A statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be installed at an Indian centre in Abu Dhabi to teach young people about his message of peace and nonviolence.
The gold-hued, three-foot, 60-kilogramme statue will be unveiled at the Indian Social and Cultural Centre in the capital on Thursday evening to mark the 70th anniversary of Gandhi’s death.
“We wanted this to be a reminder to the new generation that there was a world leader with a message that people still remember. I feel people are forgetting him, so there is a need to take them back to his philosophy,” said VTV Damodaran, president of Gandhi Sahitya Vedi, a group that organises programmes for children in the UAE on Gandhi’s teachings.
He planned the exhibit and commissioned the work to an artist in his hometown in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
“For last five years, I have been dreaming about getting a statue of Gandhi to Abu Dhabi and it has finally materialised. We have a link to this country and it is only appropriate for the Mahatma’s statue to have a home in this country,” said Mr Damodaran.
Mohandas Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi was revered as "Bapu" or Father of the nation for the leading role he played in the Indian freedom struggle from British colonial rule.
He was shot dead on his way to a prayer meeting in New Delhi on January 30, 1948. The day is marked as Martyr’s Day in India.
The statue is moulded in clay and finished with a fibre mixture. The original idea to create a bronze statue was scrapped due to the weight and cost of shipping it from India.
It was the first overseas assignment for sculptor Chithran Kunhimangalam, who has crafted several busts and life-size images of Gandhi that are on display across India.
"I watched many videos and looked at hundreds of photographs. I needed to study him before I began working on this project," said Kunhimangalam, who teaches drawing to high school children from Payyunur in Kerala.
“It took six months for me to make it but I took more than a year to prepare for it. I have done other characters before but Gandhi is so famous. I had to really study him so it could be as real as possible.”
One of Gandhi’s famous sayings, “My life is my message” will be inscribed at the base of the statue.
For the cultural centre, the statue forms a link between their home and the country Indians have worked in for decades.
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“In the Year of Zayed we thought we could celebrate two leaders and two fathers of our nations. Sheikh Zayed also talked about Gandhi, so this connection came to us when we thought about installing the statue in Abu Dhabi,” said Jayachandran Nair, acting president of the Indian centre.
“Mahatma Gandhi’s message of peace and how he handled fighting for freedom without any weapon is known to every human being. As a community in our foster land, we can celebrate the Year of Zayed and with the statue we hope the Mahatma’s spirit and message will influence people always.”
The statue will be unveiled in a ceremony that is open to all the India Social and Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi at 7.30pm on Thursday.
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
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There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
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● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
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%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
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Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
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Their favourite city: Dubai
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Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
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Uefa Champions League final:
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Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
