Page 2
University Daily Kansan
Monday, Feb. 10, 1964
Nehru and India
(Editor's note; The author, Vinay Kothari, is a native of India doing graduate work in journalism at KU.)
Unquestionably, India's success in its short period of independence is mostly due to the able leadership of Prime Minister Nehru.
Pandit (scholar) Nehru, as his people call him, is now confined to bed, while his colleagues attempt to assume his duties—with the exception of policy making, which remains in Nehru's hands.
Nehru, at one time a close associate of Mohandas Gandhi, worked for years on four hours sleep a night. Now the burdens of his office, increased by recent crises with China and Pakistan, have exhausted him.
Fatigue marks his face. His eyes have sunk back and his color has paled.
Just a few years ago, I had an opportunity to see Mr. Nehru give a public address. His speech was energetic and persuasive, his voice pleasant.
He talked for about 30 minutes without stopping. The people paid keen attention.
It was a big mass meeting. Many had come a long distance to hear him speak. There were mothers with babies in their arms. There were people on light poles who wanted a glance at him. There were people crowded into the streets, on parked cars, on the roofs of nearby houses and in the windows.
Then, if I had not known his age, I would have guessed him to be 40, young and vigorous. His complexion was pink and there was no sign of age on his face. He smiled continually, revealing a friendly nature.
Now ill, Nehru is reluctant to give his leadership responsibilities to a younger man.
Under his 16-year guidance, India has existed as a unified nation. This is a truly remarkable fact when one considers that India has a population greater than that of Europe, contains countless races and at least 33 major languages.
Nehru has established and extended parliamentary democracy and has maintained civil liberties. Social prejudices in the conservative country are disappearing with amazing speed. He has tried to end bribery and corruption, both in government and public life.
In the mind of the vast majority of Indians, Nehru can do no wrong. Even his mistakes are counted as virtues, because of the grace with which he admits them.
One of the greatest ambitions of Nehru is to provide educational facilities to his people and make all Indians literate. Through Pandit Nehru's efforts, support for compulsory free education has been greatly intensified.
The Prime Minister is looked upon by the world as a capable person who can lead his nation to either communism or democracy, and both sides have tried desperately to gain his affiliation.
But Nehru himself says he wants his nation and Asia to be a "third force,"working for peace between democracy and communism.
A man of peace, Nehru has tried to solve India's conflicts with China and Pakistan through
negotiation. He recently told his countrymen that he regretted the threatening attitudes of both nations, which are close neighbors and have old ties with India. He asked his people to remain prepared for the worst, but, he said, he would try to achieve progress and prosperity through socialism and democratic methods.
Not a self-appointed saint, Nehru has been willing to use force if necessary. The Indian army drove the Portuguese from Goa because Indians were being treated badly by the colonial authorities.
Nehru is not only an able statesman. He is a devoted husband and father and a writer and historian in his own right. And now, he is worn out in the service of his countrymen.
Who will follow Nehru? What will be the future of the world's largest democratic nation?
The Prime Minister declines to name a successor. He refuses to believe that it should be worried about at present.
Woodrow Wyatt, who recently visited Nehru and India, reported:
"His (Nehru's) achievements are so well built in that his successors will be able to carry on with probably greater efficiency than he himself at present engenders. There is no lack of able politicians, strong and competent in administration.
"When the time comes for Nehru to depart, Cabinet Government will emerge more vigorously, there will be a slight shift to the right both nationally and internationally, and Nehru's successor will not be selected by himself but by the Congress caucus, which has the most efficient political machine in any democracy in the world—including America."
As long as Nehru remains alive and in reasonably good health, his leadership is certain.
* * *
The ailing Prime Minister has named Lal Bahadur Shastri, former home minister, to be Deputy Prime Minister. He has already taken all of Nehru's major administrative duties.
Shastri, who stands 52", got unanimous support from the ruling Congress Party. He is a believer in the ideological mid-road and is widely liked by both the right and left wings of Indian politics.
Shastri's former positions include general secretary of United Provinces Congress Committee, 1937-41; secretary of United Provinces Congress Board, 1945; parliamentary secretary to the chief minister of United Provinces, 1947-48; general secretary of Indian National Congress, 1951; elected member of the Council of States, 1952; Minister of Railway and Transport, 1952-56; Minister of Commerce and Industry and Home Minister.
If rest does not remedy the illness of Nehru, then Shastri appears to be a competent successor to the leadership of the Pandit's beloved nation.
— Vinay Kothari
from the morgue
The Panhellenic rush council outlined the following rules for the 1950 summer rushing:
"During the periods from the close of school until July 15 and from Aug. 15 until the beginning of rush week, Sept. 8, there may be positively no contact between rushees and sorority women or alumnae.
"University sororities must do all their summer rushing between midnight, July 14, and midnight, Aug. 15.
"Only 14 persons, including rushees, actives, alumnae, and their escorts, may be present at the average party. The only food served may be a dessert and drink. Each rushee will be allowed to attend one large party given by each sorority. An entire meal may be served at these parties, but the occasion may not be more than eight hours long.
Daili Yransan
University of Kansas student newspaper
111 Elint Hall
UINiversity 4-3646, newsroom
UINiversity 4, 3198, business office
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
Member Inland Daily Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by National Advertising Service, 18 East 50 St., New York 22, N.Y. News service: United Press International. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $5 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays, University holidays, and examination periods. Second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kansas.
Mike Miller Managing Editor
Russ Corbitt, Jackie Helstrom, Willis Henson, Kay Jarvis and Roy
Miller, Assistant Managing Editors; Fred Frailey, City Editor; Leta
Cathcart, Society Editor; Marshall Caskey, Sports Editor; Charles Cor-
coran, Picture Editor.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Tom Coffman Editorial Editor
Vinay Kothari and Margaret Hughes Assistant Editorial Editors
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Bob Brooks Business Manager
Joanne Zabornik, Advertising Mgr.; Mike Barnes, National Advertising Mgr.; Walt Webb, Circulation Mgr.; Bob Phinney, Classified Advertising Mgr.; Ken Costich, Promotion Mgr.; Dana Stewart, Merchandising Mgr.
"Monopolist!"
Sex and the Single Girl That is 'Really Living'?
"SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL," which made the best-seller lists for a time, is a woman's "Playboy" in one big wrap-up edition, minus the provocative photographs.
Another of the how-to-do-it books of a sort, it gives a detailed account on how a fun-loving girl can break all the rules and still stay in the game. Not only that, she gets a good sportsmanship trophy when the tournament is over—when approaching middle age. The authores herself, one Helen Gurley Brown, got her trophy—a graying movie producer with a flat stomach—at the age of 37 after 17 years of "sleeping around."
Primarily a memo to the girls, it's also recommended for all men who consider themselves particularly adept at pursuing womankind. It makes the whole business ludicrous. You may even begin investigating the benefits of monastic life where rust doth not corrupt nor the flest tempt.
Miss Brown's idea of writing exciting stuff is to insert a lot of exclamation marks.
According to Miss Brown, a girl who married young probably was trapped by Willie Smith of Podunk High School end pass fame. Naturally Willie deteriorated into a frustrated alcoholic who ekes out a living selling insurance.
She starts out by describing what a thrill it is for a single girl to be winked at by her boss or stared at by the paper boy making his collections.
The last one-third of the book is a list of 1,000 subterfuges to prevent the ravages of time from marking too harshly—not only clap-trap, but boring clap-trap.
After that, "What fun it is to spend two hours on your nails Saturday afternoon!" followed by "I bet those married gals have lousy finger nails from all those dirty dishes!"
Miss Brown's next book is "Sex and the Office," which should be sub-titled "Fun Among the Filing Cabinets."
An advertising blurb claims "sneaking up on the boys" and "getting your own key to the men's room" are leading subject matter. They sound like degrading past-times to me, but they might appeal to Mme. Brown's "Single girl."—Coffman
Even if it is no more clever,it promises to be more salacious.
ONLY YESTERDAY: "Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe allike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century. . ." -JFK
Plans are being made for the Kansan editorial page to carry essays expressing the ideas of the political Right and Left on the KU campus. Topics for debate will be political, but they will be designed to bring out the philosophic beliefs of the liberal and conservative causes.
Intelligently-written contributions will be welcomed.
Overheard on the bus: Anyone can quit smoking. It takes a real man to face lung cancer.
Americans bought 523 billion cigarettes in 1963 - the seventh straight year of increased sales.