Jaishankar unveils Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Indian embassy in Moscow

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the premises of the Indian embassy in Moscow on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary.

Jaishankar arrived in Russia on Tuesday on a two-day visit to finalise the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to the country.

This is Jaishankar's first visit to Moscow since assuming office in May. His visit comes days ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok from September 4 to 6 where Prime Minister Modi will be the chief guest.

"EAM @DrSJaishankar unnveiled Gandhi statue at the Embassy premises on the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi," the Indian embassy here tweeted on Tuesday night.

Gandhi was profoundly inspired and influenced by Russian writer-philosopher Leo Tolstoy. The two leaders never met personally in their life-time, but both shared an unique bond and exchanged ideas through letters.

In his autobiography, Gandhi has written how Tolstoy's book, 'The Kingdom of God is Within You', which he read on October 1, 1904, during a train journey from Johannesburg to Durban in South Africa, changed his life.

He was so deeply impressed with the book that he wrote a letter to Tolstoy on October 1, 1909, and maintained correspondence with him thereafter.

The book, Gandhi wrote, made a deeper impression on him, and opened his vision to the infinite possibilities of universal love.

The correspondence between Tolstoy and Gandhi became epoch-making in the golden chapter of the Indo-Russian relations.