Nelson Mandela once said, ‘It always seems impossible until it is done’. Inspired by his words, a group of walkers from India and Japan decided to dedicate their lives to walking for peace. Led by the humble Nitin Sonowane, they embarked on a 1 320 km peace pilgrimage , which started at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg and ended at Mveso in the Eastern Cape. The group walked in the footsteps of Mandela and Ghandhi, spreading love in the communities they encountered along the way.
The group of walkers came to South Africa with a minimal amount of money. This was done deliberately. The main aim was to be assisted by the locals and to rely on help from the next person, something which cannot be achieved if one has access to money. The team interacted with all races and religions. The spirit of Ubuntu was spread by these peace lovers.
The team spent 5 nights in various police stations, 1 night in a fire station, 2 nights in churches, and many nights in Hindu temples, Gurudawaras, B&B, hotels, resorts and the homes of local people.
Speaking to the Rising Sun, Yogeshbhai Mathuria said that South Africans had made their walk easy. He stated that when they started, a lot of negative things had been said about South Africa, but none of that occurred while on their journey.
Mathuria said, “ We are very happy to express our personal gratitude to the African people and to all the sections of society that supported our peace walk. All the religious communities supported us. I would like to make special mention of the South African Police Service. They too supported us. We never felt as if we were walking in an unknown country or felt short of any resources whatsoever.”
“Our joint mission was to spread the message of peace and non-violence given to this world by the great iconic leaders, the Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. As we conclude our peace walk and some of us prepare for our departure to India, we will never forget the South African hospitality,” said another group member.
The team is now spilting into smaller groups and will continue with its world peace journey in different countries. Nitin Sonawane and Ikenda Kanshin will be walking from Gauteng to Zimbabwe, while Yogesh Mathuria will be walking in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan.
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