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Sandip Roy: Gandhi the human

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Credit: "Gandhi" by Flickr user paulisson miura, used under CC BY / Sized changed from original

On October 2 India will mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. South Africans say India gave us Mohandas Gandhi. We returned him as the Mahatma of Great Soul. South African academics Ashvin Desai and Ghoolam Vahed have a different take in their book 

"The South African Gandhi: Stretcher-Bearer of the Empire." When Gandhi lived in South Africa he had written letters where he had referred to Africans as “kaffirs” a, derogatory term. He had also campaigned for a separate entrance for Indians at the post office so they did not have to share one with Africans.