This refers to the editorial, “Rein in racial violence” (May 28). India, under Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders, wanted to have ties of solidarity with colonised African nations. However, over the years, those ties diminished. Now, at a time when we want to revive India-Africa ties as many Indian companies are eyeing Africa and want to participate in their local economy, the shocking murder of a 29-year old Congolese national in Delhi has happened.
All of this does not paint a very bright picture of a young and modernising nation. We just painting a good picture about India being the land of Buddha and Gandhi, or the world’s largest democracy, but we ought to know that India is a preferred education destination for many African countries as they find educational standards to be good here. In South Africa, Indians were treated badly by the White rulers; the same has happened, legally and otherwise, elsewhere. Surely, we should be more understanding about racism and sympathise with the victims. Instead, we tend to become perpetrators.