Madagascar to issue postal stamp on Mahatma Gandhi

Madagascar is set to issue a postal stamp bearing the image of Mahatma Gandhi to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of India's founding father.

Madagascar, the largest island in the Indian Ocean, has a significant Indian diaspora from Porbandar in Gujarat where the Mahatma was born.

The Indian diaspora in Madagascar, locally known as 'Karanas' arrived in the country in the 19th century and now plays a vital role in its economy. They keep close links with Gujarat and even speak Gujarati at home.

Indian festivals are celebrated with great fervour in major cities of Madagascar.

The island nation had issued a postal stamp on Mahatma Gandhi back in 1998.

India's Ambassador to Madagascar Abhay Kumar had recently unveiled a plaque of a road named after Mahatma Gandhi along with the Mayor of Antananarivo in the country's capital city.

The Embassy of India in Madagascar is also organising an exhibition of paintings at its premises on Mahatma Gandhi made by Malagasy artists to mark the occasion.