On 8 November, US president Barack Obama paid tribute to the Indian pacifist: “I have always found inspiration in the life of Gandhiji.”
Obama referred to Gandhi’s impact on the US civil rights movement, saying: “I am mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as president of the United States, had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with America and the world.”
In the week the commander-in-chief spoke, US drones rained missiles on houses and vehicles in Pakistan, US-led death squads roamed Afghanistan, and the Pentagon indicated US military forces may remain in Iraq after the president’s December 2011 deadline.
Late news: the luxury limited-edition Mont Blanc Gandhi pen, costing £16,000 (see PN 2515), was banned by the Indian supreme court on 3 May.