‘The Triple Stream’

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

The air is thick with plans for the future–big plans costing astronomical figures. There are the reconstruction plans of the Govt. of India, of Provincial and States Governments: there is the 1,500 crore plan of the Bombay industrialists, and others along the same lines. The figures involved need not stagger us–the area to be covered is vast, the work to be put through is enormous. And everyone now realises that piecemeal measures, mere nibbling at particular ends, cannot set India on her feet again, healthy, happy and prosperous, and put her in her rightful place in the world.

Most of the plans so far put forward are predominantly for reconstructing economic life. There is, of course, the Sargent Plan–but even that designed only for the young of the nation: the school-going population and has a “departmental” outlook.

A thorough system of national education and rehabilitation of economic life, in fact, all schemes conceived on a grand scale, need for their successful undertaking and fruition the human factor, a widespread awakening. The nation must feel the urge of a new life, the glow of great things to come and the confidence of marching forward with hope and cheer to a better state. Tagore once spoke, with reference to finely constructed educational programmes, that “the canals were dug but water refuses to flow”! The momentum of a mass movement is necessary before any scheme, however cleverly conceived and expertly designed, can irrigate the entire life of the nation from one end to the other.

The establishment of a national government has been generally recognised as the prerequisite for taking on hand national reconstruction of a far-reaching character. That alone can generate the energy required for a herculean task. But other conditions calculated to provide the man-power are equally if not more important.

Today in India, the preponderating majority live away from big cities and towns, like poor relations or suppliants waiting for crumbs that fall from the tables of their rich ‘masters’ living in towns.

A reversal of this position, psychologically speaking, is urgently called for. That India lives in villages has become a trite saying that is so often repeated as to fail to appeal with the full force of its living significance to the dweller in towns. They who ‘toil and spin’ are our masters: and they have to be enabled to live a full life again. Educational plans that affect the young are all right and economic plans, though they may at first flush may rouse the suspicion so common in the villages, that the towns folk are at some big game to increase their exploitation and the burden of taxation are no less urgently called for. But the primary need is a charter, widely and unequivocally proclaimed, which guarantees self-determination and self-government to the villages. The gulf that divides rural and urban India in life and thought, even in language and dress, habits and ways of life and means of amusement and recreation–this has to be bridged–or built over with causeways so that the town-dweller may come to realise in actual fact that he is of the same land as the village-dweller, who is indeed the truer citizen of the land and provides the matrix in which the national life is cast. Such identification is not easy unless the town-dweller de-educates himself and sheds a great deal of the imitative trappings of mind and body in which he is swathed. Any economic proposition proceeding from the city-dweller frightens the average village-dweller and fills him with apprehension. But the approach through language and song, art and religion–all the things which may be comprehensively termed the ‘humanities’–strikes a responsive chord in his heart. This is the causeway that has to be put across–and trodden by the city and town-dwellers to reach the heart of rural India–the real India. In past days, during periods of national upheaval, an army of unpaid propagandists and preachers with the name of God on their lips, and the call to Dharma as their battle-cry scoured the land and created the national front for mighty undertakings. The genius of India responded, because the language and them were familiar. The content of the message may be different today but the method of approach and the agencies to be employed have to be much the same.

May not, then, a few crores be made available to create such agencies to revivify Indian languages, Indian art and culture, rural life and institutions that preserve the peculiar characteristics of the people? Only thus may India grow into a good and great country and yet remain true to her special genius of peace and goodwill: of each for all, and all for each.

ALL INDIA MODERN WRITERS CONFERENCE

A manifesto has been issued by Dr, G. V. Chitnis, addressed to Modern Indian Writers which invites all creative artists in India to resist the attempt to introduce regimentation of artistic work, which is a matter of free individual expression, and to make literary people camp-followers of a particular political party and calling them “Progressive Writers”. The manifesto defines creative art as an “expression of individual yearnings in conflict with the traditional forms of social life which hold the individual in bondage”, contrasts art with propaganda, which is coercive in its outlook, and shows how scientific progress has revolutionised life and its values. It makes a fervent appeal to Indian writers to take their due share in bringing about a psychological revolution, Says the manifesto: “Art is essentially the most subtle of psychological weapons. Freedom is the very life-breath of artistic creations. If the Indian writers and artists can succeed in integrating their mind with the momentous force of freedom that is gathering strength in India and abroad they will be able to present through their art, a new vision of India and the world, out of which will emerge a new social consciousness necessary for the reconstruction of the world on a human and progressive basis. The new revolution which the world needs is fundamentally a psychological revolution”.

We are glad to note that “it is proposed to bring out in book form a short history dealing with modern tendencies in all provincial literatures”. A Conference of modern writers will be held shortly in Bombay to discuss the draft manifesto.

A Conference, which entails great trouble and expense (which most writers are not able to afford) is perhaps not necessary merely to discuss a manifesto that contains mostly unexceptionable sentiments; and if the Conference goes further and gives directions to writers in India, they will be introducing regimentation against which the manifesto has protested. The social contacts among writers from different provinces will, however be a substantial result the conference is held.

Though intended as a counter-blast to the Progressive Writers Conference, held in May 1943, we imagine that the new move should be supplementary rather than antagonistic in character. The present conference stands for freedom of the individual and the country and speaks of Indian culture and genius, and its potential value to the world. The Progressive Writers Conference, also, we believe, was passionately for freedom. Only, some of the Progressive writers spoke in the idiom of communists (though, if we remember right, they repudiated party affiliations) and seemed to draw their inspiration more from modern Russia than from old India. Behind the war of words, there is a great common measure of agreement in regard to the main objective to be achieved.

THE KUPPUSWAMI SASTRI MEMORIAL

An appeal signed by distinguished publicists and scholars of South India has been issued to perpetuate the memory of the late Mahamahopadhyaya Kuppuswami Sastri. It is proposed that the memorial should take of the form of a Research Institute bearing the distinguished name of the late Mahamahopadhyaya, on the model of the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute at Poona and the new Ganganath Jha Institute at Allahabad. “Such an institute,” says the appeal, “would be a fitting memorial to the great Professor and it could take under its protecting wings the Sanskrit Academy and the Journal of Oriental Research that were so dear to the Professor, during his life-time, undertake the publication of the unpublished works of the Professor and continue the useful work of research started by him.”

The scheme would require a lakh of rupees as a minimum. Contributions may be sent to the Treasurer, Rao Bahadur K. V. Krishnaswamier, Advocate, 6, North Mada Street, Mylapore, Madras. We heartily support the appeal and trust that this worthy project will soon be an accomplished fact.

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