Washington, Oct 3 (IANS) Calling Mahatma Gandhi India’s gift to the world, the President of the World Bank Group Robert Zoellick has said the Indian leader’s legacy very much holds for ideals close to the global institution.”What a gift India gave the world,” said Zoellick at the first ever celebration of the Mahatma’s birth anniversary at the Bank Group headquarters here Thursday.

The lesson of leadership is the greatest lesson the world can learn from the father of the Indian nation, he said taking note of the Mahatma’s wide ranging influence over the world.

The Bank’s Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, calling Gandhi a “citizen of the world”, said describing the Mahatma as a visionary “is an understatement”.

The Bank Group’s Executive Director for India, Dhanendra Kumar described the Mahatma as “one of the greatest souls of all times” and said there is a striking resemblance between Gandhi’s philosophy and the World Bank’s objectives.

The deputy chief of the Indian mission Raminder Singh Jassal also addressed the audience.

The 139th Birth Anniversary event at the bank also saw the rendering of some of the favourite ‘bhajans’ of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Executive Director for India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, the Embassy of India and the Gandhi Memorial Centre, among others, sponsored the event.