ANDALIB AKHTER
TIA
NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama on Monday virtually gave credence to India for his presidency. Addressing the Indian parliamentarians and other dignitaries at the packed central hall of the parliament, Obama said he would not have been the president had Mahatama Gandhi not shared his message with the world.
"I am mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as president of the United States, had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with America and the world," Obama said amid thunder applause from the audience.
For him and the first lady Michelle, this visit has a special meaning as he said: “throughout my life, including my work as a young man on behalf of the urban poor, I have always found inspiration in the life of Gandhiji and in his simple and profound lesson to be the change we seek in the world. And just as he summoned Indians to seek their destin” he said adding Mahatma influenced champions of equality in his own country, including a young Martin Luther King.
After making his pilgrimage to India a half century ago, said Obama, Dr. King called Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent resistance “the only logical and moral approach” in the struggle for justice and progress.
Not only Gandhi Obama also lauded the role of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar , Swami Vivekanand and quoted the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore.
“We believe that no matter who you are or where you come from, every person can fulfill their God-given potential, just as a Dalit like Dr. Ambedkar could lift himself up and pen the words of the Constitution that protects the rights of all Indians” he stressed.
During the address he received applauses from all section of audience from left to right. Audience were little amazed when Obama fluently describing the geography of India: “We believe that no matter where you live—whether a village in Punjab or the by lanes of Chandni Chowk…an old section of Kolkata or a new high-rise in Bangalore—every person deserves the same chance to live in security and dignity, to get an education, to find work, and to give their children a better future”. Not only was the ground floor of the central hall, but all the press and guest galleries packed to its capacity to listen Obama speech.