New Delhi: As the US observes the 40th death anniversary of Martin Luther King tomorrow, Gandhians in India feel that his vision of social justice and equality may be realised if Barack Obama, a Black American, wins the presidential race.

"The ongoing American presidential elections hold the key and King's vision is on the verge of realisation with the candidature of Barack Obama getting stronger day-by-day as the race for White House comes closer," believes the noted Gandhian, Nirmala Despande. Despande says, "King's fight for the Black people based on Gandhian principles make him a true Satyagrahi. And the techniques with which he led the mass movement are laudable as it contributed to the world peace."

King, who was assassinated at the age of 39 during his crusade against the prejudices prevalent in US society, played a pivotal role in the American civil rights movement of the 1960s. Another Gandhian and granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee told PTI that King stood for "eternal truth" which epitomises the very ideals of Gandhi.

Bhattacharjee, who is also vice-person of Gandhi Smriti and Gandhi Darshan, said, "the cause for which King stood becomes more important as he was leading a fight against his own countrymen. It is more dangerous than fighting an outside enemy".

King, who had visited India in 1959, had advocated non-violent resistance. Following King's footsteps, Barack Obama too referred to Gandhian principles and in his poll campaign had recently said, "In my life, I have always looked up to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things."

Asserting that King was the pioneer to articulate the needs and aspirations of the Black people, A K Pasha, Professor, International Relations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that his movement against "apartheid" led to the all-inclusive "affirmative action" in the policies.

"Barack Obama seems to have re-incarnated the soul of Martin Luther in terms of power and authority. King's wishes of giving a new direction to economically marginalised Whites and his community will certainly be realised, with Obama hopefully becoming the first Black President," Pasha further added. King had outlined his vision for his country at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963 in his famous words: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal".

Nirmala Despande, said that Martin Luther's role to American Black Society was "historical".

"The fight based on nonviolence and Satyagraha was crucial in US society as any other technique could have led into breaking of the society there," she said. King was killed in 1968 by a single bullet to the head while on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in downtown Memphis, in the southern American state of Tennessee.

Source : PTI