NEW DELHI : On Gandhi Jayanti, the enduring connection between Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Lanka was brought to the fore at the National Gandhi Museum, Rajghat, with the participation of High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Mahishini Colonne, at the inauguration of the special exhibition “WE THE PEOPLE – The Global Journey of Non-Violent Movements after Gandhi.”
Participating as a Guest of Honour at the invitation of the National Gandhi Museum, the High Commissioner recalled Gandhi’s historic visit to Sri Lanka, then Ceylon in 1927, when he travelled across the island and interacted with its people, including young students. She reflected on the lasting influence of Gandhi’s philosophy in Sri Lanka and the distinctive way in which his ideals came to be translated into grassroots action.
A significant part of this Sri Lankan story is the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, which is featured in the exhibition. Founded by the late Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, Sarvodaya drew upon Gandhian principles of non-violence, self-reliance, service and community empowerment, developing Shramadana (the sharing of labour) into a broad-based movement of community awakening and development across Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner highlighted the significance of Sarvodaya’s inclusion in an exhibition tracing the global journey of non-violent movements after Gandhi, noting that Sri Lanka did not merely receive Gandhian ideas but developed its own distinctive, living expression of them through its communities and people.
The exhibition, organised to mark Gandhi’s birth anniversary and the International Day of Non-Violence, brought together stories of movements around the world inspired by the principles of non-violent action.
The exhibition will remain open to visitors at the National Gandhi Museum until January 2027.
