Mandela, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings, first visited India in 1990, only a few months after being released from jail where he was held for more than 25 years for leading the antiapartheid movement in South Africa. India was his first destination abroad after spending over a quarter of a century behind bars.
In 1990, as a member of the African National Congress, a South African political party, Mandela visited India, where he received the “Bharat Ratna,” the country’s highest civilian award. Mandela, who received the award for his contribution to public affairs, is the first non-Indian to have received the award.
The same year, to commemorate Mandela’s release from jail, a residential street in the southern Indian city of Kochi in Kerala was named after the South African leader. Later, however, the name was changed to “Temple Road.”
New Delhi also has a road, pictured, named after Mandela. The South Delhi road is home to upscale residential colonies and multiplexes.
In 1995, Mandela visited India as the first black president of South Africa. According to news reports from the time, talks between Mandela and the then Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao focused on trade and defense. In a speech, Mandela described his four-day trip to India as “a homecoming.”
In 1998, then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, met Mandela at the 12thNon-Aligned Movement Summit in Durban in South Africa.
In 2001, the Indian government awarded Mandela the Gandhi Peace Price for his “exemplary work for promotion of peace and non-violence.” Mandela on several occasions claimed to have been influenced by Gandhi’s ideals and principles. “I could never reach the standard of morality, simplicity and love for the poor set by the Mahatma,” Mandela said in a speech in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad in 1995. “While Gandhi was a human without weaknesses, I am a man of many weaknesses,” he added.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, then Indian president, visited South Africa for four days in 2004. During his trip, he visited the cell where Mandela had been imprisoned. The Indian leader later described it as the “best part of his visit to South Africa.”
Pratibha Patil, then Indian president, also visited the cell where Mandela was held during a visit to South Africa last year. In the visitors book of Robben Island, where the cell is located, she described it as a “place of pilgrimage.” Those held in the jail will always “inspire the youth of today and future generations for preserving freedom and justice,” she wrote.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh first met Mandela at Johannesburg-based Nelson Mandela Foundation in October 2006. After their meeting, Singh was quoted by the South African press as saying that Mandela is the “greatest living Gandhian.” In September, Singh attended the first India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum with Mandela in Johannesburg.
In 1990, as a member of the African National Congress, a South African political party, Mandela visited India, where he received the “Bharat Ratna,” the country’s highest civilian award. Mandela, who received the award for his contribution to public affairs, is the first non-Indian to have received the award.
The same year, to commemorate Mandela’s release from jail, a residential street in the southern Indian city of Kochi in Kerala was named after the South African leader. Later, however, the name was changed to “Temple Road.”
New Delhi also has a road, pictured, named after Mandela. The South Delhi road is home to upscale residential colonies and multiplexes.
In 1995, Mandela visited India as the first black president of South Africa. According to news reports from the time, talks between Mandela and the then Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao focused on trade and defense. In a speech, Mandela described his four-day trip to India as “a homecoming.”
In 1998, then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, met Mandela at the 12thNon-Aligned Movement Summit in Durban in South Africa.
In 2001, the Indian government awarded Mandela the Gandhi Peace Price for his “exemplary work for promotion of peace and non-violence.” Mandela on several occasions claimed to have been influenced by Gandhi’s ideals and principles. “I could never reach the standard of morality, simplicity and love for the poor set by the Mahatma,” Mandela said in a speech in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad in 1995. “While Gandhi was a human without weaknesses, I am a man of many weaknesses,” he added.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, then Indian president, visited South Africa for four days in 2004. During his trip, he visited the cell where Mandela had been imprisoned. The Indian leader later described it as the “best part of his visit to South Africa.”
Pratibha Patil, then Indian president, also visited the cell where Mandela was held during a visit to South Africa last year. In the visitors book of Robben Island, where the cell is located, she described it as a “place of pilgrimage.” Those held in the jail will always “inspire the youth of today and future generations for preserving freedom and justice,” she wrote.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh first met Mandela at Johannesburg-based Nelson Mandela Foundation in October 2006. After their meeting, Singh was quoted by the South African press as saying that Mandela is the “greatest living Gandhian.” In September, Singh attended the first India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum with Mandela in Johannesburg.
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