Ghandi and South Africa

Guest: Gaurav Desai, professor of English and African Studies at Tulane University A 9-foot statute of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi was recently unveiled in London’s Parliament Square "not far from a statue of Winston Churchill – who famously said that Gandhi” ought to be lain bound hand and foot at the gates of Delhi and then trampled on by an enormous elephant." Needless to say, the relationship between India and the U.K. has improved quite a bit in the 70 years since Gandhi fought for India’s independence from British rule. The statute was erected to mark the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa to begin the movement toward Indian independence. But that South African period in Gandhi’s life is not to be glossed-over, says Gaurav Desai, a professor of English and African Studies at Tulane University. He's done extensive research on the ties between South Asia and Africa and spoke recently on BYU's campus about Gandhi's time on the African continent.