Nelson Mandela

Have you heard about Apartheid? Do you know what it means? 

Apartheid – One of the filthiest policies that man designed to rule a nation. In Afrikaans it means ‘the state of being apart’ or literally ‘apart –hood’ (Wikipedia). It was a system that segregated people based on their race – white, black, coloured and Indians.  For some strange reason, certain segment of mankind with all its intelligence believed that one race was better than the rest. Shameful and sorry as it may sound today, many parts of the world were forced to follow such misguided notion.

South Africa in the 1950’s and 1960’s was ideally set for a hero to step on stage. It had the most important thing a hero required – A villain - A mean and strong villain in the form of a government policy - The Apartheid

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear"

Fortunately, for the downtrodden in South Africa and the world at large, the ‘Lead Man’ (Mandela) was not a macho gun trotting hero but one of the greatest humans to have lived in this world.

27 years in jail did not kill his resolve. The seclusion did not make him bitter. The great man walked out of the prison a greater man. He was as brave as he was noble. "If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal.Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness".

He was not the average vindictive hero like in a Hollywood or Bollywood movies. He was not after any ones blood. He was better than our notion of the best.

So, if you did not know the meaning of apartheid or never heard of racism before, don’t feel bad but feel proud. You are the generation that the great man dreamed about. The least we can do is to spare a moment to thank Nelson Mandela and the many other real life heroes like him who have not just inspired us but have changed the way we live our lives. Who knows, if not for them, we might still be as shamefully barbaric as we once were

"I detest racialism, because i regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man"