INTRODUCTION
I am proud and glad to welcome our guest of honour this evening. I owe her a personal debt of hospitality. My visit to India last year was an unforgettable pleasure and I have Mrs. Gandhi to thank for its meticulous preparation.
Mrs. Gandhi is a great Prime Minister of a great country. She is both the symbol and the hope of India. And she is an old friend who knows Britain well. Her visit here will deepen our friendship and respect still further. [end p1]
THE IMPORTANCE OF INDIA'S FUTURE
This week's activities, fascinating as they are, would not be complete without a dinner of the Indo-British Association. As so often before, the Association marks a special event in Indo-British relations by bringing together people who care deeply about the future of India and her people. I pay tribute to you, Mr. Chairman, for making the occasion possible.
Before this gathering, I do not need to dwell on our shared history and common language, or mutual respect These things do mean a lot to us. [end p2]
But what makes India so important and her future so significant is that, in spite of all her difficulties, her vast size and her huge population, her people nevertheless chose a democratic society, a mixed economy and personal liberty under a just law.
If India can maintain all these things, steadily raising the standard of living, while preserving the essential freedom and dignity of her people in a democratic society, then other nations can do likewise. India's example will inspire a new and hopeful spirit in peoples everywhere. [end p3] Her success and her future are crucial to us all.
That is why as well as historic affections, we in this country need to continue to know India and to co-operate with her in every sphere, whether economically, culturally or in international affairs. [end p4]
ECONOMIC RELATIONS
Economically India and the United Kingdom have become major trading partners. Britain is one of India's largest investors and is playing a larger collaborative role than any other single country in the development of India's economy, an economy which has made such significant strides in recent years.
An important seminar is to be held in Bombay early next month by the Committee on Invisible Exports on the contribution which the City of London could make to India's development. I recall my visit to Bombay last year. [end p5]
That great centre of enterprise, initiative and commercial success impressed me enormously. The idea that the talent and experience of the city of London should join with the skills and entrepreneurship of Bombay to the benefit of India and Britain is exciting. I wish the project well. [end p6]
CULTURAL EXPRESSION
But it is cultural and personal contacts that have forged the most direct bonds between our two peoples. As you look around you during your visit, Prime Minister, you will see many examples of what I mean; and many more, I think, than in the past. You will see many British women wearing fashions from India. You will see restaurants in almost every town doing a roaring trade in Indian food. You will see books about India in the window of every bookshop. [end p7] At lunch yesterday you met the Indian author who won the prestigious Booker Prize this year. He is a distinguished member of that group of Indians writing in English who have made such a striking contribution to the English novel and English literature more widely. You may meet people whose special passion is Indian Philosophy or Indian Music. And tomorrow, when you meet a distinguished group from our academic and artistic life, you will be discussing the powerful influence here of Indian culture. Our people are travelling more between the two countries for many reasons, including tourism and business. [end p8]
Many young Britons are making their own way to India, travelling its length and breadth, experiencing its warm hospitality and absorbing its traditions and influences. [end p9]
So many of them feel that India has a special quality of contentment that has nothing to do with material possessions. They believe that the serenity which is instinctive in India says something valuable to us about the importance of reaching beyond material aims. The works of art in the great exhibition which you, Prime Minister, opened this afternoon have this quality. They are beautiful because the craftsmen who made them were moved by a spirit of love and of reverence. [end p10] This spirit is exercising an increasing appeal in the West, an appeal which is felt most strongly by the younger generation.
They feel the special message of India—that serenity of spirit is the most precious of possessions.
It is said in the Upanishads: “In quietness the soul is one: then one feels the joy of eternity” . [end p11]
Such is the deep and varied discourse between our peoples. It is developed by the myriad patterns of contact between ordinary people in Britain and India. It is enriched by the resourceful Indian community in Britain. They have brought to us the virtues of attachment to family, of hard work and of determination to make a better life—and in countless firms, shops and other commercial units up and down the country they are displaying splendid entrepreneurial abilities, to the benefit of the nation as a whole. [end p12]
Prime Minister, When you spoke at that fine banquet in India last year you said: “Britain itself is a product of many ethnic streams, and in recent time people of Indian origin have contributed to the British economy. I hope” , you said, “That their industriousness and skills will continue to be regarded as a source of strength to Britain.”
Yes, that is how we look on the Indian Community here. Their skills and values stimulate our economy and contribute to the strength of our society.
The Festival of India which was inaugurated last night will be a further powerful demonstration to the Page missing [end p13]
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
In the wider international field we have common needs. India, to realise her vision of the future, requires international peace and stability. Britain needs these no less. We both know that our futures depend on the removal of areas of tension in the world and the promotion of economic prosperity. That we approach these problems from different standpoints—India through the non-aligned movement, Britain through the European Community and NATO—is a reflection of different circumstances and different geographical positions. Not, I believe, because our fundamental aims and needs are different. [end p14]
We are both working more actively than most countries for peaceful progress towards settlement of the disputes which threaten international co-operation. The United Kingdom, for example, is trying with the Europeans to promote balanced progress in solving the Arab/Israel dispute. We are trying with four other western countries to negotiate a peaceful settlement bringing Namibia to independence and a new stability to Southern Africa. Success in those efforts is in India's interests. [end p15]
India, for her part, is working in the non-aligned movement to mediate in the war between Iran and Iraq. Success in those efforts is in Britain's interests.
As founder members of the Commonwealth we both have faith in the power of that unique organisation to promote peace in the world. I look forward, in particular, to next year's gathering of Commonwealth Heads of Government in India. [end p16] independent telecommunications system, Mercury: to give commercial users a choice.
Even the Railways cannot wholly escape this principle. No Arbitration Tribunal can wave a magic wand and restore the traffic which the Railways have lost. The public sector, Mr. President, cannot remain insulated from the realities of the marketplace; and we are acting to sharpen these competitive pressures wherever we can. [end p17]
[Our approach to the problems of development also has an important common strand. India, like Britain, is interested in tackling practical problems and making quantifiable progress by the efficient use of resources. We both prefer realism to slogans,
We seek practical results because we know that that is what our people want.]
So both of us, in the final count, share a dedication to the overriding cause of peace and progress. [end p18]
CONCLUSION
That cause—peace with freedom—is the grand imperative which must inspire and drive us. It was your Jawaharlal Nehrugreat father, Prime Minister, who said: “Peace cannot be purchased by compromise with evil or by surrender to it. Nor can peace be maintained by methods that themselves are the negation of peace.” Wise words. The true peace is that where the peoples of the world are free to practise the beliefs and promote the values which are their own. We both believe in defending our way of life. [end p19] There we cannot compromise. With evil we seek no deals. From a position of conviction and resolution we both seek to reduce international tensions, to solve disputes peacefully, and through genuine negotiation to reduce the burden of armaments in such a way that our societies can live in greater security and greater freedom, rid of the threats of those who seek to destroy our [illegible word]. [end p20]
The Festival of India is a magnificent portrayal of India's past—its unique cultural heritage—and India's present—its living, contemporary contribution to the arts and the sciences. But let us derive from it hope and optimism for the India of the future because that is of profound significance for the future of the world.
[Note by Mt:] Mrs Gandhi—we are thrilled to have you with us. Opportunity to demonstrate deep and enduring love of India and our admiration and affection for her Prime Minister.)