New Delhi:
To mark the 148th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi on Monday, people from all strata echoed Gandhi’s favourite bhajans and quotes in the Chaoyang Park in central Beijing.
The cultural team from the Indian Embassy sung the prominent bhajan, Vaishana Jana and a batch of Chinese school children dressed in green and white with red scarfs recited some of his popular quotes of Gandhi compiled by their school.
Some of the Gandhian quotes read by the Chinese school children included "the weak never forgive: Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong", "Strength does not come from your physic but from indomitable will", "Greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated".
In a bid to provide an opportunity for all his admirers to pay homage to Gandhi, the statue carved by China’s acclaimed sculptor and artist Yuan Xikun in 2005.
Apart from the Gandhi, Chinese artist had also made the statue of Rabindranath Tagore which is displayed in the museum attached to the park.
A large gathering of Indian diplomats, including Charge d'affaires B Wilson Babu and Chinese admirers of Gandhi and Indian expats attended today's event.
During his speech, Babu applauded the Gandhi’s effort of brought down colonialism and inspiring several leaders such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela in their fight.
In due recognition of Gandhi's enduring legacy, October 2 has been designated as the International Day of Non-Violence by UN, he said.
While Gandhi's philosophy and ideals are all the more relevant in today's world filled with strife, the values espoused by him provided a way forward to build a just and equitable world, Babu said.
To commemorate the Gandhi Jayanthi and International Day of Non-Violence, the Centre for Gandhian and Indian Studies (CGIS), Fudan University on September 28 conducted a lecture and a round-table conference on the theme - 'Gandhian Thought and International Relations Today'.
