{"id":18054,"date":"2024-10-17T20:37:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T01:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/uncategorized\/1000-lights-for-peace-eternal-gandhi-museum-houston-celebrates-gandhi-jayanti\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T04:26:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T09:26:55","slug":"1000-lights-for-peace-eternal-gandhi-museum-houston-celebrates-gandhi-jayanti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/press-releases\/1000-lights-for-peace-eternal-gandhi-museum-houston-celebrates-gandhi-jayanti\/","title":{"rendered":"1000 Lights for Peace: Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston Celebrates Gandhi Jayanti"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\"\"<\/p>

Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (EGMH) proudly hosted the 1000 Lights for Peace event, a vibrant celebration of Gandhi Jayanti \u2013 <\/b>the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, on October 5, 2024<\/b>. This annual celebration unites Houstonians from diverse backgrounds to reflect on Gandhi\u2019s timeless messages of peace, non-violence, and unity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As a signature event for EGMH, 1000 Lights for Peace <\/b>aims to strengthen community bonds and emphasize the relevance of Gandhi\u2019s ideals in today\u2019s society with an enduring message of peace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The evening commenced at 6:30 pm with a heartfelt welcome from Board of Trustee member Sanjay Jain, who served as the evening\u2019s Master of Ceremonies. A multi-faith invocation followed, featuring contributions from Acharya Bramdeo Mokoonlal (Arya Samaj Greater Houston), Mehnaz Bhayani (Ismaili Jamat Khanna), and Allen Lea (Museum Director, EGMH). The program continued with one of Gandhiji\u2019s favorite bhajans, \u201cVaishnava Janato,\u201d performed by students from the Swar Sangam School of Music, under the direction of the talented Smriti Srivastava, accompanied by tabla virtuoso Raja Banga.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

U.S. Congressman Al Green inspired attendees with his inspirational address, emphasizing how \u201cthe world needs a Gandhi today as he has shown us the way to peace and non-violence.\u201d He presented the EGMH Board a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition in Honor of Service to the Houston Community. The audience was then treated to a vibrant dance from the state of Jalisco, Mexico, performed by Ambassadors International Ballet Folklorico, directed by Maestra Martha De La Paz.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Keynote speaker Vinay Kumar, founder of the Wisdom Foundation, shared insights on Gandhiji\u2019s enduring legacy, highlighting how his values transcend time and continue to resonate across all aspects of life. Children from St. Catherine\u2019s Montessori School, led by Mindy Snow, charmed the audience with their renditions of Kumbaya and another uplifting \u201cPeaceful\u201d song.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Dr. Manish Wani, EGMH Board of Trustee member, provided updates on the museum\u2019s first year, noting that it has welcomed over 5,000 visitors, including school groups, families, scholars, and international tourists. The evening also featured a captivating dance by Tropical Rhythms, showcasing Philippine traditions with a Hawaiian flair under the direction of Neni Navarrete. Five students from DAVSS Montessori School recited shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita, illuminating concepts such as Ahimsa and Moksha. The Ambassadors International Ballet Folklorico returned for a lively encore performance, further enriching the festivities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

EGMH Board member G V Krishnan recognized two dedicated volunteers Pankaj Desai and Dedra Benson for their invaluable contributions to the museum\u2019s operations over the past year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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The event concluded with a gracious vote of thanks from Board of Trustee member Ajit Paralkar, expressed gratitude to the audience, participants, and volunteers for their support in making the event a resounding success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As the evening drew to a close, attendees participated in a spectacular and symbolic candle-lighting ceremony, a virtual pledge to embody peace in their lives. The atmosphere was further enhanced by the reflective tunes of \u201cImagine\u201d by John Lennon and \u201cJyot se Jyot Jagate Chalo,\u201d reminding all to share their light with others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Guests were treated a delicious dinner by Dawaat Catering, concluding this meaningful and auspicious celebration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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EGMH is Open to The Public<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGood news! Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston is now open 6 days a week! The hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Thursday hours are extended to 7:00 pm.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Tickets can be purchased at the museum or by visiting us at www.egmh.org<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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India Independence Day Celebration<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEternal Gandhi Museum Houston attended the Independence Day Celebration at the Stafford Center on August 20, 2023. To help celebrate and spread the news of the museum\u2019s opening, volunteers distributed over 500 flyers to attendees during the event.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A special thanks to (pictured left to right) Krishna Merchant, Pankaj Desai, Khushi Kawedia and Ayushi Kawedia for volunteering at the booth.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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EGMH meets Sri Sri Ravi Shankar<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston received an honored invitation to meet Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, humanitarian, spiritual leader and an ambassador of peace and human values. Through his life and work, Gurudev has inspired millions around the world with a vision of a stress-free, violence-free world.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Pictured left to right: Ajit Paralkar, Rita Kothari, Atul Kothari, Sri Sri Ravi, GV Krishnan, Dr. Bhuvaneshwari Krishnan, Prabha Bala, Sesh Bala and Allen Lea.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Volunteer Spotlight<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Every month we will spotlight one of our amazing EGMH volunteers in the newsletter. This month, we would like to introduce Rani Chilukuri!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where are you from?<\/strong>
Houston, but originally the Southern part of India. We moved here from Hyderabad in 1976.<\/p>

Why did you join EGMH?<\/strong>
I like volunteering at this museum as I have been waiting so long for the project to be completed.<\/p>

What do you like most about volunteering?<\/strong>
I like to meet new people and answer all their questions.<\/p>

What is the last book that you read?<\/strong>
Becoming Michelle Obama<\/p>

What is your favorite hobby?<\/strong>
Walking<\/p>

What is the next place on your travel bucket list?<\/strong>
Greece and Barcelona<\/p>

If you had to eat only one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?<\/strong>
Salad and fruit.<\/p>

What is one item that you could not live without?<\/strong>
My Phone<\/p>

A huge thank you to Rani! We appreciate your continued support and the positive energy you bring to EGMH.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Visit the Museum Giftshop!<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Stop by the museum today and visit the gift shop. From jewelry and books to souvenirs and home decoration, the EGMH gift shop has something for everyone!<\/p>

Cannot make it in-person? Check out www.egmh.org<\/a> to browse all the special and unique items in the gift shop.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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EGMH Partnering with 2023 Jaipur Literature Festival.<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet ready for the exhilarating return of the Jaipur Festival to Houston! The 6th edition of JLF Houston will be taking place from September 15th-17th, 2023.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Please find the schedule below or click here<\/a> for more information. Registration is required.
On September 15th:<\/p>

\u2013 Afternoon Session followed by an Opening Reception at University of Houston: 3 PM onwards On September 16th:<\/p>

\u2013 Full day of Sessions at Asia Society, Texas: 10 AM \u2013 5:45 PM, followed by a Reception. On September 17th:<\/p>

\u2013 Morning Session at Rothko Chapel: 9 AM onwards<\/p>

\u2013 Reception followed by a Film Screening and a Session at Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston: 5 PM onwards<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (EGMH) proudly hosted the 1000 Lights for Peace event, a vibrant celebration of Gandhi Jayanti \u2013 the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, on October 5, 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18054"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18393,"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18054\/revisions\/18393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egmh.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}