Chapter 12 Memories of my days in India

It has been more than half a year since I came back from India, but those unforgettable days, rich and beautiful memories, and strong and fiery emotions are still full of my heart. We are representatives of the China-India Friendship Association, at the invitation of the National Conference of the India-China Friendship Association, to visit our great neighbor.We left Beijing on November 27, 1953, and arrived in New Delhi on December 8.After attending the first national meeting of the India-China Friendship Association, we were also invited to visit nineteen important cities in India.We were entertained by the Indian central government, local governments and various groups.We left India on January 12, 1954, after traveling around for five weeks.

For five weeks, every minute has been filled with sound and light.Everywhere I went, as soon as the plane landed and the train stopped, I saw the airport station, crowded with people and flags fluttering.A torrent of people surrounded us, shaking hands, hugging, laying wreaths, and presenting bouquets. Amidst the slogans of "Long live China-India friendship" and "Long live peace" resounding through the sky, we were surrounded by cars covered with flowers and flags, and drove to various places. Public places, to be introduced, to be cheered on.Countless beautiful and fragrant garlands were put on our necks, we received gifts, our clothes were sprinkled with perfume, and auspicious moles were dotted on the girls' team members.

In these rallies, we contacted more than 200,000 people and received more than 3,000 garlands. But what cannot be calculated is the love of the Indian people for the Chinese people, which is as high as mountains and as deep as seas! 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 just about to arrange to go to bed, the train passed another stop, and we heard cheers like spring thunder at the station, followed by enthusiastic voices knocking on us like a torrential rain windows.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 if we kiss and hold them.They sent "a little gift" to commemorate the envoys of friendship and peace in New China.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 that they were blurred together with the light and shadow on the distant station.Then we closed the doors and windows again and got ready for bed.Just when we were about to fall asleep, the car body shook, and we suddenly woke up, and there was cheers like spring thunder outside the window... Such a stop after a stop, it is rare to sleep for a few hours a night, but our spirit is always radiant and excited. I remember the days when we arrived in Raja Mentale.It was a sweltering night, the train had just stopped, someone outside knocked on the door, opened the door, and the station was crowded with dark crowds.People held a welcome meeting 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 tight 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 people gave us a lot of donations..." In just ten minutes, we were surrounded by garlands, gifts, speeches, and farewell waves... We were also moved by the welcome of Vijayahuada City.As soon as the train stopped, we were surrounded, barely touching the ground, wearing garlands, and walked out of the station in the frenzy of the crowd.There are colorful, banner and vertical banners welcoming us on the streets.

What made us even more unforgettable was the scene of visiting Fanu Kelu Village on the outskirts of Vijayawada. The village is inhabited by what are called the "untouchable" poor.On this day, the whole village was full of festive atmosphere. There were auspicious patterns painted on the doorsteps of every house, and the steps were full of women and children wearing red and green smiling and watching. We received garlands all the way, and threw garlands to them all the way. Smiling and scrambling to pick it up.The meeting place was on a piece of grass, and it was already full of people. Around the square, under the coconut trees, under the banyan trees, on the hillside, and by the pool, there were also dense crowds of people standing there.We noticed a group of women standing far behind the crowd, embarrassed to move forward.We squeezed in front of them, shook hands with them tightly, and hugged them warmly.They were overjoyed, and hesitantly pressed our hands lightly. The old ladies leaned their heads on our shoulders with tears in their eyes. The expressions of joy and gratitude are really indescribable!

On the outskirts of Batma City, we once again received the sentiments of Indian farmers. On that day, there were only two welcome parties in the villages of Suwu and Bihar Sharif, but people from other villages stopped us along the way.They hung cloth or paper colorful welcome signs across the road, and placed a large wooden table on the side of the road as a podium.They pushed us onto the stage without hesitation, put garlands on us, sprinkled perfume on us, and read a welcome speech to us.Some places crowded us into cottages by the roadside, 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 crowded noisily outside the windows and doors. Hundreds of people, men, women and children, 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 our In the two villages we are scheduled to visit, there are many farmers waiting three to five miles away, with garlands on their arms waiting for us.As soon as the doors opened, these men and women in festive attire rushed forward and dragged us down the dusty dirt road towards the village.Waving paper flags and shouting slogans, they walked into our ranks.Our ranks are getting longer and longer.The women and old people standing at the door of the cottage were all involved in this enthusiastic team.

Finally, we were taken into a house. In a cool room, we drank milk tea, ate desserts and fresh fruits in front of us, and looked at the sun-bathed people standing and sitting around us. With red and black faces, we really don't know how to express the touch in our hearts! I also remembered that in the night of Gwalor, a famous city with a history of music, after we watched the wonderful performance of Indian musicians, it was already a bright moon.On the way back to the apartment, our hearts were intoxicated by the beautiful rhythm, and our hearts were full of love and admiration for Indian music.Halfway through the journey, 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 slowly saw the driver holding two white human figures from the darkness, walking towards us slowly.Looking closer, under the hazy moonlight, it turned out to be two old men in white clothes.The old man broke one leg and put on two crutches, and the old lady is also rickety, and her head is covered with a white cloth, so she can't see her face clearly.The driver explained to us apologetically that these were his parents, who were old and disabled and could not go to the mass meeting to see us, so they waited for us to pass by in the broken house in the forest to meet us.As they spoke, the two old men handed over two garlands.The old lady stretched out her withered arms and hugged me in her arms.

At this time, there was really indescribable excitement in my heart.Because of the language barrier, we didn't speak a word, but we hugged each other tightly, which fully expressed our love and happiness. In the silence, the moonlight dragged our shadows very long.We can't bear to part for a long time. In India, we have received countless warm handshakes and hugs. One night in the city of Popol we attended a mass meeting that welcomed us.We took off our shoes on stage and sat on the floor in accordance with the Indian custom.When the meeting was about to end, an old lady squeezed to the front of the stage and beckoned me to get down.I jumped off the stage, and the old lady pulled me to the seat of the women on the right side of the stage, and a group of women immediately surrounded me.The two old ladies in the lead hugged me first.Later, after one hugs, the other will come again.My heart was beating fast, full of emotion and enthusiasm.I know that the hug here is not just me, but the passion and friendship of women from China and India.

I will never forget my days in Mumbai.People from all walks of life held several welcome parties for us.Among the welcome parties of the literary and art circles, two were held at the writer's home, and the atmosphere was extraordinarily warm and friendly.We listened to poets' recitations, musicians' performances, watched the performances of film actors and theater actors, and listened to writers' brief reports on modern Indian literature and art.The mass meeting was held in the stadium of a medical university on New Year's Eve. After the speeches, singing, music, dancing, wrestling, and gymnastics performances were held simultaneously on the stage.The lights are like daylight, and the crowds are jubilant, full of excitement and excitement of the New Year.

Mr. Karangia, chairman of the India-China Friendship Association in Mumbai, said in his welcome speech: "...today, in 1954, India-China friendship is the greatest need in our world...we must defend from the possibility of destruction and genocide the culture and civilization that is sacred to us. This is the current The biggest public goal of India's government and opposition. Our sincere friendship is deeply rooted in our culture and the hearts of our people. This is a peaceful friendship; a murderer who signed treaties with international military bases and aggressive wars The so-called "friendship" between the groups is quite different. To welcome the auspicious year 1954, we celebrated the glorious India-China friendship with a spectacular festival ceremony. In addition to inviting brothers and sisters from China Let us take a look at the boundless sea of ​​people jubilant around them, and express our kinship and love for them and the Chinese people, we have nothing more to say."

What a sincere and moving phrase! Now, it has been more than half a year since we left India, and I can still see the people waving on the pier in front of my eyes, and the sound of saying goodbye is still ringing in my ears. picture.I talk to family and friends about the people of India and everything about them.I am always on the lookout for books about India in the library or on a friend's desk shelf.When I read the newspapers every day, I always pay special attention to the news from India. When I see the Indian people’s continuous struggle for peace, especially recently when I saw the friendly talks between the prime ministers of China and India and a joint statement emphasizing the realization of When it comes to maintaining peace in Asia and the world, my heart is filled with boundless pride and joy.Because I firmly believe that the good people of our great neighbor will always unite with us and fight to the end for the lasting peace of the Far East and the whole world! (This article was originally published in Issue 17 of "People's China" in 1954.)