Press Releases 2009

U.S. Ambassador Timothy Roemer Commemorates Gandhi Birth Anniversary

October 2, 2009

New Delhi – Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer today commemorated the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi by joining the interfaith prayer meeting and memorial ceremony at Raj Ghat.

On his recent trip to Mumbai, Ambassador Roemer also visited Mani Bhavan, a house where Gandhiji once lived and worked, and held an education roundtable with students there to explore the concepts of justice, equality, and peace, core values of both U.S. and Indian democracy.

Ambassador Roemer noted, “The roots of the American civil rights movement can be traced directly to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals and the nonviolent social action movement for Indian independence which he led.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other American civil rights leaders drew on Gandhi’s ideas to transform American society.  Americans owe a great intellectual debt to the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.  In many ways, President Obama’s life was directly influenced in a very positive way by Mahatma Gandhi’s principles and teachings.  This connection was clearly illustrated in the President’s former Senate office, where on my first visit there, I was struck immediately by the picture of Mahatma Gandhi above the desk.”