Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi retraced the roots of Mahatma Gandhi on a pilgrimage through KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
As part of his official visit to South Africa, Modi travelled by train from Pentrich railway station to the Pietermaritzburg train station before laying a wreath at Gandhi’s plaque.
Speaking in Hindi, Modi told local and international journalists that this was where a “young lawyer became a mahatma”, recounting how Gandhi was thrown off a train in 1893 because of his skin colour.
It was here that Gandhi began his civic campaigning, which set him on a path to help fight for Indian independence through non-violence and peaceful civil disobedience. The incident changed Gandhi’s life and he took up the fight against racial oppression.
Modi also inaugurated an exhibition of The Birthplace of Satyagraha, which celebrates Gandhi’s philosophy, and signed the visitors’ register before going to the Gandhi settlement in Phoenix, north of Durban. The settlement was Gandhi’s home for most of his 22 years in South Africa.
In Pietermaritzburg, Modi was greeted by posters from a group of local Indian residents, imploring him to help against anti-Indian legislation and anti-Indian affirmative action in South Africa.
Later, Modi received a thunderous applause at Durban City Hall during a civic reception hosted by KwaZulu-Natal premier Willies Mchunu and attended by King Goodwill Zwelithini and other dignitaries.
Modi praised South Africa for its rich diversity and plurality which, he said, would advance non-racialism.
He said it was good to be in a land with “which India has nurtured strong support in economics”. “One of the hallmarks of this beautiful nation is its diversity,” he said.
South Africa was one of the leading African economies and the Indian prime minister and President Jacob Zuma had agreed on strategic ties across a wide-ranging issues, said Modi. He implored South Africa to partner with India for a brighter future.
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