The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-12-03
Influence Comes from the Yves
He Tells Associated Press
Correspondent.
taY AssestArEp rREssl


SIAII4A, India, Dec 22..- Sardar DO
gendra Singh. the Indian poet, phil
osGpher and novelist, talking with Il
correspondent or the Associated Press.
discussed the meaning of the changes
that have marked the works Of tEe
more recent writer's of this country.
The Sardar, a member Of the modern
school OF Indian literary men and
women who have. to large extent.
adopted the English language as the
vehicle for their thoughts, declared
that he could sec the dawn Of a me NJ
literature breaking over India. The
Influence that was ushering in this
era he added was cmanatins not from
the East but from the West.
Travels Much.
The SaTiar deTates most Of his time
TO writing or TO studying the problems
OF life Eight months Of the year he
spends travelling about the Punjah and
other provinces. partly for the pur-
pose of looking over his estates but
principally to add to his knowledge
OF humanity, for on these trips he lives
among the lahoring people. During
the summer he IS here in Simla. midas
hot weather capital. His home rs built
high llp on the side az one OF the
myriad mountains of this region. over
looking raTfne-like valleys and con
fusion OF vast. Inultt-colored hills
which are typical Of the Himalayas.
Here he dreams and writes. utilizing
the Information that he has gathered
through the season passed
A keen student Of western methods
and ideals, the Sardar takes Darticu-
lar interest in the United States, &
country which he has not yet visited.
Naturally. as writer his thoughts
turn most often to literature, and there
Il is scarcely one Of the we'll known
not read He finds great delight in
these hooks because, Us he says, SO
many Of them arc based on the actual
titles Of life. He was curious to know
whether Americans cared for Oriental
poetry such as produced by 0mat
EhayYanl. a favorite With him. When
told that not only was the Persian poet
widely read In the United States but
that many people knew much of his
verse by heart, he was greatly pleased.
When the Sardar was asked to ex-
press for publication his views on In
dian literature and It's future he was
requested 70 do SO in The form Of q
written statement This he con
scented to, and gave the correspondent
an article which not only presents the
Sardars beliefs but shows something
8of The new style Of writing developed
in the East. Here is what the Sardar
wrote.
India Awakens.
gu have asked me q difficult qles-
tion. The growth of literature is the
growth OF "a nation: its painted story.
set in relief by high and low lights OF
imagination. After long ages India
lis awakening from a heavy sluTber,
seeking freedom from vapoury dreams.
IT is not from the East this TING but
from the West that the light has come
and touched the eyelids Of the sleeper.
ut has awakened once more national
emotions ard a passion tor high mai
tiers Of human progress. With the
awakening has come the dawn OF a
new literature. 5a
THE days that are gone we're bank
rupt Of any inspiring conceptions or
human progress. and drearily common
place The spiritual realm beyond the
bounds OF phenomena was only real ITO
the elect and vaguely indefinite to the
many. Life was not to be lived as a
Joy forever, but to DO regarded as q
dclusion. What we saw and heard
with our eyes and ears was unreal.
utterly incomplete and useless. The
impulse Of passion must be crushed
to reach the realm Of reality Men
burning with high emotions turned
their thoughts to the inner world, and
all literary effort was confined to rne
writing Of commentaries The soul
OF the country found expression IN
common village song soul emouons
that In a moment OF ntercfn 6 passion
passed the lips and shaped into swae,
sad. swonning refrnins, that rise and
fall. echo md re-echo. in the silent
hills. or the solitary wide spread
plains:
T n FShu1va Tairl oIafri FIansa al Jurt! Y
10 wanderer. Thou and u
Make al wondrous pair OF swans.
Fountains Of Faith.
India in decadence was not alto
#gether without the consolidation Of
high thoughts. Tt1lsI Dass. whose
lender .fn tns - fI1AI Inns of Al