An international peace walk in honour of Gandhi and Mandela
Walking for peace Walking for peace
Durban - Four Indian nationals and a Japanese citizen, in South Africa for the first time, are on an adventure of a lifetime.
They are trekking through the nooks and crannies of the country on a mission to promote the message, that through non-violence the world can achieve peace.
Nitin Sonawane, 27, of Pune, India, has walked more than 20 000km in several countries over the past few months, including India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Japan, to celebrate the life, times and teachings of peace icons Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
Sonawane started the South African leg of the peace walk on October 2 (the 149th birth anniversary of Gandhi) at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg and was accompanied by fellow Indian nationals, Yogesh Mathuria, 61, a former Microsoft employee; Sangram Patil, 26, an MBA student; and Jalandhernath Channol, 44, of the Gandhi Ashram.
Japanese Buddhist monk, Ikeda, 39, is also part of the peace walk.
Sonawane, who arrived from Peru in September, said they are armed with tents and sleeping bags.
He said they spent certain nights with host families "when in big towns", while on other nights, they camped out under the stars. They will spend tonight outside the Winterton SAPS.
The group will be in Estcourt on Friday and Pietermaritzburg on November 2 before making their way to Durban on November 8, where they will meet Gandhi's granddaughter, Ela, at the Durban City Hall at around 4pm.
Their final destination, he added, would be Mandela's birthplace of Mvezo in the Eastern Cape on November 30.
His next venture would be in Zimbabwe - followed by other countries - with the walk culminating in Lahore, Pakistan, on October 2, 2019, which would mark the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.
Asked what their menu comprised, he laugh.
"Not much. Some of us are vegan and others vegetarian, so it's bread and peanut butter, or avocados or cucumbers. It's a lot of vegetables."
They did enjoy a treat today, he said. "We had some vegetables with rice."
Two more Indian nationals are expected to join them on the peace walk on November 1.