Prof. Dr. Harnam Singh Shan Prhcipsl Project Invesii nor U Q C. Research Project oo Sikhism 60S, Sector 16, Chandigarh.

I W

L ^•^K

Jawaharlal Nehru in unjab

Punjabi University, Patiala

October 1973

Price : Rupees fifty only

Published by Prof. Gurcharan Singh M.A., P.E.S. (I), Registrar, Punjabi University, Patia Crescent Printing Works (Pvt.) Ltd.. New Delhi-110001.

Acknowledgements

My most grateful thanks are due to the Vice-Chancellor, Sardar Kirpal Singh Narang, who conceived the idea of the work and most readily accepted my request for the appointment of a whole-time research scholar, on a temporary basis, to work on the project ; to my colleagues Dr S.K. Bajaj and Sardar Parambakshish Singh for valuable help in collection as well as selection of materials and photographs for this purpose ; to Jawaharlal Nehru Museum and Library, New Delhi and Department of Public Relations, Punjab Government, Chandigarh for the supply of photographs ; and to the Production and Sales Officer, Sardar Hazara Singh, for the speedy and fine production of the volume.

FAUJA SINGH

w^mmma^

i

A t a G l a n c e

-

Punjab occupied a unique place in the eyes of Jawaharlal Nehru. The history of this region goes farther back than that of any other part of India. As such, Pandit Nehru regarded it as the cradle of civilization in India. Not only that. He was all praise for the level of advancement accomplished by the creators of the Harappan civilization. Drawing a com­parison between this and other ancient civilizations he wrote : "The Punjab and Sind, if not other parts of India as well, were enjoying an advanced and singularly uniform civilization of their own, a closely akin but somewhat even superior, to that of contemporary Mesopotamia and Egypt." Though a victim of repeated foreign invasions from the north-west, Punjab never lost the moorings of her spirit and when a new ferment began to overtake the country during the medieval period, she produced a man of vision, Guru Nanak, who through his inspired leadership raised a new people nurtured in the best traditions of spiritualism and heroism. In due course, a warrior-king of practical genius, Ranjit Singh, rose in the Punjab. His humanity, in particular, had great fascination for Jawaharlal who wrote about him thus : "Ranjit Singh was not only intellectually curious and inquisitive, he was remarkably humane at a time when India and the world seethed with callousness and inhumanity. He built up a kingdom and powerful army and yet he disliked bloodshed. Never had so large an empire abolished the death sentence for every crime,

however heinous it might be, when in England even petty pilferers had to face death."

Jawaharlal's personal involvement in Punjab affairs commenced with the tragic happenings of Amritsar in 1919. The massacre of Jallianwala Bagh moved him deeply and he could not resist the urgency of an immediate visit to the scene of the tragedy. What he saw there further steeled his deter­mination to fight against foreign domination. The annual session of Indian National Congress held later in December 1919 at Amritsar brought him again to the place. At that time he was just a youngman of thirty.

The example of rare courage and sacrifice presented by the Akalis during the Akali agitation for reform of Gurdwaras (1921-1925) held immense appeal for the sensitive mind of Pandit Nehru. He marvelled at this supreme example of peaceful, non-violent satyagraha and "wished that I could be given an opportunity of showing my deep admiration of them by some form of service." As a result, when the Jaito Morcha was in progress, he decided with a few friends to make a personal visit to the scene of agitation and see things for himself. The price he had to pay for this proved rather high, for he was identified with the agitators and arrested and put in the Central Nabha Jail. In the course of his trial at Nabha

*

he made a historic statement, remarkable for its plain speaking.

As the third decade drew to its close, the Punjab problem grew in complexity so much so that even the Nehru Committee found itself helpless to resolve it. But although no immediate solution was available, Pandit Nehru understood the true character of the problem which, to him, was economic rather than communal.

As good luck would have it, it was reserved for Lahore, capital city of Punjab, to be the venue of the historic Congress session of 1929 at which Jawaharlal, from his exalted Presidential rostrum, gave to the nation the clarion call for Puma Swaraja (complete independence) and invited people to join "the open conspiracy to free the country from foreign rule."

In 1939 the Al l India States Peoples Conference responded to the request of the Punjab Riasti Praja Mandal and held its annual gathering at Ludhiana. Pandit Nehru who considered the national movement in Indian States as part and parcel of the country's wider struggle against British imperialism, presided over the Conference. His open indentification with it instilled a new vigour into the Praja

6

Mandal movement in the Punjab States. His vital and sustained interest in this matter brought him right into the thick of the battle in 1946 when he visited Faridkot and blessed the agitation being conducted against the Raja of Faridkot State.

With the adoption of Pakistan Resolution by the Al l India Muslim League, Punjab politics was thrown into a state of great turbulence. Non-Muslim Punjabis, particularly Sikhs, felt deeply concerned at the possibility of Punjab, their home­land, being cut off and included in the projected Pakistan. During this critical period Jawaharlal on several occasions visited Punjab, or passed through it. For instance, in 1942 he addressed a huge public gathering at Lahore on his way back from Kulu. Again, he attended all the Simla Conferences held during the period.

In 1947 the Indian National Congress was driven to accept the Muslim demand for Pakistan as a necessary evil but it was subject to the condition that Punjab and Bengal must be divided as demanded by the non-Sikhs residing there. The decision, however, resulted in a great tragedy for Punjab. Hundreds and thousands of people were uprooted from their homes in West Pakistan and had to migrate to India, suffering untold miseries. To have a closer view of the situation and

to offer a word of solace to the people in distress, Pandit Nehru made several visits to refugee camps set up at various places in the State.

At the dawn of Independence in 1947 Punjab lay practically in ruin and nobody, not even the most optimistic, could predict that her recovery would be so rapid. It was all due to the qualities of adaptability and enterprise for which Punjabis are rightly famous. Jawaharlal greatly marvelled at the manner in which they faced all challenges and forged ahead. He once observed : " I do not wish to compare one State with another but I should like to congratulate the Punjab and the Punjabis on their possession of this quality (enterprise) because ultimately it is this quality that will tell and nothing else." Comparisons are always odious and he wanted to avoid them as far as possible. Yet the contrast between Punjab and other States was so striking that he could not help saying : " I f you visit parts of Punjab today, you will see the industrial revolution coming on. The revolutionary change that is coming over Punjab is amazing. Punjab at the present moment is the most prosperous State so far as per capita income is concerned."

Pandit Nehru was a great champion of cultural freedom and believed that only by giving full scope for the development of her diverse cultures could India hope to achieve cultural

efflorescence. His interest in Punjab culture was always keen and lively. Once talking about the folk songs of Punjab he remarked that they are "an immensely important part of the Punjabi culture."

The dynamics of education appealed immensely to Jawaharlal Nehru's mind. He viewed education as a funda­mental factor of social change and spared no pains to promote it quickly and on right lines. Even keener was his interest in the development of temples of modern age namely, river dams and power houses. Such was his fondness of the Bhakra and Nangal dams that he personally took the Prime Ministers of Russia, China and other great countries to these dams.

In short, Nehru admired Punjab for her sacrifices, for her people, for her prosperity and above all, for her capacity to defend the frontiers of the nation and in return the Punjabis also loved and admired him. In 1962 when all of a sudden China attacked India, Punjabis, at the call of their Prime Minister, spared no efforts to help their motherland. Not only Punjabi Jawans rushed to the frontiers to throw back the aggressor but also the people who stayed behind offered liberal donations of gold and silver towards the National Defence Fund and won encomiums from Pandit Nehru.

FAUJA SINGH

7

PUNJAB—THE CRADLE OF

INDIAN CIV IL IZATION

The Indus Valley civilization, of which impressive remains have been discovered at Mohenjo-daro in Sind and at Harappa in the Western Punjab, is the earliest picture that we have of India's past. These excavations have revolutionized the con­ception of ancient history.

The Punjab and Sind, if not other parts of India as well, were enjoying an advanced and singularly uniform civilization of their own, closely akin, but in some respects even superior, to that of contemporary Mesopotamia and Egypt.

It is surprising how much there is in Mohenjo-daro and Harappa which reminds one of persisting traditions and habits—popular ritual, craftsmanship, even some fashions in dress. Much of this influenced Western Asia.

It is interesting to note that at this dawn of India's story, she does not appear as a puling infant, but already grown up in many ways. She is not oblivious of life's ways, lost in dreams of a vague and unrealizable supernatural world, but has made considerable technical progress in the arts and amenities of life, creating not only things of beauty, but also the utilitarian and more typical emblems of modern civilization —good baths and drainage systems.

Extracts from on Punjab's selected for

The > Discovery great past.

the of Pandit Nehru's

valuable image of

of India, They

glimpse

all bearing have been

they furnish old Punjab.

GURU NANAK

FOUNDER OF SIKHISM

Al l over India this new ferment was working and new ideas were troubling people's minds. As of old, India was sub-consciously reacting to the new situation, trying to absorb the foreign element and herself changing somewhat in the process. Out of this ferment arose new types of reformers who deliberately preached this synthesis and often condem­ned or ignored the caste system. There was the Hindu Rama-nand in the north, in the fifteenth century, and his still more famous disciple Kabir, a Moslem weaver of Benaras. Kabir's poems and songs became, and still are, very popular. In the north also there was Guru Nanak who is considered the founder of Sikhism. The influence of these reformers went far beyond the limits of the particular sects that grew up after them.

9

A REMARKABLE

M A H A R A J A

One of the individuals who was full of curiosity was Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a Jat Sikh, who had built up a kingdom in the Punjab, which subsequently spread to Kashmir and the Frontier Province. He had failings and vices; nevertheless he was a remarkable man.

Ranjit Singh was not only intellectually curious and inquisitive, he was remarkably humane at a time when India and the world seethed with callousness and inhumanity. He built up a kingdom and powerful army and yet he disliked bloodshed. Never had so large an empire abolished the death sentence for every crime, however heinous it might be, when in England even petty pilferers had to face death.

On April 13, 1919, Baisakhi Day, occurred the brutal massacre of Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, which sent a wave of horror throughout the country. Jawaharlal Nehru visited the scene of the tragedy soon after. An account of his impres­sions is given in his Autobiography and Diary. A few extracts have been selected to give an idea of how he felt about all this. The account opens with an extract on Punjab in ferment, showing the historical background against which the tragedy of Amritsar was enacted.

10

i

PUNJAB IN FERMENT

Political agitation, peaceful and wholly constitutional as it was, seemed to be working itself to ahead and people talked with assurance of self-determination and self-government. Some of this unrest was visible also among the masses, especially the peasantry. In the rural areas of the Punjab the forcible methods of recruitment were still bitterly remembered and others by conspiracy trials added to the wide-spread resentment. The soldiers back from active service on distant fronts were no longer the subservient robots that they used to be. They had grown mentally and there was much discontent among them.

—From Jawaharlal Nehru, An Autobiography, Page 40

BRUTALITY A T

JALL IANWALA BAGH

I suppose most people will agree that one of the out­standing events of recent times in India was the shooting down of large numbers of unarmed men and women by General Dyer and his soldiery in the Jallianwala Bagh, and the consequences of this deed were far-reaching. Amritsar, indeed, has become something more than a city of the Punjab, or even the holy place of Sikhism. It typifies the world over a particularly brutal method of dealing with subject peoples.

—From Jawaharlal Nehru, India's Freedom, Pages 46-54

A VERITABLE INFERNO

The Punjab was isolated, cut off from the rest of India; a thick veil seemed to cover it and hide it from outside eyes. There was hardly any news, and people could not go there or come out from there.

Odd individuals, who managed to escape from that inferno, were so terror-struck that they could give no clear account. Helplessly and impotently, we, who were outside, waited for scraps of news and bitterness filled our hearts. Some of us wanted to go openly to the affected parts of the Punjab and defy the martial law regulations. But we were kept back, and meanwhile a big organisation for relief and enquiry was set up on behalf of the Congress.

—From Jawaharlal Nehru, An Autobiography, Page 40

A LEAF FROM HIS DIARY

Visited Jallianwala Bagh—Walked round and saw numerous bullet marks—Counted 67 on one part of one w a l l -There must have been at least 200 on the walls I saw—(need not examine all walls). Changes being made in the garden— Walls raised—Wooden planks put up—A lot of earth being thrown up etc. One bullet mark on a balcony just outside the Bagh facing lane over canal.

Most peculiar—Could only have been fixed at from the lane or else the bullet bounced off. Visited the lane where people were made to crawl on their bellies. Told that one respectable woman raped in a neighbouring house. General misbehaviour of tommies. Passed foot bridge, carriage bridge over railway line, telegraphy office etc. where firing took place.

11

4$%

AMRITSAR CONCH! ss, DECEMBER 1919.

Ja aharlal is sitting in the fon ground, first from

Father presided over the Amritsar Congress during Christmas 1919. He issued moving appeal to the Mode­rate leaders or the Liberals, as they were now calling themselves, to join this session because of the new situation created by the horrors of martial law. "The lacerated heart of the Punjab" called to them, he wrote. Would they not answer that call? But they did not answer it in the way he wanted, and refused to join.

—From Jawaharlal Nehru, An Autobiography, Page 40

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H

<

•

i

T h e Aka l i movemen t s tar t ing in 1921 great ly impressed Jawahar la l Nehru and he wrote eulogis t ica l ly of the rare courage and tenac i ty shown by the Aka l i s at Guru-ka-Bagh and Jai to . Wish ing to see th ings for h imsel f he v is i ted Ja i to f o l l ow ing a big Aka l i band of Satyagrahis. A t Ja i to he was arrested a long w i t h Akal is and impr isoned in Nabha ja i l . Later, wh i l e defend ing h imsel f before a Nabha magist rate, he made a long wr i t ten s ta tement , memorab le for its boldness and pla in speak ing. T h e extracts selected here offer an eloquent t es t imony to his admira t ion for the unique courage of the Aka l i Satyagrahis.

I rejoice that I am being tried for a cause which the Sikhs have made their own. I was in jail when the Guru-ka-Bagh struggle was gallantly fought and won by the Sikhs. I marvelled at the courage and sacrifice of the Akalis and wished that I could be given an opportu­nity of showing my deep admiration of them by some form of service. That opportunity has now been given to me and I earnestly hope that I shall prove worthy of their high tradition and fine courage. SAT SRI AKAL

—From Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vol. /, Pages 369-389

Beating of Akalis by Police during Jaito Morcha

A RARE EXAMPLE OF

COURAGE A N D TENACITY

The Sikhs, and especially the Akalis among them, had been coming into repeated conflict with the government in the Punjab. A revivalist movement among them had taken it upon itself to purge their Gurdwaras by driving out corrupt Mahants and taking possession of the places of worship and the property belonging to them. The government intervened and there was conflict. The Gurdwara movement was partly due to the general awakening caused by non-cooperation, and the methods of the Akalis were modelled on non-violent Satya-graha. Many incidents took place, but chief among them was the famous Guru-ka-Bagh struggle, where scores of Sikhs, many of them ex-soldiers, allowed themselves to be brutally beaten by the police without raising their hands or turning back from their mission. India was startled by this amazing display of tenacity and courage. The Gurdwara Committee was declared illegal by the government, and the struggle continued for some years and ended in the victory of the Sikhs. The Congress was naturally sympathetic, and for some time it had a special liaison officer in Amritsar to keep in close touch with the Akali movement.

—From Jawaharlal Nehru, An Autobiography, Page 109

A N EXTRACT FROM PANDIT NEHRU'S

COURT STATEMENT A T N A B H A

My companions and I had read in the papers about strange happenings in Nabha and Jaito. We decided that on our way back from Delhi after the Congress we should pay a short visit of a couple of days to this State to see for ourselves what was happening. We knew very little of the facts at the time. We were told that Muktsar was the Sikh centre from which Akali Jathas were sent, so we went there to make enquiries as to what the Sikh version was and how they were meeting the situation. We then proceeded by road on horseback and bullock-cart towards Jaito. There was no Akali Jatha with us but we passed some Jathas on the way. About two miles from Jaito, within the Nabha territory, we caught up a Jatha and discarding our bullock-cart and horses, we decided to walk along in their wake so as to be able to watch closely what happened to them. Thus we arrived at Jaito. We sent the bullock-cart containing our luggage straight to the station as it was our intention to leave by the evening train. When the Jatha was stopped by the police, we stood by to see what was happening. We were asked by a policeman if we were accompanying the Jatha. I told him that we were obviously not Akalis or members of the Jatha which consisted of Akalis only in their distinctive black turbans and clothes. We had come along with the Jatha to see what happened to them. We continued watching from the roadside, the Jatha occupying the middle of the road, confronting the police.

15

W i M M ^ B ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ M M ^ H i ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H ^ B ^ ^ H I ^ V l ^ V ^ ^ V

In December 1929 was held the historic annual session of Indian National Congress at Lahore, which finally declared complete independence (Puma Swaraj) as the ultimate goal of India's free­dom struggle. The session was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru. The extracts given here are taken from the Presidential

Address of Pandit Nehru.

Jawaharlal Nehru at Lahore in 1929

^•^^•i ^^m ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H

Jawaharlal Nehru addressing the Session of Indian National Congress at Lahore

Lahore—Venue of the All-India Congress Meeting of 1929

. ,v- .. . . „ , ! * I

r •W •

i • • • * » * :

* - *.,

y

- •

\

'• ' W I m

mtf i

I f M|f If IflffMlf / " . J

•*" ^

I F^t -9 n.

I ii

ii' W0W^

\

v

\ w<v*+> i

S4»

•

\ I - &* n

*<

* * • * » # J C

'i ^-i»8&

*

V *

< * '

> / '

* 1

. /

<M?

: * * > * •

*

>

mm

« & i r5 , * , •

j

* * ff # •

£

M

n M >*•**

•

« < * »

ri? ^ *

i

* .

* *

^ - V * Ti^H. • *• ^

*

^ n̂

• * , * . * •

Independence for us means complete freedom from British domination and British imperialism. Having attained our freedom, I have no doubt that India will welcome all attempts at world co-operation, and federation, and will even agree to give up part of her own independence to a larger group of which she is an equal member.

From Presidential Address to the Indian National Congress, Lahore, December 1929

We have conspiracy cases going on in various parts of the country. They are ever with us. But the time has gone for secret conspiracy. We have now an Open Conspiracy to free this country from foreign rule and you, comrades, and all our countrymen and countrywomen are invited to join it. But the rewards that are in store for you are suffering and prison and, it may be death. But you shall also have the satisfaction that you have done your little bit for India, the ancient, but ever young, and have helped a little in the liberation of humanity from its present bondage.

From Presidential Address to the Indian National Congress, Lahore, December 1929

A TRIBUTE TO

FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Fortunately, this applies to some members only of the minority groups and not to all. Many brave Muslims, specially in the Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province, are in the vanguard of the struggle. The gallant Sikhs are happily with us and will allow nobody there to outstrive them in courage and sacrifice. But it is sad that some who were our comrades-in-arms ten years ago are not with us today. None of us, who had the privilege of marching shoulder to shoulder with them then, can forget the brave part they took and the sacrifices they made. We cherish that memory and we are confident that, when the fight thickens, they will take their rightful place in the forefront.

—From Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vol. IV

Here is a glowing tribute paid by Jawaharlal Nehru to the the country's pictures given

gallant freedom

Punjab struggle

I here, though of a

warriors of . The later ori

have symbolic significance and reveal high esteem in which they were held Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

two igin, the by

19

Prof. Dr. Harnam Singh Shan Princip.il Project Invesiig-iur U.G C. Research Project ou Sikhlim 605, Sector 16, Chandigarh.

f

m

I WnP If

Jawaharlaf at the foot of the Flame of Liberty built to the sacred memory of Jallian wala Bagh martyrs. In the picture is also seen, Giani Zail Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab

*

Jawaharlal honou­ring the veteran Freedom Fighter of the Punjab, Baba Kharak Singh, at a specially organised function

The Constitutional problem of Punjab presented a formida­ble challenge to the national leadership of India. Late in the twenties, the Nehru Committee grappled with it but with no success. The solution of this difficult question could best come, he thought, through economic and not communal approach. The extracts select­ed here furnish a good peep into the working of Jawahar-lal 's mind.

THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM

Economic interests run along different lines. There is a great deal in common between the Muslim and Sikh and Hindu zamidars ; and a great deal in common between the Muslim and Sikh and Hindu peasant and a Muslim zamidar. We must, therefore, begin to think of, and act (with respect to) ... economic issues. If we do so, the myth of communalism will automatically disappear. Conflict there may be, but it will be between different classes, and not different religions

—From Nehru, The First Sixty Years, Vol. /, Page 155

ECONOMIC AND NOT COMMUNAL A P P R O A C H

But the real difficulty arises in regard to the reservation of seats for a majority, specially in the Punjab. Both the Sikhs and the Hindu Sabha are violently opposed to this and all constitutional and democratic theory is with them on this point. The Sikhs would be nowhere with such a reservation. As a matter of fact we have carefully calculated the figures for all the districts in the Punjab and we have found that the reservation of seats for the Muslim majority is not only wholly unnecessary as the Muslims are bound to have a majority but it is positively harmful to them. From my point of view, which is purely economic, it will be very harmful also and prevent the real issues being considered.

—From Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vol. Three

* * * * *

The Sixth Session of the All India States Peoples Conference was held at Ludhiana in February 1939 under the auspices of the Punjab Riasti Praja Mandal. The President of the Conference was Pandit Nehru. Out of the two pictures given here one relates to the procession taken out through the streets of Ludhiana with Pandit Nehru at its head and the other is facsi­mile of the title cover of Jawaharlal's Presidential Address (Punjabi version) delivered at this con­ference.

Jawaharlal as President of Congress rides through the streets of Ludhiana, 1939

* • *

, • " * * » .

* #

#

+*J < *

<s t

• » • <

* ~w

k

**4&

.'.

, , .

fd»PJ13) WdtV ^? i t HidfldWdl >/§ ! |>

» • » • » • » • • • • • • » • • • • • • • » • • • • + > • • • » • » » • • +*++++» 1 1 I vidy'Adfl ^ I P I ! *

• • • • • » • • • • • » » » • » • » • + • • • » + » + • • • » • • • + • • • • • • • t *

S?f H3T3 fife feWF^I ^ t ^ K3H cf'A^W »/l e vrov;

waviB »w?\ % rra >f^

^33 t^iug SPH tfl ?>fof

- gigi saw fauj Q̂3» ufaea £ uagq ?s»» ^ w e uq' 9a ?>aia ^ ~ *! aie Has fe* gu^ ^ ? a 5*0313 sw^l H ^ O W 5" vpB3 bfewi 1 1**1

v,<

.

, *

+r

*. X # I

With the adoption of Pakistan Resolution by the All India Muslim League, Punjab politics was thrown, once again, into a state of great turbulence. Individual Satyagrah followed by Cripps Mission, Quit India Movement and Cabinet Mission conti­nually strained the nerves of our national leaders. During this critical period Jawaharlal Nehru on several occasions visited Punjab, or passed through it. For instance, he addressed a huge gathering at Lahore in the summer of 1942 on his way back from Kulu. Again, he attended all the Simla Conferences held during the period.

In 1947 the Indian National Congress was driven to accept the partition of India as a necessary evil. This resulted in a great tragedy for Punjab, Lacs of Punjabis were uprooted from their homes and had to move across the new borders.

The pictures given here depict Pandit Nehru visiting some refugee camps ond offering a word of consolation to the affected people.

24

APPROVAL OF P A R T I T I O N

About our proposal to divide the Punjab, this flows naturally from our previous decisions. These were negative previously, but now a time for decision has come and merely passing of resolutions giving expression to our views means little. I feel convinced and so did most of the members of the (Congress) Working Committee that we must press for this immediate division so that reality might be brought into the picture. Indeed this is the only answer to partition as demanded by Jinnah. I found people in the Punjab agreeable to this proposal—except Muslims as a rule.

—From Nehru—The First Sixty Years, Page 165.

THE PANGS OF PARTIT ION

One of the first tasks of our Government was to think of the Punjab and so I hurried thither on the morning of 17th, accompanied by my colleague, Sardar Baldev Singh, the Defence Minister, and Mr. Liaquat Al i Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and some of his colleagues. I want to tell you what we found there and what we did there There have been wild rumours enough and people's minds all over India are naturally agitated, because whatever happens, the people of the Punjab, whether they live to the east or to the west, are our own kith and kin and anything that affects them affects us.

—From Jawaharlal Nehru's Speeches, Vol. I.

WJ

%

~

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at a refugee camp at Jullundur City listening to a woman's tale of woe

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visiting the refugee camp after Partition

*

Jawaharlal undertook extensive tours of the State during the General Election years, namely 1952,1957 and 1962. Even other­wise, he visited Punjab in connec­tion with some important Confe­rences. A few pictures are given here which were taken during his various visits.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru with Sardar Gian Singh Rarewala, Chief Minister of Pepsu and Giani Zail Singh, Revenue Minister, Pepsu on their way to a public meeting at Faridkot (1949)

*_ - * •

Pandit Jawaharlal receiving address of welcome from representatives of All India Women's Conference at Ferozepur in 1949

^ ^ • V P B B i

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru arriving at a Congress session at Jullundur. Also seen in the picture are Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir.

m *r x *r v

y

S *r

, , - • -

* » *

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his way to address a public meeting at Faridkot in 1949

*

* "

r jr

• B ^ ^ •* •

%r

rfGO******

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at the Punjab Pradesh Congress session held at Amritsar. Also seen in the picture are Mr G.B. Pant, Mr Dhebart Sardar Partap Singh Kairon and Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir.

\

Pandit Jawahar-lal Nehru addres­sing a Public meeting at Ambala Canton­ment in 1962

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru alongwith Mrs Indira Gandhi visiting Jallianwala Bagh to pay homage to the hallowed memory of martyrs

t

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru during his visit to Chandi­garh in 1963. Also seen in the picture are Giani Zail Singh and Chaudhari Ranbir Singh.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru being received at Chan-digai h Airport by Punjab Minis­ters, Sardar Gian Singh Rarewala, G i a n i K a rtar Singh, Pandit Mohan Lai, Shri Gopi C h a n d B h a r g a v a and Sardar Gurdial Singh Dhillon. Sardar Partap Singh Kairon is introducing them.

Another view of Pandit Jawahar-lal Nehru's visit to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha

PanditJawaharlal Nehru inside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha alono with Shri Prabodh Cha ndr a , and Giani Zail Singh

Pandit Nehru was a great cham­pion of cultural freedom and held that only by giving full scope for the deve­lopment of her diverse cultures could India hope to achieve cultural eff­lorescence. His interest in Punjab's culture was no less keen. The two pictures chosen here show him at his best in Punjabi costume.

CULTURAL FREEDOM

Every country in the world has cultural minorities and it is a well-recognised principle that such minorities should have the fullest authority so far as their culture is concerned. So also, in India, every ... cultural group should be given freedom and, indeed, should be encouraged to preserve and cultivate its culture. Only thus we can build up a rich and varied ... yet common culture for India. Culture (involves) ... language, education and schools.

—From Presidential Address, Punjab Provincial Conference -April-ll.

Jawaharlal in typical Punjabi Bhangra (folk dance) dress

r

36

ON PUNJABI CULTURE

Take the Punjab. People talk about unilingual and bilingual States. I have already laid stress on the importance I attach to a language ; and, in relation to the Punjab, I would lay stress on the importance I attach to the Punjabi language. I attach importance to it because, apart from the very important fact of a large number of the Sikhs, or all the Sikhs wanting it, I do not understand why the Hindi-knowing people should object. I say that a language should not be considered something exclusive, we must be inclusive in our thinking. Apart from that, the minor modulations of a language represent the growth of a specific culture in a group. The folk-songs of the Punjab are an immensely important part of the Punjabi culture. It does not matter to me for the moment how many books on technology exist in the Punjabi language in the Gurmukhi script. If they do not exist, it is a great drawback from the national point of view. Either that drawback will be made good, or the language will suffer and it will not advance. I wish to give every encourage­ment to the Punjabi language, though not at the expense of Hindi. There is no question of its being at the expense of Hindi. Hindi is strong enough, wide enough and powerful enough in every way to go ahead. Both languages should cooperate with each other.

—From Nehru, Speeches, Volume Three 1953-57

1 ^^^

y

Pandit Jawahar-lal Nehru with Punjabi turban on his head finds himself comple­tely at home amidst a group of Punjabis

Jawaharlal highly commended the Punjabis for their qualities of hard work and enterprize It was these qualities, he believed, that have made Punjab the most prosperous State in India. He was amazed to see how dislodged Punjabis braved all challanges and gradually won their way to success and prosperity.

~ HARD-WORKING PUNJABIS

MOST PROSPEROUS STATE

If you visit parts of Punjab today, you will see the industrial revolution coming on. The revolutionary change that is coming over Punjab is amazing. Punjab at the present moment is the most prosperous State so far as per capita income is concerned. It is not I, but Americans coming as tourists, who say that it is remarkable how this industrial revolution resembles what they have themselves seen in some parts of America.

—From Nehru Speeches, Vol. 5

38

Punjab is relatively prosperous in its agriculture and in its industries, specially in small and middlesized industries. Punjab is prosperous because essentially the Punjabis are a hard-working people. They work hard with their hands whether it is in agriculture or whether it is in small industry. They do not have the mentality of sitting at a desk—the "babu" mentality. They are good mechanics. Punjab hardly has any major industry in the public sector or the private sector. But Punjab has scores of small industries and the extra­ordinary thing is that the hundreds of thousands of Punjabis who came to India from Pakistan after the Partition have done remarkably well, because they are hard-workers and they have prospered wherever they have gone and established themselves. If they settled down in a town in U.P., that town has been changed in its appearance.

—From Nehru Speeches, Vol. 5

Pandit Nehru visited Ramgarhia College Phagwara in 1952. In the picture are seen late Sardar Mohan Singh Hadiabadi (m chair), Col. Raghbir Singh, Chief Minister of Depsu and Sardar Kirpal Singh Narang (Principal) standing extreme left.

Jawaharlal once wrote to his sister on the importance and role of education :

"Educat ion must provide a gradual transition to wider spheres of activity and new experiences."

Education not only changes the outlook but also provokes new thoughts. Therefore he always loved to visit the seats of learning as will be seen from the pictures selected here.

*

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru having a close look at the model of P. G. I. Dr Chutani is explaining the plan.

k

• • •

Pandit Jawahar-lalNehru inaugu­rating Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Educa­tion and Re­search, Chandi­garh, in July 1963

Pandit Jawahar-lal Nehru inau­gurating Punjab Agricultural Uni­versity, Ludhiana, in July 1963

#

<

•

I •

«w

I «m * * 4 * tur -*Ca»_ +*£l

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visiting Gandhi Bhawan, Pan jab University, Chandigarh. He is talking to Chief Architect, Chandigarh. In the picture are also seen Sardar Partap Singh Kairon and Sardar Kirpal Singh Narang.

^

A Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visiting Panjab University, Chandigarh. Sardar Kirpal Singh Narang is introducing members of the

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visiting Pan jab University Library, Chandigarh, in 1963. Also in the picture are Shri A.C. Joshi (Vice-Chancellor), Sirdar Kirpal Singh Narang (Registrar) and Sardar Santokh Singh from P.G.I.

•'

mm I

. . „

«•

The Bhakra and Nangal Dams were hailed by Jawaharlal as great instruments in the deve­lopment of modern Punjab. He even ventured to say that they are the real temples for the people of today* Here are a few pictures taken during his visits to the State to inaugurate the Bhakra Dam.

Pandit Nehru dedicating Bhakra Dam to the nation on 22 October, 1963. Behind him is Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, Chief Minister of Punjab.

Jawaharlal addressing a huge public gathering at the site at Bhakra Dam in 1959

Punjab's contribution to India's defence, both in men and money, at the time of China's attack on India in 1962 elicited great appre­ciation from Jawaharlal Nehru. In the picture given here Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, then Chief Minister of Punjab, is shown as presenting to Pandit Nehru a rich collection of gold and silver donated by the people.

Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, Chief Minister of Punjab, presenting gold and silver to Jawaharlal on behalf of pepole of Punjab for National Defence Fund at Delhi in 1962.

LAND SYSTEM

The Punjab landholders are entirely right in pointing out that in their province the average landholder is not a big "landlord or capitalist, but a peasant with small holdings of land, upon which he lives and thrives." They have therefore little to fear from socialism or from the nationalisation of land, and this fear, it seems to me, is largely due to ignorance of what socialism is. My remarks at Kerala were largely directed to the big zamidars and taluqdars, and from their statement it appears that the Punjab landholders are in considerable agreement with me. They admit that it is wrong for an individual or small group to live in luxury on the exploitation of the vast mass of Punjab landholders "for the comforts of a few, under false expressions of sympathy." What this means I am utterly unable to understand nor have I any idea as to who these 'few' are likely to be.

—From Selected Works of Jawahar/al Nehru, Vol. Three

47

^^^^M *•

I B B f l B

^ M M B ^ ^ B

B- 19 Vo

V rftt