India releases commemorative stamps to mark Gandhi's birth anniversary at Netherlands

India on Tuesday released special commemorative stamps to mark the beginning of the year-long celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary in the Netherlands.

The stamps, issued by the Indian postal department, were presented by India's Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony to former foreign minister and Chairman of Carnegie Foundation Bernard R Bot and Director General Erik de Baedts in front of the iconic Peace Palace, the Indian mission said in a statement.

The foundation is the owner and manager of the Peace Palace, home to the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

A large number of Indians participated in the function.

Ambassador Rajamony and members of the Indian community also participated in a function at the Gandhi statue here.

Rajamony garlanded the statue and members of the gathering placed flowers at the feet of the statue as a mark of respect amidst speeches, singing of favourite songs of Gandhi, the statement said.

An outreach programme 'Follow the Mahatma' is being organised 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 Gandhi.

Rajamony visited the Indonesian school here and spoke to students about the life and relevance of Gandhi.

A social media campaign with the hashtag #FollowTheMahatma is also being organised inviting people to post messages reiterating their commitment to the principle of non-violence.