New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Hundreds of people, including school children, in Delhi sang devotional songs and showered flowers and petals at Rajghat in tribute to Mahatma Gandhi Saturday on his 142nd birth anniversary.

"I've been coming here (Rajghat) for the last three years to pay homage to Bapu (as Gandhi was popularly known). Me and my classmates sang bhajans and paid our tribute to Bapu," said Moin Ahmed, a Class 8 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Gole Market.

Mahatma's memorial Rajghat was decorated with flowers and his favourite devotional songs like "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" and "Vaishnav Jan To" played in the background. The occasion was celebrated with fervour in the capital.

President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, US Ambassador Timothy Roemer, Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader L.K. Advani and many other political leaders also visited Rajghat to pay tributes to the Mahatma.

The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the 'Father of the Nation', is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti cross the country with reverence. It is also marked as the International Day of Non-Violence around the world.

Gandhi played a significant role for achieving independence for India from the British Empire, through non-violent struggle, living a simple, ascetic's life.