By Aroonim Bhuyan, IANS,
Riyadh : Riyadh Governor Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud is an admirer of India and displayed his knowledge of the country and its culture during the course of a meeting with visiting India’s External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee here Sunday.
“The governor expressed deep appreciation of India, its culture and its people during the meeting with the minister that lasted around 40 minutes,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters after the meet.
“The governor said that he was deeply inspired by India’s freedom struggle and the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi,” Sarna said.
Al Saud said that he had an Indian teacher who taught him “with his heart and soul”.
“He (the Indian teacher) was like a godfather to me,” Sarna quoted him as saying.
The highly influential governor also expressed his admiration at the fast pace at which India has emerged as a global economic power in its post-colonial era.
“Though he himself has not been to India, he said that he could imagine how beautiful India would be and looked forward to visiting India in February next year,” Sarna said.
On his part, Mukherjee said he was deeply impressed by the governor’s knowledge of India and looked forward to his visit to the subcontinent next year.
Born in 1935, Prince Al Saud has been the governor of Riyadh since 1956. He is known for his philanthropic work. He has chaired several committees to solicit donations for the needy and the victims of floods and earthquakes in the Arab and Islamic worlds.
He chairs the Philanthropic Society in Riyadh and is known for his generous contributions to mosques and Islamic centres.