Air India pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, puts Bapu's image on aircraft

New Delhi [India], Oct 2 (ANI): Air India paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary by painting a sketch of him on the tail of an Airbus A320 aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.

The approximately 11 feet high by 5 feet image has been painted on the tail of the Airbus-320 aircraft that measures 20 feet by 8 feet in size.

"This is the first time that we are doing something like this. By painting an image of Mahatma Gandhi on an aircraft's tail will serve as a reminder to people of Gandhiji's message," Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Ashwani Lohani told ANI on Wednesday.

The Air India CMD added that the company is planning to have Bapu's sketch painted across aircraft models in its fleet.

"The next step is to have a sketch of Gandhiji on the tail of one aircraft each across all models in our fleet, like the 787, 777 and 747 models which go on international flights to give a symbolic message," said Lohani.

The sketch was conducted by in-house artisans with the prior approval of the management.

Lohani added that Air India is also running a cleanliness campaign in honour of Mahatma Gandhi, "We are ensuring that our workplaces, our aircraft and our colonies, as well as our thoughts and our conduct, are clean. We have sent this message across our network and are ensuring it happens," he said.

Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar town of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi adopted a non-violent resistance and was the forefront of the freedom struggle against the colonial British rule with utmost patience.

This led to India finally achieving its independence in 1947. Fondly known as Bapu, his unwavering belief in 'swaraj' (self-governance) and 'ahimsa' (violence) won him accolades across the world.

Globally, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary is celebrated as the 'International Day of Non-Violence'.