Just two trains, one in the morning and one in the evening, now pass the Pietermaritzburg railway station, which retains its old colonial-style building. A wooden-floored waiting hall remains unoccupied, and the ticket counters are mostly deserted, but the place is crowded with historical evidence. This is the place where Barrister Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had been thrown out of the first-class compartment more than 100 years ago.

Since June 7, 1893, the railway platform has been the venue of prominent protests, even during the South African freedom struggle. There’s a significant Gandhi community in South Africa, and station manager David Gengan clearly remembers the process of reconstructing exactly what had happened to mark the event’s centenary.

“Actually, there was quite some confusion over the correct spot where Gandhi was ejected from the train, because people were of the opinion that the importance of the place lies in identifying that exact place. So we set up a team of scholars to research the subject. We went backwards because there were just eight compartments in the steamers, identified where the first-class compartment would have stopped, and zeroed in on it to build a plaque,” he says.

Incidentally, the plaque is built on Platform 1, instead of Platform 2 where the incident occurred. “It would’ve been impossible for visitors to go across and see it. So we built a memorial parallel to the spot, which is why we say ‘in the vicinity of this plaque’,” adds Gengan.

Gandhi had himself recalled the incident in 1939. “One experience that changed the course of life...What was my duty? Should I go back to India or go forward with god as my helper and face whatever was in store for me. I decided to stay and suffer. My active non-violence started from that date,” he had written.

Sourav Ganguly and the Indian cricket team had come on a steam engine to inaugurate the plaque during the World Cup in 2003. “I remember the last time I was there. I remember how we went on the steamer,” Ganguly said. “I really wanted to go there again this time but I didn’t get the time. In the IPL, with so many matches, it became difficult.”

India went on to reach the final of the 2003 tournament. On Tuesday, Ganguly was slated to go to the same place again, and be a part of a practice match for the Kolkata Knight Riders. But the trip didn’t materialise because KKR’s kitbags didn’t arrive on time.