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Martin Luther King III pays emotional visit to Rajghat

February 15, 2009 21:12 IST

"This experience we shall remember all of our lives. May God always bless the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi," wrote Martin Luther King III in the visitors' book after visiting Rajghat to trace his father's 'pilgrimage' to India 50 years ago.

Asking everyone to follow non-violence and the other teachings of Gandhi, whom he described as 'one of the greatest human beings', Martin Luther King III, son of American civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr, said, "The world needs the message of non-violence more than ever before."

"If the world embraces together and collectively the philosophy of non-violence, our nation and world will become something that we have never seen but something that our children, grand children and great children can be proud of," he said at the Rajghat.

An emotional King III, who spent around 10 minutes at the Gandhi Samadhi, said, "Now it is a world where countries are engaged in wars as we speak and yet one great man in this part of the world (Gandhi) transformed much of the world and our nation and our man shared that philosophy in other parts of the world."

He was speaking to the media after laying a wreath at the Gandhi Samadhi along with his wife and a Congressional delegation led by Congressman John Lewis. Other prominent members in the team are Ambassador Andrew Young, Spencer Bachus and Chaka Khan.

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