The book that inspired Mandela

Sonny Venketrathnam, a veteran Indian-origin political activist in South Africa, is pondering the future of a special book containing Willian Shakespeare's works which inspired Nelson Mandela and many others imprisoned on Robben Island during the apartheid era.
As the world celebrated the 400th birthday of the 17th century playwright last week, 82-year-old Venketrathnam wrestled with the choice of letting the well-worn volume of the 'Complete Works of Shakespeare' find its final place in a museum at his birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, or succumb to his family's insistence that it is a heirloom that needs to remain in the family.
What makes the collection special is that it served as inspiration to not just Venketrathnam and Mandela, but almost all the political leaders who were imprisoned on Robben Island.

Since books were not allowed in the prison, Venketrathnam covered it with pictures of Hindu deities from Diwali cards he received in prison and declared it to be a 'Bible', which scared off the Christian warders enough to allow it to remain with him.
Subsequently, the book was circulated to fellow prisoners, many of whom marked their favourite passages and signed it, leaving Venketrathnam with treasured memories after his release in 1979 following a six-year sentence for political activism.
Mandela chose a section in Julius Caesar which read: 'Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once.'

Although there have been many offers to buy the book, which was valued by insurers Lloyds of London at 25,000 pounds when it was exhibited twice in the UK in 2006 and 2012, Venketrathnam has consistently refused to part with it, regarding it to be the only asset that he has left.
Urged by fellow veteran activist Ahmed Kathrada to put the book into the public domain, Venketrathnam said he would like to give it to the museum at Stratford-upon-Avon, but his family wants to keep it as a lasting memory of his own legacy.