First Mahatma Gandhi bust unveiled in Montana, USA

Key facts

• Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta jointly unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Mike Mansfield Centre of the University of Montana in Missoula.
• The bust is a gift from the Government of India to the state of Montana.
• The Mike Mansfield Centre was founded by an act of US Congress in 1983 to foster globally minded leaders.
• The event was attended by leading Montana state officials, University of Montana faculty and students, and members of the Montana World Affairs Council.
• Students at the University of Montana celebrated Holi later the same evening, marking the first Holi festivities in Montana.
• Bilateral ties between India and Montana have deepened since the establishment of the Indian Consulate in Seattle in November 2023.
• In June 2025, a 10-member delegation of young high-school students from Montana visited India on a two-week cultural immersion programme.
• In January 2025, a 50-member Montana delegation participated in the second Invest India Business Forum in Seattle.
• The Gandhi bust in Montana is the fourth Gandhi statue installed by the Consulate General of India in Seattle in the US Pacific Northwest; others are in Seattle (October 2024), Lincoln, Nebraska (December 2024), and Bellevue Public Library (October 2009).