Martyrs' Day: Learn about the importance of day on Mahatma Gandhi's 74th death anniversary

New Delhi: India, observes January 30 of each year as the Martyrs' Day or 'Shaheed Diwas' to mark the death anniversary of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and to pay homage to the freedom fighters, soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their Motherland.

On January 30th, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse during his evening prayers in the Birla House.

Each year on January 30, the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and all the three Chiefs of armed forces (Army, Air Force, and Navy) pay homage to  Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat in Delhi.

All the educational institutes, work places, offices in all the states, and UTs across the country observe 2 minutes of silence in the memory of martyred freedom fighters.

However, the country observes Martyrs' Day on March 23 of each year as well to pay tribute to the freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar, who were hanged to death by the British on the very day in 1931.

Mahatma Gandhi is an inspiration. Here are some of his motivating quotes:

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
 

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