In the company of the unforgettable

By K. Natwar Singh

In my study, apart from several thousand books, there are six invaluable works of art. One is a pencil sketch of Gandhiji, done in London during the Second Round Table conference in 1931. It carries the Mahatma’s signature in English.

Next is the original of Nandlal Bose’s lithograph of Gandhi, staff in hand, commencing the Dandi March in 1930. It is signed by Nandlal Bose.

The third is a signed photograph of Rabindranath Tagore, taken in Boston in 1930 and signed by him. Below it is the original ink sketch of the face of a lady by the poet.

The other two paintings are by the greatest Chinese painter of the 20th century: Chi Pai Sheh. I bought these from him in the then Peking in 1957. He was then ninety-three years old. Now his paintings cannot be taken out of China. One is a 3-ft ink drawing of a hawk. The second, Six Baby Chickens — absolutely adorable.

When I was living in Peking, the three non-political personalities were Chi Pai Sheh, Mei Lang Fang, the greatest classical dancer, who always played a woman’s role. During the Sino-Japanese war, he grew a moustache. Mei Lang Fang was a friend of Uday Shankar. The two were meeting in Peking after 26 years. 

The third was the novelist Lao Sheh. His, Rickshaw Boy became a world best seller. He committed suicide during the Cultural Revolution. I met all three. Great, good fortune.

During the 1930s, there were three very famous journalists. One was William Shirer, the author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. In 1920s he was posted in India. He got to know Gandhiji well. His book, Gandhi a Memoir, is a gripping account of an extraordinary era in history.

The second was John Gunther. His Inside Europe and Inside Asia were world best sellers. His chapter on the Mahatma begins thus: “Mr Gandhi is an incredible combination of Jesus Christ, Tammany Hall and your father, is the greatest Indian since Buddha. I first heard of him in 1943 when his book, A week with Gandhi came out. I was then in school. I met him at Princeton in 1964.

The third was Vincent Sheean. The Lead Kindly Light — his book on Gandhi — came out in 1950. The title is derived from Gandhi’s favourite Christian hymn. I met Sheean in New York in October 1962. He came to meet Rajaji who was staying in my apartment. As soon as he entered the apartment he said to Rajaji, “You should have come to Washington as ambassador of India.” Rajaji said he was not cut out to be an ambassador. Many years later I found in the selected works of Jawaharlal Nehru’s, his correspondence with Rajaji on this subject. His name was seriously considered for the Washington Post. Mercifully this did not happen. He would have been an utter failure.

Last week I wrote about the famous and infamous political leaders of the 20th century. I forgot to mention Deng Xiao Ping (1904-1993). He remade Mao’s China. His policy was Marxist politics and capitalist economics. The two have worked wonders.

Now I come to the leaders of the century. These could be classed as B-Plus: 

Lloyd George (1863-1945). British Prime Minister (1916-1922). Many consider him a greater statesman than Winston Churchill. 

Leon Trotsky (1879-1940). Established the Red Army. Greatest Soviet intellectual after Lenin, after whose death he fell out with Stalin, who expelled him from the Communist Party, exiled him from the Soviet Union and had him murdered in Mexico City in 1940. My Life, his autobiography, published in 1930 is a unique political and human document.

Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969). Saintly communist, founder of modern Vietnam. Friend of Jawaharlal Nehru, who met him in Hanoi in 1954 and New Delhi in 1958. I saw him being received by Mao Tse Tung at the Peking airport in 1958. It was summer and he wore a white coat and chappals. No airs, genuine humanity. He spent many years in French jails. Like Gandhi, he forgave his tormentors. 

Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970). Undoubtedly an outstanding Arab of the 20th century. Best known for nationalising the Suez Canal. Lost war to UK, France and Israel. Announced his resignation. A million people filled the streets of Cairo and asked him to withdraw his resignation. He admired Nehru and looked up to him. One of the founders of Non Aligned Movement.

During a visit to India when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, an amusing incident took place. In those days reception was held at Red Fort for presidents and prime ministers. The Egyptian national anthem was played. Every one stood up. When the anthem was over, Nasser whispered to Indira Gandhi that ‘our band had played King Farouk’s anthem’ whom Nasser had forced to abdicate. I was sitting behind the PM. She said: “Natwar, make sure we play the right anthem, not King Farouk’s.”

Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938). Greatest Turk of the 20th century. Father of modern Turkey. Made the country secular.