Regardless of the way that some sections of Indian civil society are bent on negating Bapu’s legacy, Mahatma Gandhi remains a beacon of compassion and wisdom for the rest of the world. As the world celebrates his 149th birth anniversary, UAE did something unique to mark the occasion. In many other ways as well, there is a certain kinship between the UAE and India; the country with the largest number of expat citizens residing and working in the UAE.
On the occasion of Bapu’s 149th birthday (Gandhiji was born in 1869 and 2nd October 2018 marked the beginning of a yearlong celebration) the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world was lit up. The image of Gandhiji along with some of his most famous quotes, was beamed onto the tower in the Indian tricolour.
The UAE display was a part of a concerted effort in many countries of the world who joined together to pay homage to the ‘Saint of Sabarmati’. People all over the world were tweeting with #Bapu150.
Navdeep Suri, the Indian ambassador to the UAE expressed pride and gave thanks to the EMAAR group and the CGI Dubai team for the display. "I am delighted that we are celebrating one of the tallest personalities the world has seen by screening his image on the iconic building.” He said in a statement.
Many across India and the UAE tweeted about the display, expressing appreciation at the effort and the fact that another country had so much respect of the Indian leader.
Earlier, when Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was invited to be a part of the Republic Day celebrations in India, he had spoken about the ties that bind both countries. He hailed Indian values and the nation's diversity. “India sends a civilised message to the rest of the world as its people - from diverse ethnicities, religions and sects - celebrate in unity.” He was reported as saying.
The Emirati singer Yasser Habeeb also joined in the celebration of Bapu’s birth anniversary. In this video he sings 'Vaishnav Jan To' which used to be Bapu's favourite bhajan - a song about compassion and about serving without pride.
In this video musicians from 124 countries came together to create a unique rendition of Bapu’s beloved song. Enjoy!
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