Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri | 03 Oct 2025

Source: PIB 

Why in News?  

Prime Minister of India paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, recalling their invaluable contributions to India’s freedom, integrity, and nation-building. 

Mahatma Gandhi 

• Early Life: Born on 2^nd October 1869 at Porbandar, Gandhi married Kasturbai in 1882 and studied law in England (1888–91). His legal career soon merged with his moral quest for justice. 
• Experiences in South Africa: In 1893, racial humiliation at Pietermaritzburg shaped his resolve against injustice.  
  • He founded the Natal Indian Congress (1894),  launched the newspaper Indian Opinion, established Phoenix Settlement (1904) and Tolstoy Farm (1910) where he evolved Satyagraha as non-violent resistance. 
• Return to India: Gandhi returned on 9th January 1915 (now celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas) and set up Sabarmati Ashram (1917). He rooted his politics in simplicity, truth, and self-reliance. 
• Major Movements: His leadership shone in Champaran Satyagraha (1917), Kheda Kheda Satyagraha (1918), and the Rowlatt Satyagraha (1919). Later, he guided the nation through the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22), the Civil Disobedience Movement with Dandi March (1930), and the Quit India Movement (1942). 
• Writings & Ideas: Gandhi articulated his vision in Hind Swarajya and his Autobiography titled "An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth". 
  • He promoted Khadi and the Charkha as tools of self-reliance and dignity of labour, and established institutions like the All India Spinners’ Association (1925) and the Harijan Sevak Sangh (1932) to further social and economic reform. 
• Legacy: Gandhi’s last years were devoted to communal harmony and upliftment of Harijans. He was assassinated on 30th January 1948.  
  • Gandhi revered as the “Father of the Nation,” his legacy of truth and non-violence remains globally relevant. 
  • 2^nd October is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti and globally as the International Day of Non-Violence, as declared by the United Nations. 

Gandhian Philosophy in Contemporary Initiatives 

Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri 

• Early Life: Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2nd  October 1904 at Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh. He was deeply inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement (1920). 
  • Studied at Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, where he earned the title “Shastri,” which later became part of his name. 
• Role in Freedom Struggle: Actively participated in Civil Disobedience Movement and got arrested multiple times he spent over seven years in British jails. 
• Political Career Post-Independence: Became Parliamentary Secretary in Uttar Pradesh (1946), later rising to Home Minister of the state. Later held important Union portfolios (Railways, Transport & Communications, Commerce & Industry, Home Affairs). 
  • He is well known for resigning as Railway Minister (1956) taking moral responsibility for a train accident, a rare act of political accountability. 
• Leadership Qualities: Admired for integrity, humility, and efficiency, earning the title “little dynamo of a man.” 
• Prime Ministership: Lal Bahadur Shastri succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister.  
  • As Prime Minister (1964–66), Shastri showed firm leadership in the 1965 Indo-Pak war. His enduring legacy lies in the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan,” highlighting the twin pillars of national security and food security. 
  • Shastri died suddenly in Tashkent on 11th January 1966, shortly after signing the Tashkent Declaration.