Modi Speaks to Gandhi's Grandson Who Stays At Delhi Old Age Home

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called up the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who along with his wife, have sought shelter in an old age home in Delhi

PM Modi spoke over the phone to Kanubhai Ramdas Gandhi and had a "cheerful conversation where both interacted in Gujarati", his office said in a tweet.

After the conversation, the Prime Minister directed the authorities to ensure that the couple have a comfortable stay.

Kanubhai, 87, and his wife Dr Shiva Laxmi Gandhi, 85, have been staying at Delhi's Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram from May 8.

In his sunset years , Kanubhai wants to serve his country.

"I have a vision for myself that I am a servant. I want to serve India. I do not have any expectations from other Indians as to what they should do or what kind of country they want," he said.

Kanubhai was 17 when Gandhi was assassinated . The then prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru sent him to the US where he studied Applied Mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Later, Kanubhai worked with defence department and NASA's Langley Research Centre, while his wife was a professor and then a research scholar in Boston.

After over four decades of stay in the US, Kanubhai and his wife had returned to India in 2014 and spent about a year and a half in various ashrams in Gujarat before checking into the Delhi home.

The old age home, owned by Dr GP Bhagat, houses about 130 old and destitute people cramped in three large rooms. The couple, however, are put up in an air-conditioned room, which is otherwise used for critically ill patients.