Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and countless others paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 151st birth anniversary on Friday.
"We bow to beloved Bapu on Gandhi Jayanti. There is much to learn from his life and noble thoughts. May Bapu's ideals keep guiding us in creating a prosperous and compassionate India," the Prime Minister tweeted.
Modi also posted a video highlighting moments of Gandhi during India's freedom struggle. He also visited Raj Gath, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial in New Delhi, and paid tributes to the leader who was instrumental in India's independence from the British Raj.
Globally, Gandhi's birth anniversary is celebrated as the 'International Day of Non-Violence' as he is regarded as the "pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence". "The world remembers Gandhi not just for his passionate adherence to the practice of non-violence and supreme humanism, but as the benchmark against which we test men and women in public life, political ideas and government policies, and the hopes and wishes of our shared planet," wrote United Nations.
Meanwhile, Twitter saw a shameful trend on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. #NathuramGodseZindabad trended on the micro-blogging website on Friday. For the uninitiated, Godse, who was a staunch advocate of Hindu nationalism, killed Mahatma Gandhi after he believed that Gandhi had favoured the political demands of India's Muslims during the partition of India. Godse was hanged in the Ambala Central Jail on 15 November 1949.
However, there remains a section which regards Godse as "a patriot". This became even more evident on Twitter on Friday. Here are a few Twitter reactions:
