We all know how Mahatma Gandhi was thrown out of a whites only first class coach at South Africa and this incident started a career that culminated in India getting its freedom. I wanted to cover an untold story of why The Mahatma went to South Africa at all, what exactly happened there and how it shaped his life.
Indians first went to South Africa as labourers. They struggled a lot amidst cruel terms of labour, racist atmosphere and poor living conditions. Some returned to India while some stayed back. In 1863, Abubaker Jhavary, with his hard work and business mind was able to prosper well and soon started exporting fish back to India in his own fleet of ships. This set off a new wave of passenger Indians, mostly from Gujarat and Mumbai. They soon started flourishing and established themselves well.
This was concerning to the Parliament members who introduced new acts which took away the rights of people to purchase lands and can also restrict them for purposes of sanitation.
A year after arriving in South Africa, Gandhiji, as a barrister, decided to devote himself to this cause and started writing petitions and memoranda to promote public understanding. Gandhiji and his colleagues were put in prison. Strikers were leaderless. Many people were prisoned, some were beaten and some were even killed. But the strikers remained firm and disciplined. They did not deviate from non-violence. Gandhiji later recalled that the whole community rose like a wave.
After spending 21 years in South Africa, Gandhiji sailed back to India. That time was instrumental in transforming him and giving perspective to his philosophy of life.
Fast forward, at an occasion when APJ Kalam met Nelson Mandela, Mandela told, 'Mr President, you sent us a barrister and we returned you a Mahatma.'
-- Inspired from Transcendence by APJ Kalam.
