US former president Barack Obama carries a statuette of Lord Hanuman in his pocket and seeks inspiration from it whenever he feels tired or discouraged.
The President disclosed this in one of the interviews and said, “I carry these around all the time. I’m not that superstitious, so it’s not like I think I necessarily have to have them on me at all times,” Mr. Obama said.
“If I feel tired, or I feel discouraged sometimes, I can kind of reach into my pocket and say yeah, that’s something I can overcome, because somebody gave me the privilege to work on these issues that are going to effect them,” he said.
Obama’s father was a Kenyan while his mother was a white woman from Kansas. He spent initial days of his life in Indonesia where Hinduism is a popular religion.
A series of small totems which he carries in his pockets include rosary beads given to him from Pope Francis, whoM he met at the White House fall; a tiny Buddha statue; a silver poker chip; a figurine of the Hindu monkey God Hanuman;and a Coptic cross from Ethiopia.