The Indian consulate has agreed to a proposal for setting up a cultural centre here showcasing the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi.
Anurag Bhushan, India's Consul-General in Dubai, also expressed willingness to extend whatever help possible in this matter.
"The Centre will disseminate literature, artifact and khadi attire so that the younger generations get inspired by the Father of the Nation," Bhushan said.
"I am very happy to announce that we are going to work together to create a Gandhi Centre. This is a small step but I hope it becomes big as this is the first such initiative," he said.
Bhushan was addressing a gathering of the Indian community after installing a statue of Gandhi at the consulate premises to mark the 141stbirth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
"We first thought whether just a bust of Gandhi can inspire us. Then we agreed that we should have a Gandhi Centre here so that Gandhiji's values could be propagated," Bhushan said.
Speaking on the relevance of Gandhi today, Bhushan said that we celebrate peace in India as Gandhi decided on peace as a means to wage war.
"Gandhiji realised that political emancipation is meaningless unless it brought about economic transformation. This is where his greatness lies. It was not just the fact that he gave us a path for political independence, it was a path that was chosen afterward by great people like Ho Chi Min, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Aung Sang Su Kyi," said Bhushan.
"He also showed us a way of liberating ourselves from the tyranny of modern consumerism. He left us as better people, those who can truly appreciate the liberating power of peace. This is why every year and every place in the world we should celebrate Gandhiji," he said adding that by celebrating Gandhi we do not worship the man but the virtues inherent in him.
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