President Joko Widodo or Jokowi visited the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Park at Raj Ghat, New Delhi, India, on Sunday, September 10 2023. The visit with other state leaders was to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. This activity is also one of a series of High Level Conferences or the G20 India Summit.
Upon arrival, the country’s leaders stood around the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Park. Jokowi stands between PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. They paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi with floral bouquets. After the procession, Jokowi left Rajghat to attend the next series of G20 India Summits.
Quoted from Tourmyindia.com , there are many leaders in Indian history who not only stood out with visionary thinking, but also had dreams that were different from other leaders. One of the names that tops the list of the great movements for Indian independence is none other than Mahatma Gandhi. Be it his thought-provoking actions or his beliefs, all of them till date are followed across India and across the world.
To provide a special place in the land he served with all his heart, a memorial was erected. This monument is named the Gandhi Memorial.
It is located in the same place where his last rites, one day after his death, namely on January 31, 1948, were performed. As time went by, Gandhi’s memorial was named Raj Ghat.
It was Vanu G. Bhuta who donated his time in making the Gandhi memorial in the form of a black marble platform. The building symbolizes the simplicity of life and also Mahatma Gandhi’s last words ‘Hey Ram’. There is an eternal flame icon at one end. A stone path leads to the walled enclosure that houses the memorial. Later the memorial complex was expanded to include several other samadhis for various leaders around Raj Ghat.
The landscaping and planting of the memorial was initially undertaken by Alick Percy-Lancaster, Superintendent of Horticultural operations in the Government of India. In 2000, the Government of India under Vajpayee took the decision not to create separate memorials for the leaders. This is because the existing memorial occupies more than 245 hectares of prime land in Delhi. A total of 18 members, including great leaders and famous figures, were cremated at this memorial complex.
In this complex there are trees planted by figures such as Ho Chi Minh, Dwight Eisenhower, Gough Whitman, and Queen Elizabeth II. The Gandhi Memorial Museum is also established at Raj Ghat which contains the life and famous works of Mahatma Gandhi. At the museum, a film is shown every day except Thursdays between 09.30 and 05.30, 16.00 on Sundays in Hindi and in English at 17.00.
For your information, quoted from ANTARA , Jokowi’s visit to Raj Ghat last Sunday was not the first time. When visiting India in December 2016, Jokowi also stopped by. While there, the President and First Lady Iriana Jokowi surrounded Gandhi’s grave, scattered flowers and observed a moment of silence. Before leaving the place, the two of them wrote their signatures in the guest book and a message.
“ During the time of Gandhi our two nations were hand in hand the fight against colonialism. Today let us strengthen cooperation in the fight against poverty and contribute toward peace and stability to our region and beyond ”.
(During Gandhi’s time our countries joined hands to fight colonialism. Now let us strengthen cooperation in fighting poverty and contributing to peace and stability for our region and beyond”
Source : Tempo.co
