Canadian street named after India's Father of Nation

A street in Canada's Winnipeg city has been named after Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of India's 67th Independence Day.

The street leading to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights will now be known as Honorary Mahatma Gandhi Way.

At a ceremony yesterday, Mayor of Winnipeg Sam Katz said said it was appropriate the roadway leading to the museum be associated with an individual synonymous with the struggle for human rights.

"Mahatma Gandhi was a spiritual and political leader whose influence is still felt today," Katz told a crowd that included representatives from the Indian and aboriginal communities.

"His teachings of non-violence and social change have given hope to millions of people facing oppression around the world," Katz said.

"Gandhi selflessly dedicated his life to human rights and made many sacrifices to ensure and to protect the freedom of others."

Mahatma Gandhi "was the symbolic figure, a person who signified the struggle for human rights," said Krishnamurti Dakshinamurti, president of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Canada.

The Mahatma Gandhi name was originally set aside for a new street in Transcona. But civic officials reversed themselves in 2010 after a request from the Mahatma Gandhi Centre that the name be attached to a street near the museum, Winnipeg Free Press reported.