By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN High Commissioner to London HE Gaitri Issar Kumar on Saturday (2) paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi in London on the occasion of his 152nd birth anniversary. Kumar paid floral tributes to the statue of the iconic figure in Parliament Square. The occasion also saw bhajans and talks on the enduring legacy of the life and teachings of the ‘Father of the Nation’.
At Tavistock Square Gardens in London, where also a status of Gandhi is located, Deputy High Commissioner of India Sujit Ghosh welcomed Councillor Sabrina Francis, the mayor of Camden, for a special ceremony attended by the heads of the defence wings of the Indian high commission and community leaders.
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High Commissioner Gaitri I Kumar and Officers of the Indian High Commission paid floral tribute to Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square , London, on the occasion of his 152nd Birth Anniversary. #GandhiJayanti pic.twitter.com/1ErUPcobNL
— India in the UK (@HCI_London) October 2, 2021
2nd Oct: @mayorofcamden Cllr Sabrina Francis, Lord Rami Ranger, Representatives of India League and the Indian community were joined by Deputy High Commissioner Shri Sujit Ghosh and officers of @HCI_London at Tavistock Square to celebrate #GandhiJayanti. @RamiRanger pic.twitter.com/MhY2ABwgMB
— India in the UK (@HCI_London) October 3, 2021
Wreaths were placed to pay homage to the Gandhi Memorial by the deputy high commissioner, heads of the defence wings, community leaders, councillors and the members of parliament. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and the Sargam Cultural Institute collaborated to play some of Gandhi’s favourite bhajans.
A peace march, which was organised by the Gita Foundation and the National Association of Patidar Samaj, was also flagged off.
HE Kumar inaugurated an illuminating exhibition on the life of Gandhi illustrated in photographs and curated by Mr Pandey from India’s Benaras. She also announced at the event the curation of a special volume of essays by noted Gandhian scholars.
At the Nehru Centre, the high commission’s cultural wing, a virtual interaction was hosted by the centre’s director Amish Tripathi and film-maker Rajkumar Hirani on the concept of ‘Gandhigiri’, as popularised in his ‘Munnabhai‘ films.
The high commission also launched with the support of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan virtual Sanskrit classes lessons for 10 weeks starting the same day (till December 4).