Nelson Mandela

and

Mahatma Gandhi

World politics

With…

Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela is one of the world's most revered

statesmen, who led the struggle to replace the

apartheid regime of South Africa with a multi-racial

democracy. Jailed for 27 years, he emerged in 1990

to become the country's first black president four

years later and to play a leading role in the drive for

peace in other spheres of conflict. He won the Nobel

Peace Prize in 1993. His charisma, self-deprecating

sense of humor and lack of bitterness over his harsh

treatment, as well as his amazing life story, are few

reasons among many for his extraordinary global

appeal.

Mandela against Apartheid

Nelson Mandela was a

leading member of the

African National Congress

(ANC), which opposed South

Africa's white minority

government and its policy of

racial separation, known

as apartheid. The government

outlawed the ANC in 1960.

Mandela was captured and

jailed in 1962.

He began serving the sentence

as prisoner number 46664 on

Robben Island, near Cape

Town, but instead of

disappearing from view,

Mandela became a prison-

bound martyr and worldwide

symbol of resistance to

racism.

Mandela in Indonesia

Nelson Mandela in Indonesia

Mandela remained loyal to dictators like Libya’s

Colonel Gadafy and Cuba’s Fidel Castro, owing

to their long-standing support of the

ANC. However, he rather belatedly condemned

“the tragic failure of leadership” in Robert

Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. After remaining silent

during his presidency, Mandela called for

recognizing South Africa’s AIDS epidemic and

prioritizing measures to combat it, Mandela’s

only surviving son (together with his daughter-

in-law) having succumbed to the disease in 2005.

Death

Every year on 18 July, the day Nelson Mandela was born,

the UN joins a call by the Nelson

For 67 years Nelson Mandela devoted his life

to the service of humanity, as a human rights lawyer, a

prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the

first democratically elected president of a free South Africa

Nelson Mandela International Day

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatmas Gandhi was the primary leader of India's

independence movement and also the architect of a

form of civil disobedience that would influence the

world

Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, India,

Mahatma Gandhi studied law and came to advocate

for the rights of Indians, both at home and in South

Africa. Gandhi became a leader of India's

independence movement, organizing boycotts against

British institutions in peaceful forms of civil

disobedience. He was killed by a fanatic in 1948.

Gandhi in South Africa

While traveling by train to Pretoria,

Gandhiji experienced his first taste of

racial discrimination. Inspite of carrying

first class ticket, he was indiscriminately

thrown out of the train by the authorities

on the instigation of a white man.

Instead of fleeing from the scene,

Gandhiji stayed back - for 21 years to

fight for rights of the Indians in South

Africa. It yielded fruit. Under pressure

from the British government the attempt

to disfranchise Indians in South Africa

was abandoned.

Gandhi in South Africa

Gandhi in India

One of the greatest men in the history of India

is unarguably Mahatma Gandhi. The way he

gave shape and character to India's freedom

struggle is worthy of a standing ovation. He

sacrificed his own life for the sake of his

country. The respect that he earned for himself

despite leading a simple lifestyle is much

appreciable. Mahatma Gandhi played a pivotal

role in the freedom struggle of India. His non

violent ways and peaceful methods were the

foundation for gaining independence from the

British.

Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated on 30

January 1948, shot at close range

by Nathuram Godse. Gandhi was outside on

the steps of a building where a prayer

meeting was going to take place. He was

surrounded by a part of his family and some

followers when three gunshots killed him.

Prior to his death, there had been five

unsuccessful attempts to kill Gandhi, the

first occurring in 1934.

Death

Gandhi Jayanti

Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, (Gandhi

Jayanti or Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti) is a gazetted

holiday in India on October 2 each year. It marks the

anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth on October 2,

1869. Gandhi is remembered for his contributions

towards the Indian freedom struggle.

Thank

You.