If we ask any person or any school going children, what is the existence of October 2nd in Indian history; probably they will not even think once and tell that it is Gandhi Jayanti (Birthday of Mahatama Gandhi). The important day October 2 is treated as national holiday for Gandhi jayanthi and international day for non violence. Passing time has eroded our values and principles and also importance of this great day. Times have changed andso has the perception of the present generation regarding the importance of this day. The profound effect of this can be seen clearly in current state of affairs. Today when I saw news paper every page covered with Gandhi jayanthi wishes. However, the importance of 2nd October remains incomplete if we do not remember another great son of India A true Gandhian Lal Bahadur Shastri, who was born on the same date.
We always celebrate 2nd October as Gandhi jayanti but so many people forgetting there's one more celebration on this day of our great leader and best Ex Prime minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri. I know most of the people don't know that his birthday also come on the same day because in our schools, colleges we were only told about Gandhi jayanti on 2nd October, even the television channels also telecasting movies on the eve of Gandhi Jayanthi, but I have hardly witnessed any type of coverage about Lal Bahadur Shastri or his birth anniversary on any TV channels. We observed the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October. Indeed it is highlighted that Mahatma was "one man army" who made the British Empire yield and obtained freedom for India. It is believed that Mahatma is most "read about" and "talked about" person in the contemporary world.
However, very few people know that it is the birth anniversary of Late Lal Bahadur Shastri as well; Except for those of like my father who grew up in the sixties and seventies, Lal Bahadur shashtri was a figure whom we knew little about. He was the little man with iron in his constitution, the man who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru, honest to the core, the man who won the 1965 War with Pakistan. In a manner we should call this day as Gandhi jayanti as well as Shastri Jayanti. It is pity that the people, who remember and celebrate Gandhi Jayanthi, forget that the same day is the birth day of our former prime Minister - a humble man.
