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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 20, No. 3. 4th April, 1957

Letter from India

Letter from India

"We had six wonderful days in Ceylon—the hospitality was terrific, and for five days we saw no other white person. We were driven about 500 miles by one person and another. We went barefoot with Buddhist pilgrims to their temples, climbed ruined fortresses, and saw some wonderful rock paintings.

"Buddhism is on the upper in Ceylon—everywhere there are the yellow-robed priests. It is said it is the priests who put the present Government in in an attempt to regain some of their ancient power.

"We went to village fairs, watched an elephant hauling satinwood logs, ate curry with our fingers, sat crosslegged and ate off a plantain (banana leaf), drank coconut toddy, looked at rural Courts, schools, hospitals, saw something of the rural development plan. People are being provided with a house (mud-wattle and banana leaf) and an acre of ground for a nominal rent of 1 rupee a year. We went to a very poor fishing village and joined in the excitement of the catch. The Canadians are taking a particular interest in Colombo Plan fisheries.

"Colombo is badly hit by wharf strikes and the diversion of shipping. The language problem is driving the English-speaking Burghers out and the Tamils back to India.

"Now we are having a very full time here. I am working for the Unesco secretariat as secretary to the minute-writers—fifteen, mainly Spanish and French. I work 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for five weeks with only Sunday off. Jane is secretary to the New Zealanders—Beeby, Campbell, and Burnes—and we are living in Old Delhi, so our day is packed.

"We arrived in Delhi last week and started work almost at once, and on Sunday we rushed about seeing something of Delhi, climbed the Kuth Minar, and went to an exhibition of Indian dancing and music.

"On 2nd November was Diwali—the Hindu festival of lights—and worship of the goddess of wealth. The city was a blaze of light—hundreds of tiny candles in and outside houses, along rooftops, on the pavement—a riot of celebration.

"Yesterday the conference opened. It was interesting to see and hear Nehru, a little weary at the moment but an immensely popular leader. It is exciting to find that all the educated Indians are militant in their strife for India's development. I have a clerk in my room—B.Sc. Bombay—Punjabi—and just here until he goes off to buy machinery for the Government from Czechoslovakia. He seems typical in his grasp of India's political situation, her desire for peace, her terrific industrial development, her pride. She has quite close links with both the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. The Minister of Education seems particularly admiring of the present educational system in the Soviet. Am going to a Soviet educational function tonight.

"I seem to have written at great length about these things, but really everything is so interesting. I can't imagine how we will ever get away from the country. Probably be deported as broke."

Printed by The Dissbled Servicemen's League, 21 Lioyd St.. Wellington, for V.U.C.S.A. Inc.