Obama lays wreath at Gandhi's memorial

New Delhi: US President Barack Obama on Sunday laid a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's 'samadhi' (memorial) at Rajghat.

He was accompanied by union Minister Piyush Goyal. Obama observed a moment of silence, and took a 'parikrama' around the memorial. He placed a huge wreath and the paid floral tributes at the memorial.

US President Barack Obama, who has often talked about the influence of Mahatma Gandhi on his life, today paid homage to the 'apostle of peace' at Rajghat soon after his arrival here on a three-day visit. Obama placed a wreath at Gandhi's memorial and bowed before the Samadhi with folded hands. He went straight to Rajghat from the ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. During his last visit here in 2012 too, he had paid tributes to Gandhi at the memorial here. The American President was presented a replica of Gandhi's famous 'charkha' by the officials of the memorial.

Obama also planted a sapling of Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa) at the Rajghat and wrote on the visitor's book. Obama had mentioned Gandhi on many occasions, even during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 2009. Replying to a question on who would be his most favourite personality, dead or alive, to have dinner with, he had then said that would be Gandhi. He's somebody who I find a lot of inspiration in.

He inspired Dr King (Martin Luther King Jr), so if it hadn't been for the non-violent movement in India, you might not have seen the same non-violent movement for civil rights here in the United States, he had said.