Mahatma Gandhi spent twenty years in South Africa. In June 1893, he went to Pretoria in the Transvaal, a journey which took him to Pietermaritzburg. He bought a first class ticket and took his seat in a first-class compartment. Railway officials ordered him to move to the van compartment, since non-whites were not permitted in first-class compartments. Gandhi protested and produced his ticket, but was warned that he would be forcibly removed if he did not make a gracious exit. He refused to comply with the order, he was pushed out of the train, and his luggage tossed on the platform in the extremely bitter cold of the winter. Mahatma Gandhi says that this experience changed the course of his life.

Man is capable of staying positive in any situation. He can manage negative experiences and convert them into positive ones.

He became a champion of the anti-apartheid movement, an important part of his freedom struggle that started in 1920. Although the experience was violent in nature, his response was positive. He adopted non-violence for his anti-apartheid campaign.

Mahatma Gandhi’s approach points towards the capacity of man. Man is capable of staying positive in any situation. He can manage negative experiences and convert them into positive ones. This is the art of emotion management, the great secret of success.