Mumbai, Oct 2 (IANS) For the first time, souvenirs dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi will be available at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport as part of a special corporate initiative, an official said here Sunday.
A collection of souvenirs of the Father of the Nation was inaugurated by Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan here to mark Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
The Aditya Birla Group has taken the initiative to make Gandhi’s souvenirs available to the masses and domestic and international tourists from convenient outlets at Mumbai’s airport and Mani Bhavan, Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedbadad in Gujarat and Rajghat in New Delhi.
‘The collection includes statues in different sizes of the iconic three monkeys, khadi dress material and costumes, bookmarks, crystal cubes, mugs, magnets, notepads, calendars, ceramic statues, paper weights, key chains and many other articles,’ the official said.
Director of Aditya Birla Group Rajashree Birla, chairman of the group’s Business Review Council A.K. Agarwala and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Presently, a few Gandhi souvenirs are available at scattered locations at some malls and shopping complexes, but this will be the first effort to make them accessible to the masses from a single location, the official said.
Gandhi, born this day in 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat, played a key role in India’s independence struggle. He was assassinated Jan 30, 1948.
