Why Delhi was a big draw for Martin Luther King and Mandela

Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr never met, but had a common link through Mahatma Gandhi and the city of Delhi.

Champion of civil rights Martin Luther King Jr visited the city in 1959, while Mandela arrived after 27 years in prison, in 1990. They attended several programmes and paid homage at the Samadhi of their inspiration, Gandhi.

When Mandela arrived in Delhi for the first time, the city welcomed him like a returning hero. The author had the honour of covering this historic visit and witnessed people’s admiration for the icon of struggle for human rights.

“Mandela visited important sites, laid a wreath at Gandhi’s memorial, and held talks that strengthened ties between India and South Africa during first first visit to Delhi. The visit was not just diplomatic. It was emotional. Mandela left Delhi with new friendships, and India gained a lasting ally in the cause of human rights,” recalls veteran journalist Sunil Negi.

An enduring relationship

Mandela’s first visit was followed by visits in 1995 and 2001. In 2001, he received the International Gandhi Peace Prize. These visits reinforced the deep friendship and brought fresh energy to cooperation in trade, education and culture.

Every year, on July 18, the world celebrates Nelson Mandela International Day. This year, too, Delhi will remember Mandela with talks and seminars.

Mandela Day apart, the Capital has some landmark symbols of him. Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi is a street named after him, and the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia University serves as a hub for studies on peace, human rights and South African history. The latter was established by Professor Mushir ul Hasan, the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia.

A pilgrimage to Delhi

Twenty one years before Mandela’s maiden visit to Delhi, Martin Luther King Jr arrived in Delhi with his wife, Coretta Scott King. This was no ordinary tour. At Rajghat, he told waiting reporters, “To other countries I may go as a tourist, but to India I come as a pilgrim.”

He was moved to tears while placing a wreath there. Gandhian leaders and officials gave the couple a warm welcome.

During his stay, he met Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Vice President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. King also addressed students and the people of Delhi on the power of non-violent change. He walked the streets where great ideas of freedom had taken root. He continued his tour across India but returned to Delhi before departing on March 18, 1959. The couple stayed at the Janpath Hotel. Today, the office of Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts and Culture operates from the Janpath Hotel building.

“King’s time in Delhi was short but profound. It linked the struggles of Black Americans with India’s own fight against injustice,” noted peace activist Kaatsu Saan.

A shared legacy

On Nelson Mandela Day, Delhi organises programmes honouring both leaders. Young people are encouraged to learn about courage and forgiveness.

“Their legacies of hope, dignity, and unity live on in the city’s symbols and spirit. In a world still seeking justice, their visits remind us that freedom’s call echoes across time and place,” says Feroze Bakhat Ahmad, former Chancellor of Maulana Azad Urdu University, Hyderabad.

As another July 18 arrives, it is perhaps time to remember how the two great men found inspiration and friendship in India’s capital.