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National Geographic : 1960 May
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Delhi: A sea of hands salutes a peaceful sahib I STOOD ankle deep in flowers; still the crowd pelted our truck with yellow "snow balls" (right). The fragrance of crushed petals underfoot overwhelmed Delhi's usual odor of pungent spices and sweating bullocks. Thousands of camel carts and the trampling of more than a million Indians kicked up thick, stifling dust. I never got used to the taste of grit. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had spread the word that "Eisenhower Sahib" was coming, and his people responded. From as far away as 150 miles they came by bus and truck, bullock cart and camelback-even on foot. Few had heard of Eisenhower, but village gossip said that a real maharaja or badshah was visiting Delhi. Others heard that "a big American commander is coming to get rid of the Chinese Red Flag People." Villagers were assured that he would "tell Mr. Nehru many secrets about how to do good farming." 614 Dusk faded to darkness, and still the In- dians stood placidly in place. Spaced about fifty yards apart, human lampposts balanc ing kerosene lanterns atop their heads lighted the route through the countryside (lower). Roadside vendors peddled peanuts, bananas, sticky candies, and fried potato cakes. In time, that undulating sea of humanity lost its patience. Indian police furiously beat their lathis (four-foot-long sticks) on the pavement in a futile effort to contain the mob as it inched forward. Billies slashed shinbones, whacked shoulders, and tapped heads before the crowd grudgingly gave ground. Then they came, the smiling, waving Mr. Eisenhower and the stoic Mr. Nehru. The frenzied Indians surged into the street. Finally in Connaught Place, the very heart of the city, the motorcade was engulfed. Friendly crowds, shouting hysterically, sur rounded the leaders. Greeters shoved forward to touch Mr. Eisenhower or just his auto mobile. They crushed fenders, stove in the trunk, and snapped off the radio antenna. U. S. and Indian security forces fought off those who tried to clamber aboard. Several security men emerged bloodied and bruised. The grinning President, using his arm as a shield, deftly fielded the steady stream of flowers hurled at him. With equal skill, Mr. Nehru tossed the yellow marigolds back to his cheering countrymen. The almost fanatic response of the Indians deeply impressed Mr. Eisenhower. He had chosen the perfect mo ment for his first visit to India: For more than ten years, Indians have tasted freedom and democracy, but now they face grave ag gression on their northern frontiers. Domes tically, India's hungry masses yearn for a full stomach. They desperately want help from Eisenhower Sahib. Neither rolling cars nor club-swinging police could disperse the crowd. The terrifying, surging movement of the mob increased. So squeezed together were its members that those who raised their arms to toss a few last petals found they could not lower them. Our truck, too, swayed with the human tide. These people were close to stampeding. Resolute and unafraid, Mr. Nehru jumped from the open car and waved his arms to dis perse his people. The mass slowly parted before him and Mr. Nehru walked straight ahead-untouched. He climbed aboard his jeep, and like magic the street opened. Later Mr. Nehru told me, "This is the largest crowd I've ever seen in Delhi." HS EKTACHROME© NATIONALGEOGRAPHICSOCIETY
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