Manaswi writes about Nelson Mandela

NELSON .R. MANDELA

A man who can be tagged as one of the greatest moral leaders, that world politics has ever witness. He devoted his life to serve his country, to remove the evils of inequality between whites and blacks, so that humanity can emerge its head with pride and dignity

A man who’s hard work, dedication and charisma, created history when he became the first black president of an immensely conservative country of South Africa, yes he is none other than Nelson .R. Mandela

Nelson Mandela born on 18^th July 1918 is a former president of South African in fact he was the first fully elected representative of democratic election and held his office from 1994 to 1999. Before being the president of South Africa he was an anti-apartheid activist and the leader of the African National Congress

Mandela is truly a remarkable leader. He struggled throughout his life. He belonged to a small village. His father served as a chief of the town. His father had four wives with whom he had a total of 13 children. Mandela completed his Junior Certificate in two years instead of three year. After that he studied B.A at Fort Hare University where he met Oliver Tambo and they became good friend and colleagues. After completing his 1^st year he got involved in student’s representative council and he boycott against university police and therefore he was told to leave Fort Hare and he should not return unless he accepted election to the SRC. Later in his life, while in prison Mandela studied for Bachelors of Law from the University of London.

Shorty after leaving Fort Hare, he worked as a guard at a mine. Then he later completed his B.A degree at the University of South Africa after which he began law studies at the University of Witwaterstrand where he first befriended fellow students and future anti-apartheid political activist Joe Solvo, Harry Schwarz and Ruth Firth.

Mandela was politically very active. He led prominently in the ANC’s 1955 congress of the people whose adoption of the freedom character provided the fundamental basis of the anti-apartheid causes. Nelson Mandela was very much influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s policy

Mandela’s struggle for equality stared from the very beginning of his life when he first joined the student’s representative council at college, but his struggle started in 1961, when he the leader of the ANC’s armed wing, Spear of the Nation. On 5^th august 1962 Mandela was arrested and imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort. While he was imprisoned police arrested other ANC’s leaders on 11^th July 1963.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27years. He spent his 18 years imprisonment on Robben Island. While he was in jail, his reputation grew further and he was regarded as one of the most popular and worthy leaders of South Africa. Throughout his imprisonment there was a lot of local and international pressure on South Africa government to release him.

Finally on 2^nd February 1990, ban on the ANC and other anti-apartheid organization were removed and Mandela was released on 11^th February 1990.

After lot of negotiations in 1991, the ANC held its first national conference in South Africa where Nelson Mandela was its president. His old friend and colleague Oliver Tambo, who led the organization while Mandela was in exile, became its chairperson.

The historic event took place when South Africa’s first multi-racial election in which right to vote was granted were held on 27^th April 1994. ANC won 62% of the vote and on 10^th May 1994 Nelson Mandela became the first black president of the country and created a history. Mandela also became the oldest president South Africa because he was the president of the age of 75. However he decided not to stand in 1999’s election and took retirement election and took retirement

After his retirement he became an advocate for a variety of social and human rights organizations.

Nelson Mandela was the most notable leader and since the end of opponent leaders. In South Africa he is often known as Madiba an honorary title adopted by elected of Mandela’s family

Mandela has received more than 250awards. He received the most notable Noble Peace Prize in 1993. In November 2009, the U.N General Assembly announced the Mandela’s birthday 18^th July to be known as Mandela day

Therefore we see that in such a vibrant personality Nelson Mandela again rises up and lends his voice, leaves his footprints too be followed by us so that this world could be made a beautiful place to live in.

Thanks Manaswi for sharing this. Your effort is appreciated.

A Timeless Voice

WELCOME ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 11, 1893

Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

By Swami Vivekananda

The world has changed in leaps and bounds and yet sometimes it seems as if we are just where we used to be...Still preaching the Gita to the world, still patient and hopeful, progressive, able and capable as ever.

This is one of my favourite speeches by great men, and I was shocked when recently one of my students failed to mention Vivekananda's Chicago visit in a Feature writing assignment that I had given her to do.

Perhaps we should remind our youngsters now and then of our rich heritage and the message of love and peace to the world over that India is all about

my memories

some grow like a banyan tree, some falter and creep
follows me like a shadow through the ages indeed
they are black, they are white, yellow and green
and not to forget good ones of red, blue and cream
pink is my favorite, gives a new hue to the morning dew
greens security is ever with you
yellow says hello to me and others few
blue becomes serious hunting for your naked view
red is annoyed, always ready for the fight
cream makes you dream with your head held high
my memories in sequel, like black, gray and white!

This is a poem by one of my favourite people. Memories and colour do blend well. The imagery is beautiful and the forced rhymes are intelligently crafted.

Hectic Schedule

Life comes and life goes
Every single day brings its shows
The good, bad and the fair
Sometimes it is difficult, but I dare.

I wish I had a little more time
Everyday to live life at its prime
But the days seem specifically small
And I have so many people who call.

Where is the time to count the puddles
The rains come and go in swift muddles
The time off to smell the fresh air is in vain
It remains a dream that goes down the drain.

It is work and then more work
Responsibility demands that I don't shirk
The satisfaction of smiles around dissolves the irk
But this hectic schedule is definitely no perk.

What have we let ourselves into
Even when on a holiday, think we tend to do
It plays somewhere at the back of the mind
That amongst laptops and files soon ourselves we will find!!!

Note: All this busyness doesn't allow for much personal time for ourselves anymore. This curtails our inner selves to grow and glow. Life has become so busy and self-sufficient - the pine for a break and a slower tempo creeps in once in a way.

It was no dream

I thought it was a dream
Because it was too good to be true
It had a lovely powerful sheen
The color of love in every hue.

The trust and the sheer faith
The cheer of my ever so special mate
The mind blowing crush during every date
All the way added its weight.

The laughter never stopped
Moods never flopped
Problems never cropped
And the boundaries never dropped.

Seconds were all it seemed
Every time that we beamed
In a jiffy passed the minutes
Love had laid its lovely hints.

Never a tear we knew
Or a heartbeat that flew
We lived and breathed bliss
Oh, how wonderful was love's kiss.

Suddenly, things changed
A morning came that it rained
I got a news that shattered
I knew nothing else mattered.

I learnt in pain, woe and and at ease
That my life's greatest tease
Which had seemed so long like a dream
Was a reality, only when it ceased.