Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated March 18, 1956: Nehru on Mountbatten

Prime Minister Nehru, speaking at a banquet given in New Delhi by the President on March 15 in honour of Lord Mountbatten, said that if people could think and bring a "little more gentleness and charity" into their dealings with one another, "even our differences will become much less and ways could be found to resolve them." A relationship, which, in spite of all differences of opinion, was based on a friendly and civilised approach was a much enduring one. "We cannot all agree and any attempt to make people agree by compulsion and coercion defeats its purpose. We have to win over people, win people's minds and hearts in so far as we can. If we cannot win them, at least can lessen the hostility in the other's mind." The Prime Minister said: "Standing here to-day my mind goes back to another occasion when I stood up at this table to propose a toast to Lord and Lady Mountbatten. That was nearly eight years ago. It was rather a sad occasion for all of us because we were parting with the two persons who had not only become our friends, who had grown into our lives and activities. I remember the first occasion when I met Lord Mountbatten. That was almost exactly ten years ago in Singapore. I met Lady Mountbatten slightly later the same day and that was in a rather remarkable fashion. I was taken by Lord Mountbatten to an Indian soldiers' canteen in Singapore. The Indian soldiers were lined up, but within about two or three minutes of our arrival there, some kind of stampede took place and Lady Mountbatten disappeared. What had happened to her? She crawled out and presented herself, and that was my first introduction to her. Then, nearly nine years ago, in this very month of March, they arrived here and we went to welcome them at Palam airport. That day started a new chapter in our history. It was a brief period, fifteen months altogether. But those fifteen months saw great changes. They put an end to the period of British rule here and started Independent India on her new career. And during that period, Lord Mountbatten and Lady Mountbatten played a part which, if I may say so, nobody else could have played. Lord Mountbatten came out successfully out of every trial and tests that came before us in those days. And as for Lady Mountbatten she became so popular with our people because of the healing touch she brought wherever she went, that some of us became somewhat jealous of her."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 8554
Solution to Puzzle 8553
God's accessibility
dated March 18, 1956: Nehru on Mountbatten
Weather

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu