Evening star., 1947-09-11
The Tragedy of India
American Supporters of Freedom Dsiusoned by Bloody
Strife British Sovereignty Ends
By Lofhrob Sfoddard

CaSSanQFdS are never popular. his Is
eminently true of Americans, who do not like
to hear pessirnistic prophecies, especially about
countries and peoples concerning which they
have scant accurate knowledge. The average
American tends to think that the inhabitants
of other lands are basically much like our
selves and hence capable of adopting our
ideals and ways of life, if given a chance.
When such chance is given foreign coun-
try and the people there do not take advan-
tage of it, American public opinion is sur
prised, shocked and disillusioned.
OF this, India is a poignant example. For
decades, spokesmen of India have been
among us. Most of them have had excellent
education on western lines, speaking good
English and knowing how to win our favor.
Many of them have been brilliantly clever.
Almost without exception they have assured
us that India's troubles were due to British
rule and that if this foreign yoke were lifted,
India would soon emerge stable, pro-
gressive democracy.
Well, what they pleaded for has happened.
The British are getting out of India, bag and
baggage. The Indians have their freedom,
with no strings attached. And what do we
see? With the British evacuation just getting
under way, the Indians are at each others
throatS, exterminating each other wholesale,
with attendant atrocities which further in
flame mutual hatreds and engender reprisals
on an ever-ascending scale. The more enlight-
ened leaders of the embattled factions are
seemingly trying to calm the tempest, but it
locks increasingly as though popular passions
are beyond their control. Unless this waxing
cyclone of blood and fire can be quickly
dissipated India would appear doomed to
sink into appalling anarchy.
Predictions Borne Out.
Although this situation comes as IAN unex-
lected shock to the average American, it is
not surprising to most Westerners who have
known India well. The general consensus OF
truly informed western observers has long
beer that, if and when Britain quit India,
that immense country would soon revert to
something like the anarchy which subsisted
there before the establishment of British rule.
And the basic reason for this is the pro-
found lack of unity which has always existed
among the Indians themselves
To begin with, one should look on India
rot as a country and still less as nation
but rather as a subcontinent inhabited by
wide variety of populations differing greatly
from one another in blood, religion, speech.
culture and outlook on life. AS matter of
fact. India. with its area of nearly 100000
square miles, is about the size of Europe,
while its approximately 400.OO0O0O inhabitants
are more numerous than Europes total pop
ulatlon.
Such inherent diversities are, however, by
no means the whole story The root cause
of Indian disunion is its prevailing religion,
Hinduism This arose out of the Aryan in
vason of India nearly $500 years ago. The
fair skinned Aryans sought to perpetuate both
their political predominance and their racial
identity by an extremely ingenious system of
religious sanctions. The population was graded
into system of castes, the upper castles being
monopolized by the Aryans while the lower
grades were filled with the dark-skinned
aborgines. The highest caste was that Of the
Brahmins, a priesthood with boundlesS author
ity Their spiritual power lay in the Hindu
theology, which taught that each individuals
status is fixed at birth by divine decree. Under
Hinduism, it is impossible to rise in the caste
scale. However, it is only too easy to fall;
because neglect of elaborate religious observ-
ances entails ceremonial deflement which.
unless cleanSed by the BrahminS, can forfeit
ones caste status and reduce the unfortunate
to a pariah or "out-caste." Such being is
"untouchable' with no rights which even
low-caste man can respect. He or she is con-
demned to the most revolving and menial
occupations, and the children inherit the
stigma. There are no less than 50,O000o0 OF
these ''untouchabes" in India today. Further
more each caste is self-contained, intermar-
rage or other forms of social intercourse
between them being taboo 1t is hard to see
how, on such a social and economic basis,