Guest guest Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 A Gandhian who backs Indo-US nuke deal Himanshi Dhawan [ Sunday, March 12, 2006 11:44:44 pmTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] 91 year old Talbot knew Gandhi. NEW DELHI: As a true believer in Gandhian ideals, it would have been difficult for former US ambassador and president emeritus of the Asia Society, Phillips Talbot, to support the recently-signed nuclear deal between India and the US. Ironically, however, the deal for him signifies unprecedented warmth between two powerful democracies and clearing of years of wrong perceptions, a much cherished dream that Talbot has worked for. Ninety-one-year-old Talbot, in the city on Sunday to receive the Bharatiya Shiromani Puraskar on the 76th anniversary of Satyagraha, has been a keen advocate of in-depth interaction between the two countries. Commenting on the recent nuke deal, he said: "I am pleased with the strength of Indo-US relations. The countries have had difficult and problematic times. I am very happy that there is greater stability in their relationship." >From his conversations with the Mahatma at Sewagram to the troubled walk to Noakhali, Talbot walked with the leader to "get a sense of his personal relationship with people". "I am flooded with memories. I was there as a newspaper correspondent and got the opportunity to hear his views and follow him as he travelled village after village," Talbot said. Working for the Chicago Daily News as a correspondent, Talbot was one among the many journalists attracted to Gandhi's ideals. His blue-green eyes twinkle as he recalls how Gandhi teased him about feeding his three-month-old girl canned baby food. "Don't you think we know how to raise children in India," is what Gandhi had asked. Though Talbot ignored the jibe and continued the canned food, he admits the leader's influence in his life was everlasting. Recalling the last conversation with Gandhi in the backdrop of Partition talks and news of violence hitting the headlines, Talbot said: "He said, 'Everything is dark around me. Men are behaving like beasts...(he paused and then said) not like beasts. Even beasts don't kill their own kind'." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1447148,curpg- 1.cms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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