President Barack Obama visits MUMBAI choosing two of Mumbai's most iconic places to visit as he begins his first visit to India as the US President, the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the former home of Mahatma Gandhi.
The luxury hotel has been the venue of choice for visiting heads of state and other dignitaries ever since it was built at the turn of the 20th century.
The unassuming Mani Bhavan, now a museum, was the suburban home of the man who became the leader of the Indian independence movement whenever he visited what was then known as Bombay.
To the Indian people these are more than building – they are symbols of freedom from British rule and of the wealth and aspirations of those free people.
Because of the attacks on the Hotel nearly two years ago this venue has assumed another significance for the people of Mumbai. The Taj has become a symbol of the "strength and the resilience of the Indian people" because of the attacks, Obama later said in a speech, pledging continued support for the country in the fight against terror.
In contrast Obama's visit to Mani Bhavan, was more of a personal pilgrimage as the president has cited Gandhi as a key influence even keeping a portrait of him on the wall in Senate office.
On seeing another of his heroes, Dr Martin Luther King's signature in one of the guest books, Obama remarked: "Pretty cool. 1959. What a great book."
Its hard to miss the symbolism of Gandhi, the quiet spoken Indian who preached non-violence, and King, the outspoken US civil rights leader and the significance of Obama's visit as the first African-American president.
The remainder of the four-nation tour includes stops in Indonesia (where Obama spent part of his childhood) as well as Korea and Japan.
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