Gandhi's message taken to art

A life-size bronze statue of India's freedom movement leader will be the centrepiece of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas in Irving, Texas.

After four years of planning and fundraising, ground was broken at Thomas Jefferson Park for the 2.1m-tall statue, said dallasnews.com.

South Carolina's Indian-American governor, Nikki Haley, consul-general of India Parvatheneni Harish and Irving mayor Beth Van Duyne attended the ceremony .

Haley said Gan-dhi's principles of peace were as important in the US today as they were in India during the independence movement.

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza will be officially dedicated on October 2, the icon's birthday.

The work was created by award-winning sculptor Burra Varaprasad.