Nelson Mandela, who is called the
Father of the Nation in South Africa, is credited with dismembering the Apartheid
regime in that country. He was loved not just by the South Africans of all colors,
but equally by people all over the world. What really endeared him to the world? This
called for some investigation.
The first sign of greatness in the
man, as discovered by me was, his humility. He had humble beginnings, a village
boy, who played in the streams and meadows of the village Qunu, looking after sheep
and calves in the fields, and running along with the other boys of the village.
This simplicity and love of open spaces he carried with him till the very end.
His disarming smile captivated every one. In his humility he was not ashamed of
his humble home, but was proud, for he was the eldest son, by the third wife of
the chief of Thembu tribe, an adviser to the local king. But, he went beyond
these beginnings.
Second, he applied diligence and
discipline to everything he ever attempted. As he trained for his long-distance
running in his adolescent years, he enjoyed the discipline that went with it
and the solitariness of the exercise. He felt that many had potentials but they
failed to build their endowments, which is necessary even if one is mediocre.
In his age and country, it is amazing
that Mandela continued his love for exercise till the very last.
He loved a rigorous
exercise and after a strenuous work-out he felt both mentally and physically
lighter. He kept up his exercise regime even in the prisons, getting up early
and going through on the spot running, jogging, sit-ups and push-ups. He believed
that exercise was not only the key to physical health but also to peace of
mind. It was an outlet for one’s frustrations and physical training became one
of the inflexible disciplines of his life.
Third, Mandela had a tremendous sense
of commitment, commitment to the cause, commitment to improve himself steadily
throughout his life and commitment to his country. He learnt at every step and
stage of his life.
The cause he was committed to was
abolition of discriminatory practices of the white government towards the black
people of South Africa. He was willing to sacrifice himself and everything that
was dear to him for this cause of the oppressed. As he grew up, he understood
the magnitude of the unjust laws under which the majority and indigenous population
of the land was suffering. He started to help the oppressed black people
legally as he started his own legal practice. It became his life goal.
Mandela was proactive. When he came
in touch with the Communists in his country, who were also fighting the
oppression of the white minority, he started to read Karl Marx, Engels, Lenin,
Stalin and Mao to understand their philosophy. As he started to attend the
political discussions of the African National Congress (ANC), a new world of
ideas, political beliefs and debates opened up to him and he became thoroughly interested
and enervated.
While preparing the “Freedom Charter”
for his party, Mandela spent hours pouring over the American Declaration of
Independence, French Declaration of Rights of Man, the Communist Manifesto, and
so on. He was ever studying and kept his learning abreast. Abolition of racial
discrimination and equal rights for all became his passion.
When he went on tour of the other
African nations and later the Western world, Mandela used to lock himself in
his hotel room and study the information about the country, its political
history and leadership to understand more about the country he was visiting.
Self-improvement seemed to be the
mantra of Mandela. Not only was he regular in his daily exercises, but he
continued his studies in the prison too. He said it was a way to keep him from
thinking negatively. He felt an obligation to improve and strengthen himself
for the future, for whatever that may lay ahead. He continued to learn and be
fresh in his mind and thinking.
Mandela’s commitment to the country
was paramount. He understood that his commitment to liberate his people from Apartheid
will involve personal sacrifice, but still he went ahead and plunged into politics
of his day. It took him away from his family, his mother, wife and children; he
was without a home life.
He had to be a fugitive and was
underground for years to organize political activities; he was put in jail, forced
to do rigorous manual labor, survived on scanty food, underwent innumerable
slights and hurts; he went to jail in Robben Island when he was 46 years old in
1964 and came out only in 1990, when he was 71 years old. The best part of his
life was spent in the jail. He said “Strong convictions are the secret of
surviving deprivation.
He said, “During my lifetime I have dedicated
myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white
domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the
ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in
harmony and with equal opportunity. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and
to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Fourth, he was pragmatic. He had
great admiration for Mahatma Gandhi and his non-violence movement, but when he
realized that situations were different and that non-violence was not working
in South Africa with the white minority rulers, he changed his tactics to
violent armed resistance including guerrilla fight. He himself got trained in it
and organized training for young recruits of ANC abroad.
Fifth, Mandela was optimistic. He was
always hopeful. He never for a moment doubted that one day he will walk free
and so also his people. His sacrifices will not go waste. He wanted to create a
society where the black, colored, white and Indians will live in equality and
freedom. He wanted to transcend the color barrier.
Sixth, the sacrifices Mandela made in
his personal life were really great and at any time he selected his struggle
for nation above his family obligations. His mother died when he was in Robben
Island. He questioned himself whether he did the right thing by putting his
country above his family. His first marriage failed because his wife wanted him
to select between her and politics. He had to be in politics and she walked
away. Their four children suffered the most.
His second marriage to Winnie ended
two years after he returned from his 27 jail year term. Winnie herself was
haunted by the police to harass and intimidate her. May be as a result, she had
become notorious in her conduct and political aspirations. He had to seek
divorce. Their two daughters suffered as they had to grow up without their father.
Finally he married for the third time when he was 80 years old, longing for a
simple family life, which had eluded him all through.
He said, he was a life-loving man but
was forced to live like a monk. He also said, “I am not a messiah, but an
ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.”
Lastly, he was a balm applied to
society during post-apartheid period that saved South Africa from civil war or
massacres or division of the country. He assured the whites that there will be
no witch-hunting. He wanted everyone to live in peace in the country. National
reconciliation was his primary task.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
with Desmond Tutu was constituted in 1996 and sat for two years, where people
just vented their feelings, both the oppressor and the oppressed. And forgiveness
was sought and given. His view was the oppressor must be liberated just as
surely as the oppressed. “A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a
prisoner of hate,” and he must be liberated from that.
Mandela died on 5th December, 2013, when he was 95
years old. A great life ended and a great leader departed. He was a leader and
a hero not just to his people but to the whole world. What a great life!
No comments:
Post a Comment