Celebrating 85 years of Ela Gandhi

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Peace activist, former social worker and parliamentarian, Ela Gandhi, has been chosen to be part of an eminent persons group to guide and champion the National Dialogue later this year.
Image: Nadia Khan
HAVING been at the helm in the fight for peace and social justice in South Africa, Ela Gandhi's journey serves as an enduring reminder of the power of personal commitment to social change and the profound impact of dedicated activism.
Childhood
Gandhi, who celebrated her 85th birthday yesterday (Tuesday), said her journey to becoming a peace activist, social worker and later a parliamentarian, started from humble beginnings.
She grew up in the Phoenix Settlement in Inanda, which was established by her grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi. He initially came to South Africa to work on a legal case for a merchant in 1893.
Ela Gandhi, the youngest of three children, was born on July 1, 1940.She said her father, Manilal, uncle Harilal, and grandmother, Kasturba Gandhi, joined her grandfather in South Africa in 1897.
Gandhi, who was the only woman and Mewalal 'Mewa' Ramgobin (far right) during a placard demonstration on the stairs of the Durban City Hall in 1958.
Image: Supplied
'My father was about 4 or 5 years old when they came to South Africa. His two other siblings were born here. However, my grandfather, who had a beautiful house in Beach Grove, returned to India a few years later. When he came back to South Africa, he set up his law practice in Johannesburg.
'However, they later moved to Durban and my grandfather started the newspaper, Indian Opinion. It was during this time that my grandfather became involved in politics and activism. When he first came here he was 24, and thought because he was a lawyer it was a high status symbol.
'Over time all that changed, and he began to realise there was no such thing as status. Everybody has dignity and we should ensure that we treat everyone with dignity, no matter what they do. He also began to look at equality among all people, particularly African people,' she said.
Gandhi said in 1904 her grandfather bought the land in Inanda, known as the Phoenix Settlement. She lived there with her father; mother Sushila, and two elder siblings, Sita and Arun Manilal, who have since passed on.
'My grandfather moved the printing press to the settlement. My father, who did not have a formal education as my grandfather, believed the British schooling system was not suitable and was 'brainwashing' children. He later became the editor.
Gandhi (centre) with,from left, Asha (daughter), Arti (daughter), Kidar (son) and Neervana (daughter-in-law).
Image: Supplied
'However, my father and his siblings were taught at home. When my grandfather returned to India, my parents continued to run the newspaper.'Gandhi said in 1947, when she was 7 years old, she met her grandfather during a visit to India.
'We visited the (Gandhi) Sevagram Ashram where my grandfather was living at the time. We stayed with him in the ashram for about three months.'
Gandhi said she had fond memories of growing up in the settlement which was damaged during the 1985 Inanda Riots. It has since been restored and is now a national heritage site.
'There were a lot of residents around us, including the indentured labourers. Over the years, many people lived on the settlement, either to work in the newspaper printing business or to volunteer. I remember we used to gather every evening and say prayers. The prayers were always interfaith. We also learnt the prayers of all faiths.'
Gandhi was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Lincoln University in the United Kingdom.
Image: Supplied
Education
Gandhi said she attended the Inanda State-aided Indian School at age 10.
'The school was a wood-and-iron structure with pit toilets. One had to walk through the sugar cane fields for more than a kilometre. My parents said I did not like the school and I got tired with the long walk. My father also said: 'You don't have to go to school to learn. Look at me, I am an editor because I taught myself. There are many ways of learning.'
'But, in actual fact, they did not want to send me to school as they also thought, like my grandfather, that I would be brainwashed. But I insisted on going to school like the other children. However, while I was at home, a British lady who lived with us and helped my father with the press, taught me to read and write. After a while, a teacher from the school came to our home in the afternoons to teach me. It was only when I was 10 years old that I started Standard 4 (Grade 6) at the school. They tested me to see if I could read and write, which I did, so I didn't have to start at Class 1,' she said.
Gandhi and her husband, Mewalal 'Mewa' Ramgobin with a group of Buddhist Monks standing on the platform of what was her grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi's home in the Phoenix Settlement in 1998.
Image: Supplied
Gandhi said she attended Durban Girls' Indian High School from Standard 7 until matric, which she completed in 1957.
'However, when I look back, I realise my grounding at home taught me critical thinking, self-confidence and values, which are qualities that get entrenched in children from 0 to 10 years.'
Gandhi (standing - second from right), in a needlework class at the Inanda State-Aided Indian School in the early 1950s.
Image: Supplied
Gandhi(front), with her grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, during a visit to India.
Image: Supplied
Early years in activism
Gandhi said from a young age, she became aware of the challenges faced by people in communities.
'While I was in primary school, some of my teachers were involved in welfare programmes such as making food hampers for families in need in Inanda. When I was 12, I joined them as a volunteer and collected things such as food. I became conscious of the welfare movement at that time, which I believe sparked my interest in getting involved with social work later on in my life.'
Gandhi said she and her siblings joined their parents during the Defiance Campaign in the early 1950s. The campaign was a major act of civil disobedience against apartheid in South Africa, launched by the ANC and the South African Indian Congress in 1952.
'I was quite young, then but was part of the thousands of people who gathered at Red Square in central Durban. During this meeting, about 20 people volunteered to defy one of the laws, such as entering through the whites-only entrance at the post office or going into the whites-only library. We were outside supporting them.'
Further studies
Gandhi pursued a BA degree with law subjects at the then Natal University.
'I initially wanted to become a lawyer. My majors were English and political science, with law subjects, Roman Dutch Law, Roman Law and Native Administration. But those plans later changed.'
Family
Gandhi said in 1961, while at university, she married her childhood sweetheart, Mewalal 'Mewa' Ramgobin, an anti-apartheid activist and politician. He died at the age of 83 in 2016.
'We grew up together and were studying at the university. He was active in the Struggle and he got banned. He was unable to attend university, so it was difficult for me as well. However, we continued with our studies part-time and eventually graduated.'
Career
Gandhi said she worked at the Durban Indian Child and Family Welfare Society in the early 1960s.
'I worked there on and off for a few years as I became a mother during those years. But while working, I continued with my studies and graduated with a BA degree in social science through Unisa. I later joined the Verulam Child and Family Welfare Society where I remained for about 15 years. During this time, I also graduated with an Honours degree in social science from Unisa,' she said.
Children
Gandhi had five children – Kidar Ramgobin, 62; Kush Ramgobin, 29, who was killed in 1993; Asha Ramgobin, 58; and twin daughters, Arti and Ashish, 55. She also has two grandchildren.
Natal Indian Congress
Gandhi said in the late 1960s, her husband decided to start a clemency committee after travelling to Cape Town for a family holiday.
'It was during this time that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island. During this time, we met some academics and other activists. After speaking to them, he said to me: 'Don't you think we should ask for the release of all the prisoners?'
'When we returned to Durban, he formed a clemency committee. However, we first met with the community to get a mandate, and there was a lot of enthusiasm. But they also found there was a need for political direction. So, we thought 'let us use this opportunity to revive the Natal Indian Congress (NIC)',' she said.
The NIC, a political organisation, was established in 1894 by Mahatma Gandhi to fight discrimination against Indians in the then Natal colony.
Gandhi said she became one of the vice presidents after her husband was banned and placed under house arrest.
'I was initially in the background but came to the forefront when my husband was banned. We held demonstrations against the Tricameral System. However, in the early 1970s I was banned for eight years and placed under house arrest for five years. It was a terrible period, but as a social worker, I still had access to the community and worked underground. As soon as my ban was over, I joined the NIC again.'
Parliament
Gandhi said after leaving child welfare, she worked at the Diakonia Centre, which was known as the home for agencies committed to justice, peace and development.
'I worked in the career information centre, helping young people. While I was there, I was asked to be part of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa). I was on the negotiation committee ahead of the 1994 elections. After the elections, I joined Parliament from 1994 to 2003. I resigned before my term ended in 2004.'
While in Parliament, she focused on welfare programmes and motherhood support. In 2007, Gandhi was also appointed the chancellor at the Durban University of Technology and held the position until 2012.
'It was a great responsibility, but it was wonderful as I graduated many of the students. Since then, I have immersed myself in satyagraha work.'
Satyagraha is a philosophy of non-violent resistance developed by Mahatma Gandhi.
Inspired by her grandfather's philosophy, in 2000 Gandhi started a monthly newspaper called Satyagraha – In Pursuit of Truth. The newspaper focused on education and fostering interracial and intercultural understanding.
She is also the chairperson of the Gandhi Development Trust, and an executive member of the Mahatma Gandhi Salt March Committee.
Gandhi added that one of her highlights was being able to get the international community to accept the peace agenda and being able to promote respect for all.
'I serve on a number of international committees, including as a co-president of Religions for Peace (RFP), which is the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, working to advance common action for peace.
'One of my goals through my peace activism is to change the mentality of people, to make them realise you can't just do something bad to another human. The golden rule in every religion is that: 'In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you'.'
Gandhi said she was also involved in the anti-nuclear movement, which called for nuclear weapons to be abolished.
'While in Parliament, I joined the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. I attended many international conferences and worked on campaigns for nuclear disarmament through RFP and the hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
'We have done a lot of research that shows the amount of money that goes into the production of nuclear bombs or anything that is destructive. I believe if you put that same money into education or health care, you will achieve far more,' she said.
Accolades
Gandhi has received numerous recognitions, including the Community of Christ International Peace Award in 2002, the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India in 2007, and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, which is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians by the Government of India's Ministry of External Affairs in 2014.
She has also received honorary doctorates from the Durban University of Technology, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Sidharth University in India, and Lincoln University in the UK.
National Dialogue
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced that Gandhi was chosen as a member of the eminent persons group to guide and champion the national dialogue later this year.
Gandhi said she was humbled and honoured for the opportunity.
'However, I will not be a rose in a vase at that table. I am hoping to provide significant input on how we can address critical issues in our country, especially for the future generation. I will be speaking to people about what they believe needs to be done.'
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