NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday attended an inter-faith religions prayer meeting, organised at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti here on the occasion of the 59th anniversary of the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi.

Dr. Singh first paid homage to the Father of the Nation at the Martyr's Column, where Bapu fell to the assassin's bullets on January 30, 1948, and then attended a prayer meeting. Besides Prime Minister's wife Gursharan Kaur, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, a host of foreign dignitaries including diplomats paid homage to the Mahatma.

People from all sections of society were present at the commemorative prayer meeting. Vocalists and brother duo of Pandit Rajan Sajan Mishra from the Benaras gharana paid a musical tribute to the Mahatma.

According to the Director of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti Savita Singh, former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda also paid tributes to Gandhiji in the morning.

While leaders from different religious faiths offered prayers and read out excerpts from their holy books at the Martyr's Column, children from Arya Bal Griha, Pataudi House, paid homage to Bapu by spinning ``charkhas.''

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