…………..he that laboureth right for love of Me
Shall finally attain! But, if in this
Thy faint heart fails, bring Me thy failure!
THE SONG CELESTIAL
A year has gone by since the fateful thirtieth of
January when an assassin’s hand struck down the apostle of peace. India has not
yet recovered from the shock of that moment. Outwardly life has been much the
same as before. Problems like Kashmir and Hyderabad, strikes and the threat of
strikes, inflation and food-shortage, have engaged the attention of the
Government and the people. Inter-Dominion Conferences between India and
Pakistan have been held to settle outstanding questions. Commissions are going
round the country to plan the future of education or determine the
re-distribution of Provinces. But at every turn the men at the helm of the
State have missed the voice that is stilled in death.
Truth, to Gandhiji, was God, and non-violence was
both means and end. The establishment of peace and friendliness among
nations,–the eternal dream of all idealists,–could be achieved only by pursuing
the path of peace. Strife leads to further strife, and peace imposed by the
method of war can bring no lasting good. The winning of freedom for India by
peaceful means is the first step towards that universal good which consists in
the resolution of all strife by negotiation. The United Nations Organisation is
a great force working for peace. If the spirit of Gandhiji can guide the
nations, the dream of brotherhood will come true.
What Gandhiji realised in the realm of the spirit
needs to be transformed into a gospel of life in every sphere of human
endeavour. The heirs to the Gandhian tradition have therefore to prove
themselves worthy of that heritage. This day of prayer is also a day of
re-dedication to the ideals that moved the mightiest man of the century, May
the light lit by him shine for ever!
For the first time after centuries of suppression,
the East has asserted itself. The Conference that met at New Delhi under the
leadership of Pandit Nehru was not an assembly of subject nations seeking
redress of grievances; nor was it an instrument for the massing of the military
power of the East as against the West. It was not designed, as some feared, as
a rival organisation seeking to upset the U.N.O. and its plans. On the other
hand, it was convened for the express purpose of clarifying important issues
facing the Security Council in respect of the Netherlands-Indonesian dispute.
The Governments or Asia are vitally interested in an early and equltable
settlement of the dispute. The days of Colonial empires are over; the East has
come into its own. Any effort to perpetuate the thraldom of countries like
Indonesia must be resisted. It is a welcome sign that India is using her
new-won freedom for organising the East, and for strengthening the hands of the
U.N.O.
In violation of all agreements, the Dutch swooped
upon the Indonesian Republic, imprisoned its lawful Government, and ravaged the
land. They paid no heed to emergent resolutions of the Security Council to
release the Republican leaders, and to withdraw their own troops to positions
previously occupied by them. Further, they treated with contempt the Good
Offices Commission and denied them facilities for accomplishing their mission.
The Security Council, swayed by the Big powers, hesitated to take strong action
against Holland. It was against this background that the Asian Conference met
at New Delhi. Its resolutions indicate the correct attitude to be taken by the
Security Council. They are marked by restraint and a desire to smoothen
matters. Complete freedom for Indonesia by the beginning of next year is the
main objective. The liquidation of the Dutch power must be brought about under
the direction of the U.N.O. The Good Offices Commission has already transformed
itself into a Commission for carrying out the behests of the Security Council.
But even after the lead given by the united voice of Asia, the discussions at
Lake Success are being prolonged. The Dutch continue to take up the impossible
position that this is a ‘domestic affair’ and that their troops must dominate
the occupied territory in order to restore peace.
The Asian nations have set the pace to the rest of
the world. By the way the Indonesian dispute is settled, will the U.N.O. be
judged. It is not the Big powers with their vested interests and their
perpetual wranglings that will fulfil the destiny of the U.N.O. It is the
smaller nations uninterested in power politics, and the nations of the East
throbbing with the spirit of freedom, that must play their part. The voice of
Asia must prevail, because it is the voice of peace.
Cast in different moulds but working towards
similar objectives, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru of Allahabad and Sri G. A. Natesan of
Madras left the impress of their personalities on modern India. Sri Natesan
played the modest role of a journalist and publisher. He definitely turned away
from Government service in the days when entrance to it was easy and the
conditions were attractive. Nor did he choose the Law which was the passport to
public life. He gave himself to the business of editing The Indian Review with
the help of stalwarts like Krishnaswami Aiyar, Srinivasa Sastri and Ramanatha
Aiyar. Devoted to literary and political topics, the journal also served as a
record of monthly events in all spheres. But even greater than his journal was
the series of books which he poured forth in profusion. These enabled the
younger generation to know the life and work of our national leaders, and to
study their utterances. It is no exaggeration to state that these and the other
publications like the Gita, the Upanishads, and the Epics in a
convenient form, contributed to the cultural nourishment of many who are today
in the forefront of our public life. Sri Natesan was the friend of everyone and
the enemy of none. Of how few could this be said with truth! Belonging to the
Congress and then to the Liberal League, he held important positions in the
latter organisation. He was a prominent figure in the Senate of the Madras
University and the Corporation of Madras. He believed in quiet, steady work,
and in bringing together men of divergent temperaments in the interests of the
country.
Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru filled a greater role. He was
a scholar-statesman of the type of John Morely and Lord Rosebery. Brought up in
an atmosphere of courtliness, he was one of nature’s noblemen. In any assembly
he was among the foremost. He spread the aroma of poetry and learning, and
gathered round himself the elect of the land. His fame as a lawyer and
legislator, and as a student of political institutions was international. He
symbolised in himself the perfect blending of Indo-Islamic and European
cultures. But it was as a peace-maker that he will always be remembered. Along
with Dr. Jayakar he sought incessantly to bridge the gulf between the Congress
and the British Government. And he pursued this path even when success was not
easy. Sir Tej Bahadur was almost the last of the elder statesmen of India, who
worked for Indian freedom, and built up a tradition of purity and
gentlemanliness in Indian politics. Thus was he dear to Gandhiji and to
Gandhiji’s heir, Jawaharlal Nehru.
A form of entertainment how coming into vogue in
South India bears the name of ‘mono-acting’. By this is meant the assumption,
by a single individual, of different roles in the same scene. And since it is
not possible to effect a change of costume along with the change in tone and
attitude, the actor appears in his ordinary dress. Nor does he need the help of
lighting or stage-effects. He selects scenes from different plays and performs
all by himself. Years ago the late Chenga Reddi of Nellore attained distinction
in this field. He was a retired Police officer with a flair for acting. He
played Pyramus and Thisbe, or Othello and Desdemona with equal ease, and the
transition from one role to the other was achieved through a skilful modulation
of the voice. Scholars like Sir P. S. Sivaswamy Aiyer held him in esteem.
It is certainly appropriate that such entertainment
should be given in the Indian languages, utilising indigenous plays. An officer
in the Postal Department at Nagpur, Sri Vemuri Suryanarayana, has made this his
hobby. Living far away from his home-Province, and unable to gather a regular
troupe of Telugu artistes, he conceived the idea of memorising entire scenes
from the Telugu plays. During occasional visits to the Andhra districts, he
regales audiences by his brilliant performances. One has to see him as
Dasaratha, Kaikeyi and Mandara in the Paduka Pattabhishekam, or as
Rajanarendra and Chitrangi in Sarangadhara, or as Girisam, Venkatesam,
Agnihotravadhanulu and Buchamma in Kanyasulkam, to realise the immense
possibilities of this type of dramatic entertainment. With great skill, he
develops the mannerisms of each particular role, so that the audience follows
without effort the intricacies of the dialogue.
Sri Suryanarayana is himself a playwright and
commands an effective Telugu prose style. In addition, he is a careful student
of the Maharashtrian stage, and qualified to speak on its history and
technique, Amateur actors, students in college–all those who wish to entertain
groups of friends–might develop this talent 1or ‘mono-acting’, The talent
might, at a moment’s notice, be transferred to the regular, fully-equipped
stage, but it is best to preserve the peculiar gifts of the ‘mono-actor.’
It was at Gauhati in 1926 that an eminent lawyer of
the South, the late S. Srinivasa Iyengar, presided over the Indian National
Congress, After that, there was no wearer of the Congress crown from the
southern Provinces till an eminent doctor wore it at Jaipur. The gap was a
prolonged one, and this partly explains the enthusiasm with which the new
Rashtrapati was greeted in his recent tour. In the unceasing round of early
brought about a physical breakdown engagements two are of outstanding
significance. At Salem, he unveiled the portrait of Sri Vijayaraghavachariar,
and at Rajahmundry that of Sri N. Subba Rau pantulu. These veterans of the
early days of the Congress belonged to a generation earlier than that of the
Rashtrapathi; and they stood them in the position of path-finders. Congressmen
of the pre-Gandhian era are passing into oblivion, thought it was their
unselfish and life-long labours that made the advent of Gandhism possible. In
an atmosphere hostile to all nationalist activities, and with a wooden
bureaucracy ranged against them at every step, these heroes of the late
nineteenth century strove mightily to educate their countrymen into freedom and
good government. Now that their labours have borne fruit, they must be
enshrined in a grateful nation’s memory.
At Masulipatam, his home-town, the Rashtrapathi officiated at a quiet
function and paid affectionate homage to the memory of a valued friend–C.
Sundararamayya, unknown to fame but a scholar and publicist of rare ability. It
did one good to hear the Rashtrapathi speak of his departed collaborator and
acknowledge the debt he owed him. In the hurry and bustle of Presidential
tours, these solemn moments dwell in our memory, for they emphasise the
continuity of scholarly endeavour.
Masulipatam, February 1.