Hello, young friends! 

Hope you all are doing great. Have you heard of Nelson Mandela? I'm sure you have. Well, even if you've heard, let me tell you more about him because he was a great leader and a champion of equality for Blacks in America. Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist who was the first democratically elected president of the Republic of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first Black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election, and his government focussed on removing apartheid (segregation) by fostering racial reconciliation. He served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.

Mandela was also known as the 'Gandhi of South Africa' because he shared a special bond with India. He was a follower of Gandhi's teachings. In fact, India conferred him with its highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. The Indian government also awarded him with the International Gandhi Peace Price in 2001 for his peacemaking efforts.

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Now you must be wondering why I'm telling you about Nelson Mandela. Well, it was on July 18 that Mandela, South Africa's first Black and democratically elected President, was born in Transkei, South Africa, in 1918. To remember the South African idol's contribution to negotiate an end to apartheid, every year July 18 is celebrated as Nelson Mandela International Day. His birthday is celebrated as Nelson Mandela International Day to commemorate the legacy and recognise the sacrifices of the civil rights leader who stayed in prison for 27 years before being recognised as a global icon of democracy and social justice, receiving more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize (1993). The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on July 18, 2010. To mark the first global celebration of Mandela Day, there were a series of educational, art, fund-raising, and volunteer events leading up to a concert at Radio City Music Hall. Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013. The UN General Assembly expanded the scope of Nelson Mandela International Day in 2015. It made issues pertaining to the prisons, as well as the prisoners, the focus points of the day. In fact, it has even devised the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’ — which underlines norms for the treatment of prisoners. These rules were named after him because Mandela had spent 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid efforts.

A human rights lawyer, Mandela, who was affectionately known as Madiba around the world, dedicated his life towards empowering people. He also fought for fundamental rights of all human beings. The core principles of Mandela’s work were a profound belief in the equality and dignity of every individual, with an incessant engagement for dialogue and solidarity across all lines and divisions. Mandela was a great statesman, a relentless champion of equality, and the harbinger of peace in South Africa. 

The theme for Nelson Mandela International Day 2023 is ‘Climate Food and Solidarity’. Mandela would have turned 105 on July 18, 2023, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation says it is extremely important to address climate change, persisting and rising levels of poverty, and inequality. The Nelson Mandela Foundation wants the world to come together on Nelson Mandela Day in 2023 and take decisive action to combat the intersection of climate change and food insecurity by planting trees and starting community and home food gardens. To launch this year’s theme, the Nelson Mandela Foundation held a briefing for world partners to discuss the work being done and the work that is yet to be done to combat climate change and food insecurity in light of the growing awareness of the interdependence of poverty, inequality, and food security.

Let's all try to imbibe the values put forth by Mandela and become better versions of ourselves by treating everyone equally because in a vast country like India, we all belong to diverse castes, creeds, tribes, religions, etc. Diversity should be the glue that binds us together and not the reason that breaks us apart. 

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​And I conclude with a quote by Nelson Mandela:

"It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build."