 Prime Minister Hinds is flanked by Indian High Commissioner Avinash Gupta. Next to her is Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Reepu Daman Persaud |
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In
attendance at the ceremony organised by the Indian High Commission in the
Promenade gardens were Indian High Commissioner Avinash Gupta and Mrs. Gupta,
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Mayor of Georgetown Mr. Hamilton Green, Chairman of
the PNCR Mr. Winston Murray and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Reepu
Daman Persaud.
They all
gathered to pay homage to the life of Gandhi, an event repeated every year
across the globe.
Minister
Hinds said, “Mahatma Gandhi believed in the equality of human beings. He
abhorred racial and social discrimination, fought tirelessly for the respect of
all human rights and championed the case of the poor”
He said
that Gandhi’s principles continue to be as relevant today as they were over a
century ago.
The Prime
Minister added that his principles of peace, non-violence and tolerance should
be embraced in a world which is being ravaged by conflict, terrorism and
violence.
According
to the Prime Minister, Guyana is currently working towards the promotion of
sustained economic and social development for all citizens on the basis of
equality and social justice.
This goal,
he said can only be obtained if everyone is truly united and unified in the
purpose.
“We all
have to play a part in the transformation of our society into a new dimension of
peaceful co-existence, free from intolerance and racial discrimination”, the
Prime Minister added.
Gandhi’s
humility, dignity and strength of character and his selfless pursuit of change
for the better, impacted the lives of millions during his lifetime and even
after his death, Hinds said.
High
Commissioner Gupta said that Gandhi has come to be recognised as one of the most
charismatic icons of the modern age. He added that he was known for his
outstanding contribution to world peace and for upholding the dignity of human
life in the most difficult situations.
He
fearlessly rejected any doctrine or practice that seemed to violate the law of
universal morality and charity as he saw it, the High Commissioner added.
Also
giving brief remarks at the ceremony were Mr. Winston Murray and Mr. Reepu Daman
Persaud.
On Friday
January 30, 1948, the life of “the Father of India” ended when he was
assassinated by a man later identified as Nathuram Godse, an editor of a Marathi
newspaper, Hindu Rashtra and an active and fanatic member of the Hindu Mahasabha.
He had jostled through a crowd surrounding the Mahatma, when he was directly in front of him, he fired three shots at point blank range
Monday, October 03, 2005
Peace talk! Indian High Commissioner Avinash Gupta, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Reepu Daman Persaud, People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) Chairman Winston Murray, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green in discussion yesterday morning at the commemoration of the 136th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.