Evening star., 1941-08-13
Says India Aids
British War Effort
Writer Gives Evidence
To Show Generous Help
In Empires Struggle

To the Editor Of The Star:
Elizabeth Zombro In recent letter In
your columns asked: "Why does England
not let go of India, and by so doing win
the support of the Indian people who SO
gallantly rose to her defense in the first
World War;" The implication was that
India is not giving her support in the
present war. May I give few facts
about India's present war effort?
In addition to her normal forces, India
has raised a new Army of 100000 men
and has started to raise further 100000.
Her Navy, quadrupled in size. is now the
largest in her history. Thirty thousand
Indians are serving in British merchant
ships. Indian units have rendered in
valuable assistance in all theaters of the
war: Dunkerque, Alden. Singapore, Hong
Kong Somaliland, Egypt, Palestine,
Syria, Iraq, Libya, Eritrea and AbysSinia.
Indias rapidly growing air force recently
required 300 pilots; there were 27.000
applicants. In all branches of service.
recruiting Offices have been beSieged by
volunteers from every class, every call
ing and every community.
AS to the production of supplies of all
kinds. India has far out-stripped her
record in the war of 1914-1918. For
instance she has supplied England with
1000 900 900 jute bags. London has been
completely sandbagged with the help of
India. She is sending the mother coun-
try army boots at the rate of 125OO0
pairs month. Her factories are turning
out all the munitions and equipment for
her own forces. Under American direc-
ton she has begun the manufacture of
aeroplanes.
In addition India has made great ma
terial gifts to the common cause.
Wealthy natives have given fully equip
ped hospitals. ships, ambulances, and
even squadrons of planes-one alone OF
the last being of the value of sl.5000O0.
Over sl25,OOO,OOO have been subscribed
TO loans. Indeed, India's response in
every line of service is as magnificent as
that of the dominionS: Australia, Cam
ada. New Zealand and South Africa all
approaching that England's interest Is
their interest, England's danger their
danger.
Your correspondent declares: Her
people 0ndias) are proud and sensitive
people with fine and subtle intellect.
1t has been my privilege to have many
friends among distinguished native In
dians and whole-heartedly can endorse
this statement as regards them. But
YOUR correspondent implies that the peo-
ple of India are one and homogeneous.
And that is just the difhculty; they are
not. To say: The Indians are proud,
sensitive, fine and subtle makes con-
siderably less sense than to say: The
Europeans are proud, sensitive, fine and
subtle"
India contains one-fifth of the human
race. a population nearly twice that OF
the Americas, North and South. But the
diversity of races is enormously greater;
greater probably than that of all other
countries, of the world taken together.
There are over $50 distinct languages,
languages which differ as greatly as do
English and French, German and Rus
Sian, lldlldll dIll ANoi NSSieAA'
and Rumanian Indians have no common
language. If the different peoples wish
to speak together their lingua franca
Is English.
What is India? 1t is significant that
there is no native word for India. The
Persian word "Hindustan' denotes only
the basin of the Upper Ganges. Besides
the provinces known as British India.
there are 700 native states interSpersed
throughout the country and varying IN
constitution from free democracy TO
absolute monarchy. Each has an army,
revenues and laws of its own. There arc
as many races as languages: Black,
white, yellow, pink and brown people;
an immense variety of feature and ply
siuue: tall, short, slim, stout; pugnaclous,
loving; intelligent, stupid: in
Vulnerable religions and castes: those
racially noble" and the "untouchables"
Sikhs. Rajputs, Moslems, Gurkhas,
MahrattaS, Dogras, Lascars, Pathans,
Parsees-a bewildering maze of social
grades and class distinctions. And all
these are not distinctly grouped, but
mixed and scattered.
OF Hindus there are about 200 millions,
OF Moslems about 80 millions. There is
more profound divergence in religious
and social outlook between Hindu and
Moslem than between any other two
races in the world. The Moslems at
present will have nothing to do with q
constitution framed by an assembly
elected from geographical constituencies
by majority vote-ie., with democratic
self-government as the Western world
knows it. They claim the right to be
treated as an entity, yet they are scat
tered all over India and intermingled
with Hindus. The non-Moslem scheduled
castes, for whom Mahatma Gandhi has
done so much, adopt similar attitude.
And the native states, with territories
one-third of India and quarter OF its
populat ton, form another group which
so far fatty has declined to be assim-
ilated. Why should these minorities be
forced into federal scheme against their
will?
India, however, has already been given
a high degree of independence. The
British Indian provinces have the same
rights of government in all essentials
as have the States Of the United States
of America Their parliaments consist
of Indians, elected by Indians, with cabl-
net ministers who are Indians. India has
economic freedom. Some Is years ago
she was granted tariff making powers
and these have often been exercised ad-