India–Germany meet in Ahmedabad: Leaders visit Sabarmati Ashram, pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi

AHMEDABAD: PM Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Sabarmati Ashram on Monday morning as the start of Chancellor Merz’s 2-day India visit. It was his first official visit to the country.The leaders paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s idol in the Ashram, after which PM Modi showed the Chancellor Hriday Kunj and its periphery. It is notable that the Ashram, 1 of the 2 Ashrams of Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad that witnessed key events of India’s freedom struggle, is currently undergoing a major revamp.In the visitor book of the Ashram, Chancellor Merz wrote, ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s unshakeable belief in the power of freedom and the dignity of each and every individual inspires us to this day.

This human legacy unites Indians and Germans as friends in a world that may, more than ever, be in need of Gandhi’s teachings.’The leaders offered a garland to Mahatma’s portrait at Hriday Kunj and also witnessed the spinning of the Charkha by an Ashram official.The dignitaries present on the occasion included members of the German delegation, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Gujarat chief secretary MK Das, Sabarmati Ashram Redevelopment Committee chairman IP Gautam, and Sabarmati Ashram chairperson Kartikeya Sarabhai, among others.