Peace activist delighted to be reunited with stolen 10-foot Mahatma Gandhi puppet

The struggle for world peace, Norway aside, had an unexpected boost on Friday with the recovery of the missing Mahatma of Novato. The Mohandas Gandhi figure, a 10-foot-tall puppet created by peace activist Jes Richardson, was reported stolen in Ignacio this week along with Richardson's car. Richardson, known for exhibiting the giant Gandhi at parades and peace rallies, stored the puppet's boulder-sized head in his back seat and its white garb in a rooftop carrier.



Richardson said he was more concerned about his Gandhi than his 1994 Honda Civic, and that the thieves could return the effigy with no questions asked. But he needn't have worried, because he was about to get some karmic synergy in the form of Amy Sullivan. On Friday, Sullivan, a homemaker who also lives in Ignacio, was returning home from errands with her children when she saw a local newspaper with a front-page account of the missing Gandhi.

She recalled seeing the same distinctive bust in the back seat of a car parked near her home. "We realized, 'Wait a second, that's the Gandhi in the newspaper,'" said Sullivan, 42, who quickly called police. Sullivan's son Nick, 10, then placed a note next to the car - "Don't worry the police are coming to take the stolen car and Gahndi" (sic). For any curious neighbours who might compromise the crime scene he also drew a badge labelled "Novato Police Department."



Richardson, the founder of a peace organization called Bridge of Hearts, got the good news from police on Friday afternoon. "I feel fabulous," said Richardson, a 63-year-old teacher. "I just feel this whole thing has been orchestrated by Gandhi's spirit, because we're trying to get Bridge of Hearts off the ground." Richardson said his papier-mache puppethead, which he made with San Marin High students in 2003, survived the ordeal in fine form. "Gandhi is in great shape," he said. "He's got a smile on his face."