NRIs hand over Gandhi Memorabilia to President

London, Oct 29: Receiving the rare collection of Mahatma Gandhi's memorabilia, Indian president, Pratibha Patil reminded the world of Gandhi's universal philosophy which could be used as an effective tool to build a tolerant world.

The memorabilia including three letters written in Urdu by Gandhi to 'Khilafat' movement leader Maulana Abdul Bari, a piece of white Khadi cloth gifted by him to a South African actress Moria Listler and some autographed postcards, were handed over to Patil by two NRIs on Wednesday, Oct 29.

NRI entrepreneurs Sir Gulam K Noon and Nathu Puri had won the items in a auction in Jul 2009.

"Gandhi is not the property of India only but the whole world. His philosophy is relevant in today's world. Even the UN has accepted the relevance of this philosophy by declaring October 2 as International Day of Non-violence," Patil said at a function in the Indian High Commission which was attended by prominent NRIs including Lord Swraj Paul, S P Hinduja and Indian High Commissioner Nalin Surie.

Expressing the country's gratitude to Sir Ghulam Noon and Mr Puri, Patil termed the Indian diaspora as a 'significant asset for India's relationship with the countries' where Indians have decided to settle.

OneIndia News