DOCSLIB.ORG

Dylan Hollingsworth Ashlybeth Diaz April 25,2011 Block 2 Nelson Mandela Interview Questions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dylan Hollingsworth Ashlybeth Diaz April 25,2011 Block 2 Nelson Mandela Interview Questions Dylan Hollingsworth Ashlybeth Diaz April 25,2011 Block 2 Nelson Mandela Interview Questions Q: Your birth name, Rolihlaha, means “to pull a branch of a tree” or “trouble maker”. Do you think that name fits you well? Do you think that name was an omen for you to become the man you are today? A: The irony of receiving a name that describes the person you are is by chance and I think that I was one of those people. When people hear the word “trouble maker”, they think of a mischievous person, but that’s not who I intended to be. Rolihlaha may fit me well, according to how an individual interprets all my actions and achievements. I think the name could be an omen for the man I have become today. All the “trouble” I created has been used to an advantage, to help make a difference for those who deserved it. Q: How did changing your culture from traditional Thembu to American traditions affect you as a person? A: I was the first member of my family to ever attend school and at that school the teachers encouraged me and the other students to adopt American culture. My teacher, Miss Mdingane, even gave me the American name, Nelson. But even with my new American name and understanding of the culture of the Western part of the world, I never let anyone change who I was as a person. I understood my culture, roots, and heritage better than anything. Many people have tried to change me; they all have failed. Q: You and other members of the Student Representative Council at Fort Hare University were apart of a boycott in 1940. What were you protesting against? At the time, did you regret the boycott that led to your expulsion from the university? A: The boycott of 1940 was a protest against university policies. At the time, I did not regret the boycott that led to my expulsion from the university. My expulsion opened my eyes to become an activist and to stand up for what I think is right. Without the expulsion, I believe that I would have not been exposed to all the wrong going on through out my country. Q: Shortly after being expelled from Fort Hare University, you ran away from home to Johannesburg in order to escape an arranged marriage. During that time, you were very busy working. Did you ever finish your education, if so how? A: Yes, I did finish my education. While in Johannesburg, I worked many odd jobs and did a lot of working in order to get by. I eventually found a job as a clerk in a law firm. During the evenings, when I was not working, I studied through a correspondence course with the University of South Africa and completed my first degree. I received my Bachelor’s degree in 1941 and in 1942 I became a member of another law firm and pursued a law degree at the University of Witwatersrand. Q: During your fight to end apartheid in South Africa, was it your mission to eventually become President? A: No, not at all. My mission was to stop the unfair treatment of blacks in South Africa. My mission was to bring the country together instead of allowing it to stay separated based on race. Yes, I did want the government to change, but becoming president was not my only intention. I did not do all that I did for my country just so that I could receive the position of president. I was just a regular citizen who wanted his rights acknowledged and when I became president I made sure that all of my people were treated equally. Equal rights was always my mission, not power and authority. Q: Did your time in jail make you want to fight even harder for a South Africa that was free from apartheid? A: Yes, my time in jail did make me want to fight even harder for South Africa. I had to make up for the years that I could not fight to make it free from apartheid. The time I spent in jail prepared me for all the protest and speeches given. It helped me organized my thoughts so that I knew what to do when my release arrived. Q: How did your time in jail change you as a person? A: My time in jail gave me a chance to think everything through. Before being incarcerated, I didn’t have much time to accomplish things for myself. I was always busy from the time I woke up till the time I laid my head down. I never really had time to think every decision thoroughly. When I was released, my plans were ready to go. Q: You were given the chance to leave jail under certain conditions. Why didn’t you take the chance so that you could return home to your loved ones? A: In order to leave jail early, I had to renounce violence. I did not take that chance because I was not the one who started the violence, if anything my violence was a defense. I also did not want to be singled out from my colleagues. I felt that it was not a good gesture to accept the offer because of the fact that I was trying to end the whole concept of treating people indifferently. Q: Do you think that the legalization of the African National Congress was a key part in ending South African apartheid? A: Yes, I do think that the legalization of the African National Congress was a key part in ending South Africa apartheid. It claimed the overwhelming majority in the historic free elections in South Africa, that marked the end of the Apartheid era on April 27, 1994. Q: What motivated you to become an activist against the HIV/AIDS epidemic? A: One main reason that I chose to become an activist against the HIV/AIDS epidemic is for my great concern about turning around one of the greatest threats humankind has faced. However, the most important reason that I decided to stand and speak up about AIDS was my son, Makgatho Mandela. He died of AIDS in 2005. People should not ignore an ugly disease such as HIV/AIDS, but they must become informed and take action to prevent it. Q: Since you gave up the right to become a Xhosa leader, how do you feel about your grandson, Mandla Mandela, becoming the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council? A: My father was Chief Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, so when he died and I came of age I was supposed to become chief. If I became chief then I would not have been able oppose the ways of the government; I could only worry about the needs of my village. I had to pass up that opportunity in order to fight white rule in South Africa. That was more important to me than anything else. The tribe looked to me to reclaim the clan that my father created, so I suggested that my grandson assumed the role of chief. It was the best decision to make. I was too old to accept the position, his father had passed away a couple of years earlier, and he had recently received his degree in politics. Mandla is a strong, intelligent young man and I am very proud that he is representing the Mandela family well. Q: What would you encourage people to do on Mandela Day to honor you? A: Mandela Day is a simple holiday. On June 18th, everyone should become a humanitarian for at least 67 minutes. You don’t have to do anything extreme, just help someone you care for, do something in your community, baby sit for someone. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re helping someone or some type of cause for 67 minutes to commemorate the 67 years that I put into helping others. Works Cited Boddy-Evans, Alistair. "Biography: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela." African History -- Explore the History of Africa. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://africanhistory.about.com/od/mandelanelson/a/ bio_mandela.htm>. "Nelson Mandela." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela>. "Nelson Mandela Foundation – Memory - Biography." Nelson Mandela Foundation – Home. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/memory/views/biography/> "Nelson Mandela - Biography." Nobelprize.org. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://nobelprize.org/ nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/mandela-bio.html>. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mandela at Wits University, South Africa, 1943–19491
    UCLA Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies Title “The Black Man in the White Man’s Court”: Mandela at Wits University, South Africa, 1943-1949 Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3284d08q Journal Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 39(2) ISSN 0041-5715 Author Ramoupi, Neo Lekgotla Laga Publication Date 2016 DOI 10.5070/F7392031110 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California “The Black Man in the White Man’s Court”: Mandela at Wits University, South Africa, 1943–19491 Neo Lekgotla laga Ramoupi* Figure 1: Nelson Mandela on the roof of Kholvad House in 1953. © Herb Shore, courtesy of Ahmed Kathrada Foundation. * Acknowledgements: I sincerely express gratitude to my former colleague at Robben Island Museum, Dr. Anthea Josias, who at the time was working for Nelson Mandela Foundation for introducing me to the Mandela Foundation and its Director of Archives and Dialogues, Mr. Verne Harris. Both gave me the op- portunity to meet Madiba in person. I am grateful to Ms. Carol Crosley [Carol. [email protected]], Registrar, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, for granting me permission to use archival material from the Wits Archives on the premise that copyright is acknowledged in this publication. I appreciate the kindness from Ms. Elizabeth Nakai Mariam [Elizabeth.Marima@ wits.ac.za ], the Archivist at Wits for liaising with the Wits Registrar for granting usage permission. I am also thankful to The Nelson Mandela Foundation, espe- cially Ms. Sahm Venter [[email protected]] and Ms. Lucia Raadschel- ders, Senior Researcher and Photograph Archivist, respectively, at the Mandela Centre of Memory for bringing to my attention the Wits Archive documents and for giving me access to their sources, including the interview, “Madiba in conver- sation with Richard Stengel, 16 March 1993.” While visiting their offices on 6 Ja- nuary 2016 (The Nelson Mandela Foundation, www.nelsonmandela.org/.).
    [Show full text]
  • 2019 Wu Charlotte 1469410 E
    This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Against negative interpretation HIV/AIDS narratives in post-apartheid South Africa Wu, Charlotte Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 28. Sep. 2021 Against Negative Interpretation: HIV/AIDS Narratives in Post-Apartheid South Africa Charlotte Xiao Ou Wu Submitted for Degree of PhD in 2018 English and Global Health Humanities King’s College London 1 Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Nelson Mandela Biography in Full Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( 1918 – )
    Nelson Mandela Biography in full Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( 1918 – ) An article from Biography.com Nelson Mandela. (2011). Biography.com. Retrieved 12:05, Sep 28 2011 from http://www.biography.com/articles/Nelson- Mandela-9397017 South African statesman and president (1994-99). Born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918 in Transkei, South Africa. Mandela's father had four wives and Mandela's mother, Nosekeni Fanny, was the third. His father died when Mandela was nine years-old and he is taken in by a high ranking chief who Nelson Mandela And Oprah Winfrey provides him with an education for the civil service. It is in college Nelson Mandela with Oprah Winfrey after where Mandela develops a nationalist position and begins to they don construction hard hats to break advocate for black African rights. He is arrested and imprisoned the ground for her $10 million Leadership for twenty-seven years. In time, as the white South African Academy for Girls in South Africa. She government reeled under international political pressure, described Mandela as her 'hero' and he Mandela was released and commenced working with the South called her a 'queen.' -- 2002 African white government to transition to black majority rule and away from apartheid. At age 77, Mandela was elected President of South Africa, serving only one term. He has since then spent his life promoting equality and world peace in many parts of the world. There was little in Nelson Mandela's early life to indicate that he would become a leader of an independence movement and eventually president of his country.
    [Show full text]
  • Mandela from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (Redirected from Mandela) Jump To: Navigation, Search "Mandela" Redirects Here
    Nelson Mandela From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Mandela) Jump to: navigation, search "Mandela" redirects here. For other uses, see Mandela (disambiguation). Page semi-protected His Excellency Nelson Mandela OM AC CC OJ GCStJ QC GColIH RSerafO NPk BR MRCSI Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday in Johannesburg, South Africa, in May 2008. Mandela in May 2008 President of South Africa In office 10 May 1994 14 June 1999 Deputy Thabo Mbeki F. W. de Klerk Preceded by F. W. de Klerk Succeeded by Thabo Mbeki Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement In office 2 September 1998 14 June 1999 Preceded by Andrés Pastrana Arango Succeeded by Thabo Mbeki Personal details Born Rolihlahla Mandela 18 July 1918 (age 94) Mvezo, South Africa Nationality South African Political party African National Congress Spouse(s) Evelyn Ntoko Mase (19441957) Winnie Madikizela (19571996) Graça Machel (1998present) Children Madiba Thembekile Makgatho Lewanika Makaziwe Maki Zenani Zindziswa Residence Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Alma mater University of Fort Hare University of London External System University of South Africa University of the Witwatersrand Religion Christianity (Methodism) Signature Signature of Nelson Mandela Website www.nelsonmandela.org Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xo'li??a?a man'de?la]; born 18 July 1918) is a South African anti-apartheid activist, revolutionary and politic ian who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first to be e lected in a fully representative, multiracial election. His administration focus ed on dismantling apartheid's legacy, and cutting racism, poverty and inequality . Politically a democratic socialist, he served as president of the African Nati onal Congress (ANC) political party from 1991 to 1997.
    [Show full text]
  • Prof Dolana Mogadime Eguidebook Revised Edition, on Teaching About
    GUIDEPOSTS FOR CRITICAL REFLECTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS & NELSON MANDELA’S LIFE STORIES Dolana Mogadime Cover photo: Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, Gauteng, on 13 May 2008. Courtesy of South Africa The Good News www.sagoodnews.co.za Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Guideposts for Critical Reflection on Human Rights & Nelson Mandela’s Life Stories Author: Dolana Mogadime The materials in Guideposts for Critical Reflection on Human Rights & Nelson Mandela’s Life Stories can be presented as a lecture or in a workshop. These materials were written by Professor Dolana Mogadime, Faculty of Education, Brock University. The materials provide educational experiences that guide learners and educators through key concepts about the life and times of Nelson Mandela. The list of individual and group activities encourages critical reflection and provide educational experiences that contribute to global knowledge about human rights, peace, and reconciliation. CC BY-NC-ND: This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. CC BY-NC-ND includes the following elements: BY – Credit must be given to the creator NC – Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted ND – No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted ii This work is released under: CC BY-NC-ND: This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
    [Show full text]
  • Highlights in This Issue
    IssuE 6 FEbruAry/MArCH 2014 SANACthe official newsletter of the south NEWSafrican national aids council reetings for the new year and welcome to the first 5 December, our former president, Nelson Mandela, died, after a edition of SANAC NEWS for 2014! This edition comes long spell of ill health. We pay tribute to the man who has offered hot on the heels of World AIDS Day 2013, when the so much to the world on page 10. On page 4 we write about the chairperson of SANAC, deputy president Kgalema death of former TV actress, Lesego Motsepe who made headlines GMotlanthe, launched the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) on World AIDS Day of 2011 when she publicly announced that revitalisation campaign. Under the theme “Get wise. Get tested. Get she was living with HIV and was taking antiretroviral therapy. circumcised”, Motlanthe urged every South African and everyone Motsepe announced a year later that she had decided to stop resident in our country to test for HIV. The HCT revitalisation taking ARVs in favour of alternative treatment. campaign was also accompanied by the launch of an effort to You can find out all you’ve ever wanted to know about what encourage the massive uptake of medical male circumcision the SANAC Secretariat is doing to support the implementation services as a strategy to prevent HIV infection in men. Read all about of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV, STIs and TB. A it on page 3 of your SANAC NEWS. After World AIDS Day 2013, South comprehensive report is available on page 8 of this edition.
    [Show full text]
  • DISCLOSURE of AIDS Better Partial Than None. Better Full Than Partial!
    Issue No. 77 March 2005 DISCLOSURE OF AIDS ­ Better partial than none. Better full than partial! APDUSA VIEWS P O BOX 8888 CUMBERWOOD 3235 e­mail: [email protected] 1 DISCLOSURE OF THE CONDITION OF A PERSON STRICKEN WITH HIV/AIDS Introduction: There has been a great deal of publicity generated about the disclosure by Mr Nelson Mandela that his son, Mr Makgatho Mandela, had died of HIV/Aids. Newspapers used front page headlines to narrate the event. Editorials sang Mandela’s praise for the courage shown in making the disclosure. Radio show journalists competed with each other for composing the highest degree of praise they could muster for the man. Is the matter as straightforward as it appears to be? A conscious public never takes media presentation at its face value. There are, almost invariably, many forces and motives working behind the scene. The discerning reader will always pause and seek hidden meaning through analysis and contemplation. PLACING EVENTS IN CONTEXT 1. It is necessary to look at the wider picture and try and place events in the context of that picture. The wider picture is that there is a deep split within the ANC. It has been there for well over twenty years. That split in turn is a manifestation of a split in the South Africa Communist Party. 2. Among the leading figures in the one faction have been and/or are Govan Mbeki (now late), Raymond Mhlaba (also late), Joe Gqabi (deceased) and their successors, Thabo Mbeki, Dr. Dlamini­Zuma, Joel Netshitenzhe, Patrick Lekota, the Pahad brothers, Essop and Aziz, Jabu Moleketi, Mrs Geraldine Fraser­ Moleketi.
    [Show full text]
  • Epsilontktafraljemtjto Spmormlkwduion MEMBERS of the Bermuda Industrial Union Have Been Invited "THE COUNCIL on Bylaverne Rasmusseu, I.E Nationauty, Age, Etc
    Vol. 30. No. 5. HAMILTON, BERMUDA— FRIDAY, JAN. 7, 2005 Price: 25 CENTS EpsilonTktaFraljemtjto spmorMlKwdUion MEMBERS OF the Bermuda Industrial Union have been invited "THE COUNCIL on ByLaVERNE Rasmusseu, i.e nationaUty, age, etc. to partidpate in the Mar­ Hemispheric Affairs FURBERT tin Luther King, Jr. Me­ (COHA) specializes in in­ 2. What is her position morial/Big Brothers and fluencing the media. Its with the Council of H«ni- Big Sisters of Bermuda director, Larry Bims, has sphaic Aflfeurs? Walkathon that will take earned a reputation with 3.Why did she choose place Saturday, January Washingtonians, both in the topic of Bennuda's in­ 22 at 2 p.m, according to Congress and the media, dependence? What was the a news release from the for his tenaciousness in purpose of her/his analy­ President ofthe Chapter, acquiring and brokering sis? DR. MARTIN 4.What were her Mr. Aubrey Permyman leaks — leaks which in­ LUTHER KINQ JR. variably embarrass the sources for her analysis? The Walkathon is be­ Did she speak with anyone The President said United States." Ashley ing sponsored by the Ep- in Bermuda or did she just that the proceeds raised Rasmussesi, the author of silon Theta Lambda use the local newspapers? will be divided between the "analysis" on Indepen­ PREMIER ALEX SCOTT Chapter of Alpha Phi Al­ Has she ever visited Ber­ dence for Bermuda that by a known controversial pha FratCTnity and will the MLK Memorial in muda and she ever had a was given extensive cov­ organization," Premier mark the 50th anniver­ Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • South AFRICA's Struggle: the OMISSION and COMMISSION of Truth About AIDS
    8 South Africa’s Struggle: the omission and commission of truth about aids A nation, previously divided by race, now threatens to be destabilised by gender inequality, violence, and disease. A truly African solution would be to set up an HIV truth and reconciliation commission, where under strong health policy and scientific leadership, everyone could come together and reach a consensus on how best to draw a line under past misguided views and to move forward with convincing strategies. Only then can South Africa’s leaders give hope to future generations.1 ‘to Appear like normal illness’ In 1987, the President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda announced that his son, Gwebe, had died of AIDS.2 ‘It does not need my son’s death to appeal to the international community to treat the question of AIDS as a world problem’, the senior Kaunda said.3 The epidemic that had begun in northern central Africa was rapidly making its way south. In that year, there were approximately 51 cases of AIDS known in South Africa.4 18 years later, Nelson Mandela’s son, Makgatho Mandela, died on 6 January 2005. Two of Africa’s best known and greatest former presidents had lost their sons to AIDS. In the intervening years, HIV prevalence in South Africa had rocketed from near zero to as many as 5.5 million people who were estimated to be living with HIV at the end of 20045, while perhaps 1.5 million had already died6 by the time Nelson Mandela lost his son. Mandela, who had made efforts to ‘normalise’ the image of AIDS in South Africa, and who had campaigned for AIDS to be recognised and treated like any other disease, said at his son’s funeral, Let us give publicity to HIV/Aids and not hide it, because [that is] the only way to make it appear like a normal illness.7 It was exceptionally important for Nelson Mandela to say this, but he should not have had to say it all.
    [Show full text]
  • Mandela the Lawyer
    MANDELA THE LAWYER Proudly brought to you by www.lawyer.co.za the leading free information website about lawyers and the law in South Africa today. Research the law or find a Law Firm. Introduction For over two decades, from 1941 to 1961, Nelson Mandela was a member of the organized legal profession in South Africa: an articled clerk, a professional assistant, a sole practitioner and well as practicing in partnership. In 1939, aged 21 years, when he commenced his studies at Fort Hare University, he had arrived courtesy of Regent Jongintaba’s vehicle – in 1964, just more than 25 years later, he would arrive at Robben Island courtesy of a military transport plane. This is the story of Nelson Mandela, an Attorney at Law by profession and a professional revolutionary by evocation! Mandela the Lawyer Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 at Mvezo, a tiny village on the banks of the Mbase River, in the district of Umtata, and spent most of his early years at Qunu His father’s family were members of the royal clan and councillors to the Thembu king. They traced their lineage to King Ngubengcuka (c1790-1830) who had united the Thembu kingdom, which was a loose agglomeration of chieftaincies. Nelson Mandela was aged nine when his father, Henry Gadla died. Shortly before his death his father had arranged for the young Mandela to live with the Thembu Paramount Chief- Jongintaba, the regent of the Paramount Kingdom. The Rondavel at The Great Place Mandela's guardian in Mqhekezweni where Mandela Jongintaba Dalindyebo, who lived as a child, in the raised him, following his care of Jongintaba father's death At the age of 16 he underwent the circumcision ceremony in the mountains that brought him into manhood.
    [Show full text]
  • Breaking Taboo, Mandela Reveals Son Died of AIDS
    Breaking Taboo, Mandela Reveals Son Died Of AIDS By MICHAEL WINES January 6, 2005 SALT ROCK, South Africa, Jan. 6 — Nelson Mandela, who has devoted much of his life after leaving South Africa’s presidency to a campaign against AIDS, said today that his 54-year-old son had died of the disease in a Johannesburg clinic. The son, Makgatho L. Mandela, who was a lawyer, had been seriously ill for more than a month, but the nature of his ailment had not been made public before his death today. At a news conference in the garden of his Johannesburg home, the elder Mr. Mandela, 86, said that he was revealing the cause of his son’s death to focus more public attention on AIDS, which is still a taboo topic among many South Africans. To keep the illness secret would wrongly imply that it is shameful, he said. “That is why I have announced that my son has died of AIDS,” he said. “Let us give publicity to H.I.V./AIDS and not hide it, because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and say somebody has died because of H.I.V./AIDS, and people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary for which people go to hell and not to heaven.” Mr. Mandela gave the statement surrounded by his family, including his wife, Graca Machel, his daughter Makaziwe and his grandchildren. Makgatho was Mr. Mandela’s only surviving son; his younger son, Thembekile, died in an auto accident in 1969, shortly after Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • The Indian Army (IA, Hindi: भभरततय थलससनभ, Bhāratīya Thalsēnā) Is the Land-Based Branch and the Largest Component of the Indian Armed Forces
    The Indian Army (IA, Hindi: भभरततय थलससनभ, Bhāratīya Thalsēnā) is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India serves as Commander-in-Chief of the army, and it is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four-star general. Two officers have been conferred the rank of Field marshal, a Five-star rank, which is a ceremonial position of great honour. The Indian Army originated from the armies of the East India Company, which eventually became the British Indian Army and finally the national army after independence. The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in a number of battles and campaigns across the world, earning a large number of battle and theatre honours before and after Independence.[4] The primary mission of the Indian Army is to ensure national security and unity, defending the nation from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders. It conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other disturbances, like Operation Surya Hope, and can also be requisitioned by the government to cope with internal threats. It is a major component of national power alongside the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.[5] The army has been involved in four wars with neighbouring Pakistan and one with China. Other major operations undertaken by the army include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot and Operation Cactus. Apart from conflicts, the army has conducted large peace time exercises like Operation Brasstacks and Exercise Shoorveer, and it has also been an active participant in numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions including the ones in Cyprus, Lebanon, Congo, Angola, Cambodia, Vietnam, Namibia, El Salvador, Liberia, Mozambique and Somalia.
    [Show full text]