Zurich puts Mahatma Gandhi on 'waiting list'

Zurich, the largest city of Switzerland, at the request of Gandhi Monument Council, has put peace icon Mahatma Gandhi's name on waiting list to name a city street after him.

Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr. and Rajan Zed, coordinators of Gandhi Monument Council (GMC) headquartered in USA, who in a communiqué to the City of Zurich made the request of naming a major city street after Gandhi, said that they would prefer the name of this proposed street to be “Mahatma Gandhi Marg” (marg means path).

•   E-mail Article
•   Printer Friendly
•   Text-Size    

While Savoy is Head Bishop of International Community of Christ, Zed is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism.

Ch. Koch Keller. Secretary of the Commission responsible for naming the streets of Zurich, in a reply to GMC's request, said, “We agree to put the name 'Mahatma Gandhi' on the waiting list”.

The Gandhi Monument Council is formed of Christian (various denominations), Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha'i, Native American, etc., clergy. According to Zed and Savoy, the purpose of this Council is to commemorate Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, his commitment to world peace, and his work for the upliftment of the downtrodden.

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was one of the few men in history to fight simultaneously on moral, religious, political, social, economic, and cultural fronts. His life and thought had an enormous impact on the world, and he continues to be widely revered as one of the greatest moral, political, and peace leaders of the twentieth century.

Cultural capital of Switzerland and one of the world's biggest centers for offshore banking, Zurich has been declared by some surveys as the city with the best quality of life in the world and it hosts Europe's largest annual street party.

In December 1931, Gandhi visited Switzerland to meet Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland.