Ten years of Gandhi and Kallenbach Monument: the legacy of two prominent figures in South Africa
The 10th anniversary of the monument for Gandhi and Kallenbach was celebrated in Rusnė, Lithuania. The celebration was full of milestone dates, historical stories and memories. The Lithuanian Embassy to South Africa was represented at the event for the first time — Ambassador Rasa Jankauskaitė presented the legacy of Hermann Kallenbach, a Litvak and close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, and his contribution to the peaceful human rights movement in South Africa.
The monument dedicated to Gandhi and Kallenbach, unveiled in 2015, symbolizes the friendship between Lithuania, India, Israel, Germany, and South Africa.
The celebration was also attended by German Ambassador to Lithuania Dr. Cornelius Zimmermann, Indian Ambassador to Lithuania Devesh Uttam, former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar, Lithuanian Ambassador to India Diana Mickevičienė, Lithuanian Ambassador to the Holy See Sigita Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė, the Chairperson of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community Faina Kukliansky, and the mayor of Šilutė District Vytautas Laurinaitis.
The event also marked other significant anniversaries as the 400th anniversary of Jesuit missionary Andrius Rudamina’s arrival in India, on the coast of Goa. A book dedicated to his life, "Rudamina: The First Lithuanian in India", was presented. Special attention was also paid to the 130th anniversary of the arrival of Professor Jivanji Modi from Bombay University in Lithuania. He was interested in the linguistic features of the Lithuanian language. Thirty years later, Professor Modi helped Lithuanian traveller Antanas Poška settle in India.
This year's “India – Lithuania Friendship Award” was presented to the Lithuanian Ambassador to India, Diana Mickevičienė, for her long-standing contribution to cultural and political relations between the countries. The second award was presented to the Indian Ambassador to Lithuania, Devesh Uttam, for active cooperation and development of cultural projects.
The “India – Lithuania Friendship Award“ has been conferred since 2019, aiming to encourage the relationship between Lithuania and India, as well as the people's interest in these two countries. The laureates receive a miniature copy of the Gandhi and Kallenbach monument designed by Romas Kvintas.
