We express deep sorrow and solidarity with the people of South Africa over the death of Nelson Mandela.

Like India, South Africa is emerging as a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural country that Mr. Mandela proudly called a “rainbow nation”.

The demise of this visionary leader is a loss for all Afro-Asian countries that have risen from European colonial dominance to become modern nation states.

Mr. Mandela began his struggle against the Apartheid regime as a militant freedom fighter, but later on matured into a Gandhian who reshaped the African National Congress into a modern-day All India Congress Party of India’s pre-Independence period, wedded to non-violent principles.

South Africa is home to people from the Subcontinent, Europe and numerous tribes and ethnicities of Africa. Mr. Mandela’s vision has accommodated this great ethnic, religious, racial and cultural diversity.

Mr. Mandela’s legacy will continue to guide the world in decades and centuries to come.