Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated the Gandhi Peace Centre in Bhubaneswar. The centre, 1st of its kind in Odisha and 4th in the country, has been built by Aditya Birla group.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that on the 150th year of the Mahatma, the dedication of this Gandhi Peace Centre assumes monumental significance. At the heart of the idea of non-violence, remain dialogue, reconciliation, accommodation and understanding. These values pave the way for peaceful resolution of many intractable issues of our collective life and I am sure that This Centre will provide an institutionalized platform to awaken consciousness about the life and works of Gandhiji and educate the people to realize the deeper significance of his ideals, he added.
This being the 150th, Birth Anniversary of the Mahatma, the Aditya Birla Group felt that a fitting tribute, to the Mahatma would be, to set-up technological marvels, that would like a prism refract, the epic life of the Mahatma.Mrs. Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, welcoming the Chief Minister, said that, “To set-up insightful galleries, in different parts of India, where Gandhiji’s imprint, is more than discernable would, we felt, be an act of deep homage. Odisha, was the right choice”.
Incidentally, this Gandhi Peace Centre, is the fourth of its kind. In fact,the conceptualization, of the first Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum, was done by Mr. Kumar Mangalam, an ardent follower of the Mahatma and the Aditya Birla Group, Chairman. This is in Delhi at Birla House. The three other Gandhi Centres – Birmingham in UK, the up and coming one in Houston in US, and this Centre in Odisha are replicas. Besides these monumental structures, the Group has set-up miniature centres, at the major airports, with the most appealing Gandhi artefacts. These, help relive Gandhiji’s journey in life.