UPDATE: MTV US apologized Friday for offending Indians by airing in the United States a show that lampooned India's revered independence leader, Mohandas K. Gandhi.

"MTV US apologizes if we have offended the people of India and the memory of Mahatma Gandhi," the music channel said in a statement faxed to news media. "Mahatma" means great soul and is an honorific often attached to Gandhi's name.

Nearly 150 lawmakers and political activists had fasted at Gandhi's memorial Thursday to protest against the MTV show they said insulted Gandhi.

The show, "Clone High, USA," has not been aired in India, but a newspaper report about it has upset many Indians who revere Gandhi as a hero and an advocate of nonviolence.

"Clone High, USA" introduces a character called G-Man _ a fictitious Gandhi clone who wears dangly earrings, eats junk food and is the ultimate party animal.

MTV US said it had "utmost respect" for Gandhi and that the spoof would not be shown outside the United States.

The MTV Web site, however, carries a picture of the clone caricature and a write-up on the show, which can be accessed world wide.

"MTV US wants to make it clear that "Clone High" was created and intended for an American audience," the statement said.

"We recognize and respect that various cultures may view this programming differently, and we regret any offense taken by the content in the show," the statement said.

The animated show parodies several historical figures from around the world, including the United States, where this form of comedy is common, MTV US said.

Indians Say MTV Show Lampoons Gandhi

NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Nearly 150 lawmakers and political activists said Thursday they were fasting all day to protest against an MTV show and an article in a U.S. magazine they said insulted India's independence leader, Mohandas K. Gandhi.

The MTV show, "Clone High, USA," has not been aired in India, but a newspaper report about it has upset many Indians who revere Gandhi as an advocate of nonviolence and a leader of India's independence.

"Clone High, USA" introduces a character called G-Man, a fictitious clone of Gandhi, who wears dangly earrings, eats junk food and is the ultimate party animal.

Although the clone Gandhi character is portrayed as a wild-living goofball, the MTV Web site refers respectfully to the real Gandhi as India's "national and spiritual leader whose nonviolent disobedience forced Great Britain to grant India independence."

Om Prakash Chautala, the top elected official of Haryana state, near New Delhi, and his supporters sat for three hours Thursday at the memorial site where Gandhi was cremated along the Yamuna River. Their protest coincided with the anniversary of Gandhi's death.

In a memorandum addressed to Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Chautala urged the government to use diplomatic channels to prevent a repeat of such articles and television shows.

Chautala, who is an ally of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said he was consulting legal experts and would soon send notices to the American magazine and MTV asking them to explain why their material mocked Gandhi.

MTV's Indian subsidiary, MTV India, said it has no intention of airing the show in India.

"We at MTV India greatly respect and revere ... Gandhi. We respect and cherish all the values that he stood for all of his life ... peace, nonviolence, and the greater goodness of humanity," Alex Kuruvilla, the television channel's chief in India, said in a statement Thursday.

A report Wednesday in the Indian Express newspaper said Gandhi's grandson, Tushar Gandhi, had written a letter to Vajpayee urging him to take action.

The Indian Express also reported that a California-based magazine ran an article in its latest issue depicting a muscleman beating up an image of Gandhi.

"Gandhi is so great that such pygmies who try to ridicule him will only fail," the paper quoted Nirmala Deshpande, a follower of Gandhi, as saying.