Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy unites India and Germany, says Chancellor Merz

On his first visit to India German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday said Mahatma Gandhis legacy unites Indians and Germans as friends and his teachings are more needed today than everPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Merz visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad in the morning and paid homage to Mahatma GandhiPM Modi who reached the ashram a few minutes earlier welcomed the German Chancellor upon his arrivalAfter paying floral tributes at the statue of the Father of the Nation both leaders visited Hriday Kunj a room inside the ashram where Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba lived during Indias freedom struggleAt the ashram Merz also witnessed how khadi yarn is woven using the charkha or spinning wheelMahatma Gandhi spun yarn on the charkha as part of his campaign to promote khadi and selfreliance during Indias struggle for independenceIn a note in the ashram visitors book Merz stated Mahatma Gandhis unshakeable belief in the power of freedom and dignity of each and every individual inspires us to this day This legacy unites Indians and Germans as friends in a world that may more than ever be in need of Gandhis teachingsSabarmati Ashram also known as Gandhi Ashram was established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 It was home to Gandhi from 1917 until 1930 and served as one of the main centres of Indias freedom struggleAfter paying tributes at the historic ashram both leaders reached Sabarmati Riverfront where PM Modi inaugurated the International Kite Festival2026 and later enjoyed kite flying with Chancellor MerzAt the venue Modi and Merz interacted with women artisans and understood the process of making kitesAfter the inauguration both the leaders took a ride on the ground in an open vehicle and also tried their hands at flying kitesAs many as 135 kite flyers from 50 countries and nearly 1000 enthusiasts from India are participating in the International Kite Festival2026 in Ahmedabad according to a Gujarat government releaseAs part of the festival organised by the state government the kite flyers have already visited places like Rajkot Surat Dholavira in Kutch and Statue of Unity Narmada during the last two days and enthralled the visitors it said adding that the festival in Ahmedabad will continue till January 14The festival is held annually ahead of Uttarayan also known as Makar Sankranti which falls on January 14 and marks the suns northward journey and the transition towards summerLast year the festival attracted more than 383 lakh visitors across GujaratThrough the International Kite Festival Gujarat Tourism is attracting visitors to leading cultural and tourist destinations such as Dholavira and the Statue of UnityMore than five lakh tourists are expected to visit Gujarat to witness the International Kite Festival this year the release addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever