New York: Marking the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi has become somewhat of a tradition at SUNY Old Westbury, a university committed to developing in its students a passion for learning and a commitment to building a more just and sustainable world.
October 2 was the 156th anniversary of Gandhi's birth and that morning University officials welcomed friends from the local community and the Consul General of the Consulate General of India, New York, for a quiet ceremony at the Gandhi Peace Garden on campus.
This was for the first time that SUNY - OW President Dr. Timothy Sams invited Ambassador Binaya Pradhan and Shanti Fund to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti at the Gandhi Peace Garden. Most of the attendees were from SUNY-OW where short speeches were delivered by Mr. Michael Kinane, SUNY Vice President, Ambassador Binaya Pradhan and Arvind Vora. Afterwards at a lunch President Timothy Sams welcome everyone at the campus. He emphasized the growing relationship with the Consulate and Shanti Fund. He noted with pride the establishment of Gandhi Lecture Series as a second phase after Gandhi Peace Garden. He thanked ambassador to be a guest speaker at the Gandhi Lecture Series in April this year.
Highlighting the ceremony were remarks from Ambassador Pradhan. He spoke about Gandhiji and his legacy. As a diplomat during his travel in many countries he was affectionately welcomed as ‘you come from land of Gandhi.’
Arvind Vora of Shanti Fund, Ambassador Binaya Pradhan and Michael Kinane of SUNY-OW. (All Photos courtesy: SUNY-OW, NY)
Vora spoke about relations with SUNY-OW, establishment of Gandhi Peace Garden(GPG) through four ways partnership (SUNY-OW, Government of India by the Consulate General of India in New York, generosity of individual and organizations project coordination by the Volunteers of Shanti Fund).
In 2019, the Shanti Fund led efforts that brought the Gandhi Peace Garden to SUNY OW campus to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth. The Gandhi Peace Garden is a stand of 150 trees on campus that includes the state tree from each of the 50 United States. It’s creation was a unique collaborative undertaking where SUNY Old Westbury provided space, the Consulate General of India took a leadership role in planning and outreach, individuals and organizations across the region donated funds to sponsor each tree, and the Shanti Fund coordinated among all participants to ensure a successful completion.
In 2021, through a Shanti Fund donation to the Old Westbury College Foundation, Inc., the University agreed to incorporate “Gandhi Lectures” into its “Social Justice Lecture Series.” The Gandhi Lectures are designed to bring to campus speakers whose expertise and experiences reflect such Gandhian ideals as unity, integrity, selflessness, nonviolence and social action.
| The South Asian Times readers can look forward to detailed coverage of celebrations of 156th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi organized by Shanti Fund at the Suffolk County Executive Office building in Hauppauge where lifesize Gandhi statue graces the Plaza Level, and where the annual celebration has been taking place since the past 25 years. |
