Gandhiji's teaching, preaching and thoughts are immortal, eternal: VP Naidu

On the 148th birth anniversary of Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said that Gandhiji's teaching, preaching and thoughts are immortal, eternal and will be helpful in leading the nation move to forward.

"I always had a feeling to make Rajghat more beautiful so that people who came here from all over the world can spend more time here. Gandhiji's teaching, preaching and thoughts are immortal, eternal. His thoughts and ideology will be helpful in leading the nation move forward," he told the media while unveiling the Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Rajghat on Monday .

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani also paid their homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

Mahatma Gandhi, also known as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was born on October 2, 1869, and died on January 30, 1948.

He was a political and spiritual leader in India and played a key role in the Indian independence movement. Gandhi developed the novel technique of non-violent agitation, which he called "Satyagraha".

He is known for his non-violent civil disobedience in India and South Africa. These included the start of the non-cooperation movement in 1922 and the Salt Satyagraha or Dandi March starting on March 12, 1930.

Through Mahatma Gandhi's efforts, India finally gained its freedom on August 15, 1947. The nation mourned for him after he was assassinated on January 30, 1948.

The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Non-Violence is also held on October 2 each year to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.

India also celebrates the birth anniversary of its second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. Shastri joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. He died on January 11, 1966.

Shastri died in Tashkent, at 2 a.m. a day after signing the Tashkent Declaration, reportedly due to a heart attack. People, till date, allege conspiracy behind the death.

He was the first prime minister of India to die overseas.