Amaravati, Sep 13 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker C Ayyannapatrudu on Sunday visited the historic Pietermaritzburg Railway Station in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
During his visit, Ayyannapatrudu, accompanied by Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara, Secretary-General of Andhra Pradesh Legislature, toured the Gandhi Memorial and the station platform where Gandhi was forcibly evicted from a first-class train compartment on June 7, 1893, due to racial segregation.
“Today, the Speaker visited the historic Pietermaritzburg Railway Station in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi,” an official release said.
He also spent time in the waiting room where Gandhi endured a bitterly cold winter night,
an experience that later became a turning point in the development of his philosophy of Satyagraha and his struggle for civil liberties, it said.
“Pietermaritzburg is sacred ground in the annals of world history. It was here that an individual’s refusal to surrender his dignity sparked a global awakening against racial prejudice and colonial subjugation,” Ayyannapatrudu said.
He said Gandhi’s moral courage transformed personal adversity into a movement for truth, equality and human rights, adding that parliamentary democracies draw inspiration from his ideals to uphold justice, constitutional values and the voice of every citizen.
The Speaker also toured the archival photo gallery documenting Gandhiji’s 21-year journey in South Africa and his founding of the Indian National Congress.
The visit concluded with local trust representatives and community leaders briefing Ayyannapatrudu on ongoing heritage preservation efforts at the memorial site, the release added. PTI MS KH
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