Gandhi, Mandela gave hope to people |
Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela gave hope to those facing injustice and discrimination, India`s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in South Africa, as she recalled India`s role at international forums to help South African people in their fight against apartheid. Swaraj was the keynote speaker at a banquet at the City Hall here marking the 125th anniversary of the day when on June 7, 1893, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a young lawyer then, was thrown off a train compartment reserved for whites only. She said the two leaders gave hope to the enslaved people of this world, whether under colonialism or apartheid. It was in Pietermaritzburg that hope was redefined by two of the greatest leaders of our times. They gave hope to the developing countries, especially India and African nations, by finally freeing them from the yoke of colonialism. They gave hope to generations to come, by ensuring that our values and principles, which we hold sacred, are forever enshrined in our psyche and in our Constitutions, Swaraj said. She quoted Mandela when he officially unveiled a statue of Gandhi here 25 years ago, “In his speech, Mandela said `now more than ever is the time when we have to pay heed to the lessons of Mahatma Gandhi`.
|
|
|
|