Children walked hurriedly towards the prayer venue at 7.15 a.m. on a cold January morning at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. As, I followed this impressive gathering of children I overheard a girl whispering gently to her friend ‘Do you know this was the day Gandhiji was shot dead?’ After a few seconds the friend replied ‘yes, I do and we are here to pay Anjali to him!’ The day long observance started with a children-led Interfaith prayer where over 750 children participated. What followed was a moving day-long tribute to not only the Mahatma but to the values he treasured ‘Truth’ & Non-violence’, which he lived everyday & grounded all his constructive work upon.

“True to their commitment the People of Coimbatore came in large numbers on 30th January to participate in the events organized under three sections, namely, Samarpanam, Gandhi Stops and Anjali.”

20 institutions hosted over 5000 citizens of Coimbatore, coordinated by Shanti Ashram and the Young Indians. On the morning of January 30th people assembled on the banks of the Noyyal River and started the city-wide 60th Memorial Day observance which culminated in the evening with an Anjali, by renowned dancers, musicians & artists.