An interactive installation on M K Gandhi
and his influence on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- By Birad Rajaram Yajnik

Location: Howard University, Washington DC, USA
Size: 20 feet X 7 feet
Date of opening: 15th October 2013

Over a 100 years ago (7th June 1893) at a small railway station in South Africa, a simple man the world calls Mahatma Gandhi was racially discriminated for the color of his skin. He spent that night in anger and introspection to create the most powerful weapon known to mankind – SATYAGRAHA (Truth Force). His philosophy of Peace, Truth and Ahimsa (Non-Violence) inspired Dr King to adapt it for the Civil Rights movement in the United States of America.

My inspiration to create an interactive image wall in honor of these two great leaders can be attributed totwo statements: one byDr Martin Luther King during his 1959 visit to India – ''To other countries I may go as a tourist, but to India I come as a pilgrim'' ; and the other, '' People who see the invisible can achieve the impossible. ''Dr King had the ability to see the invisible. He never had the opportunity to meetGandhi, but the inspiration he drew from the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and adapted it for his people is a mark of greatness.

It is an honor to install this interactive KING – GANDHI wall at the Howard University in Washington. Students and visitors to this prestigious institution would have the ability to interact with images, QR codes on the wall via their mobile phones, tablets and smart devices to experience sights and sounds from the past. I hope thisinteraction empowers them with the ability to see the Invisible and aspiration to become the next King and Gandhi. The world today, needs them.

 Howard University Press Release
 Play KING Gandhi Quiz