Former US President Barack Obama Pens About His Fascination With India; Says He Spent Childhood Listening To Ramayana And Mahabharata

Former US President Barack Obama is currently in the news for his book titled A Promise Land. The former POTUS has penned about his political experiences in the book. There's a lot of mention of India in his memoir. Barack Obama has revealed that he had never visited India before his Presidential visit in 2010. He also shared about having a connection with India because as a child, he listened to epic mythological tails like Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Talking about his fascination with India, he wrote, "Maybe it was its (India's) sheer size, with one-sixth of the world's population, an estimated two thousand distinct ethnic groups, and more than seven hundred languages spoken." He also shared that India held a special place in his imagination. He cited the reason, "Maybe it was because I'd spent a part of my childhood in Indonesia listening to the epic Hindu tales of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, or because of my interest in Eastern religions, or because of a group of Pakistani and Indian college friends who'd taught me to cook dal and keema and turned me on to Bollywood movies."

Barack Obama released the memoir yesterday, and even shared a video on social media. He shared the video with the caption, "My memoir, A Promised Land, is out today. I hope you’ll read it. My goal was to give you some insight into the events and people that shaped me during the early years of my presidency. Most of all, I hope it inspires you to see yourself playing a role in shaping a better world." Check out his tweet below. (Also Read: When Former US President Barack Obama Introduced Himself As Michelle’s Husband And Left The Crowd Cheering For Him- Watch Epic Video)