American President Barack Obama, who made history, sees Mahatma Gandhi as his role model apart from Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela.

During an interview with Itar-Tass/Rossiya TV - Obama revealed that "Internationally -- Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi. I always am interested in leaders who are able to bring about transformative change without resort to violence, but rather changing people's minds and people's hearts," Obama said when asked who were his heroes.

He further said "Lincoln is the President who I find most compelling because not only did he deal with probably the biggest crisis in American history, the Civil War, but he also did so in a way that was full of understanding of humanity," he said.

"And his willingness to... understand other people, from slaves to slave owners, and try to hold people together even when we were in the midst of war I think is extraordinary," he ended.