President Murmu pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in Mauritius

Port Louis: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday paid tributes to the Father of the Nation on the anniversary of the historic Dandi March by visiting the Mahatma Gandhi Institute here in Mauritius.

Murmu, 65, who is here on a three-day state visit, remembered Gandhi's 'universal ideals' at a civic reception hosted at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Moka, Mauritius, according to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

"Remembering Mahatma’s universal ideals! President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn paid tribute to Bapu at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Mauritius, an iconic bilateral institution promoting cultural understanding," the MEA posted on X.

"At the civic reception hosted on the occasion, the President thanked the members of the Indian diaspora for preserving and transmitting their cultural heritage to future generations in Mauritius," the post said.

Murmu, the chief guest at the country's National Day celebrations on Tuesday, also took a short metro ride to the Mahatma Gandhi Metro Station in Mauritius.

"On the historic day of the commencement of the Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn took a short metro ride and arrived at the iconic Mahatma Gandhi Metro Station in Mauritius," the MEA said in another post.

Mauritius Metro, a flagship India-assisted project, has a transformational impact on the lives of the people of Mauritius, the post said.

In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated a metro express service and a hospital in Mauritius with Mauritian premier Pravind Jugnauth via video.

During his address, Modi described the projects as a symbol of India's strong commitment to the development of the island nation.

The Salt Satyagraha March, also known as the Dandi March of 1930, was a landmark event in the history of India's freedom struggle.

As part of the Civil Disobedience Movement against British rule, 'satyagrahis' led by Gandhi marched from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the coastal village of Dandi from March 12 to April 5, 1930, and made salt from seawater, breaking the Salt Law imposed by the British.