PM Modi’s column in New York Times: On the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has penned a heartfelt tribute for the ‘Father of Nation’ in the New York Times. PM Modi, in his column, has explained Mahatma Gandhi’s views on nationalism besides the his influence on people like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.
Headlined ‘Why India and the World Need Gandhi’, PM Modi’s article mentions how Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela followed Mahatma Gandhi’s observations to carry forward mass movements in their respective countries.
“To other countries I may go as a tourist, but to India I come as a pilgrim,” PM Modi cites Martin Luther King Jr’s remark on his trip to India. “The guiding light whose inspiration got Dr. King to India was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Mahatma, the Great Soul,” he adds.
“For Mr. Mandela, Gandhi was Indian and South African. Gandhi would have approved. He had the unique ability to become a bridge between some of the greatest contradictions in human society,” Modi wrote in his piece for the reknowned international newspaper.
Also Read: Gandhi Jayanti 2019: Remembering Gandhi – A chronology of events
Prime Minister Modi also highlighted Mahatma Gandhi’s unique ability to connect ordinary objects like spinning wheel or the charkha, khadi and salt with mass politics. “And Gandhi combined ordinary objects with mass politics. Who else could have used a charkha, a spinning wheel, and khadi, Indian homespun cloth, as symbols of economic self-reliance and empowerment for a nation?” the PM said in his piece.
Several events have been organised across the country to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. PM Modi, who will be visiting the iconic Sabarmati Ashram, later in the day, paid tributes to Gandhi at Rajghat along with several other leaders.
Also Read: Mahatma Gandhi showed love for non-violence is only way to defeat hatred, says Rahul Gandhi
“We pledge to continue working hard to realise his dreams and create a better planet,” PM Modi said in his message on Twitter. He also posted a short video on Mahatma Gandhi and added that Bapu’s message of peace is relevant to the world community even now.
