Moscow/Beijing

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 & 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 Shanghai, the Gandhian centre at Fudan University held a special function to celebrate the Gandhi Jayanti, in which Indian Consul General Pratik Mathur took part.

In London, the plinth of the Gandhi statue at Tavistock Square, which was vandalised just days earlier, was restored to a gleaming white in time for the annual Gandhi Jayanti ceremony on Thursday.

Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said the coming together of the local community in the wake of the vandalism, reported to the Metropolitan Police on Sunday evening, symbolised a beautiful message in time for International Day of Non-Violence.

He was joined by members of the India League, which had supported the installation of the statue over 50 years ago, and the mayor of the local Camden Council, which cares for the monument.

The annual gathering concluded with the students of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London performing Gandhiji’s favourite bhajans, ‘Raghupati Raghav’ and ‘Vaishnava Jan’, and a peace prayer by Buddhist monks.

In New York, the birth anniversary of Gandhi was celebrated at Union Square Park, where members of the Indian community and friends of India gathered to pay homage to the Father of the Nation. Floral tributes were offered at the statue, accompanied by soulful renditions of Gandhiji’s favourite bhajans, echoing his eternal message of peace and non-violence.

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, the Prime Minister’s official residence.

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.

Indian Ambassador to Turkiye Muktesh Pardeshi unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Embassy in Ankara, recalling Gandhi’s support for Turkiye’s independence movement. The ceremony was attended by Embassy officials and members of the Indian diaspora.

In Cyprus, High Commissioner Manish and Annita Demetriou, Speaker of the House of Representatives, paid floral tributes to Gandhi. The High Commissioner highlighted the enduring relevance of Gandhiji’s principles of truth, peace, and non-violence.

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Gandhi Jayanti was also observed in the Philippines, France, Saudi Arabia and Mongolia.