Rest in peace, Mandela no more

The Great Scientist Albert Einstein once famously eulogized Mahatma Gandhi with the immortal words, "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." These words apply in equal measure to the other great soul of the twentieth Century Nelson Mandela, who left this world on 5 December, 2013 for heavenly abode.

If Gandhi strode like a colossus in the world in the first 50 years of twentieth century, the next fifty undoubtedly belonged to Mandela. No leader was anywhere equal to the moral standing of Mandela in the contemporary world. He inspired people, particularly the youth around the world.

A human being cannot be God. But, if ever a human being came close to be deemed as holy as God it was Mandela. A lawyer by training, Mandela sacrificed his career in the legal profession and fought with fortitude against white minority rule in almost a hopeless situation. He remained in prison for 26 years, most of it in solitary confinement doing hard labour. But, he never gave up, never compromised. Even when he lost his family members, his own mother and son, he could not attend the funeral because he refused to undertake any bond. His fight was political, but also deeply moral like Gandhi. He became the symbol of righteousness, fortitude and courage for millions of people around the world. The Black South African may have been liberated by the struggle that he waged. But, even the rest of the world viewed him as an inspiration and embodiment of all that is good in humans.

Once he became President he could have used his power to prosecute his past tormentors. But, he forgave and inspired everyone else to forgive evil. He was compassion personified. He created the multi-racial, the inclusive rainbow nation that modern South Africa is today. Many countries fought against colonizers, but none of the other leaders became the icon and the inspiration that Mandela was in our times. He brought people of all colours and races together and established the truth and reconciliation commission for uniting people. He could have been divisive. But, he bore no grudge against anyone, not even people who ran the immoral apartheid regime, not those who put him behind bar for long 26 years. He spoke of peace and prosperity and worked for inclusiveness and multiculturalism rather than seeking revenge and justice.

Mandela very openly admitted the influence that Gandhi, Nehru and the Indian freedom movement had on him. In a way the DNA of Indian National Congress and the African National Congress are identical. He was as much Indian as he was South African or even more than that he belonged to the entire human civilization. South Africans cannot claim exclusive ownership over Mandela as much as India cannot claim exclusiveness over Gandhi. The history of the world rarely sees such great inspirations and moral icons.

I am deeply saddened by the death of Mandela and hope he will inspire us to bring people together, to make politics inclusive and of course be as humble and simple as he was. Congress party in India must always stick to the path of Gandhi, Nehru and Mandela and work for an inclusive society. There will be trials and tribulations, but ultimately it is our moral direction that will determine the destiny of our society. Anger, hatred, regional and communal politics will never succeed. That is the story of Mandela.

Rest in peace Madiba, the father of South Africa and the father of the world in our times.