Former US President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at 100, shared a special bond with India, highlighted by a village in Haryana named ‘Carterpuri’ in his honor. On January 3, 1978, Carter and then-First Lady Rosalynn Carter visited Daulatpur Nasirabad, a village near Delhi. The visit was so impactful that the villagers renamed the area ‘Carterpuri’ and remained in contact with the White House throughout his presidency. Since then, January 3 has been celebrated as a holiday in the village.
#WATCH | Former US President Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th President of the United States, passes away at the age of 100
Archive visuals of ‘Carterpuri,’ a village in Haryana which was renamed in honour of former US President Jimmy Carter following his visit to India in… pic.twitter.com/MpV6X9IiXc
— ANI (@ANI) December 30, 2024
The villagers also held large celebrations in 2002 when Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize. The visit occurred a year after the end of India’s Emergency period, and during his time in the country, Carter addressed the Indian parliament, speaking on the importance of democratic values in addressing global challenges.
Carter also had a personal connection with India through his mother, Lillian, who served as a health volunteer with the Peace Corps in the late 1960s. Over the years, under Carter’s leadership, the US and India deepened their cooperation in areas such as energy, technology, space, disaster relief, and counterterrorism. In the mid-2000s, the two countries signed a landmark agreement on civil nuclear cooperation.
Carter died on Sunday night at the age of 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family. In a statement, his son Chip remembered him as a hero, while President Joe Biden declared January 9 a national day of mourning in honor of Carter’s legacy.
