Nelson Mandela International Day 2023:  The man behind the legend

Nelson Mandela’s birth name was Rolihlahla Mandela, which translates to ‘pulling the branch of a tree’ or, metaphorically, ‘troublemaker.’ He was later named Nelson by his elementary school teacher.

Mandela was a passionate amateur boxer when he was young.

He along with his cousin Justice fled to South Africa in 1941 to evade arranged marriages. Mandela eventually made his home in Johannesburg.

He became involved in underground resistance actions prior to his arrest and imprisonment. Sometimes he posed as a driver to escape detention by authorities.

Mandela was an avid lover of poetry and literature. During his time in prison, he often turned to poetry for solace and inspiration, and he also exchanged poems with his fellow inmates.

Mandela was on the US terror watch list until 2008, due to his ardent anti-apartheid efforts.

While most people know Mandela got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, he also received the Soviet Union’s Lenin Peace Prize in 1990, only a few months after his release from jail. He has nearly 700 awards in his name.

Mandela’s favourite food was tripe, a classic South African dish made from the stomach lining of a cow.

Mandela is one of only a few non-Indians to receive India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in recognition of his extraordinary humanitarian services.

In 1973, Leeds University named a nuclear particle Mandela in his honour.

In 2009, the United Nations proclaimed Mandela’s birthday (18 July) to be Nelson Mandela International Day.

The holiday asks people to spend 67 minutes doing something good for others, which represents the 67 years he spent working toward change.