India observed the 157th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Friday as a national holiday, with leaders and citizens recalling his ideals of truth, non-violence and self-reliance.
The day, also marked by the United Nations as the International Day of Non-Violence, coincided with the 122nd birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Banks, stock exchanges and most government offices remained closed, while digital payments and ATM services continued.
Tributes at Rajghat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes at Rajghat and attended the Sarva-Dharma Prarthana Sabha. President Droupadi Murmu also offered homage, saying Gandhi’s message of peace had gained fresh relevance amid conflicts elsewhere, and linking Sarvodaya to the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and other dignitaries joined the ceremony as Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram was sung. The Prime Minister later urged people to buy at least one Khadi product, tying the appeal to swadeshi, and visited Vijay Ghat to remember Shastri. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy called for a cleanliness campaign from October 2 to October 31.
State ceremony at the Odisha Assembly
In Bhubaneswar, the state-level function was held on the premises of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, and Speaker Surama Padhy led floral tributes to Gandhi and Shastri. Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, Works and Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, Health Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Chief Whip Saroj Kumar Pradhan, legislators and senior officers attended. Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma and I&PR Director Sanjay Kumar Biswal were also present.
The Information and Public Relations Department organised an all-faith prayer meeting and a rendition of Ramdhun, Gandhi’s favourite hymn. Chief Minister Majhi said the ideals of truth and non-violence, and Shastri’s commitment to duty, remained a perennial source of inspiration. He recalled that Gandhi had not only led the freedom struggle but given the world a moral framework of satyagraha and non-cooperation, with a vision that the last person should receive the benefits of development. Majhi said the state government would continue efforts to build a prosperous Odisha and contribute to a developed India by following those ideals, and noted that Shastri’s call of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” had infused fresh strength among the people. The programme also recalled cleanliness, self-reliance and Gram Swaraj.
Rourkela Steel Plant and western Odisha
At Raurkela, Rourkela Steel Plant marked the day at Mahatma Gandhi Udyan in Sector 18, where senior officers including ED (Works) and acting Director-in-Charge Biswaranjan Palai, along with other executive directors and citizens of the steel city, offered floral tributes. A function at the Civic Centre followed, with bhajans and readings from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Bible, the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita by local religious groups and students of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, under the theme of sarvadharma samanvaya.
In Sambalpur, the district administration and local organisations paid floral tributes at the Gandhi Temple in Bhatra, where cultural programmes were also held.
Puri: sand art and the memory of Astaranga
Students of Padma Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik’s Sand Art Institute in Puri created a sand animation tribute. One student said the work took about 30 minutes. The day also revived memory of the Salt Satyagraha at Astaranga in Puri district. On May 21, 1930, the salt law was violated at Kuhudi under the leadership of Pandit Nilakantha Das; memorial pillars at Kuhudi, Olangar and Khandasahi still mark the spot where satyagrahis faced a lathi charge and arrests, and two people were martyred.
Walkathons, water day and campus tributes
Odisha Construction Corporation Limited organised a walkathon at Ekamra Kanan in Bhubaneswar with the message “Walk for a Better Tomorrow” and the theme “Fit to Think, Fit to Plan, Fit to Build and Fit for the Nation.” It was inaugurated by Engineer-in-Chief-cum-Special Secretary Bighnaraj Purohit and Aviation Director Rashmi Ranjan Nayak, with WALMI and department engineers taking part. Parallel walks were held at project offices in Sambalpur, Malkangiri, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Ganjam, Koraput, Cuttack and other districts.
In Mayurbhanj, Jal Arpan Diwas was observed at Purunapani gram panchayat in Rairangpur block, with a prabhat pheri, jal bandhan, jal sankalp, water testing, quiz and dance events, attended by the local MP, ADM, block chairman and sarpanch. At KIIT and KISS, founder Dr. Achyuta Samanta and senior officials paid tributes; he said Gandhi’s vision for tribal communities was being pursued through KISS, and students rendered Ramdhun before laddus were distributed. In Jajpur, the sub-collector, freedom fighters, students and officials joined a local tribute programme.
Political programmes on the same day
The Biju Janata Dal paid floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi Park near Janata Maidan and at the Shastri statue in Shastri Nagar. MLAs Sushant Kumar Rout and Ananta Narayan Jena, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das and other leaders recalled Gandhi’s stress on communal harmony and public service. BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik launched a month-long Jana Samparka Padayatra from Raj Padia in the Ekamra Assembly constituency, to run until November 2, and used the occasion to criticise the state government on textbooks, pensions, farmers, law and order and the MMDR amendment. Congress leader Bhakta Charan Das joined a “Gandhi Pathe Odisha” padayatra from Kaintha towards Bheda–Satyabhamapur in Kataka.
From the Assembly lawns to the Raurkela Civic Centre, Puri beach and district temples, Odisha’s observances kept Gandhi’s and Shastri’s messages of service, cleanliness and self-reliance at the centre of the day’s public life.
