Controversy Swirls Around Statue of Gandhi

Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Hindu nationalist leader whose principles of nonviolence and social reform remain a powerful force more than four decades after his death, is at the center of a controversy in progressive Santa Monica.

Members of the Santa Monica Historical Society are pressing the City Council to rescind its July 9 vote to accept the donation of a 14-foot statue of Gandhi and allow it to be erected in Palisades Park above Santa Monica beach.

The president of the Santa Monica Historical Society, who contends that she and other members of the public were not given ample opportunity to express their opposition to the location for the statue, will try Tuesday night to persuade the council to reverse its decision.

The president, Louise Gabriel, vows that if she is not successful, she will take her fight to the state Coastal Commission, which must give final approval to place the statue in the park.

The arguments the Historical Society have against the statue are twofold: the statue’s irrelevance to Santa Monica and its placement in Palisades Park.

“The Gandhi statue is entirely too obstructive and inappropriate for this historic piece of land,” Gabriel said. “Palisades Park is renowned for its natural beauty, open space, trees and magnificent view of Santa Monica Bay. It must be protected to keep it this way.”

The sculpture, entitled “Avatar,” was donated to the city by the nonprofit Gandhi Memorial Foundation, which promotes the philosophy of nonviolence.

Yogesh K. Gandhi, the great-grandnephew of Mahatma Gandhi, said the foundation considered donating the statue to the city of Los Angeles but chose Santa Monica because “the people are very great people, peace-oriented, nonviolent, liberal.” The foundation, now based in San Francisco, was formed in Santa Monica in 1983.

Gandhi said he was surprised that anyone would oppose the statue.

“I don’t think that the philosophy of nonviolence needs to have any relation with any city or any country,” he said.

“No one’s opposing Gandhi the man,” said Gabriel. “It’s the 14-foot statue in the park. He had nothing to do with this area. If anything went in there it should be something historical to Santa Monica.”

The statue was reviewed by an independent jury of three sculptors before it was presented to the city arts commission. After that approval, the Recreation and Parks Commission recommended that the statue be placed in Palisades Park.

Beverly Moore, executive director of the Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau, said her office has not taken a position on the location of the statue.

Gabriel said a more appropriate location for the statue is at the Self-Realization Shrine in Pacific Palisades, where some of Gandhi’s ashes are preserved.