Himalayan Times (1962)

November 18, 1962

Himalayan Times

Seven

than that of building up
a. war-machine.

But this advantage
is gradually neutralised,
end ultimately overcome,
as a free people come
together in a oommon
cause and mobilise their
energies and resources in
the defence of their liber-
ties. This r- qltashing of
energy on a national soale
transforms a oommunity
into a mighty weapon
which the regimented
hoards of the invador find
difficult to withstand.

Let us take a look
at the public reaction to
the crisis, and the forms
it has taken. There have
been, of eourset donations
and contributions to the
Prime Minister's National
Defence Fund, in cash
and in gold, from almost
all sections of people,
from every nook and cor-
ner of this vast land.
The most heartening fea-
ture again has been that
this cut going sentiment
has not been confined to
the prosperous, who, in-
deed, have given gene-
rously: it is the effort of
the poor, even the indi-
gent, that is remarkable.

The princes and busi-
ness magnates have dona-
ted by the lakh b'it the
poor in many cases have
given their all. Only the
other day, we were told
the story of a peon of
the Planning Commission,
who donated his entire

life-savings to the Defence
Fund.

Ever since the emer-
gency began, we have
had a regular round of
processions and demons-
trations to express sup-
port for the Government.
But by common consent
it was the bioycle-ricksbaw
pullers of Delhi who have
stolen this particular show:
they won all hearts by
the disciplined manner in
whioh they conducted
themselves when they
went to the Prime Minis-
ter's house to hand over
their humble contribution
to the Fund.

Women have been
mobilising themselves in
fields which they have
made peculiarly their own.
Knitting groups have got
going with such gusto
that Delhi recently ran
out of wool. First-aid
classes have been under-
taken in a number of
centrt-s and tbe ladies of
Sundernagar have set an
extremely worthwhile ex-
ample in austerity by vow-
ing not to buy sarees or
clothes till the present
emergency lasts. M re.
Indira Gaudhi has dona-
ted all bar jewellery to
the Defence Fund.

The children have
been to the fore, too. A
girl of nine in Himachal
Pradesh has gifted away
her only piece of jewellery
—a pair of gold ear-rings.
Another, in Delhi, gavs

away her gold belt. School
boys in many parts off
the oountry have bsen
dsvibing new ways of
earning or saving to do-
nate to the Defence Fund.

Offers of active ser-
vice have been many. Of
tbe Btories that have coma
to light, I wish to relate
rne. This oonoerns a
veteran of the First World
War, who afterwards set-
tled down in Lahore and
at partition led a column
of refugees from Pakistan
into India. He has writ-
ten to the Prime Minis-
ter offering not only his
own services at the bat-
tlefront, but also those
of his three sons. The
women of the family have
promised to play their
part by cheerfully keep-
ing the heme fires burning
while the men are away,
and have contributed Rs.
191 to the Defence Fund.

There is little doubt
that the heart of the
nation is sound. What is
needed is administrative
and organisational machi-
nery to channelise the
unprecedented response
into constructive moulds.

The Government is
presently engaged in doing
its part of the job. But
there is also a duty tha&
falls on you and me, on
us as individuals as veil
as on a group level.

( Continued on page 2)