Delhi schools celebrate Mandela Day, honouring Nelson Mandela’s legacy

Decades after the dawn of South African democracy, the spirit of Nelson Mandela remains vibrantly alive thousands of kilometres away in Delhi, India. At Bluebells School International and Springdales School, International Mandela Day has evolved from a historical gesture of solidarity into a cornerstone of the annual academic calendar. This enduring connection traces back to the height of the freedom struggle. Today, these schools continue to bridge nations, transforming the legacy of a global icon into a living lesson for a new generation.

South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, described the way Mandela Day is celebrated in Delhi is “absolutely amazing”. 

He said Bluebells held a major function on Friday where he was a guest speaker. The students put on a two-hour show of music, dance and performance on Mandela’s life. They wore African outfits, and the hall and driveway were decorated with South African flags and pupils’ artwork.

Sooklal said Springdales, which has two international schools, celebrated on Saturday. 

“When ANC representatives, Mendi and Agnes Msimang, were invited by the school to give a lecture on South Africa’s freedom struggle, the founder of the school, Dr Rajni Kumar, decided, upon the suggestion of Mendi Msimang, to create an Africa Club,” Sooklal said. 

“It is under the auspices of the Africa Club that International Mandela Day is organised every year with the participation of students, the parents, and the public.”

Sooklal said that when Mandela visited India in 1990, India’s president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (presidential house) gave him a reception. He asked for students from both schools to be present at the official function.

“Both schools sent students and teachers who went and met with Mandela, and Mandela wanted to thank them personally for the role they played because Springdale established the Africa Club in 1971, and Bluebells established the Africa Society in 1979,” Sooklal said. 

He said Kumar met Mandela. In 1999, her daughter and then-principal, Dr Bose, attended South Africa’s parliament opening with six students. They met Mandela and received a standing ovation after Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala acknowledged them for the school’s role in the freedom struggle. In 2012, Dr Kumar was awarded the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo for her and the school’s contributions in championing South Africa’s freedom struggle. 

“Both the schools, the students would regularly write letters to President Mandela when he was in prison. And President Mandela acknowledged that he received the letters while he was in prison and how much inspiration he took from them, that these children were also conscientised about our freedom struggle,” Sooklal said. 

“What is important is that 32 years into our democracy, these schools have very elaborate Nelson Mandela Days.”

Sooklal said that in celebration of South African values, Springdales introduced a ‘Diversity Week’ leading up to International Mandela Day, highlighting diversity as a democratic strength. The week features pupil competitions in essay writing, poetry, and art centered on diversity and Mandela’s life.

“It’s actually very inspiring to see that the spirit of Mandela is so vibrant and alive at the level of high school students in India,” Sooklal said. 

“The hall is absolutely packed with children from grade 1 right up to grade 12, all seated for over two hours, partaking in the events and very joyously, and listening to Mandela’s life and the values he stood for, that are still so much ingrained into the annual calendar of these schools.” 

Sooklal views this as an inspiring lesson for us in South Africa to see that even so long after Mandela was released and well into our democracy, the spirit and the message of Mandela are still so vibrantly articulated annually in these schools. 

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za