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WINNIPEG, CANADA, August 29, 2004: Mahatma Gandhi’s long walk through history has paused in an unlikely spot, the central Canadian prairie city of Winnipeg. A life-size statue of the “father of the nation” complete with his signature walking cane, has arrived in central Canada to become the showpiece of a new Museum for Human Rights. The 500-kilo bronze statue created by Ram Vanji Sutar, whose sculptures of Gandhi are displayed around the world, was presented by the Indian government and is the museum’s first exhibit. “Gandhi is first on the list of the greatest people involved in the human rights movement in the past century,” said Naranjan Dhalla, who helped organize the exhibit. His likeness was unveiled Friday and put on display at a downtown Winnipeg park, where it will remain until the museum opens nearby in four years. “It is a great tribute not only to Mahatma Gandhi, but also to the whole of Indian culture, which preaches tolerance, truthfulness and non-violence,” said Pratap Singh, spokesman for India’s high commissioner to Canada. “He embodies all of these values, and so having a place for him in a museum of human rights in a multicultural and multiracial society like Canada is a great honor.” Singh said his country has been trying to eradicate these problems since establishing a human rights commission in 1993. He also charged that most countries still struggle with human rights issues.

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