As a kid the image that one had of South Africa was that of the Kimberly diamonds, aparthied and Nelson Mandela's struggle against it. While growing up, the picture changed.

With the oppressive Pretoria regime giving way to today's Rainbow nation, it was the likes of Kepler Wessels, Allan Donald, Johnty Rhodes and recently Makhya Ntini, who captured the imagination (Oh yes how can we forget Charlize Theron?). Although there was always this question--has the country been able to overcome a painful past and is it really a nation of mixed colours and equality not an issue anymore?

So, there were a lot of questions in the mind while landing at Johannesburg. More so, after reading up about the crimes--the muggings and thefts in the city on the net before leaving for the city. Yet, the beautiful autumn weather, the carpet of yellow leaves underneath the maple tress and the squeaky clean roads that meandered up and down the slopes of the city conveyed a message -- this could not be as bad as imagined. Nevertheless, one was advised not to drop guard and follow instructions strictly.

Signs like Please do not venture out alone after dark. Do not flash watches, camera, jewellery etc, Do not carry much cash in the pocket -- written in bolds at the reception of the Courtyard Inn at Rosebank, supposedly among the calmer areas of Jo'burg, did enough to drive up the fear psychosis. With the streets bearing a deserted look throughout the day and shops shutting at 6 pm, one felt it was advisable to stick to the instructions.

A visit to Soweto, (yes, the famous township in the South West of Johannesburg where students lead the uprising against apartheid) told the Story of 21st Centuty South Africa--how the country was undergoing social engineering to overcome pangs of history, fighting against the dreaded disease HIV/AIDS, which was on the verge of wiping out generations--a situation which reminded of Manipur's own struggle against the same.

"Fifteen years back I could not have been here. But since 1994 I have lost count of the number of times I have been here," Johan, the white cabbie, narrated as he drove us towards the heart of Soweto.

"Not really. I am usually at home before dark," he replied when asked if he came there after dark. Fair enough.

He proudly showed us the University of the Witwatersrand, the Bhagwanath Hospital and St John's EyeHospital, which according to him was the best opthalmic hospital in the world, as he drove the Volkswagen combi towards one of the most famous streets of Soweto--the Vilakazi street.

"It has the address of two of the most famous South Africans," he quipped, even as he pointed out that the slums on the way were settlements of "squatters" who have illegally migrated from countries like Nigeria, Botswana, Mozambique etc.

Vilkazi Street: Yes it did have two Big Addresses. One that of Nelson Mandela and the other that of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Mandela no longer stayed at the four room house. It has been converted to a museum giving visitors like our group a chance to get a hands on experience of his fight against apartheid.

Samora, the museum guide, looked more like an MTV VJ and even more humorous. All of 22 years, he told what all Mandela did at that house--like how he skilfullly lived with his two wives Evelyn and Winnie (of course not at the same time)--as if the old man was his childhood buddy. On a more serious note, it was the house where the seeds of fight against aparthied was sowed. Sadly, it was not the original house, but a reconstruction.

"It was petrol bombed twice and burnt down," Samora told us.

The visit at the house gave an opportunity to sit across the very table where Mandela charted out plans for his struggle; see his bedroom where he came to slept once in while during his underground days; the kitchen where Winnie used to make food for her husband and accomplices and the Siyaya suppliers, the grochery across the street where she used to sell household items to support their children--an assertion that struggle against the parthed regime was not a cakewalk.

A visit to the Hector Pieterson Museum, set up in the memory of the schoolboy who died in the June 17, 1976 uprising, reminded of how Mandela's thoughts were shared by even children in schools, fighting for equality and refused to be discriminated based on the colour of their skin.

That's all history now. Today, as mentioned before, social engineering is the key to the country's policy as it tries to provide a level playing fieled to all its citizens irrespective of their skin colour. The blacks are referred to as Previuosly Disadvantaged Individual (PDI) and government has got special policy to uplift them.

The biggest struggle before for the South Africas today, however, is the HIV/AIDS disease. With every one out of four in the working age group of 15-65 years affected by the disease, alarm bells are ringing to be heard, and a place like Manipur would do well to listen to that. Generations are threatened to be wiped out. Although the mode of infection of the disease are different in South Africa and Manipur, the end results are the same.

Infected widows, orphans were counting their days and men were paying the price for whatever they did. Very much the story that one had heard from corners of Imphal.

Fortunately, for the South Africans, the percentage is coming down. 26 per cent sometime back, is coming down to near 20s.

But what's happening back home in Manipur? One wondered while still miles away, across the Arabian Sea.

The South Africans tell themselves practice safe sex, use condoms, avoid multiple partners. Manipuris can very well tell their youths SAY NO TO DRUGS, STOP SHARING SYRINGES.

Read next Part : A date with Africa's wild animals here.