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MEA to hold series of events abroad on Mahatma Gandhi
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) The Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian missions abroad will hold a series of events over the next one year to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, senior officials said on Wednesday.
Briefing the media here, A. Gitesh Sarma, Additional Secretary (Multilateral Diplomacy) in the Ministry, said that an anthology containing writings on Gandhi by 150 globally renowned persons will be published.
This apart, international personalities promoting Gandhian thoughts will be recognised.
Digital translations of Gandhi’s writings are also being planned.
The Indian missions abroad will hold vegetarian food festivals according to their convenience.
“A global cycling event has been planned on World Cycling Day on June 3 next year,” Sarma said.
Start-ups on waste management and sanitation are also being planned.
Another project being evaluated is “Satyavarta”, under which people will be speaking on Gandhi and their quotes will be posted on Youtube.
“There will be planting of trees on World Environment Day on June 5, 2019,” Sarma said.
The Indian missions abroad will reach out to schools and distribute books while officials will talk about Gandhi.
According to Sarma, the missions abroad will also hold Jaipur Foot camps where the artificial limb will be distributed free among the needy.
An idea of holding an international conference on Mahatma Gandhi is also being explored.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that around 16 events are being planned.
“It is an exercise in which we are heavily dependent on our missions,” Kumar said.
Official celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation kicked off on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a medley version of Bapu’s favourite bhajan “Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye” sung by artistes from over 40 countries, during the closing ceremony of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Conference here.
“We asked our missions to identify local singers,” Kumar said.
“Out of 30 missions, we got response from 124 missions and we have 124 songs now,” he said, adding that to meet the target of 150, efforts will be made to get this from 26 more countries.
Since the challenge was to synchronise the songs with a common thread running through, the spokesperson said only the best songs were selected.
To highlight the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in today’s world, Indian missions abroad on Tuesday projected his message in the form of an LED video.
More than 120 locations have been identified in as many countries to execute the LED projection, including 50 on iconic locations like Piccadilly Circus in London, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Welt Museum in Vienna, Buda Castle in Budapest, Palazzo Senatorio in Rome, Prambanan Temple in Indonesia and Museo de Arte in Peru, among others.
According to Kumar, content in the 50 iconic locations was customised.
Meanwhile, an online quiz on Gandhi has also been started.
“We started this before October 2 and have sent a set of 100 questions to our missions,” Kumar stated.
–IANS
ab/nir
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.