A handful of people in South Africa quietly marked the centennial of the birth of Mohandas Gandhi’s Satyagraha or ”truth force” movement, which made the young Indian lawyer a global icon of peace.
Monday was the 100th anniversary of the beginning of a movement that would have profound influence on the struggle against apartheid, the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the American civil rights movements and on other campaigns to support civil liberty.
At a historic meeting chaired by Gandhi on September 11 1906, more than 3 000 Indians gathered at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg, a dusty new mining town, and resolved to risk imprisonment rather than comply with a law requiring them to carry much-hated identity documents or passes.
”The image of Gandhi as an icon of peace looms large in the world today. It poses an alternative for us to ponder on. It provides answers to many problems such as the kinds of terrorism we saw five years ago,” said Eric Itzkin, a city official and author of the book Gandhi’s Johannesburg.
A series of events are planned to celebrate the centenary in Johannesburg. South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Nckuka was in India on Monday and placed a wreath at Gandhi’s main New Delhi memorial during a commemoration there.
The India-based MK Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence also organised commemorative events in New York on Monday — the same day of the five-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 and spent 21 years developing his philosophies in various homes and farms across the country, before returning to India at the age of 46 to help fight for independence from Britain.
On his arrival, he soon came face to face with growing race discrimination in South Africa when he was thrown off a train for refusing to leave the ”whites only” compartment.
The moment became a defining one in his life — and in history — resulting in him throwing himself into fight for human rights in this country.
”He opened the door for freedom for South Africa. For some people the settlement of the South African conflict was in harmony with the dialogue and negotiation that Gandhi advocated,” Itzkin said.
Today, many of the buildings once occupied by Gandhi in Johannesburg are rundown and derelict. The site of the theatre, which burnt down the same night as the historic meeting, is in a quiet downtown back street. The building is an empty office block surrounded by to-let signs, fast-food outlets and a mattress wholesale shop.
Few people were aware of the history of the area but instantly recognise the name Gandhi — thanks to the renaming of the central bus depot.
”He was a very wise and peaceful man,” said Colin Janit, owner of a men’s store that has been in the area for 40 years.
”There is no-one who can be compared with him. There is much we can learn from him. He must not be forgotten,” said Devu Vassan, who worked at another nearby store.
Much has been done to promote the connection between Johannesburg and the Indian leader including erecting a bronze statue of Gandhi at the bus depot — the site of the city’s first law courts where he practiced and was also put on trial for his protest actions.
”Part of the city’s Gandhi project has been to reclaim neglected history. Gandhi’s ideas are enriching. The fact that Satyagraha was born here is an important part of the city’s history. It is part of its cosmopolitan identity that makes it so unique,” Itzkin said.
Gandhi, who shunned materialism and earned himself the name ”Mahatma” or ”Great Soul,” returned to India in 1916 where he stressed unity among Indians and relieving poverty.
As his fame grew, he took a greater role in leading the campaign to force Britain to leave India, famously leading a 400km march to the sea to protest salt taxes.
Kirti Menon, Gandhi’s great-granddaughter who lives in Johannesburg, said Gandhi’s legacy was of significance today.
”Gandhi’s Satyagraha campaign was very linked to social injustice and the fight for human rights. Given the level of violence that we have today, the conflicts and the clashes, his message is incredibly important,” she said. – Sapa-AP