Chapter 7 trip to india

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 the two nations, China and India, will continue to unite and work for peace. ——Mao Zedong At the end of November last year, I participated in a visiting delegation to India, and went back and forth for 75 days. When I came back, my friends met for the first time, and they all came to shake hands and said: "I'm back, you have worked hard." I always smile Said: "It's not hard..." The bottom is really a thousand words, I don't know where to start!Beautiful and rich memories, strong and fiery emotions filled my heart... This visit was not just "not hard work", it gave me joyful and exciting experiences and memories that I will never forget in my life.

Generally speaking, the first thing I really felt during my trip to India was the happiness and pride of being a Chinese in the Mao Zedong era!After liberation, under the leadership of the Communist Party and Chairman Mao, China has made great progress, and the people's lives and international reputation have continued to rise, making every Chinese who goes abroad, in the eyes of international friends, a wealthy, powerful, and defending country. Symbol of peaceful country.Especially the Indian people. They have been good friends of the Chinese people for thousands of years. Our great achievements have given them great encouragement.They want to remain friendly with us forever, and they want to defend peace with us.Therefore, they were united as one, and with incomparable enthusiasm, one place after another in every corner of the country, with flags flying and fragrant flowers lingering, came to welcome us friendly envoys from China.These warm and intense scenes, in addition to making us feel happy and glorious, also give us infinite gratitude and encouragement.

The second thing is that the trip to India gave me a preliminary exposure to everything in India. Although due to the short travel date and the tight schedule of visits, all the great buildings, sculptures, exquisite paintings, dances, music, and beautiful mountains, seas, forests, flowers, trees, birds and birds all fly past our eyes and minds. In retrospect, it was a scene of splendor, and I cannot describe it in detail.But just these blurred but profound impressions have already made me have a deep admiration for the long and beautiful culture and art of this great nation.I have deep feelings for the Indian working people who created the culture and art of this great nation, and under the direct and cruel oppression of Western imperialism, have worked hard for two hundred years to preserve and continue this beautiful cultural and artistic tradition.Because of this beautiful and fertile land, and the 360 ​​million good peace-loving Indian people living, working, and struggling in this land, I have great hope for the future of this country!

Our six-member delegation headed by Ding Xilin, president of the China-India Friendship Association, represented the China-India Friendship Association and was invited by the National Conference of the India-China Friendship Association to attend their inaugural meeting. (Since 1951, the number of India-China Friendship Associations across India has increased from 28 to 108.) We left Beijing on November 27, 1953, ten Arrived in New Delhi, the capital of India, on February 8.After attending the inaugural meeting of the India-China Friendship Association, we visited nineteen important cities in India that have branches of the India-China Friendship Association according to the schedule arranged for us by the National Conference of the India-China Friendship Association.

Our journey is from New Delhi in the north, Madras in the south, Kolkata in the east, and Mumbai in the west, with a total of more than 8,800 kilometers.In these places, we have been entertained by the central government, local governments, and education, literature, art, religion, business, farmers, women and other organizations.We visited factories, schools, countryside, parks, museums, castles, temples….After traveling around for five weeks, on January 12, 1954, I boarded a ship from Calcutta on the east coast of India and returned to my motherland.It is impossible to write the experience of these five weeks in a diary style!Due to the rush of schedules and programs, not only were we unable to write diaries and organize materials in detail, sometimes we didn't even have time to sit and recall!We just feel that wherever we go, as soon as the plane lands and the train stops, we see the airport station, a sea of ​​people and flags fluttering.

A torrent of people surrounded them, shaking hands, hugging, laying wreaths, and presenting bouquets. Amid the slogans of "Long live China-India friendship", "Long live peace", "Long live the People's Republic of China", and "Long live Mao Zedong", we were surrounded by Flocking cars with flowers and flags, driving to various public places, we were pushed onto the stage, introduced, cheered, we put on countless beautiful and fragrant garlands, and we received many large and small gifts.The clothes on our heads were covered with perfume, and the foreheads of the female members were dotted with bright red auspicious moles.

We participated in a total of nineteen mass meetings.On the square decorated with lights, Chinese music was played on the loudspeaker and friendly slogans were shouted.Guided by the reception staff, we squeezed through the dense crowd who cheered and extended their hands to us, sat on the stage, and looked down at thousands or tens of thousands of enthusiastic smiling faces.When our head Ding Xilin and deputy head Xia Yan talked about the pure and precious friendship between China and India for two thousand years, the increasing cultural and economic exchanges in recent years, and the 900 million working people in China and India When we join hands forever to defend the lasting peace of Asia and the world, we are always applauded and cheered for a long time.When Comrade Yuan Shuipai recited his poems about India and Comrade Huang Jinqi sang "China-India Friendship Song" in Hindi, the enthusiasm of the masses reached its climax, and the sky in the venue was cheered and clapped The voice shook!

We did the math, and we reached more than 200,000 people in these rallies.There are more than 3,000 strings of garlands accepted (this is a very conservative estimate, bouquets and metal garlands are not included), and they weigh more than 400 kilograms. When connected, they are 4 kilometers long... But it is impossible to calculate , or the love of the Indian people for the Chinese people, that is as high as the mountain and as deep as the sea! We were too busy to travel at night, and after a long goodbye and waved, we left the enthusiastic crowd on the unseen platform.The train enclaves through cities and fields.We took off the wreaths around our necks, put away our presents one by one, and were just about to arrange to go to bed when the train passed another stop, and we heard cheers like spring thunder at the station, followed by noisy voices knocking on our doors like a rainstorm. window.When I opened the door, under the light, there were countless enthusiastic faces looking up, and countless fragrant garlands... Sometimes we jumped out of the car, and sometimes we stood by the car door, waving and cheering to them.But they "waited for several hours in the cold wind" and "came from tens of miles away overnight". They asked us to speak, "even if they only said one or two words", they only needed to shake us hands, just look at our faces.Mothers pass babies over people's heads as long as we kiss and hold.They sent "a little gift" as a "remembrance of the friendly and peaceful envoy from Mao Zedong's country".So a piece of sugarcane, a fragrant pomegranate, a small copper pot, and a wooden parrot... were handed to us one after another.The time was short, and the train started slowly again. The crowd supported the body and followed the train as far as it could go.We leaned against the door and waved until we saw them and the light and shadow on the distant station blur together, then we closed the doors and windows again, getting ready to sleep.Just when I was about to fall asleep, the car body shook, and I suddenly woke up, and there was cheering like spring thunder outside the window... Such a stop after a stop, especially when we were traveling in the Andhra province of South India, we were all lying in our clothes , it is rare to sleep for an entire hour a night, but our spirits are always refreshed.Is there anything happier than "the loved ones" in the world?

During these five weeks, every minute of memory is full of sound and light. Although it is impossible to describe in detail, it is still necessary to select and record. A twenty-four history must start from one place, let's start from New Delhi. At ten o'clock on the night of December 7th, after a half-day flight, we sat in a hotel in Calcutta surrounded by garlands and bouquets from the welcoming crowd.In the drowsiness and confusion, we feel like we are dreaming in the country of flowers, but we don't know that this is just the beginning of "flowers"! At dusk on December 8th, in the sky over New Delhi, we looked down and saw a forest of flags on the airport, thousands of heads moving.After we got off the plane and walked into the railing of the waiting room courtyard, we were immediately drawn into the boiling hot sea of ​​friendship, with waves of undulating cheers in our ears, and countless pairs of enthusiastic hands, bringing fragrances of various colors, big and small. The garlands were placed towards us until our eyes were covered, so we had to take off a few and let the hostess next to us hold them for us, but new garlands were put on again layer by layer!In addition, bunches of flowers were handed to our hands, and handfuls of petals were sprinkled towards us.We have flower petals on our heads, garlands on our necks, flowers in our hands, and flowers in our arms. We are almost crushed under the flower mountain of friendship!

At 6:00 p.m. on December 11, the opening ceremony of the National Conference of the India-China Friendship Association was held. There were more than a dozen Chinese and Indian national flags alternately planted on the stage of the auditorium, and the long stage in front of the stage was full of Chinese and Indian flags we brought. Gifts from the Friendship Association to the Headquarters and Branches of the India-China Friendship Association and other cultural groups.The audience was full of representatives and guests from the India-China Friendship Association branch.The aisles beside the walls on both sides of the auditorium were also full of dense crowds, and the situation was unprecedentedly lively!Ding Xilin's speech was frequently interrupted by thunderous applause, especially when he mentioned that the Sino-Indian friendship is like "fresh, pure, and luscious running water", which aroused endless cheers.

The national convention opened on the thirteenth.A mass meeting was held at 5:00 p.m. in Udu Park behind Jama Monastery.Chairman of the India-China Friendship Association, Mr. Sendral, spoke in Hindi. He lamented that India and Pakistan cannot be separated, China and India must be united, and the friendship and cooperation between the Indian people and the Chinese people to defend peace is the key to the survival of India.When it comes to the impassioned part, I burst into tears.After wiping their tears frequently, more than 10,000 people in the audience burst into stormy applause.The meeting ended successfully amidst the China-India friendship song sung by Chinese and Indian friends and the national anthems of the two countries.Under the clear light of the new moon, we walked out of the venue surrounded by crowds of people, and looked back to see Zhama Temple standing solemnly in the twilight, with three tall domes and two towers, against the background of the sunset, It is a beautiful picture. Zhama Temple, also known as the "big temple", is a famous Muslim temple in the world, which is built of red sandstone and marble.The great dome in it is two hundred and one feet high.The two towers on both sides are red sandstone and marble, one hundred and thirty feet high.There are three gates, the largest in the east, with thirty-five floors of wide stone steps.On the day of worship, there are many believers, and believers come to pray continuously in normal times.This temple was built in 1644, during the era of Emperor Shah Jahan, with a cost of 100 million rupees and 5,000 craftsmen, which lasted for five years. Speaking of Shah Jahan (1592-1666), he was the "Daxing Jade" of the Mughal Dynasty in India in the seventeenth century. the emperor.During his reign, he took red sandstone from Jipur, marble from Fedpur and Singhli, and gathered various precious stones from all over India, Persia and the Himalayas to build a magnificent and magnificent palace. Monasteries, palaces and shrines. The Red Fort in Derry was also built by him between 1638 and 1648.This "Forbidden City" in India is a city wall made of red sandstone, with a hopeful tower at the corner, a moat around the city, and a tall three-story tower on the west wall.There are main halls, side halls, churches, bathrooms, and gazebos in the city...they are all red sandstone platforms and marble wall columns, which are exquisite and exquisite.The most magnificent of these is the side hall completely covered with marble, which is the most exquisite temple built by Shah Jahan.The temple was ninety feet long and sixty-seven feet wide.A twelve-foot-wide marble ditch runs through it, and water is brought into the temple in summer to keep cool.On the four walls of the hall, there are continuous marble dome doors supporting the upward ceiling, which is covered with fine gold embossed flowers and leaves, dazzling and dazzling.Around the nave stand thirty-two marble columns.The dome and stone pillars are exquisitely inlaid with flower patterns inlaid with gemstones of various colors.The upper and lower straps are inlaid with Persian words: "If there is a heaven on earth, here it is, here it is, here it is." In the palace garden, there are stone ditches beside the road, and the flowing spring enters the courtyard from a high place, cascading down layer by layer, leading to the pond.The most wonderful thing is that on the stone wall behind the waterfall, there are often recessed seats for placing lamps.Imagine the lighting of the evening hall, the little stars, all hidden behind the light curtains, how bright the scene should be! When people talk about Indian architecture and Shah Jahan, the first thing he mentions is the city of Agra, south of Delhi, to his queen Mantaizhi Mahal (1592-1629). The marble mausoleum temple built.This building, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was built on the right bank of the Zamuna River. The foundation stone was laid in 1631 and completed in 1648. Twenty thousand craftsmen cost 60 million rupees. Walking into the red sandstone and marble gatehouse of the mausoleum, you will see a marble building with a golden roof like a jade palace. It is reflected in the Dafang Pool in the middle of the cemetery. It is really graceful and eye-catching!This marble mausoleum is 186 feet square and more than 243 feet high from the base to the dome.On the concave roof and the door opening of the large round door on the front, there are Koranic verses embedded in black stone.At the four corners of the mausoleum, there are four three-story marble circular towers, one hundred and sixty-four feet high, standing solemnly facing each other like four sculpted guards with white helmets and white armor.After entering the door and going down a few stone steps, you enter the mausoleum. An octagonal marble screen with exquisite hollow carvings surrounds two altars. In the middle is Mantaizhi Mahal, and the one on the left is Sahara. Jehan.The pedestal is also full of flower patterns inlaid with various gemstones, the most detailed one is composed of sixty-four small gemstones.The Lingtai is in the shape of a stone box, on which are engraved with Koranic verses and the names of ninety-nine gods. The Indian friend of the tour guide advised us to take another tour under the moonlight that night, but we couldn't stay because of the rush schedule.Otherwise, in the midst of the clear light, it will definitely make people feel like "sleepwalking in the moon palace".Even the hasty viewing during the day has given us infinite admiration and admiration for the works of wisdom and sweat of the Indian working people. From the shade of the big trees on the sidewalk, we turned to the gate. The friends of the tour guide insisted that we go to the garden inside the mausoleum, and we couldn’t help but turn to the garden on the right side of the gate.As soon as I entered the door, I was suddenly pleasantly surprised. It turned out that in the yard, in the pots, and on the shelves, under the clear sunshine, there were hundreds of roses of various colors blooming!There are bright red, purple, light red, tea red, and pure white, light green... The big ones are like plates, and the small ones are like cups, competing for beauty and fragrance.India's winter climate is sunny, warm and pleasant, with thick leaves and flowers everywhere, which always makes us admire, and the roses in this garden are the pinnacle of the flower spectrum!When we said goodbye in a hurry, the garden caretaker put a few roses of various colors on our lapels, and the fragrance lingered with us all day long. On the night of December 8th, when we first arrived in Delhi, we saw an Indian dance at a party held by our embassy in India. I had seen the singing and dancing performances of the Indian art delegation in Beijing, but I was completely unfamiliar with Indian dances at that time. I only felt that the dances were flexible and the bells were melodious.This time I sat in front of the stage, only three or five feet away from the dancers, and I was able to appreciate it carefully.This dance troupe came from South India, with dozens of members, most of whom were young girls, the most outstanding of which were the three sisters of Travankol Kechinbang.Most of the performances that night were classical dances.The dancer's head is covered with pearls, emeralds and flowers, his eyebrows are swept away, and there is a scarlet auspicious mole between his eyebrows. He wears a wreath and a necklace around his neck, bracelets on his arms, and a short-sleeved gown with short skirts on his body. Baggy trousers, a pleated apron tied around the waist, bare feet, and wide strings of bells tied around the ankles.When he stepped out of the stage, he raised his eyebrows, swept his eyes, raised his hands slowly, turned around slowly, stamped his feet lightly, and followed the music of the piano and drums and the singing of the accompanist, the eyebrows, eyes, fingertips, waist, legs, etc. The feet and feet turn together, rising and falling quickly, light and graceful, which is really dazzling. When it comes to Indian classical dance, one must mention Hindu mythology.Hinduism is the oldest polytheistic religion in India, and there are three main gods.Brahman is the creator; Vishnu is the preserver; Shiva is the destroyer.Among them, Shiva is the most worshiped.Legend has it that Shiva has five qualities: 1. The destroyer; 2. The fertility of nature; 3. The monk; 4. The master; 5. The god of dancing.According to the Hindu belief, destruction does not lead to death, it is just a change, a constant cycle of death and life, and autumn implies the news of spring.Therefore, the dance in honor of Lord Shiva expresses the constantly changing creative power in the universe, brisk and vigorous, full of vitality and joy.In Indian temples, the most common ones are all kinds of dancing statues of gods and humans, which are extremely flexible and vivid. It can be seen that the Indian people have a deep love for their unique and beautiful dance traditions.They believe that dance is a part of Indian cultural tradition that best represents the people's strong vitality and rich imagination.Dance is music on the footsteps, a language without sound, it uses expressive movements to convey the deep emotions in people's hearts.The Indian people are also good-looking, with big eyes and long eyebrows, and a vigorous figure.India's climate is also suitable for outdoor semi-naked dancing.Therefore, the art of dance is extremely common among the people.It is said that there are one hundred and eighty forms of dance in India.Roughly speaking, South India is still gentle, and North India is still fast.Modern dancers have gone beyond the classical scope, using dance to express folk sufferings and people's fantasies. We have seen many dances since then, at the mass meeting in Calcutta, the dance of the postmen, the dance of the peasants at the University of Patna, the dance of the soldiers at the Katak National Music Association, the dance of the soldiers at the mass meeting in Bombay. The safari dances... are all performances of the hard work and sweat of the working people, the hard struggle against nature and alien rulers, vigorous and tough, with us at the Gwalor Girls' Secondary School, and the Vijaya Huada Women's Conference The classical mythological dances I saw were different.Indian children are also excellent dancers. In the above-mentioned South Indian dance troupe, there was a six-year-old girl who performed the mythical dance alone for half an hour.At the Children's Welfare Society in Old Delhi, at the New Children's Educational Society in Bombay, and many other occasions, we saw children dancing, small and nimble, and especially lovely. On December 17, in Gwalor City, we paid homage to the tomb of Indian patriotic heroine Laxmi Bai. In 1857, the Indian people lived through a period of one hundred years under the cruel rule of British imperialism. The Indian people, who are resisting every day in a pool of blood, have finally uttered the cry of revolution!In the anti-British frontier Indian "soldier" barracks, the signal of the uprising - Lotus.On May 11 of that year, the three barracks stationed in Milot first revolted and captured Delhi. The raging flames immediately spread to northern and central India, and workers and peasants responded everywhere. Jhansi in the south of Zamuna has also become an important center of the uprising, and the young and beautiful Princess Laxmi Bai of Jhansi has become a leader in support of the national liberation movement. The British ruling class, under the pressure of the stormy Indian national liberation movement, was in a state of panic. They relied on political dissension and took advantage of the power of the Indian feudal ruling class to wipe out the revolutionaries in various places one by one in two years. armed forces.The city of Jhansi was also besieged by the British army. Laxmi Bayi, the armored man, led the women of Jhansi, and under the fierce artillery fire, they desperately transported bullets and repaired the city wall... April 1858 On the second day, Zhanxi City was finally captured, and the most tragic and intense street fighting took place in the city!People use their last drop of blood to defend every inch of their land. The guards of the palace set fire to the palace and buried themselves and the intruding British soldiers in the hot ashes.Laxmi Bai and her comrades were still on the small tower of a stone castle, continuing to resist. When the casualties were exhausted, they descended from the city and rushed out of the encirclement of the pursuers.At Gwalor, Laxmi Bai was too wounded to move forward and asked her female comrades to burn her to death with straw.After setting the straw on fire, the warrior woman threw herself generously into the flames. The Indian people buried their best and bravest daughter where she died peacefully.This is a very quiet and small cemetery, covered with a stone tomb under the shade of big trees, and next to it is a stone tablet erected for her by the English, on which it is engraved: "Laxmi Bai, originally the daughter of a commoner, married a prince. She has done many good deeds and won the hearts of the people.In the rebellion of 1857, very brave and good at fighting... The bravest man in our enemy army was a woman. "The deeds of the heroine of the Indian people shocked even the enemies. We respectfully laid a wreath on her grave.The Indian National Liberation Movement in 1857 ended in failure, but the revolutionary spirit of these patriotic heroes will never die!I heard that Indian poets and playwrights wrote poems and scripts based on Laxmi Bhai’s heroic deeds of fighting against the British. Unfortunately, we didn’t see this script when we were traveling in India. staged. Gwalor is yet another city with a musical history.This evening we went to a concert until midnight.My appreciation for music is very shallow, and for Indian music, I have "no way to get in". I only see the players waving their hands and watching, the listeners nodding and clapping their hands, and the audience is crazy.After eleven o'clock in the night, we wanted to leave early because we were tired from the journey, but our Indian friends who entertained us insisted on staying with us, saying that the following programs were played especially for the middle of the night, and asked us to listen for a while.It turns out that Indian music has seven notes, all of which describe the sounds of birds and beasts, such as: Sa (peacock), Li (bull), Ga (goat), Ma (heron), Pa (cuckoo), ta ( Horse), what (elephant)—these seven notes were introduced to Persia and Arabia very early on, and spread to Europe in the eleventh century, becoming the notes from A to ton in Western music. All represent special sentiments, such as joy, sadness, passion, depression, etc. Some are suitable for playing in the morning, some are suitable for playing at noon, and some are suitable for playing at dusk or late at night.It can be seen that the Indian music tradition has a long history, and it has a unique and beautiful history loved by the majority of people.Indian musical instruments are also very delicate and complex. There are 26 kinds of stringed instruments, 18 kinds of wind instruments, and more than 250 kinds of percussion instruments such as drums. La" is the chief conductor of Indian musical instruments.In poetry, it is sometimes used to adjust the rhythm.What we heard that night were "Tabla" and "Dangpura" - the Indian ukulele, playing and singing with various other musical instruments. When we closed our eyes and listened to it, we gradually felt the rustling. The Indian music we had was a wonderful first lesson.Since then, during our travels and visits, we have listened to Indian music many times, and the most impressive ones are the music performances at the Indian Conservatory of Music in the central Nagpur province and the last mass meeting in Calcutta. At that time, we knew a little bit, and we couldn't help nodding and clapping with the audience. The night will be over, and it is already the moon in the sky.Because we had to go on the road at dawn, we closed our eyes and rested in the car.Halfway to the road, the car stopped suddenly, and the driver hurriedly got out of the car and entered the dark shadow of the trees, and disappeared for a long time.We were in a hurry, and saw him from a distance supporting two white human figures, walking towards us slowly.Under the hazy moonlight, when I looked closer, it turned out to be two old men wearing white cloths. The old man had a broken leg and was wearing crutches. Show face.The driver apologized and introduced to us that these two old people were his parents. Because they were old and disabled, they couldn't go to the mass meeting to see us, so they waited for us to pass by in the broken house in the forest and paid tribute to us.As they spoke, the two old men tremblingly handed over two strings of garlands, and the old lady stretched out her withered arms and hugged me in her arms.At this time, we were really excited indescribably!Because of the language barrier, we didn't speak half a word, but this tight hug has fully expressed her hard work, her pain, her love, and her hope... In the silence, there are only us in the moonlight There are five or six people holding each other silently, but around us, there seems to be a raging wave of 900 million people in China and India to defend peace! I had another similar experience in the city of Popol. There will be more and more scenes of this kind of warm embrace in the future. This time I can't forget it because there is a little funny scene in it. On December 18, we arrived at Popol, a beautiful city formed by three mountains and one lake. Some places are very similar to Hangzhou in China.After going to several receptions and sightseeing tours, I attended a welcoming mass meeting in the evening.Following the Indian custom, we took off our shoes on stage and sat on the floor.When the meeting was about to end, an old lady squeezed to the front of the stage and beckoned me to get down.When I went to the stage to look for shoes, everyone's shoes were kicked to the bottom of the stage because of the crowd. So the people around the stage climbed under the stage one after another to find shoes for me.After more than ten minutes, I finally found it. I jumped off the stage. The old lady pulled me to the seat of the women on the right side of the stage. A dense crowd of women immediately surrounded me. hug me.I was extremely moved, but also ashamed!But I know that I am not the only one being hugged, but the women of New China... The envy and love Indian women have for the women of New China is really indescribable. On the afternoon of December 19th, at the mass meeting in Ujjain City, when many individuals and groups were presenting gifts to us one after another, a skinny and ragged old lady came up, and the audience all watched solemnly. looking at her.The Indian friend next to me told me that she is the mother of the local workers. For decades, she has worked among the workers and loved them like her own son. She wrapped two thick pancakes in newspaper and handed them to us. , as a gift, I quickly took it, hugged her and thanked her. On the morning of December 22, we traveled from Patna to Nalanda along the Ganges. On the program that day, there were only two welcome parties in the villages of Suwu and Bihar Sharif, but people from other villages along the way stopped us.They hung cloth or paper colorful welcome slogans on the road, and put a big wooden table on the side of the road as a podium. They pushed us up without hesitation, brought us wreaths, and sprinkled perfume on us. , read a welcome speech to us.Some places crowded us into roadside cottages, most of which were the most beautiful buildings in the village, maybe the village office, maybe a small school, which could only accommodate a hundred or so people, and thousands of people were crowded noisily inside the windows and doors. All the men, women, old and young, stretched their heads and raised their smiling faces, asking us to say a few words and have a sip of coffee.They gave us many simple and beautiful small gifts, such as small mahogany lacquered bracelets, a small book, and a sunflower... We just walked and stopped all the way, and finally reached us. In the two villages we planned to visit, there were many peasants three to five miles away, waiting with wreaths hanging on their arms for us.As soon as the car door opened, these men and women in festive attire rushed forward, pulling us on the dusty dirt road towards the village.They waved paper flags and shouted slogans, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai... These names are no strangers to the thousands of hard-working farmers in the west of the Himalayas!Our line became longer and longer, and the women and old people standing at the door of the cottage were all involved in this enthusiastic procession. At last we were brought into a house with religious and auspicious patterns drawn in chalk on the door and steps, which was the grandest welcome.In the shady room, we drank milk tea, ate desserts and fresh fruits in front of us, and looked at the red and black faces surrounded by us standing and sitting, we really didn't know How can we express the emotion in our hearts! In the afternoon we visited the ruins of the Nalanda Monastery. Nalanda means "boundless charity" in Sanskrit. This is a Buddhist university that was gradually expanded and built from the fifth century to the end of the twelfth century, from the most prosperous era of Buddhism.Master Xuanzang of our Tang Dynasty studied here for five years when he was in India (629-645).According to his records, this monastery can accommodate 10,000 students, and a master with profound Taoism is here to preach.Xuanzang's own Indian teacher, Jie Xian, was the abbot of this temple at that time.At that time, King Jieri, princes and wealthy businessmen all gave a lot of alms to the temple, and the monks in the temple were still supported by 200 nearby villages. Later, due to the decline of Buddhism, the temple gradually became more and more prosperous. The land was so desolate that it was drowned in quicksand. The ruins were only excavated fifty years ago, and they are not all the buildings of the Nalanda Monastery. We entered from the east and walked up and down dozens of red brick steps several times.The monastery is on the east side of the ruins, with caves facing the Guangyuan.There is a stone bed in the room, scriptures can be placed in the recess of the stone wall, and there is a well in the courtyard.Both the Buddhist hall and the pagoda are on the west side, and traces of successive dynasties can be seen on the foundation of the hall.There is a large tower in the southwest, surrounded by several small towers, all of which have stone Buddha statues.This monastery is a masonry building, somewhat different from the marble buildings of the seventeenth century, and a step forward in materials than the grotto buildings we visited later. We toured the ruins under the setting sun, imagining which cave was the residence of the Tang monk; which corner of the Buddhist hall used to be the place where he discussed Buddhism with the abbot Jiexian; There is no hindrance to eloquence", and it is respected by the Indian government and the opposition.Master Xuanzang is a very important figure in the exchange of Chinese and Indian cultures and the promotion of Sino-Indian friendship.After the sixteenth century, the friendship between the Chinese and Indian peoples, which has a precious history of more than a thousand years, was also submerged and cut off by the quicksand of imperialism.Now this "fresh, pure and sweet" living water of friendship is surging between the two peoples again.Moreover, the mutual understanding and sympathy among us is a step deeper than Xuanzang and his Indian teachers and friends, and the goal of our joint efforts is also higher than theirs, because we are not only for Buddhist believers in the two countries, but for have joined hands for the lasting peace of all Asia and the world. We were in Andhra Pradesh on December 26-27.The further south we went, the warmer the weather, the greener the trees, the richer the colors of women's clothes, and the warmer the Indian people welcomed us.During these dozens of hours, we passed countless large and small stations, and each station was a sea of ​​red flags, a sea of ​​flowers, and a sea of ​​faces shining with sweat and enthusiasm!The eve of the twenty-sixth was the night we "would lie down with all our clothes on." Among the many scenes, there was one warm picture that I will never forget. Just like passing through other small stations, the train stopped, and someone knocked on the door outside. When I opened the door and looked down, a dozen flaming torches, surrounded by a red flag, shone on dozens of excited and simple people. Face.The one holding the red flag was a thin woman, leading the group of ragged peasants, shouting welcome and "Long live Comrade Mao Zedong", with tears of joy, excitement and pride in her eyes.We hugged, and I could smell the sun and the aroma of dust on her worn shawl. She is the people of India and everything on the land. I hugged the "mother" of India tightly in my arms! The Raja Mentale town meeting was held on the platform. This city, which is the oldest in Andhra and has suffered the worst floods, has special affection for the Chinese people.In their welcome speech, they said: "Because of your urgent schedule, we cannot accompany you on a tour of our city that has suffered from floods and is slowly recovering. We can only welcome you at the station. We sincerely thank the great China The massive donations that the people have given us...".在短短的十几分钟中，我们在花环，礼物，致辞，道别的波浪中涌过……维查耶华达车站的欢迎，是最使人喘不过气来的！我们几乎是脚不沾地的，顶着花环的山，在人海的狂潮里，被推拥着下了月台，上了天桥，出了车站。街道上是五光十色的，横幅的欢迎标语：英文的，泰鲁固文，印地文的“伟大的毛泽东万岁”，“中印友好万岁”，“和平万岁”挂满了全城。在这座城里的节目，都是空前地热烈，人数也是空前地众多，但是最突出的，还是我们访问凡努刻尔村的一段，因为在那里，我们接触了印度的“不可接触”的“贱民”。 在印度历史上，除了僧侣；武士；工，商，农；奴隶；这四个阶级之外，还有一种“不可接触”的“贱民”，这种“贱民”只能做些打扫街道，收拾厕所等等工作，其他阶级的人，是不屑和“贱民”接触的，连“贱民”的影子，投射在他们身上时，他们都引为不祥，握手拥抱，更是万不可能。我们的印度朋友告诉我们，这个阶级的人数，占全印度人数的百分之二十五，在安得拉省，占本省人数百分之三十五。居住在凡努刻尔村的“贱民”，多半是务农的。 在温煦的阳光下，那天的凡努刻尔村充满了节日的气氛，家家门口画着吉祥图案，台阶上站满了披红着绿笑嘻嘻的观看的妇女和儿童。我们一路接受着花环，一路又把花环投给她们，她们就笑着争着来接。到了村里，匆匆到农园果圃参观了一下，便去赴群众大会。那里一大片草地上，早已坐满了人，在广场的四周，椰子树下，榕树下，山坡上，水池边，也黑压压地站满了人。我们注意到有一群妇女，远远地站在群众的背后，不好意思向前。我们听说她们是“不可接触”的“贱民”的时候，我们便挤到她们前面去，和她们紧紧地握手，热烈地拥抱。她们喜出望外地，迟疑地轻轻地接住我们的手，老大娘们流着泪把头靠在我们的肩上，那种欢喜感激的神情，真是不可以言语形容的！我们又请求去参观她们的住处，她们更加高兴地带我们进入路边树下土墙草顶的小屋，里面很阴暗却很干净，土台陶罐，位置井井。可惜我们不通语言，也没有时间多坐，匆匆地道了谢，就又出来。在正午的烈日下，和她们一同看了台上和场上的表演，又听了音乐，我们心里情感的沸腾，和天上的骄阳，成了个正比例。 十二月三十日和三十一日两天，我们参观了阿旃陀和埃娄拉两处石窟。 阿旃陀石窟在西印度的海德拉巴省，阿兰格巴城北五十五里，阿旃陀村北边的一座山里。这座簸箕式的山崖，高二百五十英尺，山间有一道清泉，曲折下泻，流入平原。三面山崖上共凿有石窟二十九处，其中五处是佛殿，二十四处是神室，是公元前一世纪至公元七世纪中间连续进行的巨工。这几百年是印度佛教全盛时代，这山峦回抱流水淙淙的“世外桃源”，成了佛门弟子养静修行的地方，而那时印度劳动人民中的名工巨匠，也在这伟大的工程上，表现了他们最神妙卓越的天才。 这二十九处石窟，好像是一座文化博物院，这里有绘画、有雕像、有建筑，综合了印度艺术的大成。可惜我不是一个有艺术修养的人，只知道倾倒赞叹，而不知从何欣赏起。在这处石窟里，我最爱的还是壁画，而比较完整的只有六七处，在第一洞里的最为出色。这里的墙壁上，仰顶上，厅柱上，都画有佛陀前生的许多故事，虽然大半剥落模糊，但其气魄之雄大，形象之修伟，轮廓线条之自然工细，人物情态之传神逼真，较之以后的印度绘画，有过之无不及，其他如走兽、飞禽、游鱼、鲜花……亦莫不奕奕如生，这些残缺的巨幅，仿佛是一幕一幕的古剧，展览在我们的面前。剧中人物有王子、修士、舞女、象奴……以及形形色色的男女老幼。每幕戏剧也都有它的绝好的背景，有宫廷、园榭、城市、民居、森林、丛莽……每个故事，每个姿态，都生动地反映了那七百年间印度人民生活的各方面，以及那个时代居屋、器皿、服装、礼俗的形式样款。绘画的气派作风是那样的活泼，雄健，快乐，大胆，没有一点沉郁的气息。 至于雕刻方面，印度的神像，佛像，“飞天”，以及其他的人像，都是半裸露的，充分地表现出理想的健康的男女体格，所谓之“目如荷瓣，腰如狮子”，真是骨肉均匀，婀娜刚健，尤其是舞蹈的神像和人像，把迅疾和翩婉的舞态，有力地在刀斧下刻划出来，使人瞻仰之下，有“来如雷霆收震怒，罢如江海凝春光”的感觉。第一洞佛堂里的说法大佛像，因着洞外映射的光线，清晨，正午，黄昏，强弱浓淡的不同，在“巍巍满月”的巨大面庞上，会呈现出微笑，欢喜，沉思，三种不同的神态，尤为杰出。 石窟殿堂的凿造，是印度建筑独特的色彩，这工程的巨大，布局的谨严，雕饰的精巧，充分地表现出印度劳动人民的高度文化艺术水平，和坚韧的生活力。这里的二十九处石窟，完全是佛教建筑形式。僧室的构造，是门外多有柱廓。门内是一个大厅，平的仰顶，厅内多有整齐排列的大柱，柱上和仰顶上都有雕饰。三面石壁内有洞室，后壁中间洞内有佛堂。佛殿的构造是正面门上有高大的穹窗，门边有守门神像。 各窟的构造，又因着时代的不同，而有差异。我不懂建筑，也就分辨不清，但是将整座坚固的崖石，自外而内，用斧用凿，慢慢地将它挖成宽阔高大的殿堂，除了门窗洞龛，还得曲折地留下柱子和佛像等等的位置。这坚韧的耐心和精密的计算，使我们不能不对于印度劳动人民的坚强的活力，和高度的艺术水平，产生无限的佩服和赞叹！ 在我瞻仰印度的建筑、雕刻、绘画……的时候，总使我想到几千年来千千万万智慧优秀的印度劳动人民，在本国的封建主义和外国的帝国主义的统治阶级的压迫之下，只能流血流汗地为骑在他们头上的人们，建造些宫殿、陵墓、寺庙、城堡……供给这些人们穷奢极欲的享受；到了人民能够快乐自由地为自己服务的时候，更不知会有多少更伟大更光辉的艺术作品涌现出来，比如印度人民优秀的女儿拉克西弥·巴依的高大的纪念碑堂，或是年轻貌美的她的擐甲执戈挺立在石壁上的雕像，那时印度人民的热情的朋友，更将如何的赞叹欢喜呢！ 我们带着浓郁的艺术气氛，跨过新年，在今年元旦的早晨，到达孟买。 孟买是西印度最大最整齐的城市，是许多印度的爱国运动开始、和第一个印中友好协会成立的地方，也是文艺作家荟萃的地方。文艺界的欢迎会中，有两次是在作家们的家里举行的，空气格外地温暖亲切。我们听了诗人的朗诵，音乐家的演奏，看了电影演员和戏剧演员的表演，听了作家们对于印度近代文艺的简短的报告。群众大会是元旦之夜在一个医科大学的体育场内举行的，在演讲献礼之后，台上场内同时举行了唱歌、音乐、舞蹈、角力、体操种种表演，灯光如昼，万众欢腾，充满了新年的热闹和兴奋。 孟买印中友协的主席卡朗吉亚先生，在他的欢迎词里说： “……今天，在一九五四年，印中友好成了我们世界中最大的需要了……我们必须从毁坏与灭种的可能中，保卫对于我们具有神圣价值的文化与文明。这是当前印度朝野一致的，最大的公共目标。我们的真诚的友谊，是深深地建立在我们的文化和我们人民的心底的。这是和平的友谊，与国际间签订建立军事基地和侵略战争条约的凶手集团间的所谓'友谊'，是迥然不同的。为着欢迎这吉利的一九五四年，我们用壮观的节日典礼，来庆祝光荣的印中友谊。我们除了请从中国来的兄弟姊妹们，看一看他们周围欢腾的无边人海，来表达我们对于他们和中国人民的亲情和热爱之外，我们不能再说什么了。” 这是多么恳挚动人的词句啊！ 一月七日，我们又回到东印度的加尔各答。 这个东印度最大的，也是文艺中心的城市，我们已经来过两次了。第一次是我们进境的飞机，在这里降落，停留了一夜。第二次是去年十二月二十三、二十四两日的正式的访问。 我们已经受过加尔各答人民的盛情款待，我们参加过文艺界的欢迎会（会中先是文艺作家的赠礼——大半是他们的作品，就用去两三个钟头），参观过印度近代绘画展览会，参加过加尔各答大学的毕业典礼，也参加过几万人的群众大会……这次我们觉得在归途中，就悄悄地经过，不要再惊动我们过分热情的印度朋友了。不料我们一下了火车，除了“盛况如前”的欢迎的茶会、宴会和种种的文艺招待会之外，还在我们“固辞不获”之下，开了一次充满了文艺气氛的、几万人的送别大会！在这会上，又是文艺作家的赠礼，诗人的朗诵，印度国内最有名的歌唱家的歌唱，和音乐家的演奏。这五个星期的逗留，使得我们对于印度的音乐，有了初步的欣赏程度。那天晚上，除了“悠然神往”之外，还兴起了一种低徊的惜别的情绪。 在此我要特别提到的，就是在这五个星期里，百十来次的集会之中，我所深深体会到的印度广大人民对于韵律节奏的爱好！印度古代的圣书、史迹以及其他的文学科学作品，大多数是靠着口头传诵而保留下来的。这些作品的词句，为着便于记忆，便于“琅琅上口”，也几乎全部是有韵律的。因此，印度的广大人民，对音乐和诗歌朗诵，有着悠久历史的欣赏训练和极深的爱好。但看演奏者和朗诵者兴高采烈地演奏朗诵，台下听众眉飞色舞地欣赏听受，深浓的精神感染，从台前像波纹一样荡漾开来，直到会场的尽头——这天晚上，孟加拉诗人泰戈尔（一八六一——一九四一年）的诗歌的演唱，尤其受到群众热烈的欢迎。 在印度，尤其是用孟加拉语文的省分，我们时常感觉到这位印度文艺复兴时代的巨人——泰戈尔，是怎样地受着广大人民的爱敬。他的大大小小的画像，在人家和公共场所的墙壁上悬挂着，他的长长短短的诗歌，在男女老幼的口中传诵着。人民永远记得他怎样参加领导了印度的文艺复兴运动；怎样排除了他周围的纷乱窒塞的、多少含有殖民地奴化的、从英国传来的西方文化，而深入研究印度自己的悠久、优秀的文化。他进到乡村，从农夫、村妇、瓦匠、石工那里，听取了神话、歌谣和民间故事，然后用孟加拉文字写出最素朴、最美丽的文章。他创立音乐学院，开始纪录印度古代的乐谱，这些古印度文化遗产之整理与大众化，对于印度日益蓬勃的民族运动，曾起了极大的作用。 在他八十岁生辰的时候，他写了一篇《文明的危机》，他严厉地斥责了西方帝国主义国家，尤其是英国的冒牌的文明，和他们对于东方殖民地人民的残酷的压迫和榨取。最后他满怀信心地说：“也许从太阳升起的东方天边，黎明将要来到。” 泰戈尔对中国是极其关怀的，他到过中国，有许多中国朋友，在日本帝国主义侵略中国的时候，他曾发出严厉的质问。假如他今天还在，看到东方天边的中国，已被黎明的光辉所普照的时候，不知他要如何地欢喜呢。 一月十二日的下午，我们在加尔各答的东海岸，向印度的人民，说了“再见！” 我们离开印度，已经三个半月了，而我的眼前还浮现着码头上挥手的群众，耳边还震荡着道别的声音，从我脑中掠过的更是连续不完的、动人的印度的图画。我和家人朋友谈着印度人民，以及他们的一切。我在图书馆或友人的案头架上，总留神寻找关于印度的书籍。我每天看报的时候，总特别注意印度的消息，当我看到印度人民为保卫和平而不断地斗争的时候，总使我有无限的骄傲与喜悦，因为我深信这个东方的伟大民族的很好的人民，会和我们永远团结起来，为远东和全世界的持久和平，而奋斗到底的！一九五四年四月十八日于北京。 期，６月１６日第１２期，后收入散文集《归来以后》。 )