The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100, shared a unique connection with India—one that extended beyond diplomacy. Known as ‘Carterpuri,’ a small village in Haryana was renamed in his honor following his historic visit to India in 1978.
Carter was the first American leader to visit India after the Emergency era and the victory of the Janata Party in 1977. His address to the Indian Parliament on January 2, 1978, championed democracy and freedom, rejecting authoritarianism.
“India’s successes decisively refute the theory that a developing country must accept authoritarian or totalitarian rule to achieve economic and social progress,” Carter had said.
He praised India’s electoral democracy, saying, “The largest electorate on earth freely and wisely chose its leaders at the polls. Democracy itself was the victor.”
The following day, Carter and then-Prime Minister Morarji Desai signed the Delhi Declaration, solidifying ties between the two nations. Speaking at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Carter highlighted the shared values of democracy and human rights, noting that India and the US exemplified governance rooted in serving the citizen, not the other way around.
Carter’s connection to India deepened during a visit to the village of Daulatpur Nasirabad, near Delhi. Accompanied by his wife, Rosalynn, he was welcomed warmly by villagers who later renamed their home “Carterpuri.” The bond between Carter and the village endured, with residents celebrating his Nobel Peace Prize win in 2002 and commemorating January 3 as a local holiday.
This visit was significant beyond its symbolism. Carter’s mother, Lillian Carter, had worked in India as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s, making his ties to the country deeply personal. The Carter Centre later remarked that the visit laid the groundwork for a lasting partnership between India and the US, rooted in mutual respect and shared ideals.
Carter’s presidency (1977–1981) coincided with Cold War tensions, volatile oil markets, and domestic struggles over civil rights and gender equality. His most notable achievement was brokering the 1978 Camp David Accords, a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. Despite challenges like the Iranian hostage crisis and economic turmoil, Carter’s post-presidential legacy flourished through humanitarian efforts, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize.