NELSON MANDELA
THE 2ND GANDHI OF THE WORLD.
WE SALUTE HIM...
Remembering Mandela And His Times
BALDEV ( padam_b@hotmail.com )
Nelson Mandela, the living legend now belongs to history. Born in South Africa in 1918 he ended up journey of his life only this December 5. Spread over two centuries, his eventful political career looked like an era that triggered change of political scenario not only in South Africa but the world over and needs some introspection.
If beginning of 21st century was marked by phenomenal growth of IT sector, globalization, rise of Islamic fundamentalism and Arab Spring etc, the dawn of twentieth century had witnessed crumbling down of world’s old economic and political order. The well established feudal system developed cracks and Western imperialism in various parts of the world collapsed even when two World Wars were fought between Imperialist nations to dominate more and more territories in the world.
A year before Mandela was born, Russian working class led by Lenin and others overthrew atrocious Czarist regime in a revolution and established first ever rule of the working class. That triumph of common people emboldened many in continents of Asia and Africa who rose and uprooted domination of powerful European Imperialist countries from their lands.
Mahatma Gandhi for the first time developed doctrine of Satyagraha and non-violence as a philosophy and a method of struggle to achieve his ends. He put it into action in the streets of South Africa to secure justice for Indians settlers there. Later Mandela followed him to remove Apartheid in that country and said,” The Mahatma is an integral part of our history”. Following Gandhi’s Ahimsa Martin Luther King Jr. won civil rights for blacks in USA.
If Nelson Mandela was honored by India that awarded him “Bharat Ratana” its highest civil honor in 1990, USA removed his name from terrorist list in 2008. About world’s super power, it could be said paradoxically, “Well done America - better late than never”.