President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled a 15.2 feet tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the premises of Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in Chennai this evening.

The event was organized in view of 150th year of Gandhiji and centenary year of the Sabha.

The President said Gandhiji used various languages for furthering the cause of national integration. He observed that Mahatma Gandhi is being revered the world over. He noted that in growing economies like India, knowledge of many languages would be an asset for the people.

Mr Kovind recalled the contribution of Rashtra Kavi Subramania Bharati in rekindling patriotic fervor during the freedom struggle.

Wishing the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha to promote Hindi more in the southern states, the President also asked similar other institutions to teach many other languages throughout the nation.

The Sabha has been established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1918 in Madras, which is now Chennai. He stayed in the institution for ten days in 1946. It has emerged as a prominent institution offering courses in Hindi.