Since the 20th of October 1962 there has been an invasion of our country by China. However, the present drive of the Chinese is not unexpected, though our Government seems to have been taken by surprise. When China invaded and annexed Tibet, it was clear that they had no benevolent intentions towards us. Surrounded by Russia on the one side and the ocean on the other, the only direction, the only weak spot China could look to for expansion was Tibet. The British had maintained an independent status for Tibet so that it may serve as a buffer State between Bharat and China. In their zeal to undo what the Britishers had done, our present rulers accepted sovereignty of China over Tibet. And again, as our Government itself has confessed, the Chineese had pressed forward and illegally occupied 12,000 square miles of our territory. In the face of these facts we can hardly accuse China of treachery. Their attitude to our country has been openly hostile for years.

 

Before we can think of devising effective measures to meet the present threat, we have to first disabuse our minds of preconceived notions and correctly analyse and access the true nature of the enemy and the magnitude of his preparations.

 

 

Firstly, we have to keep in mind that China has always been expansionist. It is in its blood. Over one hundred and fifty years ago Napoleon had forewarned not to rouse that yellow giant lest he should prove a grave peril to humanity. Seventy years ago Swami Vivekananda had specifically warned that China would invade Bharat soon after the Britishers quit.

 

For the past eight years we of the Sangh, too, had been unambiguously warning that China had aggressed into our territory at various strategic points. Then nobody was prepared to believe us. The editor of a leading English daily even said that we were talking like mad men. And now our leaders say that they were taken by surprise!

Now, added to the expansionist blood of China is the intoxicant of Communism, which is an intensely aggressive, expansionist and imperialistic ideology. Thus in Communist China we have the explosive combination of two aggressive impulses. It is a case of -

अपि च कपिः कापिशायन मदमत्तः ।

 

(Already a monkey, moreover drunk with wine.) We would therefore only be deluding ourselves and taking false steps in our preparation to face it if we attribute Communist China's aggressiveness only to its racial nature and not to its present Communism also.

 

 

Some say that this invasion is a 'godsend' and a 'blessing in disguise' because it has roused and unified our people into a single national entity. Of course, the people have responded magnificently to the call of the hour and have risen as one man with a firm determination to throw out the enemy. But they do not know how to express that determination and what they are required to do. They carried on processions, held demonstrations, burnt effigies and passed resolutions as they were accustomed to do in their struggle against the British. But we must realise that the enemy we are now facing is of a different kind altogether. The Englishmen were a civilized people who generally followed the rule of law. The Chinese are a different propostion. They do not posses even normal human qualities like kindness, pity or respect for human life. In fact, Mao Tse-tung once openly expressed his desire to see a world war with all the modern nuclear weapons brought into full play. His logic is that majority of people will then be annihilated in America, Russia and all the other countries of Europe. In that holocaust even if, say, 40 crores of Chinese are wiped out still they will have 25 crores left to rule the whole world. To them, that is very simple logic. They do not worry about the loss of the human life. It is just like grass to be cut and replanted! That was the experience in Korea. When they invade they come in waves after waves. When one column is wiped out it is simply replaced by another.

 

Therefore the technique used against a civilized people like the British is of no use in dealing with the Chinese. Also, it is no use blaming them that they are deceits, wretches and so on. Such abuses only sound like the curses of a weakling who cannot give blow for a blow and therefore tries to satisfy himself by abusing his foe. We should not succumb to that low mentality.

 

Further, let us bear in mind that today the whole of China is an armed camp. Each adult is trained in arms. They even have an edge over us in superiority of arms. Their leaders too are born and bred over the past several decades in the climate of bloody warfare.

However, we can make up for these adverse factors provided we step up our efforts in grim earnest in the right direction.

 

 

The first requisite is to steel our will for a nation-wide, determined and organised effort. The struggle is likely to be long and bitter. All of us will be called upon to undergo suffering and sacrifices. Let all of us face these difficulties steadfastly and with good cheer. There is no doubt that the adoration for our motherland which had been lying dormant in our hearts so long will now bring forth and dispel all dark shadows of selfishness and mutual jealousies. It is indeed encouraging to see so many people coming forward to contribute to the National Defence Fund. I hope more and more of them will give still more. Let all persons physically fit be ready for military service. And let their mothers bless and send forth their sons at this hour of trial. When the five Pandavas went to seek the blessings of their mother Kunti before the commencement of the Mahabharata war, she blessed them saying, "Go ye all to the battle. This is the occasion for which Kshatriya women give birth to sons. Go and give your best in this dharmayuddha." Let every mother speak in the same heroic strain to her sons even now.

 

Modern wars, be it remembered, are total wars. They are not merely pitched battles between armies. Every one, right from the scientist and industrialist to the labourer and farmer, will have to work harder and longer in a spirit of national dedications, shelving aside all other considerations of personal and group interests, disputes and claims for the time being.

 

 

The second requisite is a leadership with an adamantine will, which will not be unnerved by the present crisis and climb down to talks of peace. But some of our top leaders are so much infatuated with notions of peace that they are already swept off their feet by the present Chinese declaration of cease-fire. They feel that peace should be purchased at all costs. It was in this process of 'purchasing peace at all costs' that our motherland was vivisected fifteen years ago. It was again in the same process that we lost one third of Kashmir. Now Berubari is on the way. Let the lesson of these past tragedies serve as an eye-opener to us at least in the present crisis.

 

Therefore it is our duty to rouse the collective will of the people by educating and mobilising public opinion so that our leaders will be deterred from arriving at any dishonourable agreement with the aggressors. Acceptance of cease-fire on our part before driving the enemy out of Tibet would be a grave strategic blunder. Our experience of cease-fire in Kashmir should be a warning to us. Premature cease-fire would only demoralise our army and our people. That would virtually turn their tremendous sacrifice into a sheer waste. If our present leaders cannot continue the national struggle at the necessary high pitch, let them make way for men of stronger mettle. Intelligence and calibre are not the monopoly of a few individuals, however powerful and popular they may be for the present. Bharat, the mother of an immortal race of heroes, has never suffered form any dearth of heroic and competent leaders.

 

We can tolerate no retreat, no slackening of efforts on our part. If we allow the Chinese to continue to sit tight over our territory we would be allowing them breathing time and offering them a springboard for further expansion. That would jeopardise our national security for all time to come. It is the duty of all of us, therefore, to give caution and courage to our leaders so that they do not slip at this crucial hour, but act as heroic men in keeping with the honour and sovereignty of our country.

 

 

This caution has become all the more necessary in view of the demoralising effects the Chinese declaration of cease-fire has had upon our people. That is the strategy of the enemy to lull us into a false sense of security, to dampen our enthusiasm and see that our war efforts are slackened; then taking us unawares, to strike again with greater force and capture the whole country.

 

There is a second factor, which is adversely telling upon the people's morale. So far, all that we have been doing for defence efforts is to collect money. In the beginning, people gave money spontaneously out of their own free will. That was good as it helped to awaken and symbolise the patriotic will of the people. But later on the Government itself has taken up the task of collecting money. The first flush to popular enthusiasm is also waning. Definite and authentic information has come form all over the country that Government machinery is applying various types of pressure to get money form the people. That would be nothing less than extortion. When Government resorts to such pressure tactics then the people will tend to think, "Well, if we are to be threatened thus, what is the difference between our own rule and a foreigner's rule?" This will totally destroy the spontaneity of the people and demoralise them.

 

 

If we are really serious about mobilising our financial resources there are other and healthy ways open to us. The first thing is, now that Emergency is declared, dissolve the State Assemblies for the time being. That would save crores of rupees every year. One single elected Parliament at the Centre can very well satisfy the demands of democracy. Secondly, scrap Prohibition. This does not mean minimising the evil of liquor. Far from it. The demon of wine must be buried deep. There can be no two opinions about it. But the present policy of Prohibition has given rise to many other dangerous social evils, which were not found so for in our country. Persons addicted to liquor are getting it all right but in illicit ways. Then there are persons who carry on this illicit business and a whole host of corrupt officials who profit by the continuation of Prohibition. It is, in fact, these vested interests which desire the continuation of Prohibition. This is corroding the people's morals. It is this moral aspect that makes us say, "Scrap Prohibition." The evil of drink can be gradually eliminated by proper education and cultivation of healthy habits of recreation and not by legislation. This step will also bring a handsome revenue to the Government.

 

Further, the immense resources that are required to meet this emergency can he mobilised only by economising on every front to the maximum possible extent. But unfortunately, economy seems to be the last quality of the responsible persons of our country today. Of course, they advise people in general to economise. But form the extravagance they themselves are indulging in, one would feel that they do not really realise that there is any serious threat to our country at all. They are far too busy in consolidating themselves in their present seats of power, in internal rivalries, weeding out their unwanted colleagues, and such other trifles, which leaves them little time to concentrate on things of vital importance for a formidable build-up of defence.

 

When we speak out all these things our great leaders warn us to desist from criticising them at this hour of crisis. We fail to understand why they should fight shy of honest patriotic criticism. Do they expect us merely to approve all that they are doing as being cent per cent right? Will such flattery serve the interests of the country? If they are really in the right in all their policies and doings then there will be no occasion for others to criticise. And if, on the other hand, they are in the wrong, we are duty-bound to criticise and correct them. They too should listen to and respect the voice of the people in all humility. The very fact that our leaders have become so touchy about criticism indicates that there must be ample scope for criticism!

 

Suppression of honest will be nothing less than gagging the people's voice reminiscent of the tyrannical rule of a Hitler or a Stalin. But be it remembered that such despotic rule was short-lived and immediately after their exit history has not spared them and world opinion has totally denounced them. There is one more thing. As persons rise in positions of power, they become all the more exposed to people's gaze and even their slightest failings and lapses are bound to attract people's criticism. Let our leaders take a lesson from England, which passed through the fire of two wars without taking recourse to a single measure to gag the people's voice and kept its civil liberties intact all through.

 

Recently* our worthy Home Minister said many things against political parties in the Rajya Sabha and subsequently a 'secret' circular was circulated by the Congress that all those who criticise the Government and Pandit Nehru should be treated as traitors. Pandit Nehru has, no doubt, in his reply to Acharya Ranga's letter of objection, said that the expression was improper. But mark, he has only said 'improper' and not 'untrue'! Is this the way of building up a consolidated people's will in the country? Will it not effect a cleavage among the people - Congress on the one side and all the rest on the other? And still it is they who say that others should not criticise but should work for unity! A prominent Congress leader recently said that all other political parties should be put under strict control as otherwise they might gain popularity and make it difficult for the Congress to win the next elections! At this, local Congressman who could not tolerate this view, retorted openly, "If the Chinese come where is the possibility of having next elections at all?"

 

Let the persons at the helm of affairs cry a halt to all such undemocratic talk. Such talk would be unworthy of a leadership engaged in war. Let them consider themselves as national leaders and not as mere party leaders. Let us all remind ourselves that the only enemy of all of us is China and it ill benefits us to stoop to mutual hostility, suspicion and rivalry. Let us hope that our leaders will rise to the occasion in setting an example in all such matters that go to build up people's morale.

 

 

Some people mistake such frank and friendly warnings to our worthy Prime Minister as indicating want of love and respect for him. They are totally wrong. They seem to identify respect with flattery. We respect the Prime Minister and regard him as a great world figure, but we cannot flatter him, or accept him as infallible. That would not also be fair to him. The Communists and such others shout form housetops that we must all strengthen Nehru's hands. Obviously, it is to flatter him and serve their own ulterior ends. But we say, let us strengthen Nehru's heart. If we do that, we will have automatically strengthened his hands.

 

'Personality cult' is not only foreign to our culture and tradition but will also do infinite damage to national interests. During the Third Battle of Panipat, at one point Sadashivrao Bhau, the Chief Commander of the Hindu forces, changed his seat from an elephant to a horse. The soldiers, failing to see him, thought him dead, got demoralised and broke up. That was because the person of Sadashivrao was the sole point of inspiration and guidance for the army. On the other hand, for twenty years after Shivaji, Maharashtra did not have any acknowledged leader. Sambhaji had been caught, tortured and murdered. Shahu was in Moghul detention. Rajaram was besieged and isolated in Jinji. But everyone fought the war as if the spirit of Swaraj and Shivaji was reborn in him. It became truly a people's war. After twenty years of fighting with them Aurangzeb died, defeated and broken-hearted. Such is the world of difference between personality cult and dedication to an ideal.

 

 

Thirdly, we should be keenly on the alert about the threat from inside our own country. There are, as we know, quite a number of persons amidst us who welcome Chinese aggression. To them the Chinese are the godfathers and the Chinese army is a 'liberation army'. Some of their top men have openly declared that it is Bharat and not China that is the aggressor. Even now the Communists are carrying on virulent propaganda in the border areas that Bhagawan Sri Krishna has descended on earth in the form of Chou En-Iai to establish 'Dharmarajya' here! They have also collected funds and told the people to preserve the receipt and show them to Chinese when they come so that they will be recoganised as friends. Such a party has been given a clean chit by our Prime Minister as being cent per cent nationalist!

 

There has been a report that the Communists have tried to indulge in sabotage in Assam. They may try to do the same in various other parts of the country. But strangely enough, they are not kept under strict watch and control. On the other hand, our Government and our people seem to be taken in by their strategy. It is said there is a split in the Communists Party, with pro-Peking and pro-Moscow groups (mind, there is no pro-Bharat group!) bitterly opposed to each other. No one who knows even a bit of the Communist technique will ever believe in that myth. The so-called split is only a trick to dupe the people. Their plan is that one group should bolster up the Prime Minister and his policies so that they can worm themselves into the confidence of the people in general, and behind that mask the other group in secret should go in for collecting arms and getting trained in guerrilla warfare so that in the course of a few months they may be ready to rise in revolt throughout the country, particularly in Assam and Bengal, to break the administration and thus make it easy for the Chinese to run over the entire country. This is actually being done. Training in guerrilla warfare is being given.

 

 

This gives us the clue to the reason behind the sudden and unexpected cease-fire of the Chinese. They have declared cease-fire when they were actually victorious and thus startled the whole world. A great and amazing feat it was, the victor should voluntarily stop fighting and make a very generous gesture of peace! One theory is that the Chinese imagined that the people of this country so fond of quarreling with one another, would continue their quarrels and dissensions as heretofore and that they (Chinese) would be able to exploit them to conquer the country easily. But to their surprise they found that the whole of the country rose as one man with a grim resolve to throw out the aggressor. This was unexpected to the Chinese. Therefore they thought better of it and discontinued their aggression.

 

A second theory is that the Chinese did not expect that arms, ammunitions and other types of military help could be flown to Bharat from America and other friendly countries in so short a while. As a matter of fact, we must deeply appreciate the alacrity and efficiency with which American aid was rushed to us. This also took the Chinese aback, and fearing a smashing counter-attack, they desisted form making any further advance.

 

Some, who are out to praise everything that is Chinese or Russian, say that the Chinese came only to establish their right over the territory, which they claimed to be theirs. They have not accepted the McMohan Line. They say that the actual border is somewhere more to the south. They came up to the border, which they considered to be the right one. In a way they expressed their right and went back. This is giving the Chinese quite an amount of credit.

 

However, one fact has been ignored. Sychronising with the aggression of the Chinese, there was a plan for an uprising by the Communist Party in Bengal. It was to create such wide disturbances that administration would break down, chaos would prevail and the Chinese would be able to take advantage of it to establish themselves from the Himalayas to Calcutta securely. Somehow this plan miscarried. Either because the Communists were not ready, or their hearts failed them at the eleventh hour, or probably because the people became very alert and antagonistic to them, they had no courage to step forward to execute that plan. Whatever the reason, the fact is that they would not, and therefore did not, act up to the expectations of the aggressive Chinese forces. As their plan misfired the Chinese thought they should wait for a more favourable opportunity, and they have therefore discontinued the aggression for the time being. When we piece together this fact with the present strategy of the Communists here, we get a fairly correct and lurid picture of the volcanic menace that is simmering underneath the apparently calm surface of the present Chinese cease-fire.

 

 

The other danger spot in our internal set-up is the powerful Pakistani fifth column entrenched in strategic points all over the country. Various types of lethal weapons are being distributed among the Muslims in the border areas. Probably, they feel that this is a golden opportunity for them to revolt, to bring our leaders to their knees and force them to part with another chunk of land as before. As a matter of fact, when the Chinese overran post after post in NEFA area, the Pakistani elements all over the country were jubilant. They used to exclaim, "You are well served"! They are especially emboldened because of the recent unholy Pak-China alliance. When the people and even the Government officers were vacating Tejpur and other areas, the Muslims alone stayed there saying that a secret understanding had been reached between China and Pakistan to partition Assam between themselves-the northern portion going to China and the southern portion to Pakistan - and that therefore they were safe. They were fully roused to the frenzy of 1946-47. They raised slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad', and

 

हसके लिया पाकिस्तान, लडके लेंगे हिंदुस्थान ।

 

(Smiling we got Pakistan, fighting we shall take Hindusthan.)

They pillaged and looted the vacated Hindu houses and shops. So, it is the duty of all citizens including the well-meaning Muslims to specially beware that such fifth column elements are held in check right from the start and do not get a chance to disturb internal peace and order which is an absolute prerequisite for building up our defences.

The one guiding principle while dealing with all such subversive elements is to treat them on par with the enemy and put them down with an iron hand. There is an extremely instructive episode in the Mahabharata. When King Janamejaya performs the Sarpa-yaga (serpent sacrifice ) in revenge for the killing of his father Parikshit by the serpent Takshaka, Takshaka flees and seeks asylum with Indra. Then Janamejaya proceeds to bring down Indra also along with Takshaka into all-consuming fire saying

 

सेंद्राय तक्षकाय स्वाहा

 

Such unsparing measures alone will put fear into the hearts of potential agents and allies of the enemy and make them behave as loyal citizens.

 

Then we have to consider, especially in the present context, our relations with the neighbouring countries. Here we have to be aware of one factor. When we are in a difficult situation like this, Pakistan-which according to Pandit Nehru was born in hatred and bloodshed-is likely to bully us. And there is also a possibility that our leaders may give more and more in a bid to placate it and make a compromise over Kashmir. Raja and Jayaprakash Narayan have even canvassed that peace must be made with Pakistan at all costs, even by parting with Kashmir if necessary, so as to forge a joint front against China. But will it solve the problem? What does the past history of those elements tell us? Countless were the experiments made to 'win their hearts' by patting their backs and showering concessions upon them. Finally we even gave them parts of our motherland. Even then they were not satisfied. They attacked Kashmir. To please them we gave one-third of Kashmir. We also gave them the waters of canals built at our cost. Over and above it, we gave them nearly eighty-five crores of rupees.

 

But in return, what have they given us? Under the terms of Partition, they had to give compensation for the immovable property that the Hindus had left behind. The property amounted to hundreds of crores of rupees. But so far we have not received even a single pie. We have been giving everything they demand. But have we ever succeeded in getting anything from them? If we ask them to keep quiet by giving them more and more, will they stop? If now we give Kashmir, then they may ask for Assam and then for Bengal. The more we give the more their appetite gets whetted. So this one-way traffic must stop. The only basis for talks with Pakistan is to tell them, "China is a common danger for both Bharat and Pakistan. If China succeeds neither of us will remain free. Therefore let us stand shoulder to shoulder to face this common powerful foe." This must be the only basis for talks. If we begin to appease them, there will be no end.

 

 

That brings us to our relations with the Western countries. There is nothing wrong with the policy of non-alignment as such. On the contrary, our folly has been that we were not strictly non-aligned but were oriented more towards the Communist bloc. When England and France attacked Egypt over the Suez affair, we were the first to denounce them in the strongest possible terms. But when China butchered Tibet we did not utter a word of protest. And when Russian tanks rolled into Hungary and crushed its freedom revolt we even tried to justify that act. Had we remained truly non-aligned and pointed out our common devotion to democracy, the West would have looked upon us as a dependable friend. After all, when we were in trouble we looked to them and they rushed to our help. Russia, in spite of all its protestations of friendship for us, sent us the four MIG planes scheduled to be sent earlier, several months after the critical hour had passed. Stranger still, the planes were sent by ship and not by air! So far we have not heard about their having been flown at all. We do not know whether the Government calls these developments as alignment or non-alignment.

 

Let us hope the Government will take an objective view of the problem and not allow high-sounding slogans and shibboleths to come in the way of arming our nation to the teeth. We must get arms from wherever we can have them. If Germany could buy guns in England on the eve of the First World War and France could sell tanks to Germany on the eve of the Second World War and all the countries opposed to Germany including Russia could receive American military aid during that war, why should we fight shy of taking arms aid from willing countries, whichever they may be?

 

 

There is an important link on our Northern frontier which we must strengthen. And that is Nepal. Form times immemorial Nepal has been identified with our national way of life. It is a sovereign State, and we are happy over this fact. It is small in size and it is our duty to see that it is not crushed out of existence. Under pressure from a much bigger power, China, Nepal has accepted in its moments of weakness the proposal for the Lhasa - Kathmandu Road. It is our duty to see that the independence and sovereignty of Nepal are preserved. Both of us are facing a common danger. We must respect Nepal's sovereignty and create confidence in its mind about our bona fides. Its rebels have sought shelter in our territory. This has been causing much heart-burning in Nepal. It has given rise to a virulent anti-Bharat propaganda in that State. We must restrain these rebels and re-establish the ties of traditional friendship.

 

Let the defence of our sacred motherland be the first criterion of all our policies-internal and external. For that, if it becomes necessary to cross our frontiers let us do it without the least hesitation. Today the Dalai Lama is in our midst. Tibetans are still offering stiff resistance to Chinese forces in their country. This is a factor in our favour for the liberation of Tibet. Let the Dalai Lama set up his own émigré Government and declare the independence of Tibet. Let us give him all necessary support in carrying on the struggle for his country's freedom. Without a free and friendly Tibet, all our Northern defences become merely mockery. But our Prime Minister says that such a step would be 'manifest nonsense' we cannot understand why he should be opposed to such a noble cause-a cause in support of the independence of a down-trodden people and which is a pre-eminent requisite for our national security. In fact, our late revered President Dr. Rajendra Prasad had said that we cannot hope to protect our frontiers unless we carry the war into the enemy's territory and for that, liberation of Tibet is the first military step.

 

 

In order that we may mobilise our entire internal resources and liquidate all types of internal forces of subversion and fight till the enemy is completely vanquished and the yellow scourge erased from the face of the earth, the one great and inexhaustible storehouse of power that we have to build up is the sterling national character of the people. Without that, any amount of external aid and equipment will be of no avail.

 

We know that in the defeat of the democratic forces in China and victory of the Communist rebels, one of the most decisive factors was the 'characterlessness' of the democratic forces. America tried its best to protect that democracy. They helped it with millions of dollars and huge quantities of arms and ammunition of the latest type to equip the army so that it may deal effectively with the Communist revolt. But history tells us that even officers in the army, for the paltry gain of a few chips, sold the American arms to the rebels, with the result that they became very well equipped and the nationalist army was defeated.

 

Nearer home, there are countless such instances of characterlessness. To cite an instance, it is widely known that Pakistanis are hatching a conspiracy in Assam. Many Pakistanis from East Bengal have infiltrated and are still infiltrating into Assam. They have settled down there. This is a conspiracy to make Assam a Muslim-majority area and later join it to Pakistan. But our Government is not willing to face this fact. It has not opened its eyes even though we have been sounding a note of alarm from as far back as 1950. Now it asks, "How to recognise those Pakistanis?" Some persons in Assam came forward and prepared a list of all the Pakistanis who had illegally entered in recent years, with their names, addresses, etc., and submitted it to the Government. The Government appointed an officer to go into that list and report his findings. He made enquiries. His report was: "This list is all false. Only a very few have come from Pakistan." Why did he report in that way? It came to be known later that he had taken a huge bribe.

 

Lord Attlee, the reputed Labour leader of England, has said in an article that the Government machinery in our country has become corrupt to the core. It is in such countries, he says, that the Communists succeed in subversion. He had asked a prominent person of one of the Asian countries whether there was any threat of Communist subversion in their country, to which that person gave the significant reply, "Our administration is not corrupt and therefore we have no such fear." This warning, coming from an eminent statesman of a mature nation, must make us pause and ponder over this fatal internal corrosion.

 

 

Thus, crisis of character is a very serious affair. We have to grapple with it, not merely by words or by criticising others but by going to its very roots. Mere criticism will take us nowhere. If we call X, Y, or Z names, how it is going to correct our behaviour? On the contrary, it will give us an additional bad quality of calling others names. How then can we eradicate this demon of immorality from ourselves?

 

It is well known that a person becomes immoral and corrupt to the extent his selfishness gets the upper in his life. The greater the selfishness, the more a person is prone to take recourse to unseemly methods for fulfilling his self-interest. It a man is unselfish, he will never go in for evil and his character will never suffer. He will be an honest man.

 

Today selfishness has grown. Every man wants something more than what he gets. He does not care whether the way in which he gets it is good or bad. Often it is bad, and therefore there is crisis of character. So we have to control the selfishness of man. This is an extremely difficult job. Constituted as we are, some little selfishness is bound to be there. We are not all sadhus. We have not given up our families, wearing only a koupinam. It is not possible for us. So far as the whole society is concerned, that will not also be conducive to welfare of the society. A little selfishness will remain, to maintain our body and our family and to give them a minimum of happiness compatible with modern times. Let us not, therefore, think ill of any person who desires to lead an ordinarily comfortable life. But then that is the limit. If a person goes beyond that and indulges in selfishness to the detriment of the interests of the people as a whole, then certainly it is reprehensible.

 

 

How to control self-interest from running amuck? Suppose we advise all people and give them lectures, will it do? Will Sadachar Samitis and mass pledges in public achieve that miracle? Mere lectures on morality and pledges have never corrected people's morals. Further, many persons who lecture on morality and administer pledges are such that we should not look into THEIR lives!

 

Once I met a Sadhu. He told me that he was giving lectures to the clerks and other lower staff in Government offices on 'character', on how not to be corrupt and so on. I said, "But, how will you succeed in your mission? You advise a chaprasi who may be taking a bribe of a few paise. Can you not realise that the chaprasi is a poor man unable even to feed all members of his family twice a day? If in that condition, he stoops to taking a little bribe, we can only pity him, though of course we cannot justify his action. So go higher up, lecture to those at the top. See if they can be corrected." Then the Sadhu said, "But the higher-ups are good!"

 

I said, "I shall give you an example. There is a gentleman in the galaxy of our political leaders, who is adored and loved by the country. Once on the eve of the last elections, he was invited to a city to be presented with a purse for the purpose of elections. A number of big businessmen and industrialists had formed a committee and collected a big sum of money. At a grand function, with all those speeches extolling the person and the party, they offered him the purse. He got up to reply. He said, "I know that all these people that have assembled here are indulging in black-marketing and the money they have offered me is born out of sin. It is sinful even to touch it. I feel that all such should be flogged publicly and even hanged!' All this he spoke in a very high moral tone, but quietly pocketed the purse and went away!" Fortunately, the Sadhu also knew this incident. Then I told him, "Go to such high-up and correct them first."

 

If the top men are morally upright, then morality will trickle down to the lowest stratum of society and general good character will be the result. You cannot build character from the bottom to top. It has always to be built up at the top first. On the other hand, physical comforts have to be provided starting from the bottom. Feed those who are at the lowest rung of the ladder of our social life, who are physically working hard day and night and leading an existence, which is certainly an insult to the dignity of the society. Let the people at the top go without a meal, I don't mind. But that is how society should be rebuilt and revitalised - physical needs from the bottom upwards and morality form the top downwards.

 

 

It is a matter of common experience that character and morality are wanting even in the very high strata of our national life. Those in the higher strata of life are intelligent and educated. They know what is morality and what is immorality. They can even deliver excellent sermons on the subject. Then, what are we going to achieve merely by advising such persons?

 

Can we improve the moral standards of our people by taking recourse to legislation? Take the case of Prohibition. It is in force in many states. But in all those States, illicit distillation has become a flourishing cottage industry! Hence, mere legislation is a useless instrument for bettering the morals.

 

In fact, there is only one way by which selfishness can be restrained. Give the man an ideal to work for, to live for and die for. Then that person, in his devotion to that ideal, will be able to control the pulls of his self-interest and build up a better character. There is no other way. Give the people an ideal, high and holy, an ideal, which naturally resonates in their hearts, throbs in their blood and which has been with them for generations. Then even the ordinary man in the street will be able to feel the rise of devotion and character in him. Such an inspiring ideal is the realisation of the glory and greatness of our scared Hindu Rashtra.

 

"I am a child of this great Hindu nation. For generations, my great forefathers have striven to make this the greatest and noblest nation - an ideal nation of ideal men - on the face of the earth. I, too, will live and strive for the same goal." - This is the natural impulse that we have inherited. We feel it in our blood. If this natural sublime urge is roused then our people will be able to rise above their selfish pulls and manifest chaste national character in their day-to-day life.

 

 

Even in the present times of national crisis we cannot afford to ignore this content of idealism. Let us not forgot that it was on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, when war-drums were beating, trumpets were blowing and Arjuna was standing in the centre of the two armies, that Sri Krishna taught him the eternal and inspiring message of selfless action in the cause of dharma and spurred him to matchless valour and victory. It is only when a hero is inspired with the vision of an ideal that he will be able to put forth the best in him. He should be clear in his mind about the life values for which he is to fight and die, if need be. Talk of economic plans and industrial glory cannot stir the people to suffer and sacrifice. Dry and disparaging descriptions of our motherland as 'snow-bound', 'unfit for human habitation', 'not a blade of grass growing there', etc., will only kill the spirit of the people who will then see no difference even if such a piece of land is occupied by the enemy. So it is absolutely essential that the eternal and inspiring call of devotion to our holy motherland and our national ideals is engraved in the heart of every son of this soil.

 

All our valiant freedom fighters in the past and in modern times were inspired with the living vision of Hindu Rashtra. That was the only effective rallying cry to rouse our masses to action from one corner of the country to the other. And whenever that vision was blurred or lost sight of, the people too relapsed into inactivity and servility.

The lesson of the 1857 War of Independence is before us. The great leaders of that revolution, at the very first stroke, captured Delhi and released the Moghul Badshah who had become a mere tool in the hands of the British. They reinstated him on the throne as the free Emperor and declared him the leader of the War of Independence in a bid to mobilise the support of those sections of the people who still owed loyalty to the Delhi throne. But this step made the Hindu masses suspect that the atrocious Moghul rule, which was smashed by the heroic efforts and sacrifices of Guru Govind Singh, Chhatrasal, Shivaji and such others would once again be revived and foisted on them. And that, they felt, would be a greater tragedy than the English rule. The Hindu mind, which was inspired with the hope of Hindu Swaraj looking at the great Hindu generals like Nanasaheb Peshwa, Tatya Tope, Rani Lakshmibai and Rana Kunvar Singh lost its urge to fight. Historians say that this was one of the decisive factors, which ultimately led to the collapse of that revolution.

 

It is only when the people are inspired with this age-old national vision that it is possible to make them rise to heights of selflessness, sacrifice and heroism and to forge them into a single living national entity from one end of the land to the other and build up an unassailable national strength. And when we do that, we will be able to humble not one but ten Chinas!

 

 

One more serious impediment that we have to clear up is our mental reservation regarding building up of national strength. The very idea of strength was an anathema to our leaders all these days. The mental climate of our leadership was somehow averse to it. They believed entirely in pious platitudes. Even recently some of our responsible leaders indulged in talks of unilateral disarmament which would be nothing but unilateral suicide! At least since 1954 our leaders have been aware, on their own admission, of the fact of the naked aggression of the Chinese. But they continued to live in the dreamland of Panchsheel. During these eight years we could have equipped ourselves very well and made our defences impregnable. But today we are having a small army, fewer arms and still fewer bullets. Production of bombers, fighter planes, tanks, military transport, etc., was totally neglected. There is not one anti-aircraft gun of sufficient range with us. And we are talking of disarmament! How can we disarm when we have no arms at all?

 

We have read in papers that our ordnance factories manufactured coffee crushers and plastic bags. They also produced a truck with a capacity less than that of even an ordinary truck and called it 'Shaktiman'! And the very first sample of 'Shaktiman' collapsed at its first trial! But now it seems our leaders have learnt a lesson at the cost of so many precious lives of our soldiers. Our Prime Minsiter has frankly confessed that China awakened us to a world of reality form a dreamland of our own creation. At one place he gave expression to his new realisation saying, "We cannot survive without strength. If it comes to that we will fight even with lathis." And our Home Minister Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri said, " We will no more be caught napping." Which only means that they were napping till now! It is some solace that, though late, they have realised the truth that strength alone counts in this world of conflict and that the world understands only the language of strength. Let us pray to God that their present realisation will not be short-lived.

As a matter of fact this is an elementary principle of life which our ancients had realised long, long ago. Manusmriti says:

 

दण्डस्य हि भयात् सर्वं जगत् भोगाय कल्पते ।

 

(It is out of the fear of sceptre -a symbol of authority- that society is sustained.) And they lived in the light of that truth. Though they preached and practised the highest philosophy of human brotherhood, they never ignored the hard realities of the world in which they had to live and move. Sometimes we hear our leaders say that traditionally we have always been a peace-loving and non-violent people. True, but it was not the peace at the cost of honour, it was not the peace of the grave. In fact, passive submission to belligerence was looked down upon as a sign of unmanliness. We had in the past set up standards of valour and heroism and produced some of the greatest generals and conquerors the world has ever known, who fought and killed and carried on fierce battles relentlessly to establish peace wherein dharma reigned, supreme.

 

 

We are really amazed that even at this critical hour, there are eminent personalities who continue to think and preach in the same old strain. Even now they argue, "We are a people of peace and non-violence. If the Chinese come, we will only stand before them as a peace army. What will they do? After all, it requires two to fight. If we do not fight, then with whom will they fight?" A good argument indeed, especially appealing to those who have not sufficient guts to fight!

 

It is true that two are required for a fight. But it is not necessary that both should be fighters. It is sufficient if one strikes and the other receives the blow! And again, if we remain peaceful and behave well with others, is it a necessary corollary that others also will behave likewise with us? Is it our experience of the world?

 

 

Take our own example. When Islam was first born, the King of Gujrat came to know from traders that a new faith had arisen in Arabia. He felt curious to know what it was and asked his traders to bring some of the learned men of that faith in order to know more about it. Some moulvis came to Gujrat. Our pandits held discussions with them. They found that it was a faith that inspired man to pray to God, though it had no philosophy as such. Therefore the pandits and the King said, "it does not matter if you have no philosophy. If you can guide the individual to pray to God; your faith is good. We wish well of it. Let all the people of Arabia go Godward on account of this great new faith that your founder Pygamber has propagated." That is, we respected the faith, the moulvis and the founder. We did not say that it was some trash, which had to be destroyed. No Hindu will ever say that.

 

There is the other instance. In the South, in the kingdom of Madurai, there was an Arab Muslim merchant. As he was a person of good character and great qualities, the king made him his minister. Even today, some Muslims have been made ministers. But that is done with an eye on the Muslim vote! That was not the consideration before the king, because he did not depend upon the votes of Muslims to bolster him up! The Muslim gentleman was made a minister only out of respect for qualities of the man. We have thus behaved with Muslims with respect, love and fraternal affection.

 

But, how did they reciprocate? Their history of the past one thousand two hundred years, full of incidents of destruction, depredation and all sorts of barbaric atrocities, is there before our eyes. The present-day large Muslim population in our country is one of the results of the fatal devastation that they wrought all over the land. Not only the broken monuments but these pieces of a broken society also are equally an evidence of their vandalism. What has our good behaviour towards the Muslim faith and the Muslim people brought us? Nothing but desecration of our holy places and enslavement of our people.

 

Take the case of China. For more than two thousand years, ever since the Buddhist influence entered China, there has been a regular intercourse of learned men and a sort of fraternisation. Our modern leaders also picked up the same thread, as it were, and raised the slogan of "Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai'. They pursued this policy even to the extent of renouncing our moral responsibility in the case of Tibet. We renounced it, and in a way offered Tibet on a platter to the all-grabbing China. We have really proved faithless to Tibet. In fact, China did not turn faithless to us, as there was never any question of putting our faith in them. On the other hand, it is we who have betrayed the trust that Tibet had reposed in us. We committed a great sin. God only knows how we can atone for it! We committed this sin only to call China 'Bhai'. To this extent we made fraternisation with China. How has it responded to our fraternal attitude? By attacking our frontiers! Such a one-sided good behaviour in this matter-of fact world does not seem to yield any fruits.

 

Let us now turn to the character of the Chinese and see whether it is true that they will not cut us down as grass if we just keep quiet, as some say. When the present Communist Government came to power in China, they massacred many people in order to eliminate opposition to their rule. As reported in those days, the number of people they liquidated was about ninety-six lakhs. Can any man in his senses believe that if a Government, which is headed by people who in order to slake their thirst for power can indulge in the massacre of their own countrymen to the tune of about one crore, sends its armies into our country, those armies will go back without killing us just because we refuse to fight?

 

We have to realise that in order to meet all such brutal challenges of this world and come out victorious, strength- solid invincible national strength- alone can help us.

 

 

In all such grave crises our armies will have to be there in the forefront to bear the burnt cheerfully and courageously. And especially, the incomparable valour and bravery of our soldier on the battlefield fills our heart with confidence, pride and joy. But when such a soldier looks back, what should he see? Should he see a disintegrated and unpatriotic people, all indulging in their own selfishness and scramble for power? If this is what the soldier sees, will he be inspired to fight and lay down his life? Let him see a consolidated and patriotic people behind him. Let him feel the confidence that whatever the army requires, this steel willed and well-organised people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is ever ready to fulfil it. If men are required, men will be forthcoming. If various other necessary items are to be supplied there, they will come inspite of any hardship that the people may be put to. With the confidence that the whole of the people is backing him, every soldier will feel that his strength, his fortitude and his capability to fight has become hundredfold, and he will come out victorious.

 

 

It is only when we acquire the strength to stand firm in the face of adversity that friends also will rush to our aid. Why should they help if we ourselves are unfit and not firm enough to stand? Even if they want to help, how and whom should they help? Even now, when we made a feeble attempt to stand on our own legs we got help from so many quarters. Help came from America about whom our leaders rarely said a kind word. Help came from Britain though we had bitterly criticised them over the Suez affair. Help came from West Germany and many other countries. Let us at least now have a word of gratitude for them.

 

 

In view of so many healthy trends set in motion in our national life by the Chinese invasion, we often hear that it has been a blessing in disguise. It is a fact that foreign aggression affords a golden opportunity for nation to purge itself of corroding tendencies like selfishness, internecine feuds, separatist pulls, etc., and to recast itself into single unified and purified entity. The sense of imminent danger spurs the individuals in the nation to rise above all other petty feelings, to merge their interests in the supreme national good and stand as living limbs of a colossal national personality. But all this can be achieved and made enduring only if we have the will, the wisdom to grasp the great chance offered to us and capacity to profit from it. Without that preparation on our part even the blessing may prove to be a mere shock and waste and nothing more.

 

Once the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, appeared before a beggar, blessed him and asked him to receive a shower of gold. But she told him that the gold would turn into dust if it touched the ground. The beggar eagerly opened his bag holding it with both his hands. The goddess filled the bag with gold sufficient to keep his family in affluence for generations to come. But the beggar was greedy and requested her to put a handful of gold more. The goddess showered one more handful and disappeared. But the bag gave way because of the weight, all the gold fell on the ground and immediately turned to dust! One requires worth and strength even to make use of the blessings of the Almighty.

 

 

So also is the case of nations when ‘blessed’ with foreign aggression. It is here that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh comes up to play the role of creating the necessary will and competence in our people to turn this difficulty into an opportunity. The Sangh has been straining every nerve and fibre to rouse and mobilise jan-shakti by imparting life giving ideals, qualities and character required for a powerful, positive and perennial national life. We are confident that every Swayamsevak of our organisation will be found in the forefront when the hour for people’s action and sacrifice comes. At the same time, we do not want to come forward as a group because in times of war there is no necessity of any priesthood of any group or party. It would also be highly improper to parade one’s sacrifices and sufferings. Because to offer one’s all, even his dearest possessions, at the alter of motherland is the first and foremost duty of every son of this soil. And it is that life-spirit that we have been inculcating in the people through the Sangh since its very inception.