A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at the Seattle Center on Wednesday to mark the Indian freedom leader’s birth anniversary marking the first installation of the revered leader bust in Seattle.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by notable figures including Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Congressman Adam Smith, and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who is of Indian descent. Also in attendance were Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the US First Corps in the Pacific Northwest, and Eddie Rye, chair of the Martin Luther King-Gandhi Initiative
The bust, located near the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, was unveiled by Indian Consul General Prakash Gupta. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson and Eddie Rye, chair of the Martin Luther King-Gandhi Initiative, were also present at the ceremony.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued an official proclamation recognizing the bust as a lasting tribute to Gandhi’s teachings. Additionally, King County designated October 2nd as “Mahatma Gandhi Day” across all cities in the Greater Seattle area.
The Indian consulate, which opened last November, collaborated with Seattle to place the bust in the high-traffic Seattle Center, which attracts 12 million visitors annually.