India [antikvár]

Introduction As the author states at the outset of this volume, it is not easy for Westerners to understand India. This is perhaps especially true of Americans, for during the days when the British ruled India the United States had little contact with the subcontinent. And it was only natural that when India faced west it should look to Britain, with whom it had such close political, commercial and social ties. But with independence the new India opened its windows to the world. Freedom was only the beginning. In his moving speech on the eve of independence, Jawaharlal Nehru warned that the future "is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving. . . ." How the Indian government and people have embarked on this great adventure—something of their problems, the immense difficulties encountered, their frustrations and failures, but also their achievements and victories—will be found here in the text by Joe David Brown and in the fascinating picture essays. As India bent to these formidable tasks, it found a sympathetic reaction in the United States. The American people had always supported India's aspirations for independence and they now set out to discover this land which for so long had been a mystery. But more than curiosity was involved. There was a growing awareness that this vast land of India, with more than 500 million people, was a great testing ground which might determine whether people's wants and expectations could be met by democratic processes. The direction it took could well determine the direction in which other newly independent countries of Asia and Africa would go. That India is developing an economic and social system adapted to its own needs and genius is, I think, apparent. The process is one involving trial and error, and flexibility. The system is fundamentally democratic and so seeks not only social justice but the improvement of the quality of its citizens, for on this all progress ultimately depends. That there were and still are many obstacles to overcome is undeniable. But the advance that has been made in living standards, the progress in health, education and the social services, and the substantial rate of India's industrial growth in the years since independence are achievements that compel our admiration. Yet if we are to understand India's purposes and ideals, we shall need to know more than facts. We shall need to learn as well something about the country's religion, its philosophy, and customs, the traditions and the habits of thought of its people. The effort cannot help but be enormously worthwhile. We shall be rewarded by experiencing the friendship of the Indian people. We shall be stimulated by their intelligence, captivated by their dignity and charm, and touched by their kindliness and tolerance. And we shall learn that Indians profoundly believe that freedom and dignity need not be sacrificed to progress. Ellsworth Bunker former U.S. Ambassador to India