Nelson Mandela is often called the ‘Mahatma of our times’. However, there was a lot of difference between the struggles of South Africa and India (“A review of Mandela’s legacy,” July 18). The political choices Mahatma Gandhi and Mandela made were vastly different but appropriate to the need of the times. Mandela, speaking of his admiration for Gandhi, once said: “But I cannot be like Gandhi. He lived in a different time, and he had different opponents. Our story is different.” However, just like for Gandhi, Mandela’s glory lay in his power to forgive the perpetrators responsible for his bitter past. The hard white rocks of Robben Island, which he was forced to break for years, did not make him weak but only made him more resilient.
Nayanthara Rajeev,
Mananthavady, Wayand