Chapter 6 Talking about the trip to India with the children

Dear children, I feel extremely honored and happy. Today I have the opportunity to report our visit to India to children all over the country. Our delegation to India, headed by Deputy Minister Ding Xilin, including three other members and two staff members, is representing the China-India Friendship Association and accepts the invitation of the India-China Friendship Association to participate in the National India-China Friendship Association of India of the founding meeting.Last year, on November 27, 1953, we left Beijing and arrived in New Delhi, the capital of India, on December 8.After attending the opening ceremony of the National Conference of the India-China Friendship Association on December 11, we also visited 19 cities in India.We have traveled as far as New Delhi in the north, Madras in the south, Kolkata in the east, and Mumbai in the west, with a total distance of more than 8,800 kilometers.After traveling in India for five weeks, we left India this year, January 12, 1954, and returned to our motherland.

Dear children, during our five weeks in India, we were completely immersed in the warm friendship of the Indian people! Every time we arrived at an airport or a station, we could see flags fluttering and thousands of heads moving from a distance. When we got off the plane and train, we were surrounded by crowds.Thousands of longing eyes are shot at us, and thousands of enthusiastic hands are stretched out to us; countless beautiful and fragrant garlands are placed on our necks one after another, and countless petals are sprinkled on us like rain. over our heads. The slogans of "Long live China-India friendship", "Long live peace", "Long live the People's Republic of China" and "Long live the great Mao Zedong" reverberate around us like a raging tide.The Indian friends who entertained us, holding hands tightly in the extremely crowded, opened a way for us, and escorted us out of the station and into the car.But amidst the sea of ​​people outside the station, the car still couldn't get out, and even the doors couldn't be closed, because countless friendly hands stretched out from outside the doors and windows, wanting to shake hands with us.

Every time we went to a city, in addition to meeting with the Indian people at mass meetings, we also participated in receptions held by local government education circles, literary and art circles, business circles, women circles and other groups.In New Delhi, we met with the Indian President, Vice President, and Prime Minister Nehru.We were also invited to attend the dinner of Prime Minister Nehru and the reception of the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs.Sometimes, we have to go to six or seven rallies a day. Although we sometimes feel tired physically, we are always excited mentally, because the friendship of the Indian people to the Chinese people is so touching!

At mass meetings, the largest number of people is 30,000 to 40,000, and the smallest number is more than 1,000.One or two hours before the meeting, thousands of people sat in the square and waited.After the speeches and reports of our head Ding Xilin and deputy head Xia Yan, the audience always responded with stormy applause and shouted the warm slogan of "China-India Friendship".At each rally, Indian friends put countless garlands on us, presented many gifts, and performed many music, dance, singing, and recitation programs for us.When we visited schools, large and small, the principal, teachers and students of that school, besides inviting us to give lectures, also invited us to visit the school buildings, and the students performed gymnastics, dances, singing and so on for us.

When we visited the countryside, all the men, women, old and young in the countryside put on festive costumes and came out to greet them. Every household used chalk to draw blessings and welcome patterns on the steps, and hung colorful welcome slogans at the door. and banner. Dear children, there is no end to the friendship and love of the Indian people for the Chinese people. I can give many moving examples: Once we visited a rural area, there was an old man in his seventies, He was completely blind, but he still groped his way through the crowd and asked the three or four-year-old grandson in his arms to hand us an orange as a gift.Another time, at a mass meeting in a city, a very thin old lady squeezed tremblingly to the front of the stage, and with tears she gave us a pack of four small pancakes wrapped in newspaper.When we travel by train, every time we pass a small station, no matter during the day or late at night, people often come from dozens of miles away, fighting for a few minutes to stop, shaking hands and hugging us , asking us to say a few short words to them.They sometimes have to wait for an hour or two at the station just to have a look at us, waving flags and shouting slogans, no matter how far we have gone with the train, they run to hand us a sugar cane or a guava, There is so much friendship and love in this little gift.These situations often make us unable to help but shed moving tears.

The children in India are even more enthusiastic. At many children’s welcome meetings, they wore white uniforms and red ties, greeted us with their own military band, and performed verse after verse for us. and dance.They gave us the clay figurines they made and the paper birds they made as gifts.When we left, they were always shouting slogans on both sides of the school gate, queuing up to see each other off, shaking hands and hugging us, reluctant to leave.When talking with us individually, they always asked about all the conditions of Chinese children's home school life, and also asked about the situation of the Young Pioneers, the conditions for joining the team, etc. They have infinite concern for Chinese children.

Dear children, why do the Indian people care so much about the Chinese people?So kind?Because the friendship between the two oldest nations in the world was established two thousand years ago.The people of our two countries originally traded the necessities of life of the people. We sent silk and tea to India, and they sent us cotton and jute; in the fourth and fifth centuries, Indian Buddhism was introduced to China, Cultural exchanges between the two countries have become more frequent.The story of Journey to the West that children are most familiar with is based on the historical fact that Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty went to India to learn Buddhist scriptures.China and India have lived together in peace for thousands of years across the Himalayas. This kind of peaceful and friendly international friendship is long-term and profound.

Unfortunately, in the last hundred years or so, China and India were both oppressed by foreign capitalism and imperialism, and even transportation was restricted.The people of our two countries have not been given the freedom to know and understand each other.Four years ago, when China was liberated, India established friendly relations with the people's China, and the friendship between the peoples of the two countries became even closer.Both of our two countries deeply feel that we need construction and peace. The more than 500 million people in China and the 360 ​​million people in India join hands, and this force to defend peace is very powerful.Chairman Mao said: "The Indian nation is a great nation, and the Indian people are very good people. The friendship between the two nations and peoples of China and India has been very good for thousands of years... We hope that China and India will The two nations continue to unite and work hard for peace. People all over the world need peace, and only a few people want war. India, China, the Soviet Union and all other peace-loving countries and peoples, unite for peace in the Far East and for the world work for peace."

Dear children, we must keep Chairman Mao's instructions firmly in our hearts. Children in Mao Zedong's era should take good care of this great Indian nation and the good people of this nation. Take responsibility for this continued solidarity.We must cherish the time-honored friendship between the two peoples, and we must continue to consolidate and develop this friendship and work hard for lasting peace in Asia and the world. Let's talk again, children. I wish you good health, good study and good work. The title of the radio speech made by the radio station to children and teenagers across the country was added by the original editor. )