'Grateful nation': President Kovind tweets on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary

Martyr's Day or Shaheed Diwas is observed every year on January 30 in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated at Gandhi Smriti in the Birla House by Nathuram Godse in 1948.

President Ram Nath Kovind paid homage to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on his 73rd death anniversary on Saturday. He said that the nation was grateful to him and that everyone should embrace his ideals of peace, non-violence, simplicity, purity of means and humility.

Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead on this day in 1948(Getty Images/Keystone)

"On behalf of a grateful nation, my humble tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi who embraced martyrdom this day. We should adhere to his ideals of peace, non-violence, simplicity, purity of means and humility. Let us resolve to follow his path of truth and love," he tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to Gandhi and tweeted, "Tributes to the great Bapu on his Punya Tithi. His ideals continue to motivate millions. On Martyrs Day we recall the heroic sacrifices of all those great women and men who devoted themselves towards India’s freedom and the well-being of every Indian."

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu also tweeted on the occasion. "Ahimsa is the highest duty. Even if we cannot practice it in full, we must try to understand its spirit and refrain as far as is humanly possible from violence.- Mahatma Gandhi. My respectful tributes to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi Ji on his death anniversary today," he tweeted.

Paying tributes to the freedom fighter, the official Twitter handle of Congress said the nation salutes all those who sacrificed their lives for it on the occasion of Martyrs Day. "On 30th Jan 1948, the world lost a guiding light & a symbol of peace and non-violence. On this day, we observe Martyrs Day to pay a billion salutations to Mahatma Gandhi and every other martyr who sacrificed their life for the nation's freedom," it tweeted.

Martyr's Day or Shaheed Diwas is observed every year on January 30 in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated at Gandhi Smriti in the Birla House by Nathuram Godse in 1948.