Show Marquis Childs Chi West Must Know India Philosophy NEW DELHI India As westerners sometimes tall fail to realize the ideas In some mens men's minds and the concepts they hold of life and death are as important as bullets and bread This applies with special force here in India where the complexities complexities complexities com com- of religions and philosophies philosophies philosophies escape the minds of most western observers P Prime r ri i m e Minister Nehru showed me at nt least eight po portraits r t r a its photographs and sketches of the late Mahatma Gandhi In rooms of the prime ministers minister's official residence here Each one shows the little saint Mint dead only two years in one aspect or another Yet each ac according according according ac- ac cording to Nehru failed to catch the spirit of the leader who united the Indian people as no noone noone noone one had for centuries How deep his hold still is on the great massof massot mass massof of ot Indian people no one can say But there is no question of the influence of his nonviolence philosophy philosophy philosophy phi phi- on the men and women directing this greatest experiment experiment ment in democracy in Asia Love Lo of Renunciation Nehru explains that the Gandhi hold on the people is partly due to the way in which he appealed to the Indian character with his love of renunciation That character character char char- acter in many respects is feminine feminine femi femi- nine and therefore shrinks from aggression Gandhi also appealed to the Indian belief in raisin raising all levels of Indian life by Indian means the means the spinning wheel and the puritanical simplicity of living living living liv liv- ing that rejects dependence on western machines In a long exposition of ot the beliefs of his beloved saint Nehru told me he thought Gandhi's deepest conviction conviction conviction tion was that bad means can never justify good ends that if bad means are used good ends can never be achieved This influence of Gandhi helps to explain the doubts of the western use of military force to put down aggression It also explains explains explains ex ex- ex- ex plains the rejection of Communist Communist Communist techniques which are based on the belief that any means Is justifiable to attain the ends of the theoretically perfect state Peace Necessary sary On the practical level the conviction conviction conviction con con- is deep in the minds of all the leaders in inthe the Indian government government government gov gov- that a generation of ot peace Is necessary to reconstruct the land torn and broken by partition partition partition par par- communal riots and the presence in India of ot eight million million million mil mil- lion refugees from Pakistan This is the major reason for Indias India's policy of in the United Nations But just how India shall be reconstructed is a matter of dispute dispute dispute dis dis- dis- dis arising partly out of the heritage of Nehru never made any secret of his distrust of Gandhi's reliance on handicraft and cottage industries industries industries indus indus- tries and the mahatmas mahatma's rejection rejection rejection tion of ot modern medicine and technology Nehru wants to use western methods to build India a standard of living above the dire subsistence that alwa always s 's is lapsing into starvation as it is today For Simple Life Lite On the other hand is a leader like Tandon just elected head of the pow all erful Congress party Tandon i is represented as an opponent of Nehru but this Is only partly true He is an ardent apostle of the simple life on the side of ot For example Tandon rejects modern medicine Including in including including in- in the use of vaccines He Ha never cuts his beard or hair Before the recent party congress congress congress con con- gress Nehru carried the day for his policies in a moving speech and now both men say they willbe will willbe be able to work together But it is to peace that Nehru always returns in his conversation This theme is paramount with him which surprises his visitors in including including including in- in Senator Claude Pepper who tried unsuccessfully to draw Nehru out on his beliefs regarding regarding regarding regard regard- ing the need for help from the tho United States Empty ictor Victory Nehru talks of conquest feeding feedIng feedIng feed- feed Ing on conquest He points to the supreme necessity of knowing what to do with victory before it is won Without such foreknowledge foreknowledge foreknowledge fore fore- knowledge victory in Nehru's view may be empty or worse than empty In his gentle curiously moving ng voice he read a quotation from a astone astone astone stone inscription left behind by an Indian conqueror of ot the third century B. B C. C who according according according ac ac- ac- ac cording to Nehru was the only conqueror who knew when to stop After a victory costing him lives repented and sought thenceforward the conquest of mens men's hearts Nehru read the conclusion of the in inscription inscription inscription in- in For his sacred majesty majesty majesty maj maj- esty desired that all animate beings should have the security of self-control self peace of mind and joyousness This may sound like a hopelessly hopelessly hopelessly hope hope- lessly naive ideal in the present- present day world But nevertheless it proba probably ly sums up what is in the heart of the man at the head of ofa ofa a nation of Cop Copyright right 1950 United Feature Syndicate Inc |