Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of historic peace leader Mahatma Gandhi, took a stroll through the Fresno State Peace Garden on Feb. 21 while on campus for a special luncheon in his honor.

Rajmohan Gandhi, who is a research professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was in Fresno for the Interfaith Scholar Weekend. Started by Community United Church of Christ and Temple Beth Israel in 1998, the event brings a renowned scholar from one of the represented religious traditions to Fresno for a weekend of lectures and events on topics of interest to interfaith audiences.

At Fresno State, a bronze bust memorial of Mahatma Gandhi inspired the creation of the Peace Garden, just north of the Henry Madden Library. Three sculptures of other well-known social activists and peace leaders have since been added.

This year, as the Peace Garden celebrates its 30th anniversary, plans for a fifth sculpture is in the works, this time honoring Nelson Mandela, an anti-apartheid activist and political leader who became South Africa’s first black president after spending 27 years in prison for his efforts against racial injustice. He was referred to as “The Father of the Nation” and became a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1993. Tuesday, Feb. 11, marked the 30th anniversary of Mandela’s release from prison.

Visit Fresno State News to read more about the Peace Garden and the Nelson Mandela statue.