India Post News Service
CHICAGO: Indian Consul T.D. Bhutia Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, Vice President, Shree Gurusamy, Ms. Dipti Shah, Treasurer, Sohan Joshi and Sampath Jayasekar, Air India, members of Indian Community in Chicago, and seniors and staff of Metropolitan Asian Family Service gathered at the Heritage Park in Skokie, where the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi is located, to pay floral tribute to honor Mahatma Gandhi with great reverence and respect on Gandhiji’s 76th Martyr’s Day.
Dr. Santosh Kumar, the President also joined in over WhatsApp from India to pay homage to him. She praised Mahatma Gandhi’s courage for standing up for the values of ethical leadership, non-violence, non-discrimination, justice, truth, peace and humility, and spirituality.
In his speech, Deputy Consul Bhutia spoke about Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948, and the year and place Gandhiji was born- Porbandar, Gujarat, India. He spoke of Gandhiji’s nonviolence protest to fight injustice and it’s great impact on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s strategies for the Civil Rights Movement in 1960’s in America, and an inspiration to the first President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, in his fight for South Africa’s independence. Remembering Gandhiji, Deputy Consul stated the message that Gandhiji passed on to humanity, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
A thoughtful insight by Joshi was that we are free today because of Gandhiji, and that we can work for ourselves in the present is because of him establishing an understanding of what freedom really means.
Paying tribute to Gandhiji, Anthony Rathod and the seniors of MAFS sang “Veshnav Jan to Tene re Kahiye je PidParayi Jane re…” one of Gandhiji’s favorite Bhajan.
Throughout the event, Dr. Prabhakar, the Master of Ceremonies; Smitesh Shah and Ms. Gurusamy briefed everyone about the event including the introduction of the special guests. Delicious lunch snack-boxes and hot tea were provided by MAFS Niles site were a delight for all present on a cold wintry day.
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