Gandhi Jayanti: Anything we say about Gandhi falls short of the legend he lived up to. This post is dedicated to the two things he really cared about – Freedom and cleanliness. As a mark of respect for Mahatma Gandhi, here is a small collection of his wonderful words of inspiration.
Gandhi Jayanti: A Birthday Pledge
Oct 2, 1869 – A legend was born in Gujarat. Today marks the birthday – Gandhi Jayanti to mark the remembrance of a giant who constantly inspires us with his values. Gandhi no wonder is the father of our nation, one of the primary drivers of freedom and independence. In this post, we are talking about our small mark of respect to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti – a simple pledge. Before that I’d like to talk about some of the most inspiring quotes from Gandhi
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win – Mahatma Gandhi A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes – Mahatma Gandhi To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest – Mahatma Gandhi Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory – Mahatma Gandhi Quotes The future depends on what you do today – Mahatma Gandhi Be the change that you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi There would be nothing to frighten you if you refused to be afraid – Mahatma Gandhi Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is most important that you do it. Mahatma Gandhi Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you were to live forever – Mahatma Gandhi A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history – Mahatma Gandhi Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into – Mahatma Gandhi 
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include freedom to make mistakes
A few days ago in the Madison Square Garden speech, our PM Modi talked about two things which Gandhi liked the most
- Freedom
- Cleanliness
We have already reached our freedom, thanks to Gandhi and a few other great heroes like him – “Most inspiring independence heroes”.
It is almost now a given that we have the independence which our forefathers so bravely fought for. But we still are a long way from reaching our goal of cleanliness or a clean India. I am not talking about corruption or policies or anything else here. That is way out of our domain. I am asking what we can do on this day to make sure that we take action for the rest of the year and maybe the rest of our lives.
The values Gandhi Stood for
Gandhi was a great man, he also said no liquor and liquor is happily banned on this one day throughout the nation. I’ll not ask you to do the same things. Your values are your personal choice. You need to figure out what means the most to you and create your pledge accordingly.
Some of his ideas are inspirational, we can always borrow these ideas and improvise on them. There’s no need to take these ideas on face value. In fact, I’d encourage you to think about the needs of the world today and your contributions. Find your niche and make your statement.
The simple things we can do – A pledge
But I think there is something we can all do. Just like new Year and the holidays, we all make a pledge, a resolution to either lose weight or get back in shape or leave smoking or something like that.
Today can we make one simple pledge, not just for the nation alone, but for ourselves as well?
- I solemnly pledge today that I am going to make my best effort to make this a clean nation.
- I am not going to take a broom and sweep the streets but I can promise that the next time I drink a bottle of soda, I won’t throw it on the road
- If I eat a piece of chocolate, I won’t throw it in an open ground
- I can promise that I can go a step ahead and politely prevent someone else from doing it as well.
It sounds simple and I am also less inspiring. But none of our actions need to be awe-inspiring. It is the simple things that can start making change all around us. It is always one step at a time.
It is after all our neighbourhood, our nation and our country. Can we not do this simple thing as a part of our pledge?
Would this be a reasonable contribution to ask to mark the Gandhi Jayanti, the birth of a great man?
More about Gandhi’s wonderful quotes
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On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi, I took an oath, not just for my personal benefit but for the benefit of my nation; and that would help NaMo for his most inspiring “Swach Bharat” campaign…
http://creatikaa.blogspot.in/2014/10/be-change-you-want-to-in-world.html
Thank you Gowthama :). Thanks so much for this pledge and would love to hear updates on the same :)
I want to pledge for clean India. I can pledge that i shall not litter. At the same time, i cannot pledge to stop others from littering. For that government needs to form law, authorise people to penalise litter bugs. Other pledges like telling the truth, being kind etc have come and gone, I did not stick to them.
Thank you Abhijit :). I agree that the govt needs to step in and make sure that the implementation is stronger. At the same time the power of persuasion is amazing, people really do respond to that very well. When each one of us owns the place we belong to and show it in our actions, I am sure the others will follow as well, or in other words, it is the development of a movement :)
The contribution of Gandhiji for country’s Independence is remarkable. For what I believe, it is now our responsibility to create the place, environment, society where we want to live. We all know what is wrong, aren’t we – but we are lazy enough to stand against it. Everything is “chalta hai”. No Boss – Its high time, I will give up my “Chalta hai” attitude…Thank you Vinay for bringing up this article. I hope more and more people come and give up this covering attitude for misbehaving.
Thank you Priyashi :). I completely agree with you. It is our responsibility to create a healthy environment to live in and I couldn’t agree more, it is as if it is very easy to escape responsibility and want someone else to do our job for us. And that chalta hai attitude is such a pain.I am sure going ahead, there will be a new rise of people who want to see change and make it happen than the ones who sit around and complain!
Hmm, I guess I am not going to take any pledge on today, as the pledge which we are discussing about these days are already followed by me in real life :) Thank you Vinay for sharing this blog post….
Thats really cool Alok :).. I consciously used to avoid littering in public places but from this time onwards I will make sure that I shall try and prevent the others from doing it as well as a part of my moral responsibility. :)
Well I’d like to remember Lal Bahadur Shashtri also today because Oct 2nd was his birth date too. He inspired people of India to fast one time daily when US banned export of wheats to India. He was the leader who pushed Pakistan into its very interior. He gave the slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kissan. He was the only PM till date who conducted a successful mass movement in independent India. Unfortunately he was killed in Russia and no one demanded an explanation why his body became blue after drinking a glass of milk.
Hi Ravish, Yes, I guess just a couple of mins before this comment we had published the post on LBS :). As for the issue about his death, I am afraid that there is nothing conclusive about it. I no doubt agree that he was an amazing man of his own accord and there are a lot of things that make us mesmerized.