Indians should work on Gandhi Jayanti? Why is it a holiday?
The Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has sparked off a debate on whether Gandhiji's birthday should be a public holiday. Speaking in New Delhi on the 140th birthday of the Mahatma, Tharoor has suggested that Indians work on Gandhi Jayanti.
Tharoor said that the Mahatma's principal was 'work is worship' and its only natural that we work today rather than take a day off. Tharoor also suggested that it was Gandhiji who would have liked us to do our duties.
He said, "One of his (Gandhi's) principles became a slogan. Work is worship. I always found it somewhat ironic that we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday with a holiday. I think he would have wanted us to work even harder to honour his memory."