Indian missions in Russia, China, Pakistan and several other countries on Thursday celebrated Mahatma Gandhi’s 156th birth anniversary by garlanding his statues and highlighting the enduring relevance of his universal message of peace and non-violence. In Russia, Minister of State for Textile and External Affairs Pabitra Margherita paid respects and floral tributes at Gandhi’s statue in the Ramenki Rayon Park of Moscow. Local authorities and Indian community representatives joined in the event. Addressing the event, Margherita highlighted the significance and relevance of Gandhian principles of self-reliance, truth and non-violence in the 21st century.
Russian Government dignitaries, Indologists, Gandhian scholars and local community representatives attended the event. In Beijing, the Indian embassy marked the birth anniversary of Gandhi and the International Day of Non-Violence at Jintai Art Museum. Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Rawat offered floral tributes to Gandhi. Curator Yuan Xikun, his spouse Luo Xiao, members of the Indian diaspora and Friends of India joined in paying homage.
A soulful musical presentation - pipa, sitar, guitar and tabla - brought alive Gandhi’s favourite bhajans “Vaishnav Jan To” and “Raghupati Raghav”. Gandhian scholar Shobhana Radhakrishna highlighted the enduring relevance of his message of peace and humanity. In Pakistan, Chargé d’affaires Gitika Srivastava, along with members of the High Commission of India in Islamabad, paid a tribute to the Father of the Nation. Srivastava also planted a tree to commemorate Gandhi’s ideals of environmental sustainability.
In Colombo, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha garlanded Gandhi’s statue at Temple Trees. In Nepal, the Indian Ambassador and embassy officials paid floral tributes to Gandhi’s statue, with students and teachers singing hymns cherished by Gandhi. In South Korea, the Indian Embassy marked the occasion at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre and Yonsei University in Seoul, where tributes were paid to Gandhi’s bust.
Korean students performed musical compositions, and the event was attended by embassy officials, diaspora members and foreign nationals. In Japan, Ambassador R Madhu Sudan, Indian officials, Edogawa City representatives, diaspora members, teachers and students paid tributes to Gandhi at the Edogawa statue. Gandhi Jayanti was also observed in the Philippines, Turkiye, France, Saudi Arabia and Mongolia.
