Pranab: We’ll cherish Mandela’s friendship

The entire stadium gave a standing ovation to the Indian President when he entered and his name was called out

• Pranab Mukherjee eulogises Mandela’s contributions at the memorial service
• Mandela reminds us of Gandhiji whose principles he stood for
• Obama calls him a giant of history and last of the liberators of 20th century
• World leaders gather at FNB stadium in Soweto to pay rich tributes

Soweto: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the world would honour the historic legacy of Nelson Mandela who taught the true meaning of forgiveness and reconciliation. Representing the government and the people of India, Mukherjee, one of the few foreign speakers to give their eulogies at the memorial service for the anti-apartheid icon, said ,“we stand by you in your hour of bereavement and we share your sense of loss today.”

He was paying homage to Madiba during a memorial service at the FNB stadium, where Mandela had made his last public appearance a few years ago. The entire stadium rose to give a standing ovation when Mukherjee made his entry and his name was called out.

The President is leading a high-level delegation including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury and BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra. For India, Mukherjee said, the passing away of Mandela represents the departure of the venerated elder, a great soul. “We pray for his eternal peace. Madiba lived a life of sacrifice and privation as he pursued a seemingly impossible goal for his people - and the world is richer for his legacy. We, in India, have long admired him - and all that he stood for - and we will always cherish his friendship and love for our people,” he said. Mandela was a visionary who epitomised humaneness that inspired all of mankind.

"Indeed, his life and struggles - which represented 'hope' for the downtrodden in South Africa and all over the world, remind us of the principles that the father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, stood for," he said. "He never diminished his commitment to his kind of 'satyagraha' against injustice and inequality. His stoic determination, patience and magnanimity reminded us, in India, of the revolutionary methods of Mahatma Gandhi," he said.

“We have no doubt that the world will honour the historic legacy of Madiba, one of the most influential personalities of our century, who taught the world the true meaning of forgiveness and reconciliation - and steered South Africans onto the path of building a truly Rainbow Nation," he said.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama had called Mandela as a “giant of history” who earned his place in posterity through struggle, shrewdness and by showing the power of political action. Calling the South African leader the last great liberator of the 20th century, Obama painted Mandela as a testament to how people can reach for change by fighting for their ideals and employing reason and argument to match personal sacrifice. “It is hard to eulogize any man ... how much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation towards justice,” he said. "He was not a bust made of marble, he was a man of flesh and blood," Obama said of the man whose example inspired his own entry into politics as a student.

"Nothing he achieved was inevitable. In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, persistence and faith. He showed us the power of action, of taking risks on behalf of our ideals," Obama said after being introduced to wild cheers from a rain-sodden crowd in a Soweto stadium during Mandela's memorial service.

Songs of praise and revolution, many harking back to the apartheid era that Mandela helped condemn to history, echoed around the giant stadium in Soweto where close to 100 world leaders had come to pay tribute to a man whose life story earned uncommon universal respect. The event began at mid-day with a stirring rendition of the national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika (God Bless Africa), led by a mass choir and picked up with enthusiasm by the rest of the stadium.

"His long walk is over, he can finally rest," African National Congress (ANC) Vice-President Cyril Ramaphosa said in an opening address. In his tribute, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted that Mandela had managed to unite people in death, much as he had in life. "Look around this stage ... we see leaders representing many points of view ... all here, all united," he said. Mandela's widow, Graca Machel, received a huge ovation as she took her seat. Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was also present.