In India, Archbishop Tutu awarded Gandhi Peace Prize

(01 Feb. 2007) : Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the legendary South African leader and freedom fighter, has been conferred the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2005. India’s President A P J Abdul Kalam gave the award to the fiery opponent of apartheid during a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday. According to the citation released on the occasion, “The 2005 Gandhi Peace Prize is being awarded to Nobel Laureate and Human Rights Activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in recognition of his invaluable contribution towards social and political transformation and forging equality in South Africa through dialogue and tolerance. He has been a tireless and staunch exponent of Mahatma Gandhi’s methodology of non-violent action.” The citation further said, “Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a rare person who has kept the faith in the efficacy of Truth and Non-Violence alive and inspired hope that in these testing times mankind’s salvation lies in the application of the power of Satyagraha.” Born on October 7, 1931, Archbishop Tutu was the first black person to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa. He rose to world-wide fame as an opponent of apartheid who adopted non-violent means. For his role as a unifying leader figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October, 1984. After the fall of apartheid he headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for which he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999.