Vol. 2, No. 6, September 1941

India Today, Vol. 2, No. 6, September 1941

Vol. 2, No. 2, May 1941

“Horace I. Poleman on India and America”

Poleman was the head of the Southern Asian Section of the Library of Congress and a former student of W. Norman Brown at the University of Pennsylvania and a “driving force in the establishment of South Asian studies in the United States” (Gould 372)
Describes his impressions after traveling to India in 1939
Emphasizes the historical legacy of Indian civilization
“most Americans thought of India still as a land of grotesque mysticism, snake-charmers, the rope trick, horrible practices in the name of religion, and a funny little man in a loin cloth….I found a land of grim realism, enterprise, accomplishment, and purpose.”
Writes that the most important step to take in the future is furthering Indian education in America
“In the world of the future we shall need to know much more about each other if we are to have intelligent and peaceful relations.”

“The Trial of Jawaharlal Nehru”

First release of Nehru’s statement, after being sentenced to “four years of rigorous imprisonment” for violations of the Defense of India Rules on Nov. 3, 1940, in the United States
“I stand before you, Sir, as an individual being tried for certain offenses against the State. You are a symbol of that State. But I am also something more than an individual. I too, am a symbol at the present moment, a symbol of Indian nationalism, resolved to break away from the British Empire and achieve the independence of India.”
“The future recorder of this history might well say that in the hour of supreme trial, the Government of Britain and the British failed because they could not adjust themselves to a changing world.”

“India’s Message to America” by Nehru (sent through Mr. Bagai)

Links India’s freedom to freedom of the world, making a direct connection to China’s freedom
Emphasizing India’s peaceful attempts act securing independence
“In the destruction and desolation that grips the world, the great free Republic of the United States of America has a special responsibility to bear, for countless eyes from all over the world look up to it for leadership in the paths of peace and freedom. That peace and freedom will come only when Fascism and imperialism have ended and no nation or other group dominates over another. To the people of America we send our greetings and our assurance that we shall stand by them in everything that leads to this peace and freedom.”
Uses of words: world-7, peace-8, freedom-10