Once upon a time, he was branded a terrorist on the very land of his birth. A 27- year jail sentence was slapped upon his chest for his activism. Perhaps, his modus operandi was not the best but he meant goodwill, equality and freedom for the rightful owners of the ‘booty’. If we are to define terrorism under today’s premises, then I am afraid to say that opponents to his efforts decades back were just pots calling the kettles black because the institution of racial segregation itself was a terror tactic!

Just last year, a nine-foot statue was unveiled at Parliament Square, London to honour the man whose forgiving heart has endeared him to many. A couple of weeks ago, the US deleted names of Nelson Mandela and other top members of the African National Congress (ANC) from the terror watch list. As my eyes raced through the announcement in a famous blueprint, I came across a misguided comment beneath the article implying that Madiba might still have the logistics to bomb I don’t know who. Obviously infuriated (maybe just a little bit) by such a statement, I thought this gesture was long overdue. Maybe, it was just hypocritical, who knows?