Peace walk revives Gandhi’s legacy

THE profound words of world icon and peace apostle, Mahatma Gandhi, “The future depends on what we do in the present,” were advocated by the CEO of the Rising Sun community newspapers, Vijay Maharaj and his team, who completed the historical 750km peace walk on Friday, 2 October.

Rising Sun Newspapers, in partnership with the Mahatma Gandhi Remembrance Organisation, hosted the walk, which culminated on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.

The gruelling 14-day Rising Sun Gandhi Peace Walk, which commenced at the Lenasia office of the Rising Sun newspapers, ended on an emotional note when the 16 participants completed the final leg of the race at the Gandhi settlement in Inanda.

Speaking about the challenges faced along the route, Vijay Maharaj said, “My mindset, willpower and determination to complete this walk, coupled with the magnificent support I received from the various communities, motivated me to continue with this initiative. I took every step of every kilometre of the walk, which was in excess of 750km. We experienced aches and discomfort throughout the walk, and the excruciating pain in our shinbones and the blisters were our greatest challenge. The scorching heat, rain, the different types of road surfaces and the traffic on the roads also contributed to making the walk seem impossible to complete at times.

“During the walk, I also slept on the concrete floor in Gandhi’s prison cell in Volkrust, Mpumalanga. Our support team was amazing and we were also fortunate to be accommodated in the various towns. Residents also showed their support by joining us for a few kilometres along the route and this motivated us to continue with our mission to promote peace and raise funds for the Gandhi Development Trust.”

You can still support this worthy cause by sending an SMS with the word ‘Peace’ followed by your full name to 38270. The SMS will cost R10 and free SMSes do not apply. All funds raised will be donated to the Gandhi Development Trust.