Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "high-souled", "venerable") applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa, is now used worldwide. He is also called Bapu (Gujarati: endearment for "father", "papa") in India.

Indians widely describe Gandhi as the father of the nation (Hindi: राष्ट्रपिता). The title "The Father of the Nation" for Gandhi is not an official title and has not been officially accorded by Government of India. Origin of this title is traced back to a radio address (on Singapore radio) on 6 Jul 1944 by Subhash Chandra Bose where Bose addressed Gandhi as "The Father of the Nation". On 28 Apr 1947, Sarojini Naidu during a conference also referred Gandhi as "Father of the Nation".

His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and world-wide as the International Day of Nonviolence.

An effort is being made here to put up Postal Cancellations of 2nd October from 1869 onwards. It is very difficult to obtain old postal cancellations of Pre-independence period. However many postal cancellations of British period are put up here with a feel & thrill of presenting that date of 2nd October when a Man of Millennium-Mahatma Gandhi was born. Till he became National Leader, his Birth Date 2nd October was not noticed...

Here an effort is made to give a historic touch of this date by presenting postal cancellations of 2nd October, with a view to project the Birth Date of a great upcoming Star on the horizon of Indian Freedom Movement.