Threads connecting India, US run deep and strong: Ambassador Sandhu

Washington, October 6

The threads that connect India and the United States run deep and strong and the two countries continue to strive to make the lives of their citizens better and brighter, New Delhi's top envoy here told university students.

Delivering the prestigious ‘King Gandhi Lecture’ at the Howard University here, India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu said the edifice of India-US relations is built on the values of democracy, liberty, freedom, non-violence, and rule of law.

“The threads that connect India and the United States run deep and strong. The values of democracy, liberty, freedom, non-violence, and rule of law, that we cherish and nourish, form the strong foundation on which the edifice of India-US relations is built,” Sandhu said in his address to the students of private, federally chartered historically black research university.

Even before India gained independence, many of the leading lights of its freedom struggle, including Lala Lajpat Rai, Sarojini Naidu, Rabindranath Tagore, BR Ambedkar among others, had visited several universities in the US, including Howard, Sandhu said.

“We shared and shaped each other's vision. You and I owe our allegiance to our respective constitutions, which both start with, ‘We the People...' he said.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr had delivered the ‘'Gandhi Memorial Lecture’ at Howard University in 1963 and 1966. Dr William Stuart Nelson, dean of the School of Religion and vice president for special projects at Howard University, established Gandhi Memorial Lecture in 1958.

He was an exponent of the philosophy of nonviolence, who had been a friend of both Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King Jr. He had walked with both in protest marches.

In his address, Sandhu noted that the story of Howard was closely tied to America's history; recalled how leaders from India and the US influenced the thoughts of each other and the impact it had in shaping the history of both countries.

The Ambassador also highlighted the concept of trusteeship, principle of non-violence, devotion to truth and journeys as key aspects of Gandhi's work. In his address Sandhu underlined how Gandhi's principles have shaped India's vision for development and prosperity. PTI