Thank you for joining us! 
"There are seven sins in the world: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge with character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, and Politics without principle." - Mahatma Gandhi "In the evolution of civilization, if it is to survive, all men cannot fail eventually to adopt Gandhi's belief that the process of mass application of force to resolve contentious issues is fundamentally not only wrong, but contains within itself the germs of self-destruction." - General Douglas MacArthur "Gandhi was inevitable, if humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore Gandhi at our own risk." - The Reverand Martin Luther King, Jr Article from the Press Enterprise Regarding the Gandhi Statue in Downtown Riverside, CA Statue of solace : Gandhi joins other leaders in downtown Riverside By LYS MENDEZ / The Press-Enterprise Since then, Acharya has been raising money to bring the Indian independence fighter to downtown Riverside where others can reflect on his struggle. On Oct. 9, a Gandhi statue will join local and national heroes on Main Street in what Acharya hopes will become a downtown civil rights walkway. Lalit Acharya has worked to bring a statue of Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi to Riverside. The 9-foot memorial will honor the man who emphasized nonviolent means of civil disobedience. When unveiled, Gandhi will be in the presence of statues honoring Martin Luther King Jr.; Ysmael Villegas, a Casa Blanca native who received the Medal of Honor for his military heroics; and Ahn Chang-Ho, considered by many to be the father of Korean independence. "Gandhi was a citizen of the world, but he was Indian, and we wanted to bring that part of the world to Riverside," said Acharya, 54. "This is a good meeting place for all those values." By next year's Orange Blossom Festival, the downtown area will also honor Eliza Tibbets, who is recognized for planting the city's first navel orange tree, which helped launch the prosperous citrus industry that the city became known for, said Councilman Art Gage. The $85,000 statue will be a long overdue honor for a woman who is often neglected for her role in the city's history, said Kathryn Gage, who is Tibbets' great-great-granddaughter and is spearheading efforts to build the monument. Kathryn Gage is Art Gage's wife. "It was her -- and not her husband -- who brought the citrus industry to the city," Kathryn Gage said. "This will give her the full respect that she deserves and make people more aware of what she did." The Tibbets memorial will become the first statue that commemorates a woman in the city, Art Gage said. "Her contribution to this city is significant," he said. "We need some of that local history present at the Main Street mall." Creating a downtown arts scene that honors civil rights leaders and local founders is a way to inspire civic pride and lure outside visitors into the city, Acharya said. Acharya has taken a break from teaching classes at Riverside Community College and Cal Poly Pomona to devote his energy to raising funds for the Gandhi statue and to travel to India to check on the process of the artwork. The statue is being shipped to Long Beach, and its site is being prepared for the October ceremony. The Gandhi statue will help launch what he hopes will become an annual peace lecture series hosted at the Mission Inn. This year's speaker will be Rajmohan Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, who will be present at the unveiling of the statue. The goal is to eventually create a cultural arts hub in the downtown area, flanked by local museums, unique art galleries and the commemorative statues, Tillquist said. "There are a lot of efforts to head us in that direction," she said. 
Children singing a song based on Gandhian philosophy of non-violence entitled "Humko Manki Shakti Dena" (translated to : bring peace to my soul) led by Geeta Sugandh. YOUTUBE OF THE SONG This page is hosted by Sugandh.com in honor of Geeta Sugandh : a woman who believed in kindness, smiling, the power of music and generosity. |