The great pacifist died just over 60 years ago, and there’s a somewhat forgotten statue to him in Tavistock Square, practically opposite the site of one of the 7/7 attacks for those on the irony hunt. I passed it on the way to meet a friend today, having gone via the British Library in the hope of catching some good angles or interesting light on the statue of Newton there. Disappointed with what I found, I was pleased to remember this little landmark on my way through.

It’s a great statue, with a niche underneath it that has a plaque and often candles in it too. I don’t know who puts them there, or for what specific reason, but it’s a nice little place. Gandhi actually studied for a while just round the corner at UCL, in case you’re bewildered as to why the Indian indepence hero and sometime enemy of the British Empire should be commemorated there.

For me, the squares of Bloomsbury are fantastic places to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and spend some time quietly reflecting on life – the statue is of Gandhi meditating, fittingly. We should also remember his message. Too often today we see people trying to change the world (for better or for worse, but in their minds always for better) through violent means. Gandhi knew the best way to overcome resistance to change was not to fight violently against the oppressor. It was simply to allow the oppressor to opress, in the knowledge that in the end, the oppressor would exhaust himself. It worked in India against what was then a world power, and it is still, I believe, the most effective form of action.