Winnie Mandela
I always had an impression that great people have "attitudes", but I was to be proved wrong when I met Winnie "Aunt", as I would like to call her or "Mama" as her people respectfully refer to her. She changed my concept of everything I had seen before. Here, was a person who was a legend in her own right, yes I was very excited to meet her & I got my chance when she visited India last. She had been invited to inaugurate a function related to the Childrens film society. As my friend Indrajith's mother was the secretary of the above mentioned organization, I got the one in a million chance. It started with a lunch hosted in the Pankaj Hotel, Trivandrum. We met her for a short time there, & had a small chat there, where we were introduced a new "band" in India. She was very nice & kind & had no "attitude" or anything at all. Her attitude was like everyone there were like her childern. In the evening, we met at a small audience in her suite at the Ashok Hotel, Kovalam. Among us were several people from the film industry & magazines like "The Week". We sang our songs "World Of peace", & to our surprise all the people including Winnie also sang along with us followed by "Saawan se bhi sundar", ofcourse, we had given her the original lyrics of the song which is "Younger than the springtime", during the song, she seemed to go back in time with a pleasant smile on her face. And I still remember, after the song she was asking who had written "such beautiful words" & when blushing (literally), I stood up, immediately she was asking me "I would like to see the girl for whom you have penned such beautiful words, I would really like to see the lucky girl....". But Kiran, had been away from my life for such a long time.....One thing I couldn't do for this Lady. I'll never forget the look on her face, I could see the pain I've often felt myself in her own face, of the losing of loved ones.... The next day, we were invited to the Govt Theatre for the main function. I remember, I was like an idiot near the corridor, when I saw a gentleman coming in a white dress. the former chief minister of Kerala Mr A.K.Antony !, he is a widely respected person, known to be a true Gandhian & he was giving me a namaste. I was embarassed very much. Then the program started. The Winnie started to talk....It's a shame our Journalists don't report very well. It was an extremely inspiring speech. For a minute I could see the fire in her - the same fire which must have been there in our freedom fighters a long time ago in 1947. She was saying that on the way here that a girl had asked her: "How does it feel to live under Apartheid" & she started talking about the day it all started. Hundreds of students were marching in protest against the latest oppressive rule of the regime when the police had started firing indiscriminately. Children, & women were killed. It seems that there were people in that march that she had known...In fact, one of her bodyguards was a small boy then, when he had participated in the great march. Their struggle continues.That accounts for the extremely good relations they shared with Winnie. Then she looked up at us & smiled & said that "There's a lot of hidden talent in India" and also that she would be inviting us to South Africa, where we could make our debut appearance in a world stage. the day passed of very eventfully. We got a new friend in Fastus Magagula, a bodyguard who was accompanying her but who had done a "bit of guitaring" in his school days. Then we went with her to the Airport (in a fully armed police convoy), an exhilarating finish. I guess I'd never get that kind of attention at any point in my life. There we had a talk in the V.I.P lounge, talked with the Pilot of the plane. The South Africans are so unlike us !. I remember, when we had no place to sit, the Minister for arts & culture, Mpu Malanga province (as big as Tamilnadu + Kerala), removed his suitcase himself, so that we could sit & talk. I guess, I can't even dream of an Indian Minister doing like that. It was sad to see her go. Before going she came to us & gave us each a big hug (everyone was gaping at us....). Well, well I guess it was a great experience.... .	Back to our band...