Carterpuri's elderly recall late US ex-president

In Carterpuri, a nondescript village in Gurugram, Jimmy Carter's name resonates faintly with the younger generation.

- Debashish Karmakar

GURUGRAM: For the elderly, however, the 39th US President's visit nearly five decades ago remains a vivid memory, one tinged with quiet mourning after his passing on Monday.

Fifteen-year-old Shreya Yadav, shopping for winter garments at a local store, didn't know why the village bore its unusual name. Rajiv Kumar, the 53-year-old shopkeeper, directed her to a display of faded letters marked with "The White House" letterhead and black-and-white photographs of Carter's visit on January 3, 1978.

"This is where Jimmy Carter was born," Kumar told her, referring to a long-held local legend - Carter was, in fact, born in the town of Plains, Georgia, US.

The letters and photographs, preserved by Kumar, originally belonged to his late father, Kartar Singh, who served as the village postmaster. Singh had corresponded with Carter on behalf of the then-sarpanch Bhoop Singh Yadav, following Carter's historic visit.