New Delhi, July 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Nelson Mandela Day on Saturday, paid tribute to the previous South African president, whom he delineated  as a “shining beacon of democracy”.

“Remembering the apostle of peace, a shining beacon of democracy and a champion of equality, the beloved Madiba on Nelson Mandela Day,” Modi aforesaid.

Mandela, an anti-apartheid revolutionary, was the president of South Africa between 1994 and 1999.

In 2009, the UN General Assembly declared July eighteen, Mandela’s birthday, as ‘Nelson Mandela International Day’ recognizing his contribution to peace and freedom.