The grounds outside the Bellevue Public Library were so soggy they squirted under tiptoed footsteps. The rain looked as if it would be endless.

But that didn't stop hundreds of people from coming out Saturday to see the unveiling of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, one of a few of its kind in the country.

"It's a glorious day," said speaker Carol Mitchell, director of the Port of Tacoma. "The earth is watering itself."

The bronze statue, memorializing the political and spiritual leader, was a gift from the Indian government and reflects the sizable Indian population in the Puget Sound region. More than 6,000 people of Indian descent live in Bellevue alone.

The Indian ambassador to the U.S., Meera Shankar, along with U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, both appeared at the event.

Children performed Indian songs and dances. Sari-clad woman handed out colorful Indian snacks. "Have some," they urged. "Eat."

Sandaled feet squished and sloshed in the grass — even under the tent, which had plastic sheeting hastily hung on the sides first thing in the morning, so threatening was the weather that organizers feared the rain might come down sideways.

And yet, as children dressed all in white started to sing the U.S. national anthem, the sun began peeking through. The clouds seemed to break as the children turned to the Indian national anthem and were joined by the voices of perhaps half the audience.

Finally, Gandhi's likeness was unveiled, a life-size bronze with a staff in his right hand and sandals on his feet. Shutters clicked. One woman had tears in her eyes. Another reached out to touch the statue, then put her hands together as if in prayer. Children and adults reached out to touch the statue's feet.

And the sun, somehow, was shining.