In philatelic world, Gandhi is the most favorite subject of all philatelists. Time and again, stamps, covers, booklets etc are issued by India Post and postal authorities of many other countries on Gandhi who is considered as 'Man of Millennium'. He was the prominent leader of Indian nationalism 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). Gandhi is  considered the Father of the Nation in India. His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti in India, a national holiday, and world-wide as the International Day of Nonviolence.