Dubai, October 2: UAE's iconic skyscraper Burj Khalifa would display the images of Mahatma Gandhi as a tribute to the great Indian peace icon on his 151st birth anniversary, a media report said on Friday. The images of Gandhi would be displayed on Burj Khalifa with his relevant messages around 8.15 pm on Friday, the Gulf News reported, citing a tweet from the Indian Consulate in Dubai.

Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 is also marked as the International Day of Non-Violence on account of the non-violent strategy adopted by Gandhi to help India secure independence from the British colonial rule in 1947. Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti 2020 Wishes, Messages and Images Take Over Social Media, Netizens Remember the Father of the Nation With Heartfelt Greetings and Inspiring Quotes.

"The special Gandhi show on Burj Khalifa will be live-streamed on social media pages of the consulate.We are thankful to Emaar for their support," the report quoted an official of the Indian Consulate saying the paper earlier this week.

The consulate officials are also holding a cleanliness drive in the premises of the mission. With the support from the Indian community, 151 trees will be planted on different sites to mark the occasion, the report said. The annual debate for students, held under the patronage of the mission at GEMS Our Own Indian School, will be organised online due to COVID-19.

Essay writing and drawing competitions are also being organised for students. On the 149th birthday of Gandhi in 2018, a special LED show on Burj Khalifa marked the commencement of the two-year line up of programmes of 150 years of Gandhian ideologies in the UAE.

The special LED show was jointly organised by the Indian Embassy, Abu Dhabi, Indian Consulate in Dubai and Emaar Properties. Images of Gandhi and the Indian flag were beamed on the world's largest LED-illuminated façade once again on the same day in 2019.