Mahatma Gandhi Death Anniversary: Why is does India observe Martyrs Day on January 30?

Martyrs day is marked every January 30 on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation.

While on 30th January, Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated at Gandhi Smriti in the Birla House, 23rd March marks the day when people pay homage to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar, who were hanged to death by the British.

Why is Martyrs’ Day celebrated on January 30?

Mahatma Gandhi’s contribution towards the independence of India is no secret. Mahatma Gandhi taught the lesson of non-violence to the people of the country. He also tried to build the unity of the nation. On January 30th, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse during his evening prayers in the Birla House.

The day marks the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi towards the freedom of the country. The Father of the Nation was also the one who started the famous Non-Cooperation, Quit India, and numerous other movements. The main aim behind the moment was to free the nation from British rule without shedding any blood.

Gandhi’s values

Mahatma Gandhi was one of the leading figures of the Indian independence movement. “Satya” or Truth and “Ahimsa” or non-violence were his two most important guiding principles. It was with these two principles and with the help of several other freedom fighters like Vallabh Bhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi secured freedom of this country.

n his book ‘Experiments with Truth’, Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Ahimsa (non-violence) is the basis of the search for truth. I am realizing that this search is vain, unless it is founded on ahimsa as the basis.”

Such was Mahatma Gandhi’s belief in non-violence that he believed that deliverance for people lay only in truth and non-violence. In a letter to Daniel Oliver Mahatma Gandhi wrote that he had no message to give “except this that there is no deliverance for any people on this earth or for all the people of this earth except through truth and nonviolence in every walk of life without any exceptions.”