Mahatma Gandhi 150th birthday event India Cultural Garden, Cleveland October 2, 2019
The Federation of Indian Community Associations (FICA) hosted a celebration on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi in the India Cultural Garden in Cleveland on October 2, 2019. Though it was raining steadily, many people assembled to honor Gandhi in the Garden.
Gandhi statue in Cleveland India Cultural Garden
Ritu Mahna, President of FICA, wrote "Mahatma Gandhi, by name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, (born October 2, 1869, Porbandar, India, died January 30, 1948, Delhi). He was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. Gandhiji taught the world to acquire freedom and establish peace by following the path of truth and non-violence. In the eyes of millions of his fellow Indians, Gandhi was the Mahatma (Great Soul). He lead the freedom movements of India alongside many freedom fighters. Gandhiji practiced acts of civil disobedience, these protests now act as a precedent for people fighting for injustice every day.
Gandhi's approach directly influenced Martin Luther King, Jr., who argued that the Gandhian philosophy was "the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom"ť. The Dandi march brought new hope in the minds of thousands of Indians. Gandhi declared resistance to British salt policies and became the torchbearer of "satyagraha, ť or mass civil disobedience". He earned a place of love and trust in every Indian's heart and is till the day the Father of our Nation.
Vande Mataram!"
As Paramjit Singh has noted, Cleveland is the only city in the world with a large statue of Gandhi on a street named for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..
The event began with the singing of the national anthems of India and the United Stated led by Tanmayee Dixit, Harsha Rane Tanmayee and Swati Sathe.
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Harsha Rane, Tanmayee Dixit and Swati Sathe
Tanmayee Dixit, Harsha Rane Tanmayee and Swati Sathe then sang Vaishnava Jana To, one of the most popular Hindu bhajans, written in the 15th century by the poet Narsinh Mehta in the Gujarati language. The bhajan was included in Mahatma Gandhi's daily prayer.
FICA Chair Sudarshan Sathe told some stories of how Mahatma Gandhi and his non-violence approach won over the public opinion of not only India but also Great Britain and led to the political defeat of Winston Churchill.
Sudarshan Sathe
The FICA Executive Committee led by Chair Sudarshan Sathe placed a wreath at the statue of Gandhi.
Dr. Yudhishthir Trivedi spoke about Gandhi in Hindi.
Dr. Yudhishthir Trivedi
The assembled crowd huddled under a tent in the driving rain to pose for a group photo.
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Enjoy these other images from the Gandhi 150th birth celebration.
Ritu Mahna, FICA President
Kalpesh Shah, India Garden Delegate
Ritu Mahna thanks the Bafna family for their contributions to the Gandhi School
FICA Executive Committee
FICA EC member
Posing with the statue of Gandhi
FICA Executive Committee
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