British PM visits Sabarmati Ashram, gets Gandhi's book on how to live in London

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is on a two-day visit to India, visited the Sabarmati Ashram, also known as Gandhi Ashram, here on Thursday after landing in the country. The Ashram trust gifted him two books, one of them an unpublished guide for the benefit of those seeking to live in London, penned by Mahatma Gandhi himself.

After arriving at the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday morning, Johnson reached Sabarmati Ashram where he was welcomed by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and trustee Kartikeya Sarabhai, said the Ashram's spokesperson Virat Kothari. Gandhi had lived at the ashram from 1917 to 1930.

On behalf of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust, Sarabhai gifted two books and a replica of charkha or spinning wheel to Johnson, who spent nearly 30 minutes on the premises. After paying floral tributes to Gandhi, Johnson also visited 'Hriday Kunj' where the Mahatma lived, and 'Mira Kutir' where Gandhi's English-born disciple Mirabehn or Madeleine Slade used to live, said Kothari.


The British PM also tried his hand at the charkha before leaving. "One of the books gifted to Johnson was "Guide to London", an unpublished book which consists of Gandhi's suggestions on how to live in London. It is the first-ever book written by Gandhi and never got published. We gleaned the content from the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi and compiled a book," Kothari said. The other book was "The Spirit's Pilgrimage", autobiography of Mirabehn. Johnson is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Friday.