स्वप्न जाल

अदभुत होता है ये स्वप्न जाल

सबके जीवन में मचाता धमाल

हर उगता सूरज लाता है कुछ सपने

और रातों के तो शहंशाह हैं ये सपने

सपनों की अद्भुत दुनिया

निराली है इनकी माया

दिन और रात ये सजाते अपनाअनूठा संसार
नन्हे शिशु से लेकर बूढी आंखों को इनसे प्यार

सपने पूरे करने को लालायित हो जाता मन

ये पथ बदल देते हैं और कर देते हैं बेचैन

कभी तो खुशियों से भर जाता है मन
 कभी अतृप्त सपने दे देते रीतापन

क्या किसी के स्वप्न कभी पूरे हुएहैंएक पूर्ण हो तो चार और उग आते हैं

कुकुरमुत्ते से उगते हैं ये सपने

सबको आगोश में लेते  अपने

अदभुत है ये स्वप्नजाल
जीवन में मचाता धमाल

क्यों पूरे  नहीं होते सपने
पर क्यों सच हों ये सपने

सारे विश्व में अस्तित्व की ही तो लड़ाई है

और इन सपनों के सामने भी स्व का प्रश्न है

तो अपने अस्तित्व की लड़ाई लड़ रहे हैं ये सपने

यदि  सच हो जायें तो वो तो नहीं रहेंगे न  सपने 
                                                                      सदा लुभाता रहता  है  

        नित नयी दिशा देताहै
      ये सपनोँ का  संसार
           है जीवन का आधार 
 
अदभुत है ये स्वप्न जाल
जीवन में मचाता धमाल

1. 

शुभ दीपावली

आज फिर शुभ दिन दीपावली का आया
जगमगाते दिए हैं औरसाथ हैं फुलझरियां
लक्ष्मी पूजन और मेवे मिठाई की थालियाँ
रंग बिरंगे उपहार और नए गीत लाया
साथ में है हमारी शुभ कामनाएं ....
आपके जीवन में सदा ये जगमगाहट हो
और सदैव ही होठों पर मुस्कराहट हो
अपनों का साथ हो सारे सपने साकार हों
और घर में नित लक्ष्मी जी का वास हो

MY TRIP TO EGYPT

Recently We visited Egypt. It was quite exciting though it started on a little disappointing note.When we arrived in cairo airport on 4th. morning,we realized that my husband's baggage had not arrived.My son who had arrived from Holland a few hours earlier was waiting outside.It took some time to clear the formalities and finally they promised to deliver the baggage next day in the Hotel.When we came outside the airport we found the city quite colorful and interesting and in some ways it reminded us of India.
We decided to go to Alexandria by train to have a real glimpse of the place.
The resort in which we had booked the room was nice and comfortable.
For next two days my husband was quite busy in the conference so I and my son hanged around and in the evenings my husband also joined us.There are various places of historical importance...castles and gardens,mosques and beaches. Bibliotheque is magnificient.People are nice and friendly. My Bindi was always a centre of attraction and though most of the persons don't know much English phrase like 'Welcome to Cairo' is very common.But very soon we realized that there is a tendency of charging much more from tourists.We also became a little smarter and started bargaining a lot.
On 7th was karwa chauth .I had taken menhadi cone,karwa and some other pooja stuff with me. That day I didn't go out.The moon was visible at around 8.After worshipping we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner.
On 9th we took a taxi to Cairo.After checking in the hotel.We took a short cruise to Nile river It was cool and beautiful .The dance and music programme was enchanting.
Next day we visited museum and pyramids at Sakura and Giza.Mummies in the museum were quite interesting.When we reached airport in the night we were tired.We had a light dinner.There we met some Indian friends who had also come for the conference.While we were chatting & waiting there, one lady came and asked us wether we are from India and she told us that she was a big fan of Bollywood movies.We remembered that Taxi driver was also remembering Amitabhji.
When we reached JoBurg next day ,we felt like we have reached home .In Durban one of our friends had come to pick us. After reaching home we were relieved to see every thing in place.I wanted to call my son but we saw his mail that he had reached safely.So we decided to have a cup of hot tea before doing any thing else.

yaadein

 जब  आते है ठंडी हवाओं के झोंके
लाते हैं  खट्टी मीठी यादों के तोहफे
अतीत का दर्पण हैं ये यादें
पूँजी   हैं आज  की ये यादें
कभी फूलों की खुशबू सी यादें, लाती  होठों पर मुस्कान
कभी जलती तपती दुपहरी बन कर दे जातीं तड़पन
जब  आते हैं   ठंढी हवाओं के झोंके
लाते हैं  खट्टी मीठी यादों के तोहफे
जहाँ सुनहरे बचपन और यादें बड़ों की छाओं की दे जाती हैं सुकून
वहीं अठखेलियां करती आती हैं कुछ यादें और कर देती हैं बेचैन
यादें उन सपनों की जो हो नहीं सके अपने
अपने से किए कुछ वादे जो बन गए सपने
यादें जो सदा के लिए बिछड़ गए उन अपनों की
और यादें जो हो नहीं सके अपने उन परायों की
दे जाती हैं कुछ बेचैनियाँ
जब आते  हैं  ठंढी हवाओं के झोंके
लाते हैं  खट्टी मीठी यादों के तोहफे
यादें कुछअपनी गलतियों की जिन्हें हम कभी भुला न पाये

कुछ गलतियां   दूसरो की  जिन्हेंहम माफ़ न कर पाये

कुछ गलतफहमियां कुछ अनछुई मंजिले कुछ अधूरे वादे
कुछ बदले रास्ते औरऐसी ही कुछ उलझी उलझीसी यादें
दे जाती हैं परेशानियाँ
जबआते हैं   ठंढी हवाओं के झोंके
लातेहैं खट्टी मीठी यादों  के तोहफे हैं
संजो इन यादों को ब चलना है
  नए कल के सपने बुनना है
 बड़ी अनमोल हैं ये यादें
जब।....................

I am back!

Today I am writing after a long time.

We (I and my husband) were in Holland with our son and as time spent with children is always pleasant, we spent some nice time with him. This time Our son had nicely planned a trip and we visited Belgium,Germany,Austria and Switzerland. The natural beauty and elegance of these places is still afresh in mind, although I missed visiting Tulips Garden near Amsterdam which I had seen last year and it had really fascinated me but this time it was closed.

The weather was nice,a little warmer. We took boat trips and day tours and saw most of the important places. Enjoying the nature; we admired the architecture and beauty of buildings.

Our trip to Titlis Mountains in Switzerland was most remarkable and we enjoyed the cable car trip, the mountains, the ice and were amazed to see so many Indians there.

There were captions written in Hindi, Indian food and above all our national anthem was being played there. Up at the mountain in the caves there are few buttons,by pressing them you can listen to the music of your choice and one option was Indian national anthem as there were many Indians we could listen Jana gana mana...all the time. I would like to share some photographs and refresh my memories again.

सिंह इज किंग

देश में चुनावों का मौसम समाप्त हुआ और सारी अटकलों को मात देते हुए कांग्रेस और u.p.a ने पायी अप्रत्याशित सफलता । और सिंह इज किंग अगेन , विजय का माहोल है और चारों ओर जय हो ! का स्वर गूँज रहा है ऐसे में देश का मंगल भी याद रहे तभी देश का कल्याण होगा।

चुनावी परिणामों ने एक स्थायी और स्वच्छ सरकार की आशा जगाई है और कुछ विकास की बातें भी हो रही हैं ।आज हमारे देश में पानी ,बिजली और सड़क जैसी लोगों की मूलभूत आवश्यकताएं भी पूरी नहीं हो पा रही हैं । कुछ सुविधाएँ जो अन्य देशों में लोगों को सहज ही प्राप्त हैं उसके लिए हमारे यहाँ आम आदमी आज भी तरस रहा है ,ऐसा तो नहीं है की विदेशों में सब कुछ बहुत सरल सहज है पर जीवन का सामन्य स्तर तो शायद हमारे यहाँ से अधिकांश जगह बेहतर हैं। विपरीत परिस्थितियों में भी भारतीय जीने की दिशा ढूँढ लेता है , प्रगति करता है और संसार के साथ compete भी कर रहा है। स्थितियां कुछ बेहतर हो जाएँ तो देश को नई उचइयां छूने से कोई रोक नहीं सकता ।

पुरानीऔर नई सरकार में यह अंतर है कि आजupa सरकार के सामने अवांछित लोगोंको साथ लेकर चलने की मजबूरी नहीं है नए मंत्रिमंडल में कई नए और युवा लोग हैं पर कांग्रेस का वंशवाद के प्रति प्रेम साफ़ झलकता है और पुराने नेताओं के बेटे बेटी पत्नी ससुर दामाद सभी दिखाई दे रहेहैं ।

इस प्रकार के जनादेश से एक स्थायी सरकार तो मिलेगी पर सरकार को तानाशाही प्रवृत्तियों की ओर उन्मुख होने और मनमानी करने से रोकने के लिए एक दृढ़ विपक्ष की आवश्यकता भी होती है जो अब बीजेपी ही पूरा कर सकती है क्योंकि अवसर वादी पार्टियां तो बिन मांगे ही समर्थन पत्र दे चुकी हैं. संविधान में कुछ संस्थाओं को स्वतंत्र रूप से कार्य करने का प्रावधान है उन्हें निष्पक्ष रूप से कार्य करना होगा । आज सीबीआई जैसी संस्थाओं पर अनेक बार प्रश्न उठे हैं जो ग़लत भी नहीं हैं। आज न्याय पालिका का भी महत्व पूर्ण रोल है और न्याय प्रक्रिया में तो बहुत दिनों से सुधार की आवश्यकता है .
आशा है कि जय विजय के इस दौर में मनमोहन सिंह सरकार जनता के प्रति न्याय करते हुए देश के हित में भी कार्य करेगी और जनता ने जो विश्वास व्यक्त किया हुआ उसका मान रखेगी.

IPL : Positive vibrations in South Africa

When IPL. was shifted out of country,to South Africa , many of us were not happy with the decision. Why India with so much resources could not do it in the country itself, even if it was election time? Or why the I.P.L. people could not wait till elections were over and change the dates? There are many industries like hospitality ,travel etc. and many people involved in ground work get benefitted from these games and shifting of the venue was a set back for them.


However when the IPL started in South Africa I could see the positive aspects of it. The country was taken by storm and it certainly gave a boost to Indian image. South africa is considered a country with high crime rate and it was election time here also,(although here the elections are over in one day only and being a smaller country it is not so complicated) but every thing was organised smoothly in a short time and games are held in a very pleasant atmosphere. People talking about matches,players and the popular bollywood stars, watching matches in restaurants and shops is a common sight.We can always hear the sound of match from neghbouring flat.

Some Indian fares and exhibition are also organised at this time and a lot of crowd goes there. We were happy to see Indian flag on some streets.
We saw some matches in Durban. The crowd at the stadium was very well organised and the atmosphere was filled with Hindi songs and music. People cheering their favourite teams and waving flags of their team or some waving Indian flag enjoyed the games.Overall it was a great experience.
IPL has given a boost to South African economy. Some programmes like giving scholarships to school children and giving money to some particular schools in every match ,has helped made it popular.It has filled this country with pleasant and friendly vibrations.

विदेश में अपना देस

आज सोचा हिन्दी में लिखें । अपनी भाषा अपना देश बाहर रहकर कुछ ज़्यादा ही याद आता है. यहाँ की सूनी सूनी सड़कें देखकर कानपूर का भीड़ वाला ट्रैफिक, अचानक सड़क पर प्रगट हुई गायें याद आ जाती हैं ,और अपना आई .आई टी.का कैम्पस भी बहुत याद आता है । अपनों से न मिल पाने की विवशता मन को उदास कर देती है. पर यहाँ कुछ अच्छे मित्र भी मिल गए है जिनके साथ हंस बोलकर घूम फिरकर समय बीत जाता है।
वैसे आज जिस बारे में मैं बात कर रही हूँ वह है यहाँ DURBAN में बसे लोगों की भारतीयता और धार्मिकता . वो भारतीय जो सैकडों वर्ष पूर्व मजदूरों के रूप में लाये गए थे आज यहाँ के आर्थिक और सामाजिक जीवन में अपना एक स्थान बना चुके हैं , शायद यह सब सम्भव हुआ है धर्मं के प्रति उनकी आस्था से। यहाँ बसे भारतीय बोली और रहन सहन में चाहे कुछ अलग लगें पर हिंदू धर्म में उनकी अटूट श्रद्धा है और भारतीयता के प्रति असीम प्रेम. यहाँ अनेक मन्दिर हैं , उत्तर भारतीय , गुजराती दक्षिण भारतीय आदि सभी प्रकार के. इस्कान मंदिर भी है। सभी मंदिरों में विधि विधान से पूजा होती हैऔर लोग घरों में सुबह शाम दिया जलाते हैं। रेडियो पर भी २ चैनल हैं जिनमें हिन्दी , तमिल, तेलगु में गाने और भजन आदि आते रहते हैं ।

पिछले रविवार को एक मित्र ने अपने यहाँ सत्यनारायण की कथा का आयोजन किया था. वहां मन्दिर से एक गुजराती महिला पंडित आई थीं . उन्होंने जिस विधि विधान से पूजा करवाई और जिस तरह हिन्दी,संस्कृत का शुद्ध उचारण किया उससे हम सभी मंत्र मुग्ध थे। यहाँ गुजराती , हिंदी , तमिल और तेलगु भाषाएँ बोली और सीखी जाती हैं और इसके अतरिक्त अपनी अद्भुत मिठास लिए भोजपुरी भी सुनाई देती है. रेडियो पर भी भोजपुरी में कार्यक्रम आते हैं। एक टीवी चैनल भी है जो भारतीय भोजन, फैशन तथा अन्य कर्याक्रोमों को समर्पित है ।

भारतीय भोजन तो सारी दुनिया में ही लोगों को भाता है पर येहाँ कुछ अधिक ही पसंद किया जाता है। येहाँ अनेक भारतीय रेस्टोरंट है जो न केवल भारतीयों में बल्कि सभी में बहुत लोकप्रिय हैं. भारतीय वेश भूषा भी बहुत पसंद की जाती है और अनेक महिलाएं बिंदी और सिन्दूर से सुशोभित दिखती हैं । साडी और सलवार सूट इनके प्रिय परिधान हैं और छोटे छोटे आयोजनों में भी चमचमाती सारियां दिख जाती हैं.
बॉलीवुड के प्रति लोगों के आकर्षण का तो कहना ही क्या है. थिएटर में सभी मूवीस लगती हैं और कई मूवीस जो इंडिया में शायद एक हफ्ते भी नहीं चल पाती हैवो यहाँ महीनो चल जाती हैं. अक्सर हिंदी गानों पर डांस प्रोग्राम होते रहते हैं.शास्त्रीय डांस और म्यूजिक के भी कार्यक्रम अक्सर होते हैं. कुछ लोग प्रशिक्षण लेने भारत भी जाते हैं.
और आज कल तो जोर शोर से आई पी एल का इंतजार है।
तो यह है विदेश में बसा अपना देस.

South African Dance Style

A typical South African Dance Style is that Young boys and girls will be standing like statues and they will keep something ,most of the time their caps in front of them and as soon as you put some coins in their cap they will start dancing.It is so sudden and instantaneous that you get startled.

You can see these people at public places,beaches,fairs and other entertainment centers.Often beats are provided by the shoes of these dancers and they do very well even without music.They wear typical African dresses .Sometimes I find a glimpse of our Adivasi dress culture in them.

These dances are quite entertaining with their unique style as you will see in these videos.

GOD'S TREASURE

There is always an end to the sunshine and brightness
With a dark charm the night falls and the moon comes

The cold showers take place of hot summer days
With joy you Watch the dancing drops of rains

The winter comes and gives a shivering glance
Breeze is cold and sun is seen only by chance

You enjoy the seasons, nights and days
But prepared you are to fight the odds

While enjoying the wonderful seasons and cozy days

Don't you Keep ready your caps or fire or umbrellas

God's treasure is full of stones and gems
It consists of thorns and the rose petals



So the journey of life is not same always
It has changing colours and differnt tastes

While enjoying Life's wramth and sweetness
Be prepared for cold nights and rough days

Courage and Faith and Wisdom are your ways
With patience fight difficult and sad days


God's treasure is a mixed bag of surprises

So be prepared to accept whatever He showers.

SLUMDOG MILLIONNAIRE: A MILLION QUESTIONS

When I watched this movie a lot of questions popped up in my mind and when the Oscars were showered on it the number of these questions increased.
First of all a common Indian is puzzled whether it is an Indian movie or a foreign movie? Should we own or disown it? The million dollar question is: Is it a glory or shame to India? Should we be happy or sad about it?
All the negative and darker aspects of India are shown in this movie. The poor children of slums and their indecent living,the riots, the ugly face of police,the horrible atrocities on children and even the K.B.C. has been put under a shadow of suspicion, justice has not been done to Amitabh Bachhan or ShahRukh Khan who never made any sarcastic comments and were always polite and made the contestants at ease.


It seems western world's sense of supremacy is satisfied by such movies about developing countries.

It is true that these things do exist in India, and I appreciate this movie for touching our sensitivity. I was reminded of the children on railway platforms, some times begging or sweeping the train compartments, children- begging, selling odd things at traffic signals ,searching the garbage on the streets but these thoughts also give rise to more questions like why there were no positive experiences in the life of Jamal? Things could be learnt through some pleasant experiences as well but is it that these people have no positive experience at all in their lives? Why only the darker side of Indian life is shown?

There are many more questions, why the movie has been named Slumdog? It could have been Slum"boy" or Slum"kid" ...why Slum"dog"?

The name of the hero in the book, on which this movie is based is Ram Mohammad Thomas. It is the essence of the novel, it catches attention and it depicts all religions and no religion. Why in the movie the hero is named Jamal? Is it to give a communal color?

People are asking some more questions, they feel Lagan or Taare Zamin Par or Rang de Basanti are better movies and why Oscar was not given to any of them? Perhaps because they didn't have a foreign director.

Talent of A.R.Rahman is well recognized and he has given much more melodious music before. Let's not ask the question why award for this song and not for the other one? He has brought honour to the country and we are proud of him.

So the movie has done justice only to the title of the novel Q&A .It has made our minds a question bank and answers we have to find.
I am sure there are many many more questions in your mind.
Are you feeling stressed? Don't worry too much.

Just enjoy the music, Jai Ho!

VALENTINES DAY

The fire of Valentines Day is still simmering in India.Every year valentines day brings the message of love.All over the world flowers,cards,gifts are exchanged between the loved ones.They sing and dance to celebrate the supermacy of love.Few realise that it has covered a difficult journey as path of love is always full of thorns.Ironically world has always opposed true lovers.There are no better examples than the stories of legendary lovers Laila majnu, Shiri Fahrad and Sohini Mahiwal.
In India we were not aware of" Valentines Day' a few years back but suddenly it became popular as well as controversial. So I tried to take a glimpse into the history of the valentines day and I realised that it has taken a sweet & sour journey.
Valentines Day traces it's origin in Rome. In 3rd.century, When Emperor Claudius11 banned marriages in his state as he thought that married persons did not make good soldiers,then St.Valentine conducted secret marriages.He was punished for it.In jail he fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailor and it is said that she was cured due to his intense love.He was executed on 14th feb.A.D.270. When he was taken for being executed he wrote a farewell note to her signed 'Your Valentine'.Since then this phrase came in use.
It is also associated with the Roman feast of Lupercalia which was given in honour of Goddess Juno,the Goddess of marriage.In this feast a lottery game was played in which through lottery girls and boys were selected as pairs for the festive season and sometimes they got married also. In the beginning Church was opposed to these traditions but later on it accepted it with changes and moderations.
The month of Feb was seen as a romantic month , on 14th feb.hand written notes were exchanged between young boys and girls.Men tried to impress and win their girl friends.

From Rome these traditions spread to England,France and other Europian countries.In England and France They thuoght feb 14, a romantic day.No, doubt today when the world has become so small the Valentines Day is celebrated all over the world.
Previously only hand written notes were exchanged but later on it was replaced by flowers,beautiful cards and gifts.Miss Eisther Howland is given credit for sending the first Valentine card

For India Valentines Day is relatively new phenomenon but the way in which some groups and organisations are opposing and harrasing people is highly condemmable They have no right to interfere with lives of other people and impose themselves in unlawful manner.Instead,people should be taught to celebrate it in a proper way and maintain it's spirit.
' Valentines Day ' should be seen as victory of true love and sweetness and sacredness is the soul of Valentine tradition.

VOTE FOR ME

‘Vote for me’
these are not the words of any politician looking forward to power and position, but they are artists- singers and dancers seeking your votes.

Recently the finals of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa were over and Vaishali was declared winner. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is a nice, melodious, entertaining program. These reality shows are criticized on many fronts, such as, for putting lots of pressure on the performers –physical, mental, psychological, for imperfect judging, for biased voting systems,method of evaluation...and so on.

In my opinion the most dangerous thing these shows are doing is that of dividing the nation, on the basis of states, language and religion. In fact sometimes even the judges ask to vote on the basis of region or language. In Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the three finalists gave performances in their own states. Some national level artists and politicians were called to canvass for the particular candidates. And it was shocking to see that most of them appealed for vote on the basis of region and language. Had it not been better if Soumen,Yashita and Vaishali had performed in some other states, not their own, and votes were asked on the basis of performance. Artists and politicians belong to whole nation and they can be a bond for uniting the country.
People should vote on basis of talent and performance. The power and vote hungry politicians are doing a great deal in dividing the nation on the basis of caste and creed, and now this new platform has emerged for doing so.


It is not that Zee or Sa Re Ga Ma Pa or other such shows do not try to instill nationalism or patriotism. From time to time they fill the atmosphere with patriotic songs and any national festival is celebrated with enthusiasm and zest.
However I was amused to see the grand finale of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa entitled ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - Challenge to Terrorism’. Don’t they realize that terrorism or any challenge can be taken up effectively only by being united and knowingly or unknowingly they are doing the job of disintegrating the nation.

WHY

Why do I see darkness under lights
Why do I see sorrow beneath smiles

I go to beach…
It is sunny, nice and pleasant
People are happy and radiant
In the sands they are relaxing
With the waves they are playing

Why I think of those boys….

Posing like statue, making images on sands
In front of them some have thrown few rands
The sea is deep and vibrant
The boys are cool and patient

Some people are sitting in groups
There are smiling, glowing couples
Children shouting with coming waves
Enjoying the sea are the older ones

Why, I get a glimpse of those……

Who are lonely and depressed
Whose eyes are wet and sad

Why, after the match at beach is over and….

The successful ones,
everyone loves and admires
My heart goes for
struggling and the defeated ones

May be because……

I want to wish them Happy Days
With understanding of God’s ways.

Happy 60th Republic Day!!!

Happy 60th Republic Day !!!

Today we all Indians are celebrating Republic day, as usual. It is marked by celebrations, awards and speeches. We review our achievements and failures and decide the future course of action. At the same time we don’t forget to remember our freedom fighters.

Today I wish to pay my tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. After coming to South Africa my faith in the greatness of Gandhiji has multiplied. Since childhood, we have read and heard so much about him and I had full faith in his greatness…. his truthfulness, nonviolence, Satyagraha. After visiting the places where he lived, where he was thrown out of the train and where he united all Indians to resist injustice, I relived the experiences of a young man, in a foreign land, hurt by insults thrown to him and deciding to fight for his dignity. He was focused and determined and gave a tough time to the racist government of South Africa.



Gandhiji lived in South Africa for about 21 years (1893-1914) .He came here as a young barrister on the invitation of a businessman, Dada Abdulla to assist him in legal matters.

After coming here he saw that here Indians were treated badly as ‘inferiors’. They were called ‘coolies ‘and they did not have the voting rights. The turning point in his life came when at Pietermaritzburg railway station he was thrown out of the first class compartment although he had a valid ticket. He sat in the waiting room on that cold night shivering and scared. He was battling inside whether to leave this country or to oppose racism and he decided to fight.





He was influenced by the writings of Leo Tolstoy and one American writer Henry David Thoreau, specially his one essay ’civil disobedience’ made an impact on him .He took the path of passive, non violent resistance.

He united Indians and formed Natal Indian congress in1894. In 1906 when govt. promulgated a new act making it compulsory for all Indians to get registered and carry pass, he resisted. In Johannesburg a mass meeting was held and they decided to defy the law. Passes were burnt and many Indians including Gandhiji were jailed. At last Gen. Jan Christian Smuts had to negotiate a compromise. In the same way he resisted the marriage act and fought for voting rights. When a magistrate of a Durban court asked him to remove his turban he refused to do so. His struggle for Independence and equality influenced the African people also, although they had to fight a long battle against Apartheid. It was this strength and determination which he carried to India, fought British Empire with the methods which he experimented here -satyagrah and nonviolence, got us Independence.



Gandhiji’s contributions are well recognized by the Indian and South African community. Indian Consulate in Durban is also playing a vital role in keeping the heritage and spirit of our ‘Father of Nation’ alive. His monuments, his photograph and writings on walls at Pietermaritzburg station, the printing press, Gandhi settlement—all remind us of the inner strength of a great man and makes every Indian feel proud.