World leaders pay tribute to Mandela; govt announces five-day state mourning as a mark of respect
New Delhi: India on Friday mourned the death of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, saying he was a 'giant among men' and a 'great friend of India' whose life and work will remain a source of inspiration for generations to come.
The government announced five-day state mourning as a mark of respect to the South African leader. A decision to this effect was taken at a special meeting of the Union Cabinet, which condoled the death of the anti-apartheid icon.
"Mandela was the tallest leader of not only his generation but possibly this entire paradigm. The role that he personally played in dismantling the apartheid is something exemplary," Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said after the meeting. A prisoner of conscience for over 20 years, the South African leader played an extremely vital role in giving a moral leadership to the world, he said.
"The entire nation is one with the South African people in condoling his sad demise. "The Cabinet met today and passed a resolution condoling the death of Dr Nelson Mandela and it has been decided that there would be five days' state mourning...," he said.
In his condolence message, President Pranab Mukherjee said, "President Mandela was a statesman, world leader and icon of inspiration of humanity. He was a great friend of India and his contribution for strengthening the close ties between our two countries will be always remembered".
Mandela was awarded the Bharat Ratna in honour of his contribution to the friendship between our two countries, he said. "I convey heartfelt condolences on behalf of the people and the Government of India as well as my personal behalf to the family members of Late President Mandela and the people and the Government of South Africa," Mukherjee said.
Nelson Mandela, South African icon, dies at the age of 95
Describing Mandela as the "greatest personalities of our times", Vice President Hamid Ansari said he represented the best of human spirit and values. While his courage, determination and sacrifice inspired millions of people during the anti-apartheid movement, his message of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation thereafter, united them and led the rainbow nation on the path to peace and progress, he said.
"In his death, South Africans have lost the father of their nation and the world a statesman, whose life and message of courage and goodness would continue to inspire and guide all of us around the world in the years ahead," the Vice President said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid rich tributes to Nelson Mandela, describing him as a 'giant among men' who was a beacon of hope for those struggling against oppression and injustice.
Condoling the demise of the great leader who devoted his life to fight against apartheid, Singh said his passing away is as much a loss to India and the world as it is to South Africa.
"I am deeply saddened at the passing away of President Nelson Mandela," he said in his condolence message. Quoting an unknown poet, Singh said, "Here and there, and now and then, God makes a giant among men. President Mandela was one such giant amongst men."
The Prime Minister noted that Mandela not only represented the conscience of the world, he also remained a beacon of hope for those struggling against oppression and injustice long after he had led his own people to victory over such ills.
"Nelson Mandela endured great personal hardship so that others could be provided with dignity, equality and opportunity. He fought discrimination and inhuman exclusion, but rose above bitter divisions to heal and reconcile a fractured nation. His life and work made him a citizen of the world," he said.
"India, in particular, had great affection and regard for him. His mission was a great inspiration and moral bulwark for our principled struggle against apartheid. It also mirrored our own hope for a better world and we were greatly honoured when he accepted the highest Indian civilian award of Bharat Ratna," the Prime Minister said.
He said today, India joins South Africa and the world in mourning his loss. "But we know that his life and ideals will inspire generations to come. May God bless his soul," Singh said.
Mandela, South Africa's first elected black president, was widely respected for his role in fighting racism in the country, and for forgiving his former white captors after his release from prison.
Mandela died early today at his home in the suburb of Houghton in Johannesburg following a lengthy illness.He was 95.
Next: We will not see the likes of Mandela again, says Obama
We will not see the likes of Mandela again: Obama
Washington: Describing himself as one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela, US President Barack Obama mourned the death today of the South African anti-apartheid icon and said that the world was unlikely to see a leader like him again.
"I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action -- the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics was a protest against apartheid," Obama told White House reporters soon after he was informed about the death of the former South African President who died aged 95.
"I would study his words and his writings. The day he was released from prison it gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they're guided by their hopes and not by their fears. Like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set. And so long as I live, I will do what I can to learn from him," Obama said.
Mourning the loss of Mandela, Obama said he was one of world's most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that "any of us will share time" with on this earth. "He no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages. Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba (Mandela's clan name) transformed South Africa and moved all of us."
"His journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better." "His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or in our own personal lives," Obama said.
"The fact that he did it all with grace and good humor and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, 'I'm not a saint unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying,'" said the US President.
"For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived, a man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice," Obama said as he led the nation in mourning the loss of Mandela.
Next: Brightest light of our world gone out, says Cameron
Brightest light of our world gone out: Cameron
London: British Prime Minister David Cameron today paid his tribute to Nelson Mandela after his death and said "the brightest light of our world has gone out". "One of the brightest lights of our world has gone out. Nelson Mandela was not just a hero of our time, but a hero of all time, the first president of a free South Africa, a man who suffered so much for freedom and justice," Cameron said.
The flag above Downing Street is flying at half-mast as a mark of respect, the BBC said. Cameron said Britain shared with South Africa this moment of grief and recalled the strongest impression of meeting him was his "extraordinary compassion and generosity and forgiveness". "Tonight, families across Britain will mourn with his family and everyone in South Africa. Your greatest son has moved millions and I believe that his inspiration for the future will be every bit as powerful as the extraordinary things he achieved in his remarkable life," he said.
Speaking outside Downing Street, the prime minister said, "Meeting him was one of the great honours of my life...My heart goes out to his family - and to all in South Africa and around the world whose lives were changed through his courage".
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were watching a film premiere about the life of Nelson Mandela in London when news of the former South African president's death emerged. "It's extremely sad and tragic news. We were just reminded of what an extraordinary and inspiring man Mandela was. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family right now," Prince William said after the film.
