Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday  unveiled Mahatma Gandhi’s “Grand Wall Mural” at New Delhi Municipal Corporation  (NDMC) Main Building at Parliament Street. The mural was a rare tributary endeavour  of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to ‘Rashtrapita’ on his 150th Birth Anniversary Year.

Later addressing the gathering , the Vice-President said  the 150 square meters clay mural of Mahatma Gandhi, made of ‘Kulhads’ from the hands of 150 village potters across India, was a matter of great pride for the nation as it was practical display of Gandhian thoughts on village industries.

“This endeavour of KVIC is  a ‘Tribute with difference’. It is also a proud moment for the nation, when KVIC’s grand mural is showcasing the combined ‘sweaty’ efforts of village potters across the nation — hailing from hilly Leh to seaside Maharashtra, and from dense jungle area of Chhattisgarh to Gangetic Varanasi,” he said.

Earlier, KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said the idea of making this wall mural came on December 22 last year at a function in Varanasi and took shape on January 6 in Morbi — the home State of Mahatma Gandhi.

“It was the herculean efforts of our adroit potters, who made the kulhads for this mural in no time. These 150 pairs of hands have given us the message that why did Mahatma Gandhi pay so much attention on the growth of village industries. The KVIC has so far distributed more than 6,000 Electric Potter Wheels so far across the country and by the end of this fiscal, we are distributing another 10,000 Electric Potter Wheels, which will create employment of over 40,000 people,” he said.

Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh said  time has come to incorporate scientific intervention in the Khadi sector. “Without following the economic principles of Mahatma Gandhi, Ram Manohar Lohai and Deen Dayal Upaudhyay, the concept of development will remain a mirage for our country,” he said.