Árdís - 01.01.1954, Page 64

Árdís - 01.01.1954, Page 64
62 ÁRDÍS It is not surprising that when the young Nehru daughter mar- ried in 1921 she chose a scholarly young lawyer, Ranjit Pandit, who also had been fired with admiration for Ghandi. Indeed so devoted a follower was he, that ten years of his life were spent in jail in defence of his principles. His health became so undermined by this experience that many believe that his untimely death in 1944 was a direct result. Madame Pandit herself has served three terms also in a British ja.il. Three daughters were born to this union and they are all married and living in India. In fact their eldest daughter at one time served a jail term. After her husband’s death, Madame Pandit became even more vitally interested in the welfare of her land and its fight for inde- pendence. Her zeal has carried her on and on. She became the first woman cabinet member in the British-supervised Indian Pro- vincial government. From 1949 -1951 she served as India’s Ambas- sador to U.S.A. and Mexico. She has been chairman of the Indian Delegation to the U.N. since 1946. Since the new constitution in 1950 she has been a member of Parliament and as mentioned before became the 1953 U.N. president. But what is she like—this rapid-spoken, brown-eyed, olive- skinned woman who dresses in her native saris. What are her ideals? For what is she striving? Certainly not self-glory nor for glorification of womanhood. No! far from it. Her burning desire is for lasting peace. She looks upon her U.N. presidency as an oppor- tunity to help ease world tension which keeps people from attaining lasting peace. Her participation in Ghandi’s non-violent movement shows how early this tenet became of vital importance to her. According to one of her daughters, the answer she gave her children when they asked when would India gain independence so Mother would not have to go to jail again, was that independence would come when those fighting for it would be worthy of it. Independ- ence was important, but that the men and women should always be honorable, dignified, courteous and free from poison of hatred and bitterness, was of even greater importance. Her admiration for Ghandi is boundless. He it was who was instrumental in freeing women from the yoke of servility and obscurity they had endured under foreign rule. He gave them a chance to regain to some degree the importance they had enjoyed
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