In a significant public diplomacy exercise, India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in has harnessed to push the message of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150 centenary celebrations.
Well-known street artist Victor Ash has created a wall mural on the Indian Mission outer wall drawing thousands of eyeballs as New Yorkers wind their way every day to the Grand Central Terminus, the hub of New York metro. The mural depicts an astronaut viewing the world from outer space and acknowledging India’s contribution to green spaces as concluded in a recent Nasa study.
Sporting a patch on his shoulder, the astronaut in the mural is shown acknowledging India’s contribution to greening of the world
Teaming up with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that celebrates its centenary this year and “Street Art for Mankind” this initiative, officials said, is at no cost to the Indian government. India’s permanent representative termed the effort as a “creative depiction” aimed at highlighting the role of India, Gandhi and the ILO to enhance environmental consciousness to a broader audience than what diplomats usually target.