The Gandhi Monument Council, headquartered in the United States of America, has approached mayors of 185 cities in 39 countries to name a major street after Mahatma Gandhi [Images].

The cities contacted included hugely-populated ones like Seoul (peopled by over 10 million), Tokyo, New York and London [Images], to sparsely populated ones like Eschen (in Liechtenstein, with a population of about 4,000), Valletta (Malta), Encamp (Andorra), Dudelange (Luxembourg), a press release from the GMC stated.

The countries range from Norway, Canada [Images], Australia [Images] and Singapore, to Qatar, Israel, Brunei, Slovenia and Bahamas.

Coordinators of the GMC, which comprises interfaith clergy, include Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr, head bishop of the International Community of Christ, and Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism. In a communiqu� to the cities, they have requested that the name of the proposed street to be 'Mahatma Gandhi Marg'.

Zed and Savoy point out in the press release that many cities have forwarded their request to their street-naming committees, while some have stated that they already have a street named after Gandhi. Few have plainly said 'no', like Australia's capital Canberra which, citing its naming guidelines, stated that 'roads and public places are to commemorate Australians and things Australian'.

The Gandhi Monument Council is made up of Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha'i, Native American clergy, among others.  According to Zed and Savoy, the purpose of the council is to commemorate Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, his commitment to world peace, and his work for the upliftment of the downtrodden.

Image: Gandhi Monument Council coordinators (from left) Rev Alan Dorway, Rajan Zed, and Rt Rev Gene Savoy Jr
Photograph by: Roger Bowen Weld