Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in Colombo

Commemorating the 155th  birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi by garlanding his bust at the Prime Minister’s Office in Colombo yesterday.

Following the ceremony, the High Commissioner called on the Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya.

The bust was a gift from India in 2019, commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The 42 inches-tall bronze bust of Gandhiji in meditative pose was sculpted by Padma Bhushan Awardee Ram Vanji Sutar. Sutar also has to his credit the world’s tallest bronze statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Kevadiya, Gujarat.

Later in the day, a Gandhi Oration organised by the Sri Lanka India Society (SLIS) in collaboration with the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, the cultural arm of the High Commission of India in Colombo, was delivered by former High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Austin Fernando. 

As an annual event of SLIS marking Gandhi Jayanti, it has served as a platform for reflecting on Mahatma Gandhi’s timeless teachings and their continued relevance in today’s world.