Barack Obama spent the eve of his swearing-in as America's 44th President reliving Mahatma Gandhi's ideal of *shramdaan*, occasioned by Martin Luther King Jr. Day today.
Hundreds of thousands of people offered *shramdaan* all across America responding to Obama's call in December that Martin Luther King's legacy should be honoured today as "not a day just to pause and reflect — it is a day to act". The delegation to India next month will include legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock, who will take part in a special tribute in Chennai on the theme of non-violence along with composer A.R. Rahman and actor and director Kamal Haasan. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090120/jsp/frontpage/story_10415355.jsp -- regards, Vithur
