THE Indian High Commission, along with the Government, on Tuesday celebrated the 149th birth anniversary of eminent freedom activist, Mahatma Gandhi, recognising his invaluable contribution to the world.

The ceremony took place at the Promenade Gardens where a statue of Gandhi is located. In attendance were Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence; Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes; former President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar and his wife, Deolatchmee Ramotar; and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Nigel Dharamlall.

Present too were the High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam; Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase-Green and Chairman of the Indian Commemoration Trust and the Demerara Bank Limited(ICT), Dr. Yesu Persaud.

Persaud, in his remarks, spoke of the Indian activist as one who “broke the back of the British empire”.

During his synopsis of some of Gandhi’s greatest achievements, Persaud stated that Gandhi’s life should serve as an example to all of humanity of how peaceful resistance can crumble the barriers of racism and injustice. “Gandhi represents a symbol of what man should be. He was not a selfish man, he was only a man for all the people,” he said, later adding: “Gandhi is a living symbol of what we all can be, how we can represent our country and make it a better place to live in…we cherish him, we honor him and we hope that generations to come, his name will remain in shining light throughout the world.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Chase-Green said that Mahatma Gandhi never fought with guns or fists but taught the world how to fight the non-violent, peaceful yet effective fight.
Similarly, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Nigel Dharamlall stated that the Indian political and civil rights leader was incremental in the struggle which brought democracy and freedom to India.

“I am certain that India is very proud of Gandhi, known as the Father of the Nation, a truly religious and diligent man who once said: ‘Fight if you must, on the path of righteousness and God will be with you’,” Chase-Green said.

Meanwhile, Dharamlall commented: “It is especially important in this part of the world where [there are] struggles for freedom and in our fight for a better life, that every opportunity that we have– our policies, or guiding principles, our daily lives– should be focussed on the attention of the weak and the vulnerable.”

The event’s feature remarks came from Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, who urged Guyanese to make a conscious effort to adhere to the message of the influential leader. She noted, too, that other great leaders such as Martin Luther King, Tibet’s Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela have also emulated his methods to shake up the dynamics of world politics.

“Gandhi’s fight against the social problems prevalent of his time; his struggle for human dignity, justice, equality and opportunity for self-determination remind us very forcibly of what’s happening in this our contemporary era. 149 years have elapsed but [the] issues are still very rife,” the Minister said, adding:
“As we pay homage to his great soul, whose legacy transcends time in terms of its impact on civil rights, equality, economic independence, I ask us all to let us make a conscious effort. Read, each and every one of us must, so that we can adhere to this maxim of his which says ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others’.”
Mahatma Gandhi, born in British India [now Gujarat] was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who was widely revered both before and after his death. He was assassinated on January 30, 1948 at the age of 78, being shot by a fanatic at point-blank range while walking to his prayer meeting on the lawns of Birla House, New Delhi.
On June 15, 2007, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted to establish October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence, commemorating Gandhi’s birthday, originally October 2, 1869.

At the ceremony, the Indian High Commission also released the 150th anniversary postage stamps of Mahatma Ghandi, with assistance in its presentation coming from Minister Hughes and High Commissioner Mahalingam. Also, secondary school students who participated in an essay -writing competition on the ‘Relevance of Gandhi’s philosophy today’ were awarded. The winners were: Alisha Ali– first; Geetanjali Ramraj—second; and Steven Jagnandan– third, while other participating students also received consolation prizes.