India releases commemorative stamps in Netherlands to mark Gandhi Jayanti

The Indian embassy in the Netherlands on Tuesday released commemorative stamps in honour of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.

The stamps were released in the country's iconic Peace Palace, home to the International Court of Justice, by the Indian Postal Department and were presented by India's ambassador to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony, to former Foreign Minister and Chairman of Carnegie Foundation, Dr. Bernard R. Bot, and Director General Erik de Baedts.

A similar function also took place at the Gandhi statue in the Hague, where Ambassador Rajamony placed a garland at the feet of the statue as a mark of respect to 'The Father of the Nation'. He also visited an Indonesian school in the Hague as part of the program and spoke to students about the direct impact of Gandhi on the present generation.

Similar functions to mark the Gandhi Jayanti also took place in the cities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Zoetermeer.

Furthermore, in an attempt to spread the message of non-violence and educate students about the life and legacy of Gandhi, an outreach programme called "Follow the Mahatma" is being conducted by the Embassy of India between October 1-5, under which over 100 volunteers fan out to around 20 schools of the Netherlands to spread the message of non-violence and educate students about the life of Mahatma Gandhi.

Similarly, a social media campaign with the hashtag #FollowTheMahatma is also being conducted by the Embassy, inviting people to post messages reiterating their commitment to the principle of non-violence.