THE Embassy of India in Manila marked the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year with a series of local events and tributes on October 1 and 2.
Ambassador of India to the Philippines Shambhu S. Kumaran and Ambassador Laura del Rosario, president of Miriam College, paid their homage to Gandhi as they offered floral tributes at his bust in the premises of the Center for Peace Education on October 2. The bust was unveiled by India’s President Ram Nath Kovind during his state visit to the Philippines in October 2019.
Three Filipino artists also offered visual tributes to the revered Indian intellectual. Ryan Managaysay, a social studies student at Samar State University, used his skill to transform a large fern leaf, or salikupkop, into a portrait of Gandhi. Managaysay has earned national fame for his unique art form, having earlier done similar portraits of influential personalities.
Also, on that date, Bharati Manila, an Indian expatriate women’s association supported by the embassy, staged a virtual show where kids from the local Indian community participated in a dramatic production that reenacted the life of Gandhi. Dr. Manuel B. Dy of Ateneo de Manila University also shared insights on the topic, “Gandhi and the Philippines.” The program also featured a rendition of Gandhi’s favorite hymn Vaishnav Jan by renowned Filipino singer Dr. Grace S. Nono.
The evening prior, the embassy organized a special program via Facebook Live: Gandhi Katha (Gandhi Story) by Shobhana Radhakrishna as she presented in narrative form the “Enlightened One’s” vision that can help address pressing challenges of the times.
In the last two years, the government of India has launched several worldwide initiatives and events to celebrate the revered historical figure’s universal messages of truth and ahimsa, or nonviolence.
Image credits: Embassy of India Facebook Page
