Don McAvinchey, 53, USA
Bearing close resemblance to the Mahatma, McAvinchey has portrayed Gandhi in functions at local churches in New Mexico, US, for three years now. For, that was when McAvinchey started reading about Gandhi’s life and works and a friend in the church commented that he resembled the leader. McAvinchey suggested as a joke that he dress up as Gandhi and address the church gathering on subjects like ahimsa and satyagraha.
Since then, the social worker and entrepreneur has been regularly portraying Gandhi public functions. “I wish I could portray him today but the experience of attending this prayer meeting in itself was an enriching experience.” McAvinchey and his daughter Lexy, a ninth grade student, have flown in from the US to attend a peace conference in Chandigarh and to attend the prayer meeting in Gandhi Smriti here.

Aniket Machhindernath, 16
While Gandhi Smriti bustled with leaders and dignitaries, Machhindernath concentrated on the spinning wheel, trying to recall what he learnt last year. A Class IX student of Lions Vidya Mandir, Aniket was trained to work the charkha and make coarse cloth last year. For the second consecutive year he was called in on Gandhi Jayanti to sit with trainers and make cloth while visitors from across the world who come to attend the programme looked on. “I believe in ideas of ahimsa and truth but in today’s world it is quite difficult to put this in practice.”

RN Yadav, 67, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
A Gandhian in true spirit, R N Yadav not only read extensively about Gandhi, he learnt making cloth on the charkha and even taught his children. “We weave cloth and sell it in our village.” Yadav came to Delhi to visit his son but stayed back to attend the prayer meeting at Gandhi Smriti today.
“I will leave for my village in Gorakhpur in a day or two. All these years, I believed and practised Gandhiji’s ideals but today, having attended this prayer meeting, I feel closer to him.”