<p>A statuette of Lord Hanuman is among few items that US President Barack Obama always carries in his pocket and seeks inspiration from whenever he feels tired or discouraged.<br /><br /></p>.<p>President disclosed this on a YouTube interview which the White House scheduled as a way to reach younger audiences as it promotes Obama's final State of the Union address on Tuesday.<br /><br />Asked to show off an item of personal significance during the interview with YouTube creator Nilsen yesterday, 54-year-old Obama pulled from his pockets a series of small totems, each of which he said reminded him "of all the different people I've met along the way."<br /><br />It included rosary beads given to him from Pope Francis, who he met at the White House this fall; a tiny Buddha statue procured upon him by a monk; a silver poker chip that was once the lucky charm of a bald, mustachioed biker in Iowa; a figurine of the Hindu monkey God Hanuman; and a Coptic cross from Ethiopia, where he visited in July, CNN reported.<br /><br />"I carry these around all the time. I'm not that superstitious, so it's not like I think I necessarily have to have them on me at all times," Obama said.<br /><br />But he said they do provide some reminders of the long path of his presidency."If I feel tired, or I feel discouraged sometimes, I can kind of reach into my pocket and say yeah, that's something I can overcome, because somebody gave me the privilege to work on these issues that are going to effect them," he said.<br /><br />Obama, whose father was a Kenyan and mother a white woman from Kansas, spent initial days of his life in Indonesia where Hinduism is a popular religion. </p>
<p>A statuette of Lord Hanuman is among few items that US President Barack Obama always carries in his pocket and seeks inspiration from whenever he feels tired or discouraged.<br /><br /></p>.<p>President disclosed this on a YouTube interview which the White House scheduled as a way to reach younger audiences as it promotes Obama's final State of the Union address on Tuesday.<br /><br />Asked to show off an item of personal significance during the interview with YouTube creator Nilsen yesterday, 54-year-old Obama pulled from his pockets a series of small totems, each of which he said reminded him "of all the different people I've met along the way."<br /><br />It included rosary beads given to him from Pope Francis, who he met at the White House this fall; a tiny Buddha statue procured upon him by a monk; a silver poker chip that was once the lucky charm of a bald, mustachioed biker in Iowa; a figurine of the Hindu monkey God Hanuman; and a Coptic cross from Ethiopia, where he visited in July, CNN reported.<br /><br />"I carry these around all the time. I'm not that superstitious, so it's not like I think I necessarily have to have them on me at all times," Obama said.<br /><br />But he said they do provide some reminders of the long path of his presidency."If I feel tired, or I feel discouraged sometimes, I can kind of reach into my pocket and say yeah, that's something I can overcome, because somebody gave me the privilege to work on these issues that are going to effect them," he said.<br /><br />Obama, whose father was a Kenyan and mother a white woman from Kansas, spent initial days of his life in Indonesia where Hinduism is a popular religion. </p>