Zayed-Gandhi Museum to open in UAE this year

Top Stories

The Sheikh Zayed and Mahatma Gandhi museum will open in  Abu Dhabi between October 2 and December 31.
The Sheikh Zayed and Mahatma Gandhi museum will open inAbu Dhabi between October 2 and December 31.

Dubai - This year also marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

By Dhanusha Gokulan

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Tue 17 Jul 2018, 10:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 19 Jul 2018, 10:58 AM

The first-of-its-kind Sheikh Zayed and Mahatma Gandhi museum will open in Abu Dhabi anytime between October 2 and December 31, announced Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri.
Following a high- level meeting with Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, ambassador Suri announced both diplomatic missions in the UAE will be commemorating Gandhi Jayanti, a national festival celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, on October 2 this year. The idea for this museum was first announced after Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, visited India in June.
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Sheikh Abdullah announced the UAE-India exhibition, celebrating visionary leaders of the two countries late last month.
This year also marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. "Given that 2018 is the Year of Zayed, the museum will open any time between October 2 and December 31. We are working with the UAE Government to finalise a venue for the museum," said Suri, speaking on the sidelines of a Press event, announcing details of the annual India knowledge quiz 'Bharat ko Janiye' on Tuesday.
The ambassador also revealed that the curator of the museum will be Birad Rajaram Yajnik, who was the curator of Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museum in Hyderabad as is a member, board of trustees at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, India.
The UAE's Zayed-Gandhi museum would probably be a travelling one, presenting shows across the UAE. "We are also looking at the possibilities of making the museum a travelling one. Since it is a digital museum, there is a no reason as to why we can't consider showcasing the museum in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah over a period of a year," he added. However, Suri said that the decision to make it a permanent fixture in the UAE entirely depends on financial viability.

Know India quiz invites youth to participate

The second edition of the 'Bharat ko Janiye' (Know India) quiz, an initiative by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for young overseas Indians, is expecting a participation of over 100,000 entries this year.
"The quiz is being conducted to motivate overseas Indian youth to enhance their knowledge about India," said Suri. The quiz is open for two distinct categories of participants - PIO and NRI between 15 and 35 years. Organisers encourage school children to participate in the quiz. Apart from NRI and PIO entries, the quiz is also inviting foreign nationals to participate for the first time.
Online registration for the quiz can be done on https://www.bharatkojaniye.in before September 15.
Topics of the Quiz include - Indian Art, Indian democracy, economy, geography, personalities in music and dance, science and technology, languages and literature, education, tradition of Indian crafts, Indian cinema and renowned personalities.
The first round of the quiz will be conducted by the missions abroad online, which has been divided into six regions and the second, third and fourth rounds will be conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. "All participants, who are invited for the onsite round would attend the workshop in New Delhi and participate in the Bharat ko Janiye Yatra, an all-expenses-paid 15-day tour of India," said Suri.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to coincide with Kumbh Mela in Varanasi

The 2019 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) will take place in the Indian holy city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and will coincide with the Kumbh Mela, one of the largest human congregations, confirmed Indian Ambassador Navdeep Singh Suri.
PBD, the annual event organised by the Ministry of External Affairs to celebrate the contributions made by non-resident Indians towards the development of India, is usually celebrated on January 8 every year.
In reverence to the sentiments of the larger Indian community to participate in the Kumbh Mela and their desire to witness the Republic Day Parade, the 15th PBD Convention will be held from January 21-23, 2019, in Varanasi, said Suri.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com


More news from