Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh [Images] said has India is grateful 'to the world community for declaring October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence.'

The prime minister spoke at a function after releasing a commemorative stamp on the occasion of 138^th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi [Images], said a release by the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.

"We in India have observed this day for decades as a day of prayer and thanksgiving," he said.

"The message -- of love and peace, of non-violence and satyagraha, of equality and harmony -- is universal. It is a message for all times, for all societies and for all people," Dr Singh said.  

Along with President Pratibha Patil [Images] and Vice-President Hamid Ansari led the nation in paying homage to Gandhiji by participating in function at Rajghat on Tuesday morning.