Beijing: Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated on Wednesday at China’s sprawling Chaoyang Park with local school children reciting his teachings in Mandarin and an Odissi dance was performed by Beijing-based dancers on his favourite bhajan. Beijing's picturesque Chaoyang Park where Gandhi’s statue, sculpted by famous Chinese sculptor Prof. Yuan Xikun, was installed in 2005 came alive with recitation of his teachings in Mandarin by a group of Chinese school children.
It was followed by a graceful Odissi dance performance on 'Vaishnav Jan To' by noted Beijing-based Odissi dancer Zhang Jinghui and her troupe. The Indian community came together to stage a play, “Ahimsa: The Gandhi Way”, directed and written by Ketkee Thakar and Ayushi Sugandhi respectively. A host of Indian diplomats led by Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Rawat, besides Chinese Ambassador to Maldives, Dr Fazeel Najeeb, Beijing-based Indian diaspora and local admirers of Gandhiji paid floral tributes to the widely-admired statue.
Rawat in his speech conveyed his deep appreciation to Prof. Yuan Xikun for creating the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the first statue in the Chaoyang Park honouring great leaders of the world. He also recalled Prof Yuan mentioning to him that he is deeply inspired by the vision of Gandhiji.
The installation of the Gandhi statue in the Chinese capital has its own political significance as Gandhiji and the founder of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Mao Zedong headed their respective national liberation movements with contrasting ideologies. While India became independent from British rule in 1947, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) headed by Mao was formed in 1949.
“Gandhiji was not just a leader of the Indian independence movement; he was a visionary who championed the values of truth, non-violence, and social justice. It is only fitting that Gandhiji’s birthday is observed worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence," Rawat said in his speech.
Prof Yuan could not attend the event as he was unwell. In his speech read in absentia, Pro Yuan said for the last several years the Indian Embassy officials and the members of the Indian community gathered at the statue of Gandhi Jayanti to pay tribute to the “saint” by laying flowers and reciting his teachings. The statue has also become a symbol of friendship between the people of India and China, he said.
(With inputs from agency)
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