On Gandhi Jayanti, 2 October 2026 — the 157th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi — Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary opened the second foundation-day celebrations of Bapu Tower, using the occasion to unveil a bust of the Father of the Nation, launch an online ticketing system for the heritage site, and release a new journal titled 'Satyagraha'.

A bust, a journal, and a digital leap for Bapu Tower

Three distinct moments marked the ceremony. First, the unveiling of a bust (avaksha pratima) of Mahatma Gandhi at the tower — a permanent sculptural tribute at one of Patna's landmark memorials dedicated to his legacy. Second, the launch of an online ticketing system, bringing the site into the digital age and making access smoother for students, tourists, and pilgrims who visit in large numbers around Gandhi Jayanti. Third, the release of the journal 'Satyagraha', intended to carry Gandhi's ideas into contemporary print and classrooms.

Addressing the gathering, CM Choudhary framed all three acts around a single resolve: 'To carry Bapu's message of truth, non-violence, and love to the new generation is the commitment of all of us.' The statement was directed as much at Bihar's youth as at the symbolic weight of the date itself.

Bapu Tower's second year — and Bihar's Gandhi connection

Bapu Tower stands in Patna, the capital of Bihar — the state where Gandhi launched some of his most consequential campaigns, most notably the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917, widely regarded as the first mass civil-disobedience movement of the Indian independence struggle. The tower's second foundation day on Gandhi's birth anniversary reinforces that historical thread, positioning Bihar as a keeper of the Gandhian flame within India's public memory.

The 157th birth anniversary is observed as a national holiday, Gandhi Jayanti, across India. State governments routinely hold commemorative events, but the combination of a physical unveiling, a digital infrastructure upgrade, and a new publication gives this year's Bihar ceremony a programmatic character beyond routine observance.

Why the 'Satyagraha' journal matters

The decision to launch a periodical named 'Satyagraha' — Gandhi's foundational concept of 'truth-force' or principled non-violent resistance — signals an intent to keep Gandhian discourse alive in a structured, recurring format. Whether aimed at schools, universities, or general readers, the journal gives the occasion an intellectual dimension that complements the stone-and-mortar tribute of the bust and the administrative upgrade of digital ticketing.

Taken together, the three launches suggest a deliberate effort by the Bihar government to make Bapu Tower not just a monument but a living civic institution — one that educates, invites, and publishes. That ambition, if sustained, is Gandhi Jayanti given a year-round shape.