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This is how Richard Attenborough saw the incident in his 1982 film Gandhi.

It's an indelible part of history. On June 7 in 1893, a young lawyer from India was travelling from Durban to Pretoria for work. He bought a first class ticked and got himself a seat in the first class compartment. A European entered the apartment and upon seeing the young man who looked like a "coolie", called the railway authorities and asked that he be removed from the compartment.

The Indian man refused. For this protest, he was thrown off the train with his bag and baggage at Pietermaritzburg railway station.

Of course, it was this incident led to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's staying 21 years in South Africa fighting for civil rights. In his autobiography My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi wrote, "It was winter. The cold was extremely bitter. I began to think of my duty. Should I fight for my rights or go back to India, or should I go on to Pretoria without minding the insults, and return to India after finishing the case? It would be cowardice to run back to India without fulfilling my obligation."

A hundred and twenty-three years after that incident, a fire broke out at the historic railway station. The extent of damage and possible cost has not yet been determined. Investigations into the cause will take place after the flame has been extinguished.

“The whole roof caught alight and our firefighters spent hours containing the blaze,” said Divisional Officer of the local fire department Lincoln Pennells. "Thankfully, the premises are not being used by anyone."

Let's hope history has not gone up in flames. Here's a glimpse of the station during the celebration of Gandhi's 142nd birth anniversary.

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