Gandhi Jayanti - October 2, the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi and the UN International Day of Non-Violence
Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 marks the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), leader of the Indian independence movement and architect of nonviolent civil disobedience. One of three national holidays in India, observed with prayer meetings, school commemorations, and acts of community service.
Federal holidayPublished October 11, 2026
- Observed in
- Where observed
- When
- October
- Frequency
- Same date every year
- Days off
- 1 day - federal workers / banks off
- Public status
- Federal / public holiday (banks + federal offices closed)
Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 marks the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), leader of the Indian independence movement and architect of nonviolent civil disobedience. One of three national holidays in India, observed with prayer meetings, school commemorations, and acts of community service.
The one-line summary
Indian national holiday on October 2 marking the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi. One of three national holidays in India, observed with prayer meetings at Raj Ghat and community service. Also the UN International Day of Non-Violence.
The life of Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, a princely state on the Kathiawar coast of Gujarat. His father was the diwan (prime minister) of Porbandar. He was married at the customary age of thirteen, and in 1888 left for London to study law at the Inner Temple. He returned to India in 1891 and attempted unsuccessfully to set up a law practice in Bombay and Rajkot; in 1893 he accepted a one-year contract with an Indian firm in South Africa, where he remained for 21 years and began the political work that would shape his later career.
It was in South Africa that Gandhi developed the philosophy of satyagraha (truth-force), which he first applied in the struggle for Indian civil rights in Natal and Transvaal. The 1906 satyagraha in Johannesburg against the Asiatic Registration Act and the 1913 satyagraha against the Indian tax on indentured workers were defining moments. By the time he left South Africa in 1914, the techniques of nonviolent civil resistance had been developed and tested.
Return to India and the independence movement
Returning to India in 1915, Gandhi joined the Indian National Congress and within a few years became its most prominent figure. His political campaigns — the non-cooperation movement (1921-22), the salt march (1930), the civil disobedience movement, and the Quit India movement (1942) — defined the trajectory of the independence struggle. He was imprisoned repeatedly by the British and spent a total of seven years in jail. He was also a major social reformer: his campaigns against untouchability, for Hindu-Muslim unity, and for the use of homespun cloth (khadi) reshaped Indian civic life.
Origin of the holiday
Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist who objected to Gandhi's accommodation of Muslim demands in the partition of India. The country declared January 30 a national day of mourning; October 2 was designated Gandhi Jayanti by the Indian government shortly after independence. The holiday was extended to the United Nations in 2007, when the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted Resolution 61/271 establishing October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence.
How Gandhi Jayanti is observed
Prayer meetings at Raj Ghat (the memorial to Gandhi in New Delhi) attended by the President, Prime Minister, and other dignitaries; two minutes of silence observed across India at 10:00 AM (the time of Gandhi's death on January 30, but also observed on October 2); school events with speeches, essays, and art competitions about Gandhi's life and philosophy; community service (shramdaan) — cleaning streets, planting trees, helping at hospitals and orphanages; book fairs and exhibitions on the Indian independence movement; broadcast of Gandhi's recorded speeches on All India Radio and Doordarshan.
Legal status
Gandhi Jayanti is one of three gazetted national holidays in India (Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti), under the Negotiable Instruments Act. Banks, post offices, government offices, schools, and most businesses close. Stock exchanges (BSE, NSE) close. Public transport runs on holiday schedules.
UN International Day of Non-Violence
The UN International Day of Non-Violence is observed on October 2 each year, the date of Gandhi's birth. The day was established by a unanimous resolution of the UN General Assembly on June 15, 2007, to commemorate Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance and its relevance to international peace and security. The day is observed worldwide with educational events, conferences, and acts of community service, particularly in countries that have experienced nonviolent resistance movements.
Where it is contested
The Gandhi Jayanti holiday is uncontroversial. Gandhi himself, however, has been subject to periodic reassessment. Some Hindu nationalist commentators have argued that Gandhi's accommodation of partition demands was a historical error; some Dalit scholars have criticized his views on varna (caste hierarchy); some historians have documented his complicated personal life. None of these reassessments has affected Gandhi Jayanti's status as a national holiday.
In other countries
Gandhi Jayanti is observed by Indian diaspora communities worldwide, particularly in South Africa, the UK, Canada, and the US. The UN observance (October 2) is more prominent than the Indian-diaspora observance in many non-Indian countries; the day is used by peace and human-rights organisations for educational programming on nonviolent civic engagement.
Gandhi Jayanti by the numbers
Sources
- Government of India, Gandhi Jayanti: india.gov.in
- UN Resolution 61/271, International Day of Non-Violence: undocs.org
- Wikipedia, "Gandhi Jayanti": en.wikipedia.org
History of Gandhi Jayanti
Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 marks the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), the Indian independence leader and proponent of non-violent resistance (satyagraha). Gandhi led India's freedom struggle against British colonial rule through civil disobedience and non- cooperation campaigns.
Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse. His death is commemorated as Martyrs' Day (Shaheed Diwas) in India. Gandhi Jayanti is one of three national public holidays in India, alongside Republic Day (January 26) and Independence Day (August 15).
How it is observed
Gandhi Jayanti is observed with prayer meetings at Raj Ghat in New Delhi, where Gandhi was cremated. The Prime Minister and other senior officials pay tribute at the memorial. Schools across India host educational programmes on Gandhi's life and teachings. International Day of Non-Violence on October 2 is recognised by the UN, honouring Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence.