A picture of the Mahatma adorns the President's office, she yesterday told a gathering of students and mediapersons who were given a sneak preview of the first state dinner of the Obama Administration, held in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Back when the President was a senator, he kept a picture of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India, in his office. And it was before he was a senator, he was always a big supporter and admirer of Gandhi, because Gandhi inspired so many people -- in India and all around the world -- with his example of dignity and tolerance and peace," Michelle said.
She asked American children to follow Gandhi's example to usher in the change they want.
"And with a simple call, Gandhi would say: To be the change we wish to see in the world -- we are that change. We are that change," she said.
Obama has repeatedly talked about his admiration for Gandhi. Asked by students at a Virginia school in September with whom he will be wanting to have dinner, he had named Gandhi, saying he considered him a "real hero".
"He (Gandhi) is somebody whom I find a lot of inspiration in. He inspired Dr (Martin Luther) King, so if it hadn't been for the non-violent movement in India, you might not have seen the same non-violent movement for civil rights here in the United States," he had said.