Mahatma Gandhi (born 2 October 1869) was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He was assassinated by a Hindu radical on 30 January 1948.
The statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled by the Home Secretary Alan Johnson in June 2009. The £20,000, seven-and-a-half-foot bronzed statue and its five-foot concrete plinth is at the corner of Belgrave Road and Donaldson Road. The statue was paid for by Indian charity Samanvaya Parivar, and was created in Calcutta by Indian sculptor Gautam Pal.
People from across Britain and from as far away as India attended the unveiling, including Hindu spiritual leader Swami Satyamitranand, who travelled 8,000 miles to be there; Leicester East MP Keith Vaz; and the sculptor himself.
The plinth includes plaques engraved with Gandhi's name and with the phrase "we must become the change we want to see". Gandhi campaigned for India's independence from Britain, promoting non-violent civil disobedience. More than 70 countries have statues of Gandhi.
Story: Leicester Mercury.
