The first bust of Mahatma Gandhi was installed at the Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana in Missoula on March 3, 2026. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta jointly unveiled the bust during a ceremony attended by state officials, faculty and students from the University of Montana, and members of the Montana World Affairs Council.

Addressing the gathering, Governor Gianforte thanked the Consulate for presenting the bust of Mahatma Gandhi as a gift from the Government of India to the State of Montana. While noting the growing ties between India and Montana, he praised the ideals of nonviolence espoused by Gandhi as values that are much needed in today’s global order, according to a statement from the Consulate General of India in Seattle.

Founded by an Act of the U.S. Congress in 1983, the Mansfield Center at the University of Montana, where the bust is now placed, seeks to develop globally minded leaders of integrity. The center supports youth and communities through civic and international education guided by the principles of “ethical leadership, civic responsibility and an unconditional commitment to public good.”

Students at the University of Montana also took part in celebrations marking the Indian festival of colors, Holi. Executive Director of the University, Deena Mansour, welcomed the first Holi celebration in Montana, describing it as marking “the arrival of spring and embracing unity.”

A large number of Montanans participated in the festivities, playing Holi with organic Indian colors before attending an Indian film screening. The Bollywood film “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” was shown for young Montanan students, and participants also enjoyed the traditional Holi sweet, Gujiya.

Earlier in the day, more than 400 Montanan students attended a briefing session on Brand India during the Academic World Quest Conference hosted by the Montana World Affairs Council. Students were introduced to the flavors of Indian coffee, including Araku, and learned about India’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative.

The Consulate noted that since the establishment of the Indian Consulate in Seattle, ties between India and Montana have “deepened significantly.” In June 2025, a delegation of ten high school students from Montana visited India for a two week cultural immersion program. Later, a fifty member delegation from Montana, including business executives, educationists and technology experts, participated in the second edition of the Invest India Business Forum organized in Seattle on January 25, 2026.

“As such, the installation of the Gandhi Bust and the celebration of the Holi Festival in Montana added further momentum to strengthening India-Montana cultural and people to people ties,” the statement said.

The Consulate also noted that the Gandhi bust unveiled at the Mansfield Center is the fourth such statue installed in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. It follows three earlier installations by the Consulate at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle in October 2024, at the State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska in December 2024, and at the Bellevue Public Library in October 2009. 

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