Countering the racist suppression of the blacks, he avoided, unlike many other revolutionaries of the continent, acceding to a basically or exclusively black or tribal liberation movement. Being himself a leader belonging to the Xhosa-speaking people, he eventually transcended the idea of national liberty, and he attracted Indians, Jews, and other segments of the multicoloured population to the cause. What made him later stand out from other South African leaders, and made him finally emerge victorious, was precisely his vision of a state that belongs equally to all its different peoples, nations, and tribes, whether Afrikaan, English, or Zulu. Starting his fight for liberation of the blacks as an aggressive young African pugilist and nationalist in the early 1940’s, Mandela had not always deemed that democratic progress must rest on equality, pluralism, and multiethnicity. Photo: Anders Hallengren The Development of “Colour-blindness” Mandela’s prison cell in the Robben Island penitentiary. From his African heritage, from his country’s turbulent history, from his own formal education in “colonial” schools, and from his vicissitudes in the confines of Robben Island, Mandela emerged a man with a singular vision. And he saw, perhaps clearer than most of his contemporaries, the inevitability of “mutual interdependence” in the human condition, that “the common ground is greater and more enduring than the differences that divide.” The background of the development of this vision is remarkable and diverse. The truth of the ancient Bantu adage umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (we are people through other people) often came to his mind. Indeed, Africa had been liberated from colonialism during his prison years. After all, during the years 1952-1990, he had made only three public appearances, and numerous people of different nations had contributed to the cause. When he entered into office, he was aware of the universal importance of this success, but he was also humbled by the focus on his person as a symbol of international and historical dimensions. After scanning, all photographs were cleaned digitally and coloured by skilled Indian hands." "While doing this, our intention was not to manipulate or adulterate pictures but to bring them closer to colourful images," Mitra said, adding the biography can be bought online or from Amazon, an e-marketplace.Nelson Mandela and the Rainbow of Cultureīy Anders Hallengren * Equality and PluralismĪfter 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela negotiated the dismantling of the apartheid regime in South Africa, settled an agreement on universal suffrage and democratic elections, and became the first black president of the country in 1994. Terming the book a result of extensive research and technical advancement, GandhiServe India Director Jayan Mitra told, "Gandhi scholars, historians, photo experts and graphic designers joined hands to turn black and white photos into colourful images. Somaiya said, "Gandhi followers, not only from India but other countries like the USA and the UK, have shown great interest in the photo-biography which covers topics like truth and God, non-violence, religion and ethics, brahmcharya, non- cooperation, fasting, civic disobedience, prison life, swaraj, Ramrajya, independence, Harijans, untouchability and pacifism, among others." Gandhi Book Centre, the main distributor of the book, and the trust had been engaged in organising programmes to spread message of Gandhiji by holding seminars, workshops, meetings and youth camps. Missing colours were added according to historical settings, making it a valuable document," said Tulsidas Somaiya, Managing Trustee of the Gandhi Book Centre, run by Bombay Sarvoday Mandal. "It is an interdisciplinary project in which black and white photographs were turned into the colour images. The photo-biography was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the ocassion of Gandhi Jayanti this year. The biography, priced at Rs 7,500, is available at selected distributors, including some in Mumbai. Mumbai: The first-ever colour photo-biography on Mahatma Gandhi, chronicling his life and time and containing rare photos, has come out in the market, generating a great deal of interest among scholars and historians writing about the Father of the Nation.Ĭompiled and published by GandhiServe India, the local chapter of Germany-based GandhiServe Foundation, this king- size biography, "Mahatma Gandhi's Life in Colour", contains 1,281 photographs across 692 pages and weighs around 6.5kg.
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