The Gandhian Society (USA) along with the Indian Consulate in New York held a prayer meeting to observe the 73rd martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi at the Indian Consulate in New York on January 30, 2021.
The event was attended virtually by family members of Mahatma Gandhi – Arun Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), Ela Gandhi (granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi and former Member of Parliament from South Africa), and Tushar Gandhi (great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi). The event was supported and attended by Indian Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, Deputy Consul General Shatrughan Sinha, US Lawmakers – Cory Booker, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and Upendra Chivukula. Many other community leaders also joined to pay tributes and homage to the great legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.
UN representatives Perks Ligoya (Malawi) and Rodrigo Carazo (Costa Rica) also addressed the event virtually and paid homage to Gandhi. Indian American community leaders like Padmashri H R Shah, Mukund Thakar, Deepak Shah, and Rajeev Pandya also attended the prayer meeting.
The main highlight of the event was the participation of the Gandhian Society (USA) youth volunteers who spoke about what the Mahatma and his teachings meant to them and how it has inspired them. Melodious bhajans rendered by renowned classical singer Varsha Joshi was the other major highlight.
The Gandhian Society (USA) was founded by Bhadra Butala who aims to spread the message of Mahatma Gandhi in the United States along with his team of volunteers and supporters. Team members of the Gandhian Society including Rajendar Dichpally, Mahesh Wani, Dr Deepak Naran, Gunjan Desai, Hasmukh Patel, and Shiva Kumar plan to work in order to take the message of the Mahatma to the masses in the United States by partnering with educational institutions and like-minded organizations. The organization also hopes to set up an emporium that will offer literature, Gandhian memorabilia, khadi, and handicraft products and also engage in multiple humanitarian projects both for needy communities in the United States and India
