New Mahatma Gandhi statue unveiled in New York

New York Mayor Eric Adams and Indian American Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar unveiled a new Mahatma Gandhi statue at Shri Tulsi Mandir, a Hindu temple in South Richmond Hill. It replaces one destroyed as a result of two separate vandalism incidents in August 2022.

Joining the Sunday event were Assemblyman David Weprin, Councilwoman Lynn Schulman, Adams’ South Asian Community Liaison Sookranie Dhanpat, Tulsi Mandir founder Pandit Lakhram Maharaj, and Richmond Hill community leader Romeo Hitllal.

Rajkumar, the first Hindu-American elected official in New York State, spoke to the community about how achieving peace around the world, while not easy, is within reach through love, hard work, and dedication, according to a press release.

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“Hate against any group will not be tolerated in my district, in Queens, or anywhere in New York City,” she said. “Vandals may have destroyed the first statue, but nothing can destroy our belief in the Gandhian principles of love, unity, nonviolence, and peace.”

Today, as a symbol of our everlasting faith, we proudly unveil a brand new Gandhi statue,” Rajkumar said. “Let us all, as Gandhi commands, be the change we wish to see in the world.”

Rajkumar also spoke of Mahatma Gandhi’s influence on the American civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously spoke of how Gandhi’s nonviolent movement for social change was his guiding light.

Mahatma Gandhi statue outside Queens temple vandalized (August 19, 2022)

Adams expressed his deep admiration for Gandhi, whose teachings inspired his work as Mayor. He vividly described visiting Gandhi’s home and the powerful image of his preserved footsteps, serving as a permanent reminder of the importance of nonviolence and understanding.

The Mayor also praised the Richmond Hill community for their commitment to tolerance, faith, family, and hard work, which serves as a shining example for all New Yorkers.

The event “is not only a symbolic unveiling, it is a commitment that we have that we’ll continue in the footsteps of our great leader, our leader Gandhi,” said Adams.

When the statue was destroyed, Rajkumar brought together Adams and the community at the temple, where they launched a worldwide movement for mutual understanding among all faiths and cultures, according to the release. She also convinced the New York Police to investigate the case as an anti-Hindu hate crime, one of the first ever classified as such in New York.

Rajkumar recently passed groundbreaking legislation to address hate crimes through the creation of the first-ever State level Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, which will develop policies to end anti-AAPI hate crimes.