The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial is a public statue of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
, installed on a triangular island along
Massachusetts Avenue, in front of the
Embassy of India, Washington, D.C., in the United States. A gift from the
Indian Council for Cultural Relations
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 April ...
, it was dedicated on September 16, 2000 during a
state visit
A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...
of Indian Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...
in the presence of US President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
.
Sparked to action in the wake of the 50th anniversary of
Indian independence in 1947, the US Congress passed a bill in 1998 authorising the Government of India to establish a memorial to Gandhi on US federal land in the District of Columbia.
The bronze statue depicts
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
in ascetic garb, in reference to
his 1930 march against the
salt tax in India. It was designed by
Gautam Pal, a sculptor from
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. The statue is mounted on a 16 ton plinth of ruby granite from
Ilkal, Karnataka, standing in a circular plaza of gray granite pavers. Behind it are three slabs of
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
red granite with inscriptions honoring Gandhi's memory, and in front of it is a seat also of red granite. The statue bears an inscription with Gandhi's answer to a journalist who asked for his message to the world: "My life is my message."
The
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial unveiled in Milwaukee in 2002 includes a similar statue by Gautam Pal, also mounted on a red granite plinth.
Vandalization
In June 2020, during the
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial in Washington, D.C. was vandalized by unknown individuals on the intervening night of June 2 and 3. The incident prompted the
Indian Embassy to register a complaint with law enforcement agencies.
Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Indian Ambassador to the United States called the vandalism "a crime against humanity". U.S. President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
called the defacement of Mahatma Gandhi's statue a "disgrace".
The statue was defaced and vandalized during a
Khalistani separatist rally on 12 December 2020.
See also
*
List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
*
List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
References
External links
*
{{Public art in Washington, D.C.
2000 establishments in Washington, D.C.
2000 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
India–United States relations
Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.
Presidency of Bill Clinton
Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C.
Statues in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Vandalized works of art in Washington, D.C.
Indian-American culture in Washington, D.C.
Indian Council for Cultural Relations