As much of the world marked Sept. 11 by remembering those who were killed in the 2001 attacks on the US, India celebrated it as a day of peace -- the 100th anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of peaceful resistance, or Satyagraha.
Most Indians marked Monday's Gandhi anniversary with art exhibitions, charity events and tributes, although some accused the government of failing to live up to Gandhi's spirit.
Over the past century, Gandhi's doctrine of using nonviolent means to strive for justice has been a rallying call for Indians to throw off British colonial rule, an inspiration to Martin Luther King Jr. and an influence on South Africa's peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy.
Many other liberation groups all over the world have based their ideologies on Gandhi's philosophy.
Even today, when India has cast aside its socialist-style economy to firmly embrace capitalism, leaders say Gandhi's values -- which also promoted a frugal lifestyle -- are relevant.
"By the force of moral example and restraint in the face of vicious provocation, Gandhi and his followers were able to effect a change of heart in their oppressors," said a statement from the governing Congress party, which ordered a year of events to mark the occasion.
On Sept. 11, 1906, Gandhi, then a young and little-known lawyer working in South Africa, joined a meeting of fellow Indians at a theater in the South African capital to protest a proposed law that would force Indians to carry identity documents and be fingerprinted.
Indians had initially been brought to South Africa as indentured workers by the British, who ruled both countries at the time.
Gandhi convinced those present to resist or ignore the law -- but without resorting to violence.
He called the idea Satyagraha, which literally translates as "insistence on truth."
Thousands of Indians were jailed, including Gandhi, for refusing to cooperate and burning their identity booklets.
In the end, the government eventually agreed to some of Gandhi's demands.
In 1916, Gandhi returned to India to set up an ashram, a Hindu spiritual center, where he taught his philosophy.
He also stressed ending caste differences, relieving poverty and ousting the British.
Gandhi then successfully led a farmers' protest against feudal landlords and unjust taxes.
His efforts earned him the name "Mahatma" or "Great Soul," and his reputation began to spread.
As his fame grew, he took a greater role in leading the campaign to force out the British, famously leading a 400km march to the sea to protest salt taxes.
Gandhi's great success, however, was to provide the Indian masses with a way to join the struggle for independence.
But throughout his life he never wavered from his position that those aims could be achieved without resorting to violence, said Pran Chopra, a New Delhi-based political analyst.
Before Gandhi, opponents of British rule were either isolated intellectuals or small violent groups.
"This platform offered by Gandhi ... gave them an opening so they could participate in boycotts and protests," he said.
Finally, Gandhi spearheaded the Quit India campaign, which forced the British, exhausted by World War II, from India in 1947.
His influence is also felt in South Africa, where he is credited with inspiring the peaceful change to majority rule in 1994.
RSS