Obama sends Mani Bhavan return gift

US president Barack Obama has sent a special return gift to Mani Bhavan. A piece of the stone which was used in the making of the Martin Luther King Junior memorial in Washington DC, has
been sent to Mani Bhavan by Obama.

The gift, which has been called the ‘stone of hope’, reached Mani Bhavan two days back, and is now going to be displayed at the ground floor of the building.

During Diwali, Barack and Michelle Obama spent 45 minutes at the memorial, paying homage to the saint of non-violence. After their visit, large numbers of foreigners and locals had been visiting the building.

Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya executive secretary Meghshyam Ajgaonkar said, “We expected the response after Obama’s visit. Also, during winter season, we do get a large number of visitors. Nearly 300-400 people visit the building daily. Not all are foreign nationals; many Indians also visit the place. Also, as a part of educational trips, school children are also visiting the museum".

Ajgaonkar added that Mani Bhavan does not need branding and that people used to visit the museum in large numbers earlier too. “Two days back, we received a gift from Obama. The stone piece, which we have kept on display, is from the material they are using to make a Martin Luther King Junior memorial. Apart from this, he has also sent me two small silver jars and a letter of thanks,” he said.