The host committee for this historic event comprised of the Gandhi Foundation of USA and numerous community activists Chintan K.Amin, Sushan Arora, Salim Jetha, Nadir Nanjee, Narsi L S Narasimhan, J.J.Shah, MD, Mohsin Bharmal and Abdul Rehman Ahmed, MD.

Gandhi Foundation which was instrumental in installing the Mahatma Gandhi full size bronze statue at the M.L. King Historic Site in 1998 played a lead role in organizing this unique and successful Banquet. The Gandhi Statue, the first of its kind at the National Park, provides a perfect twining of the legacies of Gandhi and King.

During the social hour, Mayor Franklin shook hands and personally thanked the community for their support. Mr. Viren Mayani, from the Mayor’s office, welcomed the gathering and invited Mr. Subash Razdan, Chairman of the Gandhi Foundation of USA to launch the proceedings for the evening. Razdan extended a very warm welcome to the Hon. Mayor Franklin and thanked her for gracing the occasion with her presence. Razdan informed the community was very proud of her leadership in securing the pledges and funding to purchase the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers last summer. The Papers, which are currently housed at the Woodruff Library on Atlanta University campus, clearly reflect the strong influence of gandhi’s non-violent philosophy on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. For example, the collection includes a small piece of paper thought to be in Dr. King’s wallet when he died that contains a quote from Gandhi.

The evening started with a melodious rendering of a favorite Bhajan/prayer Song, ‘Raghupati Raghava’ by Rashmi Ahuja a talented vocalist of Georgia. Director of Atlanta’s famed Kruti Dance Academy, Dina Sheth, while introducing her student performers, said she felt very proud to be part of the Mayor’s noble cause. Her students, in classical and colorful costumes,

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin addressing the Banquet

performed scintillating Bharatnatyam dance and a fusion dance that elicited wild applause. Introducing the famous singer Alam Gir of Pakistan, Razdan said that it was serendipitous that Alam Gir, (Also known as the Elvis Presley of pop music in Pakistan) was present to regale the audience with the recital of one of the poems of famed poet/philosopher Khalil Gibran. Alam Gir transfixed the audience with his fervent recital of the poem ‘Giving’. He said that he had chosen ‘Giving’ as it was a befitting poem for the occasion which hopefully would inspire the listeners to donate generously. “The poem provided a befitting setting to honor the King-Gandhi legacy which is all about giving”, exclaimed Razdan.

Giriraj Rao, the Co-Founder and Executive Director, GFUSA, recognized all the officers of the Gandhi Foundation. Razdan followed up with recognizing all the host-committee members and invited them to address the gathering. Dr.Narsi Narasimhan, Founder of Indian Professional Network (IPN) and President-elect Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce complimented the Mayor on her excellent performance as Mayor of Atlanta. He assured Mayor Franklin of Indian community’s support. You have undertaken a great cause. We would like the King papers to be in Atlanta, not only because of the King-Gandhi connection but also because Atlanta is a Convention center” he said.
Mohsin invited Janab Yusuf Zainuddin, President,Dawodi Bohra Islamic Community of Metro Atlanta, who thanked the Mayor and assured her of Dawoodi Bohra Islamic community’s full support in her commendable endeavor to secure King’s Papers for Atlanta. Similar sentiments of support were also shared by banquet co-hosts Chintan Amin, Sushan Arora, Manju Kothary, Salim Jetha, Nadir Nanjee and Noor Ahmed, wife of Dr.Abdul Rehman Ahmed of the Ismaili community.

Members of the host community, performing artists, all joined hands with the Gandhi Foundation to the Gandhi Foundation “Humanitarian Award” to Mayor Franklin.
Mayor Franklin was then requested to present books on Gandhi as a token gift of appreciation to Ruth Goodling, Doug Shipman and Alisha Phillips, President, The Community Foundation for their direct support in securing King Papers for Atlanta.

Ruth Goodling an attorney who is part of the steering committee for King Papers, introduced the Guest of honor, Mayor Shirley Franklin. She said that the overwhelmingly popular Mayor Franklin thinks that she will be remembered as the ‘Sewer Mayor’ who spent over 3 billion dollars repairing and replacing Atlanta City’s sewers but lot of us think she will be remembered for spearheading a consortium of Atlanta’s major Corporations, prominent citizens and the King Family and working tirelessly to raise $32 million at a very short notice to stop the public auction of priceless King Papers by Sotheby’s in New York, and thus bringing the Papers home to Atlanta.(applause) The King Papers, many in Dr.King’s own handwriting are very moving, revealing very powerfully Dr.King’s belief in and reliance upon Gandhi’s principles of non-violence(applause). And I think we are all aware that those principles are the bedrock of the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.

In her extempore, lively keynote address, punctuated by several applauses, Mayor Franklin spoke about the unique Gandhi-King bond. The audience sat at rapt attention, as she narrated how the King Papers were finally purchased for Atlanta, and her vision for preserving the Gandhi-King legacy for the future generations. She thanked her former boss, and mentor, Ambassador Andrew Young, for advising her to put together an initiative to acquire the Papers. “ It was a tall task but with the support of the City of Atlanta and broader community, including you all, we became owners of one of the most important private collection of any leader in American history.(applause). It is a phenomenal collection which gives us a chance to understand the roots of the very deeply spiritual man. This becomes clear when you see his writings, his thoughts, his personal library of 1,000 books, over 100 books by and about Gandhi, and you begin to understand that Gandhi and King were able to connect us in many ways throughout their lives with everyone who has come before and everybody who will come after.(applause) When you read King’s writings, reflecting on the tremendous gifts Gandhi left to him, you can experience the unique spiritual bond between these two great souls. As an African-American, 40 years ago, I would not be standing here. It was virtually impossible for many of us to gather together in this place Georgia-not that Georgia was not a wonderful place, not that Georgia has a tremendous history as a colony but because of harsh laws that kept us apart and that prevented us from speaking about our heritage. But because Gandhi led the way in India, he actually led the way for us in Georgia. (applause). Most significant thing I can say about Dr.King and Gandhi is that they loved me without even knowing me and they understood my potential without ever meeting me. They knew that young people needed spiritual awakening. They connected us rather than divided us. There is much to be said of that heritage and tradition in today’s world where in mass media, like TV, very little spirituality comes through. Dr.King had a mate in Coretta Scott King who not only continued his philosophy but in many ways spurred him to leadership. She fully embraced non-violence and was an exemplary leader as well. We have been chosen to preserve the King Papers here. These are not here to talk about but to be learned from. As wonderful as it is for 21 or over, the real legacy is for young people. Those who never had a chance to hear Dr.King when he was alive or those who could not meet Gandhi in person can study these Papers and learn about their lives and legacies. Initially these Papers will be housed in Morehouse College, Dr.King’s alma mater. May these Papers, which reveal the significance of the contributions of these two great spiritual leaders, lead everyone to strive for a more peaceful world, a fair world and a just world? Goodness is timeless, endless and enduring. It is in that spirit that I accept this Humanitarian Award (applause). By coming together we are uplifting each other. I have enjoyed listening to one of my favorite poet’s poem recited by Elvis, referring to Alam Gir, (laughter). I appreciate your warmth, love, appreciation, and hospitality-I love Indian food(laughter) and appreciate the support of my colleague Subash Razdan, whom I know since many years in the City Hall” as she concluded her speech to a standing ovation.

During the Q& A session, Ash Thakker, a respected leader of the community asked if the Mayor will support naming of the street after Mahatma Gandhi. Another well known figure of the Georgia community Raj Razdan requested if the Mayor would consider a small room for Gandhi memoirs in the new facility. The Mayor was very supportive of these suggestions.

Another guest, the Chief of Staff of the City of Atlanta and a great friend of the Indian American community, Greg Pridgeon, who also serves as the Vice Chair of the Gandhi Foundation, lauded Mayor Shirley Franklin for the distinct honor of being Atlanta’s first woman and first African-American woman to serve as Mayor of Atlanta and also for her outstanding performance as Mayor and for her vision. “I have the pleasure of working with her for over 30 years and I have watched her develop not only as a mother, a humanitarian but also as a Mayor. She was elected to be among top ten in the world, among top five in the USA but for us, she is number one in our hearts.(applause) I have the pleasure of serving on GFUSA and also working closely with my office colleagues Subash Razdan and Viren Mayani . Atlanta is a crown jewel of the Southern U.S. and because of the intersection of two great men who ever walked on this earth, we consider Atlanta as epicenter of the universe (applause). Mayor Franklin has taken on a tremendous task but I know the giving nature of this community and I know you will dig deep in your pockets to ensure success of this great endeavor of hers.(applause)
Razdan invited Viren Mayani to present a brief update about the likely sister-city relationship between Atlanta and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India. Viren reiterated the Sister City endeavor underscoring how deeply we accept the strong bond between Dr.King and Gandhi.

Mr.Razdan recognized all the distinguished guests and thanked the volunteers, including, media, Vinod Devlia for photography, Mayoor Patel for help with the PA system, Manju and Arun Kothary, the owners of the Palace Restaurant for their hospitality and making this Banquet a memorable one.
As reported in the media, the King Papers Deal is a victory for Ms.Franklin. “It is a classic Atlanta story-like winning the 1996 Olympics-of taking a near impossible challenge and galvanizing the city to make it happen”. The Banquet underscored the popularity of the Atlanta’s Mayor and the spirit of the involvement and participation by the Atlanta community.