53 major roads in India and 48 roads outside India that are named after him.
11. Gandhi’s birthday, Oct. 2, is commemorated as the International Day of Non-Violence. On June 15, 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that declared October 2 as International Day of Non-Violence.
12. Mahatma Gandhi corresponded with Tolstoy, Einstein, and Hitler among many
13. Gandhi was arrested 14 times and spent a total of 6 years in prison
14. Gandhi’s title ‘Father of the Nation’ was first used by Subhas Chandra Bose on 6th July 1944 when the Indian National Army started its march to Delhi.
15. Mahatma Gandhi was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1930. They named him Saint Gandhi and one of the 25 political icons of all time.
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