Published 07:56 IST, October 3rd 2019
France's La Poste honours Mahatma Gandhi with postage stamps on 150th
The French Embassy, in collaboration with French postal firm La Poste, issued stamps as a tribute on Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary on Wednesday
A special stamp was released by the French postal company 'La Poste' as an honour for Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary on Wednesday. The Indian Embassy partnered with the firm in order to launch the postage stamp which has the image.
Tribute in France
The Indian Embassy held multiple activities in order to celebrate the occasion and pay the tributes to Gandhi. In multiple tweets, the Embassy also mentioned that they had organised various cultural events like Gandhi Bhajans, Kathak dance on Gandhi Bhajans, a puppet show along with Khadi and book exhibitions to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi. Bhavana Pradyumna, a Carnatic vocalist, who is also the President of the Carnatic Conservatory of Paris presented a medley of bhajans close to Gandhi. She performed with her students, who were of various nationalities.
The Embassy also planted an apple tree at Letvet, a region in France. The tree was planted along with the Mayor of Levet, who also installed a plaque in honour of Gandhi. The Indo-French community came together in memory of Gandhi and a citizen put a garland around the statue of Gandhi.
Various stamps have been issued recently in honour of Mahatma Gandhi. The Indian High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria collaborated with the Nigeria Postal Service to release a stamp to commemorative Gandhi. The stamp was released jointly by Abhay Thakur, the High Commissioner of India, and Loretto Nwakama, the Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian Postal Service in the presence of Ngozi O. Ogujiofor, the Director of Telecom and Postal Services, in the Ministry of Communications.
The Embassy in Nigeria also hosted multiple events, such as - a digital projection of key moments of Gandhi's life, his inspiring quotes, discourses, and initiatives which highlighted the relevance of Gandhi's life and philosophy. A bhajan was played and the High Commissioner also gave a speech where he paid his tributes and mentioned how Gandhi's African experiences shaped his life and philosophy.
UN releases stamp
Recently, the United Nations Postal Administration launched a special stamp to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi at a special ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The stamp was released during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event in New York also saw the inauguration of the Gandhi Peace Garden and Gandhi Solar Park.
Updated 11:23 IST, October 3rd 2019