Congressman wants to send Americans to India to study Gandhi

An eminent US lawmaker has said that he is thinking of starting a fellowship wherein Indians can come to America to study Martin Luther King and people from here can go to India to study Mahatma Gandhi.

Congressman, John Lewis, was in India recently as part of an official delegation which went there to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic visit of Martin Luther King Jr in 1959 to study the teachings and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.

"One of the things that I've been thinking about since coming back from India, that we can have some fellowships for young people from India to come to America to study the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King Jr," Lewis said.

Interacting with foreign journalists at the Foreign Press Center here, Lewis said the fellowship could also send young people from America to India to study Mahatma Gandhi and pass it on to generations.

"They can create a sea of humanity all over the world, not just in India, but in other parts of Asia and Europe and in Central and South America," said Lewis.

"Mohandas Gandhi's success in bringing about a non-violent revolution in India inspired Martin Luther King Jr," he said.

First Published: Feb 24, 2009 13:46 IST