L-R: John Naugle, Anthony Thaliath, Isac Farris, Dr. Giriraj Rao, Moses Mukami, Greg Pridgeon.

Moses Mukami invokes peace initiatives
on Dr. King’s birth anniversary celebrations!

By Viren Mayani
Photo:

It was another annual ritual for Gandhi Foundation USA’s celebrations of Dr. King’s birth anniversary on January 21st but it was a momentous celebration, none the less. With the august presence of influential and inspired personalities amidst the Indian Diaspora, the King celebrations took on a very pious posture. It is overwhelmingly important that we continue to show our respect for our adopted nation through our immersion in the celebration of one of USA’s beloved son; Dr. King, in turn inspired by the Father of the Indian nation; Mahatma Gandhi. This inseparable celluloid union calls for an annual celebration, if nothing else.

The guests converged sharp on time at the Gandhi statue in the foyer of the King National Historic Site leading Mr. Greg Pridgeon; Chief of Staff to the Hon. Mayor Franklin as well as the Vice Chairman of the Gandhi Foundation, to welcome everyone and speak to the Gandhi-King peace legacy. He led State Representative Ms. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield along with her son Robert to garland Gandhiji’s statue and light the traditional “Diya” lamp. Despite the inclement weather and parking constraints in downtown Atlanta due to the en mass celebrations in the City, a significant number showed up for this devotional participation. Dr. Shivadas; Director of Operations, invited the attendees to a Peace March to the Freedom Hall across the street. The audience began settling in the grand auditorium whilst mainstream visitors were still visiting the Gandhi Room and the King crypts as the organizers anxiously waited for the dignitaries to arrive. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening John Naugle; one of the Board of Directors, spoke eloquently of a Day On and Not a Day Off with respect to honoring Dr. King’s birthday. He invited Mohsin Bharmal, GFUSA Treasurer to welcome Mr. Issac Farris, President and CEO of the King Center to give his remarks to the audience. Mr. Farris, despite having worked the entire weekend celebrations in the City, resonated with the audience, citing his recollections and the tireless work of Gandhi-King that permeates our needs across nations, even today. He received a rousing applause and requested Rev. David Anthony; Sr. Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregration of Atlanta for an invocation. Rev. Anthony’s address got the audience to absorb the soulful message in addition to having the heads bowed in prayer.


L-R: Moses Mukami, John Naugle, Anthony Thaliath, Isac Farris, Dr. Giriraj Rao, Greg Pridgeon

The Deputy Executive Director, Anthony Thaliath introduced the Keynote speaker for the evening; Hon. State Senator Judson Hill to the stage for his remarks. Senator Hill spoke of the Regan inspiration that he acquired during his inaugural term at the Senate under the Reagan administration. He spoke of the work that Gandhi & Dr. King did to inspire millions across the world and that their work proved that it does not require great people only, to do great things but a passionate motivation and conviction to do good that gets ordinary people to achieve extra-ordinary tasks. He spoke of President Reagan’s commitment to tear down the iron wall that separated parts of Europe and raise humanitarian awareness. Senator Hill’s message was received with a standing ovation immediately followed by the Executive Director; Dr. Giriraj Rao’s greetings. Dr. Rao spoke of what was seemingly impossible several years ago, is currently being significantly considered and in some cases has become a reality. He cited Hon. Jindal’s (a politician of Indian roots) ascent to the Governor’s position in LA, Senator Hillary Clinton’s bid for the United Sates presidency being the first woman to do so as well as Senator Barrack Obama’s bid for the same, being a black contestant to do so. All these events are proving that the human rights work instituted by Gandhi-King is bearing fruits and the world is getting closer. Yet the work is not completely done, but the ball is in motion. In closing Dr. Rao introduced the 28 year old impressive Moses Mwangi Mukami endorsed as the Gandhi Foundation USA’s goodwill ambassador to the currently distraught Kenya which is suffering tribal wars and communal strife, to show them a path of peace.

Mr. Mukami, who has opened a Gandhi Center in Africa, a place where Gandhiji first started his peaceful civil disobedience activities when thrown off a passenger train, shared his concern for the sufferings of the people in Africa. He was ordained as a Minister at a very young age and is now a great leader and activist to bring about peace movement in Kenya. Having been sent as GFUSA’s goodwill ambassador to Kenya from Atlanta, the birthplace of Dr. King; he believes that he can provide for a peaceful resolve between the warring parties. His work in social justice and non-violence has earned him rich accolades and he stated that he is honored to be given such a daunting task. The GFUSA ambassadorial plaque presented was greatly appreciated by him.

Anthony Thaliath gave the closing remarks with identifying the 10th Anniversary of the dedication of the Gandhi Statue. The vote of thanks was given by the GFUSA Secretary; Dr. K. V. Thrivikraman. There were a few inspiring songs presented in the agenda: Raghupati Raghav and Vaishnava Janato by Madhvi Dave and Dr. Dave supported by Mr. Tandon on Tabla. Let There Be Peace and We Shall Overcome was led by Dr. H. V. Shivadas. All the lyrics were printed, distributed and performed in chorus by all audience members. The beautiful garlands were created by Mr. & Mrs. Vinod Patel and the welcome at the auditorium was done by Mrs. Raj Razdan. The program concluded on time and led to the communal “breaking of the bread” with delicious refreshments served by Atlanta’s famous Udipi Café. This celebration of Dr. King’s birth anniversary will be savored for a very long time.