Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, passed away on Sunday at the age of 100 in Georgia. Carter, the longest-living US president in history, left behind a legacy of diplomacy, including a special connection with India.
Carter visited India in January 1978 during his presidency, making him the third American leader to do so. His visit to the village of Daulatpur Nasirabad, near Delhi, left a lasting impression. The residents renamed the village “Carterpuri” in his honour.
The connection between Carter and India runs deeper. His mother, Lillian Carter, had worked in India as a Peace Corps health volunteer in the late 1960s. This personal tie, combined with Carter’s emphasis on democratic values, laid a strong foundation for US-India relations.
The Carter Centre highlighted that his visit and subsequent policies strengthened the bilateral ties, particularly in areas such as energy, technology, space cooperation, and counterterrorism. Later, the historic US-India civil nuclear agreement in the mid-2000s and increasing trade were testaments to this enduring relationship.
Carter’s commitment to shared democratic principles was evident during his visit. On January 2, 1978, he said, “India’s difficulties, which we often experience ourselves and which are typical of the problems faced in the developing world, remind us of the tasks that lie ahead. Not the Authoritarian Way.”
At the signing of the Delhi Declaration with then Prime Minister Morarji Desai, Carter emphasised that moral values must guide the actions of governments. His words and actions continue to resonate in the partnership between the two nations.
Link to article –
Former US President Jimmy Carter’s Indian connection will leave you surprised, it is…
