Friday, 2 October, 2015, marks the 146th birth anniversary of the pioneer of the non-violence movement in India and beyond. Lovingly remembered as Bapu, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has inspired many world leaders, spiritual heads, politicians and scientists. Here are what a few of them have to say about the Mahatma (venerable):

Albert Einstein: Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this (Gandhi) walked the earth in flesh and blood. I believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time.

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr: If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore him at our own risk.

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Gudjon Bergmann: Gandhi is an example of a man who grew from being self-centred as he was learning to become a lawyer in England, to becoming more family- and social oriented in South-Africa, where he led a reformation of Indian rights, to becoming determined in helping his nation recover from British rule at which he succeeded in the end with the help of a great many people.

Barack Obama: In my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things.

Dalai Lama: I have the greatest admiration and respect for Mahatma Gandhi. He was a great human being with a deep understanding of human nature.

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