‘The Triple Stream’ ¹

During moments of comparative leisure, when one number of Triveni is published and the next is not yet begun, the Editor waits languidly for the post, half-afraid to open the missives which may, after all, turn out to be unwelcome bills, and yet hoping, timidly that "there may be cheques!" The bitter has to be taken with the sweet, and one ought to be thankful that all is not bitter that comes through the post.

On rare occasions, the Fates are propitious; the eye is refreshed by the sight of a cheque for a hundred rupees. And when the giver enhances the value of his gift by coupling it with "my best wishes for your success in your noble endeavour,"
the pleasure is immense. Mr. M. R. Jayakar, peace-maker and prophet of federation, found time, just before he sailed for England, to write out his cheque and to send it with his best wishes. A month earlier he had written:

"During the brief leisure which I get, I glance through the Triveni with very great interest. I have been doing my best to recommend your Journal to friends in England who were seeking a means of finding out the latest literary and cultural activities of the Indian people. . . . I am personally in great sympathy with your effort, and I shall be very happy to send you Rs. 100 as my subscription for the Life Memhership. . . . I have a great opinion of the Triveni, and I do hope you will keep to the level which your Journal occupies at present. Owing to my political preoccupations it is not possible for me at present to send you any contributions, but later on when my time is less occupied, as I hope it will be, I expect to be able to send you something worthy of the high level which your Journal occupies."

Coming from a scholar and publicist of the first rank, such words of commendation are thrice welcome to an editor who is struggling desperately to keep his journal alive. The trouble and the suffering is great, but great too is the reward.

Another great friend of Triveni is Mr. C. Jinarajadasa who never misses an opportunity of putting in "a very warm word" on its behalf. In the "Watch Tower" Notes of The Theosophist for January 1930, he says:

"Among the many magazines published in India–almost every month a new one springs up—Triveni is in some ways the most distinguished for its quality and general appearance. It is pre-eminently a magazine of Indian Renaissance, and has already won admiration from such a severe critic as the London Times. Its editor has given his life completely to serve India by striking through the magazine a key-note of perfection in literature. For it is necessary in these days in the swift up-building of New India that grace and distinction should characterise the building. The Acting Editor of The Theosophist desires to speak a very warm word of appreciation for Triveni (on whose Editorial Board he happens to be), and recommend those out of India, as within India, who desire to see something of India's culture flowering in new ways, to view that flowering represented in the articles of the magazine.

With that utter thoroughness which we have learnt to associate with even the smallest of his acts, he is careful to add: "It is published at Gokhale Hall, Armenian Street, Madras." By his deeds, Mr. "C. J." has always shown himself as the Guardian Angel of the Triveni.

Messrs. Jayakar and Jinarajadasa belong to widely differing spheres of thought and action; but they have this in common, that they are both great lovers of culture. They possess kind hearts, which, in very truth, "are more than coronets."

For three weeks the entire Indian continent was in a state of agonised suspense, dreading the consequences of the Mahatma's self-imposed penance. Devout men and women the world over prayed fervently that in the end the spirit might triumph over the flesh. As the painful hours were counted and from day to day the doctors' bulletins were flashed across the wires, it became increasingly clear that the age of miracles is not past, and the Saint at ‘Parnakuti’ would be spared for the service of "God's Chosen"–the Harijans. In the early days of the non-co-operation movement of 1921, Gandhiji was in the habit of saying that in some future age he would, if necessary, be born again amongst the "untouchables" and lead a crusade on their behalf. But in this very birth, and in our own day, he has wrestled with Death and is in effect re-born to carry to victory the cause nearest his heart. It is not to be expected that the forces of reaction will be immediately converted or that they will retire from the citadel. But the great outpouring of love and energy that we have witnessed during the fast will cleanse the hearts of all. Today the Harijans are making rapid strides towards the attainment of the position that is theirs by right, and the transformation in the outlook of people everywhere is altogether phenomenal. With the thanksgiving of a resurgent nation must be combined the resolve to redress an ancient wrong.

After the fast, attention is once again being directed to the work of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Indian Reforms. Except for the presence of the Indian Delegation, the members of which occupy the position of assessors without a vote, everything reminds one of the Joint Committee of 1919. Every interest, big or small, and every school of thought, barring Congress, will lead evidence before the Committee. All our quarrels provincial, communal, or economic are to be fought out in London, and subjected to the arbitrament of Britain. A spectacle less edifying or more injurious to the self-respect of a great nation cannot be imagined. What robs the show of all sense of reality is the absence of the Congress. By some trick of legerdemain, the Round Table Conference, originally conceived as a meeting of the representatives of two nations for the purpose of drafting an agreed constitution has transformed itself into a Committee for the adjudication of the claims of Indians to a further installment of reforms. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru is not hopeful about any great improvement in the scheme of the White Paper which, as it stands, fails to satisfy him and his political comrades. He has uttered a warning that in the event of all progressive proposals being turned down, men like him would have to retire into obscurity. This, then, is obviously the last chance open to Britain to bridge the gulf between India and herself.

But even the White Paper scheme, utterly unsatisfactory as it is, is sought to be torpedoed by the Churchillites. According to them, British interests in India are in imminent danger of being submerged. A new league for defending and safeguarding them is an immediate necessity. And who can supply this need so effectively as Mr. Churchill and Lord Lloyd, the twin champions of Conservatism fighting heroically to save India for the Empire? Under their leadership are grouped several of the vainglorious men, who, long years ago, served in India as governors, civilians, soldiers, policemen, or tax-gatherers. The fight is directed against the White Paper which is believed to be a perilous adventure into un-charted seas. Whoever heard of any advance in human freedom without the "Devil's advocate" turning up to plead against it? Most of these sponsors of the India Defence League have eaten India's salt, dumped the less promising of their sons or nephews on the Indian services, and even today they are fattening on pensions charged to the Indian tax-payer. In India nobody takes the League seriously; neither in England, if we are to judge from the attitude of politicians of the stamp of Mr. Stanley Baldwin and Sir Samuel Hoare. And yet, they must beat the war-drum, put on the war-paint and rush to the Field of Mars. Their knowledge of India is ante-diluvian, their acquaintance with present day Indian problems pitifully inadequate. Their strength lies in their conceit; if permitted to intervene in matters of high policy, these enemies of freedom for India, Egypt, and Ireland will end by strangling the liberties of Britain. The League is one of the symptoms of a malignant disease which sometimes overtakes an empire; the enjoyment of unbridled power by little little men in far-off lands reacts in time on the heart of the Empire itself. Such unhealthy growths must be weeded out of the public life if the liberties of the homeland are to be safeguarded.

The Andhra Association of the Benares Hindu University celebrated its seventh anniversary on the 12th of February under the presidentship of Principal Dhruva. The members invited their compatriot Mr. K. Iswara Dutt, Assistant Editor of The Leader to deliver the valedictory address. In the intervals of proof-reading and leader-writing, Mr. Dutt managed to prepare an elaborate essay on "Andhra Public Life." Simultaneously his young hosts at Benares prepared an address of welcome, "a souvenir of affection and esteem" to Mr. Dutt whom they hailed as "one of the few brilliant young men in Andhra at the present day, on whom not only the credit of their province but the glory of the Motherland also depends. They took a peep into the future and hoped their guest would "achieve the same distinction as your gifted Editor-in-chief." The reference was to Mr. C. Y. Chintamani who had migrated to the United Provinces from Vizianagaram in Andhra, and was duly followed by Mr. Dutt of Rajahmundry (and not of Bengal as his name might suggest) a quarter of a century later. Thus the preparations on either side were complete. But as the auspicious moment approached Mr. Dutt fell ill; he stayed away at Allahabad. His speech was read by a deputy and the welcome address was conferred in absentia.

It is interesting for us to watch the careers of Andhras far away from their province. It must be even more interesting for them to watch the men and movements in the homeland. Mr. Dutt's survey is both detailed and illuminating; and its literary excellence enhances its charm. After enumerating the achievements of the Andhras in all walks of life, and mentioning individual Andhras from Mr. N. Subba Rao Pantulu, Sir S. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya down to the humble writer of these notes, he raises a problem:

"By what subtle alchemy then has so much of personal excellence in Andhra been transmuted into collective effervescence? How is it that we are, in spite of our bright achievements, still a backward and neglected people?"

With commendable frankness he tries to solve the riddle:

"Our interest in anything is seldom sustained. And we have little or no capacity for organised team-work. Therein, if you ask me, lies our failure. It is true that we have fine and sometimes generous impulses, but what about cantankerousness and fissiparousness? It is true that we have something of the emotionalism of the Bengalis and something of the intellectuality of the Tamils, but have we the Bengalis’ enterprise and the Tamils’ perseverance? It is of course a fact–and let us have the courage to say it—that it is much more true of Andhra than of the Germans, of whom it is said that no one ever really likes another. Our patriotism is marred by a mawkish sentimentality. We have almost an open contempt for practicality. And our activities have a fatal tendency to verge on excess. Little wonder that with such failings as I have ventured to enumerate we are where we are. To add to our misfortunes, there is little atmosphere and less opportunity for talent in Andhra, particularly because we have no province of our own."

All this must cause a searching of hearts. Mr. Dutt is not a cynic; he has not "set down aught in malice." But being somewhat removed from the main currents of Andhra cultural life, he has failed to perceive that in the literary and artistic Renaissance of today, Andhra is pre-eminent in South India. Admittedly, she is running a close race with Bengal or Maharashtra. Nevertheless, Mr. Dutt's analysis is, in the main, correct, and every thinking Andhra should "read, mark; and inwardly digest" his remarks. To facilitate this process, the Andhra Association of the Benares Hindu University has published Mr. Dutt's essay as a pamphlet and made it available for two annas. It ought to be in everybody's hands.

One sign of the revival of interest in fine arts and handicrafts is the recent holding of art exhibitions in centres like Kumbhakonam, Bangalore and Madras. The organisers are young enthusiasts who spare no pains to make the exhibitions fairly representative of the different Art Schools in the country. But nearly always, they meet with very inadequate response from the public. Many people drop in casually and ‘look round’, but few think it worth while to purchase a picture or other work of art. The prices are very reasonable because the artists are aware of the prevailing conditions. Even the rich–some of them are professed art-lovers–do not deem it their duty to encourage struggling artists. Apart from all considerations of patronage, it ought to be a pleasure to own some beautiful object, and adorn your home with it, instead of crowding the halls with cheap, gaudy prints or calendars. Frankly, few people realise that an original picture is more precious than a print, or that a portrait-sketch by an artist a greater work of art than a mere photograph. In such matters, the artistic conscience of the public needs to be awakened. Beauty in everyday life, in the simple household utensils and bits of furniture, has to be preached as a cult! More is the pity when we know that India is supremely a land of beauty and simplicity, her exquisite handicrafts being in some ways the crown of her achievement.