The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has organised a special celebration to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary on October 2, 2019.
The University which also organises the annual Gandhi Oration each year has organised a special event to pay tribute to the man who played a pivotal role in India’s struggle to gain independence from the British occupation.
“UNSW is very proud that every 2nd of October, we pause to celebrate the birthday of Bapuji. This is the tradition at the University which now spans several years and it is an event that involves our campus community, our staff, our students but also Indian community across Sydney more broadly,” says Mr Pearcey.
The university will pay a special tribute at a memorial service at Gandhi’s bust on the campus on Wednesday morning.
Past celebrations of Gandhi Jayanti at UNSW Source: Supplied
“Members of Indian community too come together and recreate a small Dandi March and we have hymns and speeches to recognise what he stood for,” says Mr Pearcey.
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The University is the only higher education institution in Australia to celebrate Gandhi’s death anniversary, marked as Martyrs Day and is home to one of the only two bronze sculptures of Gandhi in the country.
“In the last couple of years, we have done a series of events that focus on the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and the impact and the relevance of Gandhi’s values to the 21st century,” says Mr Pearcey.
"On Wednesday, we have organised a special line-up of events to mark his birth anniversary."
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth on 2 October 2019, UNSW is also releasing a book featuring a compilation of each Gandhi Oration since 2012.
