Are you enjoying your trip?It has been an honour to be here. People have been very warm. You speak of forgiveness and love overshadowing hatred. Do you feel in the instances where the state has perpetrated violence, people should forgive and move ahead? Well, you have to start from the truth. If people are not willing to apologise for wrongs done in the past, it's a bigger task for the oppressed to employ a strategy of not harbouring any hatred. Different countries have employed different strategies. For example, the Truth and Reconciliation Council in South Africa. You can only apologise, you can't go back and make things right. But apologising is important and helpful.My father was assassinated when I was 10. At 16, my grandmother was assassinated. I could easily have adopted hatred but my mother helped me see that love overshadows hatred. I take this message wherever I go.Is it difficult to practise Gandhiji's philosophy of truth and non-violence in these violent times?No, it isn't. In fact, the philosophy of non-violence is more relevant now than ever. What is difficult is to see that the acts of terror are unnecessary and we should be able to resolve conflict without violence. In all my visits to different countries, I have found that people want this message of Gandhi and my father. How strong is Gandhiji's influence in the US today?Gandhi's influence and indeed that of Martin Luther King, Jr, is wider now, especially with president Barack Obama's administration in place. The president has in his office photos of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr and Mahatma Gandhi.Urvashi Dev Rawal/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication