Poster contest in Egypt to remember Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings

Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary has been observed in Egypt where a poster contest was organised to capture the essence of his message in the iconic Tahrir Square which witnessed a peaceful pro-democracy revolution last year.

Indian Ambassador Navdeep Suri and renowned Egyptian artist Mohamed Abla jointly garlanded Gandhi’s bust at a ceremony held at the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture here to mark his birthday which is also celebrated as the International Day of non-violence.

The competition — “Did you sense the spirit of Gandhi in Tahrir Square?” — was also attended by a number of prominent artists and journalists.

Speaking on the occasion, Suri said the poster contest was India’s way of saluting the Gandhian spirit of the Tahrir Square revolutionaries.

He also applauded the courage of young revolutionaries who heralded the revolution in Egypt.

Their chants of Silmiya (Peace), he said, embodied the very spirit of Mahatma’s message of non-violence.

He also drew attention to the famous Tahrir Square placards quoting Gandhi ‘First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.’

Renowned artist Mohamed Abla, on this occasion, said appeal of Gandhi’s message was universal and was even reflected in the words of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandelam, and most recently in US President Barack Obama’s speech at the UN General Assembly.

The poster contest will be promoted among the public in Egypt, India and various other countries, after which a jury will select the best entries that will be shown at a special exhibition in Cairo on January 25 next to mark the second anniversary of the revolution.