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Book on Indians' contribution to South African history
By Fakir Hassen, Indo-Asian News Service

Johannesburg, Oct 17 (IANS) A new book highlighting the contribution of Indians to South Africa's history may become part of the national curriculum.

The book "Sunrise to Sunset" has been written by South African Indian author and historian Shireen Munsamy.

Mahindra South Africa, the local subsidiary of Indian giant Mahindra and Mahindra, has sponsored publication of 1,600 copies of the book that will be placed in school libraries. 

At the launch of the book at the Indian Consulate-General's office here, Mahindra South Africa CEO Vijay Nakra said Munsamy's book served as a lesson to South Africans of all races that hardships could be overcome, given the triumph of the first Indians who arrived in the country in 1860 as sugarcane plantation workers.

"By sponsoring this poignant book, Mahindra feels that we are contributing towards enabling the future generations (of South Africans) to understand the struggles that their forefathers went through to ensure their freedom and dignity," Nakra said.

Human Rights Commission head Jody Kollapen was present at the function.

Although there is strong support from representatives of the provincial Gauteng Department of Education for using the book as a reference work in schools, other provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, where the majority of Indians live, have not yet indicated this. 

Munsamy said talks were on with the National Department of Education to make the book an official school textbook across the nation.

She said her book put in perspective the contribution of Indians to South Africa's history, culture and economy unlike previous texts in the apartheid era that have been withdrawn since the advent of democracy a decade ago.

Earlier textbooks, written by apartheid era whites, painted a poor and largely incorrect picture of the contributions of early South African Indians.