G20 leaders commemorate Mahatma Gandhi

World leaders walked barefoot through puddles to pay their respects to revered Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi after monsoon downpours dampened Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s set-piece G20 programme.

Modi welcomed his guests to the site where the apostle of non-violence was cremated in January 1948, the day after a Hindu nationalist ideologue gunned him down.

US President Joe Biden was among several visiting heads of state to opt for felt slippers instead of going unshod at the site, where normal footwear is forbidden as a mark of respect.

Others, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, joined Modi in shedding their socks and shoes on the walk to the marble plinth where an eternal flame commemorates Gandhi’s memory.

After a rendition of a Hindu devotional hymn, they stood for a moment’s silence before leaving wreaths to honour the peace icon.