British prime minister Boris Johnson was presented with a copy of a ‘Guide to London’ written by Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to the Indian independence leader’s base in Ashram, Gujarat.

Mr Johnson remarked that “vegetarianism costs far less than meat-eating” as he read on Thursday from the book designed to be a guide for how Indians could manage in London in the late 19th century.

While flying to India for his two-day visit, Mr Johnson told reporters on the plane his own favourite curry was lamb rogan josh, rather than a meat-free variety.

The Sabarmati Ashram, which was the centre of the peace leader’s non-violent struggle against British rule, was one of the first stops for Johnson during his visit to Ahmedabad.

Mr Johnson also draped a ring of khadi cloth around a statue of Mr Gandhi, who studied law at University College, London, during his time in Britain.

After removing his shoes, Mr Johnson remarked, “There’s always a panic that the socks are going to let you down.”

Two women showed the British prime minister how to spin the cloth promoted by Mr Gandhi on a traditional wheel, with Mr Johnson telling them, “It’s a bit of an art, this spinning.”

Mr Johnson signed a guestbook, writing that it was an immense privilege to learn about how Mr Gandhi “mobilised such simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better.”

From the Ashram, the UK prime minister was driven to a meeting with Gautam Adani, the billionaire industrialist whose Adani Group had been plagued by controversy and allegations ranging from environmental abuse to tax evasion. 

(dpa/NAN)