Six events in four cities of the Netherlands, including a ‘Gandhi
March’ from the iconic Peace Palace of The Hague will mark launch of
two year long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi.
Six events in four cities of the Netherlands, including a ‘Gandhi
March’ from the iconic Peace Palace of The Hague will mark launch of
two year long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi.
The Netherlands is set to witness six events in four cities
as part of activities to mark the launch of the two year long
celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
These events include a ‘Gandhi March’ from the iconic Peace Palace
of The Hague to Grote Kerk on September 30, 2018 (Sunday) with
participation of people of all nationalities and around twenty
Ambassadors of different countries.
Well-known spiritual guru from India
‘Sri M’; Ms. Kavita Parbhudayal, Deputy Mayor of The Hague,
Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony and Ambassadors
of the US, Indonesia and Afghanistan will address the marchers.
The Gandhi March will conclude with multinational cultural performances
highlighting the message of non-violence, a special exhibition mounted
on a Khadi Scroll (curated by Pramod Kapoor of Roli Books, India) and
a movie on the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
On October 2, the International Day of Non-Violence, five events will be
held in the four cities of The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Zoetermeer.
Gandhi statues in the cities will be garlanded and the public invited to
place flowers at the feet of the statue as a mark of respect amidst
speeches, singing of favorite songs of Mahatma Gandhi and cultural
programs. Special commemorative stamps issued by the Indian Postal
Department will be released in front of the Peace Palace and a meeting
held within the Peace Palace complex to discuss the relevance and
importance of Mahatma Gandhi to the challenges of the modern world. A
‘Gandhi Walk’ will also be held in the capital city the same
evening.
The Embassy of India along with community organizations will conduct
during the period of October 1-5, 2018 an outreach program called
“Follow the Mahatma” under which over 100 volunteers will fan out
to around 20 schools of the Netherlands to spread the message of
non-violence and to educate students about the life of Mahatma Gandhi
and how India won freedom through a non-violence movement.
A social media campaign with the hashtag _#followthemahatma_ will be conducted
during the period inviting people across the Netherlands to post
messages reiterating their commitment to the principle of non-violence.
The Netherlands has a special connection to India and Mahatma Gandhi.
There are around thirty streets in the country named after Mahatma
Gandhi, perhaps the largest after India anywhere in the world.
