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In Memoriam: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru / By Shri Ramesh Chandra De; General Secretary, All-India Kashiraj Trust, Fort Ramnagar / 479-481

In Memoriam PANDIT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU Panditji's Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru passed away on the 27th May, 1964 after a brief illness. Only five days back he informed the Press Conference that his life was not to end so soon. death was so unexpected that the news stunned the whole Nation. Not to say of his own motherland, the whole world felt the shock. For his endeavours to bring about World Peace he had endeared himself to the peace-loving people of the world. He was a true believer of the great Indian ideal of "vasudhaiva kutumbakam ' and always thought of Peace and happiness for the humanity as a whole, for which at times he had to sacrifice the interests of his own. He was born in a Brahmin family and remained a greater Brahmin in his sub-conscious mind, though outwardly he was affected by the impact of the age of science and technology. The Western education could not take away from him "the racial traditions of hundreds of generations." Panditji's broad vision conceived of the Hinduism of the days prior to the foreign incursion and domination, when hordes of foreigners came here and merged their identity into the great ocean of Indian Culture like small streams. He wanted to take back the Hindu religion and culture from the present static condition to its old dynamic quality when it had the capacity for synthesis of various religions of the world and could welcome everyone to its fold. Curious are the ways of nature; circumstances took Panditji to Politics which restricted his vision to a limited sphere. Otherwise with his outstanding personality, affectionate nature and strong personal magnetism he could have been a great Reformer and would have ranked with Gautama Buddha and Sankara. To the All India Kashiraj Trust his death has been an irreparable loss. The Trust always received his support and patronage since its creation. His message at its inauguration was;

480 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 2 "I am glad to learn that the All-India Kashiraj Trust will be inaugurated by the President. I think it is a very good idea to issue books for children. I send you all my good wishes on this occasion.' The Trust invited him to accept its first publication. This, he was kind enough to accept and came to Varanasi on January 12, 1962 and stayed at Nandesar House with Mr. U. Nu. We never dreamt that it would be his last association with Varanasi. Before a huge gathering at the premises of the Trust at Shivala he accepted from the Chairman of the Trust the firstcopy of the critical edition of Sri Ramacharita Manasa. He honoured the Editor, Pt. Vishwanath Prasad Misra by presenting to him a pair of shawls. He had a high regard for the immortal work of Goswami Tulasidasa, as will be evident from his speech delivered on the occasion which is being reproduced below from tape recording. : maharaja sahaba aura sajjano, aja apane yaham bulakara aura isa karya mem sarika karake mujhe khusi di khusi hui mujhe aura maim srapa sabaka pranugrhita hum | apane jo canda sabda kahe, to usamem eka sau varsa ki kahani sunayi hamem ki kaise yaha karya aja ke sau varsa pahale suru kiya tha apake purvajom ne aura yaha calate-calate bica mem, sayada ruka bhi gaya| to phira apane dubara usa kama ko age badha़ाya aura eka suddha khatma hua, apane aja use mujhe di | jo kama sau varsa mem pura hua, samaya ke lihaja se vaha bahuta bada़ा kama tha | yaha sau sala ka samaya eka visesa samaya ho jata hai | sralava isake ramacaritamanasa ki pratiyam dekha usaka eka suddha edisana nikalana avasyaka bata thi aura hindi sahitya aura duniyam ke tamama sahityom ke lie bahuta acchi bata thi | duniyam mem prasiddha bahuta si pustakem haim, koi dharmika ya aura isa taraha se unaka mukabala karana kathina hai| lekina maim samajhata hum duniyam mem bahuta kama pustakem aisi haim jisaka asara sramajanata para itana adhika pada़ा hai jitana ki tulasidasaji ke ramacaritamanasa ka | yaha to hamare lie, bharata visesakara uttara bharata ke lie, aisi pustaka hai, jo dilom dimagom mem bamdha gayo hai | mujhe varsom huye, ascarya hota hai sayada 30 varsa, 40 varsa ki bata kaha raha hum| bahuta dina ki bata, jaba gamvom mem jata tha, avadha ke gamvom mem jata tha to bahuta se anapadha� kisana jinhem nama taka likhane ka jnana nahim

July, 1964] PANDIT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU 1 481 tha, ve ramacaritamanasa ko gate the, duharate the | itana yada tha ki ve use duharate the | mujhe ascaryam bhi hota tha aura khusi bhi | maimne mahasusa kiya ki kaise tulasidasa ne hamare jivana ko dhala hai| yani jo eka aksara padhaà¤� nahim sakate the ramacaritamanasa unhem yada tha | unake mana mem manasa sunate-sunate yada ho gaya tha apani batom ki upama mem dohe kaha dete the | unaki samskrtika siksa ho gayo, unaka dimaga khali nahim tha jaisa ki asiksita ya srapadhaà¤� logom ka hota hai| balki maim kahumga ki unaki siksa jyada acchi hui banisbata unase jo kucha ±ô¾±°ì³ó²¹²Ô²¹-±è²¹»å³ó²¹à¤¼n²¹ jana lem aura dimaga mem gaharayi na ho | yano gaharayi unake dimaga mem a gai isa taraha kai sau barasa se isa bada़ी pustaka ne hamalogom ko dhala | n isase jyada bada़ाi ya prasamsa kisi pustaka ki kya ho sakati hai, jisaka itana asara hai vaha sada hi hota jayaga | aisi pustaka ka suddha edisana nikale yaha eka jaruri kama tha aura apa, maharaja aura apake parivara ne jo isa bada़े kama ko uthaya aura pura kiya unhem maim badhai deta hum sraura sracayam bhi, jina pracaryom ne isa karya ko kiya unhem bhi badhai deta hum | yaha kahani ramacaritamanasa ki tulasidasaji ki pustaka to prasiddha hi hai, dakkhina mem hamare desa ki aura bhasanom mem yaha kahani calati hai, prasiddha hai | itana jaisa ki maimne jisane itana jabaradasta srasara vaha bahuta kimati hai | hamare dilom ka hissa ho gayi hai | suru mem kaha bahuta kama pustakem homgi ya kahaniyam homgi kisi jati, kauma ya desa para dala hai | hamare liye itihasa ka hi hissa nahim hamare karoda़ोm adamiyom ke maim phira se srapako, raja sahaba apako aura acarya logom ko badhai deta hum | How we wish that he were with us for a few years more so that the Trust could have the opportunity of bringing out books for children about which he had suggested in his message. His last wish was that his "ashes be thrown into the Ganga at Allahabad." This having been accomplished, we pray that God may bestow on him the coveted place in the other world which, according to ancient Hindu traditions, a mortal obtains when his ashes are consigned to the holy river Ganga : "gangatoyesu yasyasthi ksipyate subhakama na tasya punaravrttirbrahmalokatsanatanat ||