Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Sam Blewett

Boris Johnson given Gandhi’s guide to London during ashram visit

PA Wire

Boris Johnson was presented with a copy of a guide to London written by Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to the Indian independence leader’s ashram in Gujarat.

The Prime Minister remarked that “vegetarianism costs far less than meat-eating” as he read on Thursday from the book designed to be a guide for how Indians could manage in London in the late 19th century.

While flying to India for his two-day visit, Mr Johnson told reporters on the plane his own favourite curry is lamb rogan josh, rather than a meat-free variety.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is shown a copy of Gandhi’s London guide (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

The Sabarmati Ashram, which was the centre of the peace leader’s non-violent struggle against British rule, was one of the first stops for Mr Johnson during his visit to Ahmedabad.

Mr Johnson also draped a ring of khadi cloth around a statue of Gandhi, who studied law at University College London during his time in Britain.

After removing his shoes, Mr Johnson remarked: “There’s always a panic that the socks are going to let you down.”

The Prime Minister was show how to operate a cotton wheel (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Two women showed the Prime Minister how to spin the cloth promoted by Gandhi on a traditional wheel, with Mr Johnson telling them: “It’s a bit of an art, this spinning.”

Mr Johnson signed a guestbook, writing that it was an “immense privilege” to learn about how Gandhi “mobilised such simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better”.

From the ashram, Mr Johnson was driven to a meeting with Gautam Adani, the billionaire industrialist whose Adani Group has been plagued by controversy and allegations ranging from environmental abuse to tax evasion.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.