Kendrapara: Residents of a remote village of Kendrapara district on Tuesday observed Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary by paying tribute to the Mahatma and Raghunath Nayak.

In simple event, the residents of Jaguleipada village congregated at the local school and paid floral tributes to both Bapu and Nayak, who caught Nathuram Godse after he had shot Gandhi on January 30, 1948. Nayak, who worked as a gardener at Birla House, had wrestled and pinned down Godse.

The German automobile giants, Daimler and Chrysler, had installed the busts of Gandhi and Nayak in the village school in recognition of his heroic act.

"The portraits of Bapu and Nayak find pride of place on the premises of Jaya Malavya Nodal Primary School. Gandhi's death anniversary was observed on Tuesday at the school. The schoolchildren, flanked by guardians, parents and other local residents, paid floral tributes to Mahatma and Raghunath," headmaster of Jay Malavya Nodal School, Jagulaeipada, Kailash Chandra Sahu, said.

"Enthusiastic children thronged the school campus and recited Ramdhun," said Sahu.

"Had Raghu succeeded in saving Gandhi, modern Indian history would have taken a different turn," Sahu said. "Raghunath Nayak had remained unnoticed in his lifetime. He also went unsung after his death on August 13, 1983. We, the local residents, however, pay our tributes to Nayak, which he richly deserved."