JOHANNESBURG, Sept 9:An audio-visual extravaganza to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was premiered here to spread the message of peace through his favourite songs.
The premiere held at the University of Witwatersrand’s Great Hall on Saturday was lauded by the South Africans.
“This was a deliberate strategy to appeal to youth as we send out the universal message of peace and the values that Gandhi ji espoused, but we have found that even older people in the audience enjoyed the show,” said Bharghav Purohit from the music composer duo Bhargav-Kedar.
Jeevan Ramjee, who takes care of the Hall, said: “This is such an amazing show that it needs to have a performance at our Gandhi Hall in Lenasia”.
During the programme, an exhibition of 19 huge panels recalling highlights of Gandhi’s life and promoting Gujarat as a tourist destination was also organised.
“We are delighted with the response here in Johannesburg and are currently negotiating several global venues to take the show there, said curator Varun Sutaria, who put together the programme with assistance from local events coordinator Anil Rambaran.
Gandhi, who was born in 1969, spent 21 years in South Africa before returning to India in 1915.
Immediately upon arriving in South Africa, Gandhi faced discrimination because of his skin colour and heritage, like all people of colour and that is when he developed his political views, ethics and politics.
This year the entire world is observing the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi. Several events have been held in South Africa alone, including rallies, cultural programmes and exhibition, to spread his message of peace. (PTI)
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