Embassy of India in Beijing organized an event to commemorate the 153rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi which was attended by both Indian diaspora and Chinese people. Ambassador Pradeep Rawat paid floral tributes to the 'Father of the Nation' at Jintai Art Museum in Beijing which was followed by 'Gandhi Katha' by Dr. Shobhana Radhakrishna and a cultural program by the embassy family and Indian diaspora. On the occasion, students from Dachang Xingfu school in Beijing read out Mahatma Gandhi's teachings in Mandarin and English.<br />''<br />''Amb. Rawat addressed the gathering remembering Bapu's thoughts and his values in the 21st century. He said, Gandhiji's principle of non-violence was all encompassing ' human against human, human against animal and more importantly human against nature which is of particular relevance when mankind is faced with the challenges of climate change, emergence of new diseases, new viruses which are as much part of natural processes but also caused by human invasion and over exploitation of nature and destruction of bio-diversity. "If we follow Gandhiji's principle of non-violence, and his teaching that there is enough in the world for men's need but not enough for men's greed, the world would be a better place," he said. This idea is very much at the core of LiFE movement ' Lifestyle for the Environment which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 26th UN Climate Change Conference Of The Parties (COP26) in Glasgow last year launched, he said.<br />''<br />''He also recalled Gandhiji's thoughts about reason and logic. "Gandhi believed that societies and countries must be open to different ideas and thinking as it is the natural process of human evolution. He did not find any contradiction in openness and strong belief and confidence in one's own value and cultural system," he said.<br />''<br />''This year, Gandhi Jayanti celebrations were again held at Jintai Museum after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 outbreak. The curator of Jintai Museum Prof Yuan Xikun who also sculpted the statue of Gandhi ji at the museum said that this sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi has also become a symbol of friendship between the people of India and China friendship in last 17 years where Indian embassy officials and Indian diaspora oaid tributed to Gandhi ji. He said Gandhiji's devotion, self-restraint, self-motivation has many reflective intersections with many Asian and Chinese thinkers. The excellent cultural heritage he left us is the glory of the whole mankind, Prog Xikun said, adding that Gandhi ji's teachings lead us to the goal of Sustainable Development we advocate now.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The embassy family and the diaspora paid tributes to Mahatma by enacting a play 'Being Mahatma' which tried to understand the greatness of Gandhiji in relation to his followers. Inspired from title of Ranajit Guha's essay 'The Mahatma and the mob', the play is based on account of Manubehn Gandhi. The play was written to the music pieces by Philip Glass (Satyagraha) and Cristóbal MarYan (A Hummingbird's heart). Being Mahatma is an attempt at non-fiction theatre scripted and directed by Dr. Vivekanand T. S., an officer at the Indian Embassy. The play makes conscious efforts to break the barrier between the stage and the spectator. The play was interspersed with sloganeering in which the audience was encouraged to join.</span>