ALAPPUZHA: Jacob Isaac Kalimadam, a Mavelikara native settled in South Africa, was instrumental in bringing Winnie Mandela to Kerala in 1998, her maiden visit to India. A poet and anti-apartheid activist, his association with African National Congress (ANC) started way back in the 1980s, setting up schools for black kids as part of the anti-apartheid movement. It was film actress Mallika Sukumaran, who was the secretary of Children film Society Thiruvananthapuram, who sought his help to invite her.
“By that time I had close contact with Fatima Meer, well-known activist and writer who was a great friend of Winnie,” said Mr Kalimadam, currently in Mavelikara on vacation. “It was Ms Meer, who had Indian roots, helped me get in touch with Mandela family and get her date.” “The late chief minister E.K. Nayanar received her as a state guest. In her speech at Darbar Hall, she called India as her second home.”
Family of Jacob Isaac with Winnie Mandela.
She had got an invitation from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, but she couldn’t accept it for personal reasons, and that turned out to be Kerala’s luck. “When she saw a group of women road workers in Kovalam, she went to them. She told us that what they do here, the black women were forced to do by white men in Africa,” he said.
After a rousing welcome, she watched Varnachi-rakukal, a children’s movie directed by K. Jayakumar, who was then the education secretary. She spent one and a half weeks in Kerala. Mr Kalimadam, who lives in Marble Hall, was trying to take her to Kerala again a couple of years ago but she had fallen ill. On her divorce with Mr Mandela, he said it’s not like an Indian divorce.
“In South Africa, even a couple parted ways always keep in touch. They used to meet at public functions,” he says. He now runs a school after handing over other four to the government. He went to Lesotho in 1989 as an English teacher, and after two years he shifted to South Africa. His bold attempt to open schools for black students received the appreciation of many anti-apartheid leaders including the Mandelas and Ms Meer.
