30th January is observed as Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Diwas in India. It is the day on which Mahatma Gandhi was martyred. India pays homage to Bapu, the father of the nation, whose non-violent struggle led India to freedom. On this day, the nation also pays its tribute to the freedom fighters who lost their lives fighting for the freedom, welfare and progress of the country.
Paying tribute to Bapu on his Punya Tithi, PM Modi said that Gandhiji’s ideals continue to motivate millions. He said in a tweet that on Martyrs' Day we recall the heroic sacrifices of all those great women and men who devoted themselves towards India's freedom and the well-being of every Indian.
President Ramnath Kovind in his tweet to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 73rd death anniversary, said, “On behalf of a grateful nation, my humble tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi who embraced martyrdom this day. We should adhere to his ideals of peace, non-violence, simplicity, purity of means and humility. Let us resolve to follow his path of truth and love”.
Mahatma Gandhi’s political career began in South Africa. He arrived in Durban, South Africa on a year’s contract as a lawyer in 1893. It was while travelling by train to Pretoria, that Gandhi was thrown out of the train at Pietermaritzburg despite carrying a first class ticket as a white man complained about an Indian sharing the space with him. Gandhi spent a cold and fearful night at the waiting room of the railway station. It was during this night of churning that Gandhi, the political activist was born. As morning dawned, so did his political consciousness. He soon set up the Natal Indian Congress in 1894. This organisation led non-violent protests against the oppressive treatment by the white people towards the native Africans and Indians. Within 10 years of his stay in South Africa, Gandhi propagated the philosophy of Satyagraha to fight against injustice and removal of class or ethnic discrimination in society. Due to his non-violent Satyagraha in South Africa, South Africans continue to look upon him as a leader. During his stay in South Africa, Gandhi led agitations against several unjust rules and laws. Perhaps, most known is his movement against the nullification of non-Christian marriages in 1913. His struggles in South Africa, earned him the hospitality of the authorities on more than one occasion, when he spent time in notorious prisons of the times. Not many people are aware of Gandhi’s struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa, though they may have heard of Phoenix Farm in Durban or Tolstoy Farm in Johannesburg that were set by Mahatma Gandhi during his time in South Africa.
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India on 9 January 1915 after spending 21 years in South Africa. This day is observed in India as the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas or the day of the non-resident Indian, in memory of the world’s most famous Pravasi. The Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas serves as a day to remember the struggles and sacrifices of the Indians living away from their motherland, and to celebrate their achievements despite the many challenges that they faced. It also provides a platform to discuss ways that they can contribute to India’s development.
Mahatma Gandhi went to South Africa as a relatively unknown lawyer but returned to India as an acknowledged leader who would lead India’s struggle for independence from British colonialism. His peaceful and non-violent struggle against the most powerful colonial empire has inspired many world leaders like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.
On 31 January, the first consignment of 1 million doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India were dispatched to South Africa, which were received by the President of South Africa and his top officials at the airport in Johannesburg on 1 February. It is heartening to see that the ties forged by the Mahatma between India and South Africa continue to be nurtured by today’s leadership.
Mahatma Gandhi is the greatest inspirational leader of our era. In these hard times, let us remember him and take courage and strength from the struggle that he and the martyrs of freedom faced.
