Gujarat celebrates Gandhi Jayanti with prayers, cleanliness drives

Prayer meets were organised at several places in Gujarat, including Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, on Wednesday morning to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.

A large number of primary school students gathered at Hriday Kunj, Gandhi's home at the Sabarmati Ashram, to attend an all-faith prayer meet organised on the occasion.

They expressed their views on the relevance of Gandhi's teaching of non-violence in today's world. Members of the ashram's trust, eminent Gandhians and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani attended a prayer meet at Porbandar's Kirti Mandir, the house where Mahatma Gandhi was born on this date in 1869.

He also spoke about about the relevance of the Father of the Nation in the present day world. Stressing on the importance of moral values, Rupani said students will be taught this as a subject in government schools. Prayers were also held at Kochrab Ashram in Ahmedabad where the Mahatma stayed before shifting base to the Sabarmati Ashram in 1917.

Beaides, a mega cleanliness drive was organised on the sea beach in Dandi, the place associated with the historic 'Salt Satyagrah' of 1930. As a tribute to Gandhi, hundreds of volunteers participated in the drive to keep the beach clean. Rupani will also take part in a similar cleanliness campaign in Porbandar.

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Ahmedabad, where he will pay tributes to Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram and later address a gathering of village heads from different parts of the country while declaring the country open defecation-free.

-PTI