Belarus capital mulling to install Gandhi's statue

The Belarus capital Minsk is mulling a monument of Mahatma Gandhi as it finds his philosophy of tolerance and non-violence "much relevant".

Addressing a function in Minsk yesterday on Gandhi's 140th birthday as International Day of Non-violence, a senior Foreign Ministry official promised all necessary help in setting a monument to Mahatma Gandhi.

"His philosophy of tolerance and non-violence was much relevant to Belarus as it had been the victim of conflicts," Vladimir Lopato-Zagorsky, Director of Asia & Africa Division of the Foreign Ministry said.

"The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus would extend all necessary help and facilitation in setting up an appropriate memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in Minsk," Lopato-Zagorsky declared paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

At the Gandhi Jayanti function organised for the first time as International Day of Non-violence in the prestigious 'Friendship House' of Minsk by Belarus-India society in cooperation with the Indian Embassy, members of the diplomatic corps, all walks of society and representatives of various religious denominations were present along with the local Indian community.

According to an Embassy release paying tributes to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambassador Ramesh Chander quoted Martin Luther King who said "we may ignore Gandhi at our own peril".

Ambassador Ramesh Chander thanked the Belarus-India Friendship Society for cooperating in hosting the International Day of Non-violence in Minsk on this important day of October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, an apostle of peace and non-violence.

"Mahatma's philosophy of peace and non-violence was much relevant in these tension ridden days. The 'Friendship House' would only be happy to make the International Day of Non-violence a regular feature in Minsk," Elena Kachperko, a prominent activist of Belarus-India Friendship Society said.