Prime Minister visits historic railway station

Pietermaritzburg (Durban), Sep 30: On June 7, 1893, when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was thrown out of 'whites only' compartment of a train at this tiny railway station, an Indian fell. But when he rose, entire India awakened to his call for non-violent struggle for freedom.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, immediately after his arrival at Durban after a gruelling 10-hour journey, visited this railway station on the outskirts of the historic city and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi's sacrifice.

Dr Singh who is on a four-day official visit of South Africa, said the throwing out of the father of the nation from the train compartment, ''changed him (Gandhi) for ever and started his extra-ordinary transition from a lawyer into a Mahatma. All great changes begin in the minds of men,'' the Prime Minister said.

He said that through this incident was born Gandhi's resolve to resist injustice and oppression, no matter the personal cost to him.

This was to be an idea that eventually brought India its independence and also influenced the course of struggles against oppression all over the world, he added.

Dr singh said that this was, therefore a place worthy of inscription as a World Heritage Site. The vision that came to the Mahatma here is part of a legacy that belongs not only to South Africa and India, but to the entire world.

''I am moved by the experience of being here. I shall bear this memory for ever,'' Dr Singh added.

In the visitor's book, the Prime Minister wrote ''I am awed and humbled to be at the very spot at which began the transformation of an ordinary young lawyer into an extraordinary legend who influenced the destiny of my country.'' It was here that the Mahatma resolved to dedicate his life to public service, then went on to evolve the philosophy that another legend of peace, Nelson Mandela, has described as a key to human survival in the 21st century, he wrote.

''I am happy and moved to see that the invaluable legacy and heritage of Mahatma Gandhi is alive and well in this historic city,'' Dr Singh added.

UNI