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Home > Kalakosa > Kalasamalocana > List of Books > In the Footsteps of Xuanzang > IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF XUANZANG: TAN YUN-SHAN AND INDIA |
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Introduction Tan Yun-Shan
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The
cultural relationship between India and China is indeed a rare thing in
human history; it has no parallel in any other two countries of the world;
and it is really a wonder in the history of human contacts and
international intercourses. We have seen from the very beginning of human
history that between nations and nations and between countries and
countries there were more of diplomatic quarrel, political conflicts,
military invasions, economic exploitations, commercial struggles and so on
than of any cultural intercourses, neighbourly contacts and friendly
relationship. But it was quite different with India and China. From times
immemorial these two ancient nations approached each other with love,
affection and respect. They exchanged their greetings and gifts just as
nook friends would do. They had “traded in ideas, in art, in culture,
and grown richer in their own inheritance by the other's offerings":
(Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's words). There never happened such as diplomatic
quarrels, political conflicts, military invasions, economic exploitations,
commercial struggles and so on between these two great countries, India
and China. Who would dare say that such amicable contact and noble
relationship between China and India is not a rare and wonder in the
history of human society and international relations? But
unfortunately, very unfortunately, this contact and relationship between
India and China, later on, relapsed into forgetfulness, probably on
account of vicissitudes of life and changes of circumstances. For the last
few centuries, the path between these two countries had been filled with
deep darkness and was covered up with the accumutated dust of
indifference. Nevertheless, from a spiritual point of view our national
love and sympathy for each other have never ceased, though the formal
relationship has been somewhat suffered in course of time. As soon as the
opportunity arises, we shall ever be ready to take hold of it and renew
our old relationship at any cost. Let me quote the fate Gurudeva
Rabindranath Tagore’s message which he sent through my humble self to
China ten years ago, and which has inspired us all so much and so deep : “My
friends in China, The
truth that we received when your pilgrims came to us in India, and ours to
you, -- that is not lost even now. What
a great time in history! It is our duty today to revive the heroic spirit
of that pilgrimage, following the ancient path which is not merely a
geographical one- but the great historical path that was built across the
difficult barriers of race difference and difference of language and
tradition, reaching the spiritual home where man is in bonds of love and
co-operation.” Rabindranath
Tagore, Santiniketan,
23rd April, 1934. Yes,
it is our duty today not only to revive the old friendships and
associations but also to create new contacts and relations between our two
great countries, India and China. It is our duty not only to discover the
ancient path and follow it but also to make our own way and a way for
others to follow in the future. But how and what to do? First of all some
strong and sound organization must be formed. Hence, the Sino-Indian
Cultural Society. The
Sino-Indian Cultural Society was first initiated in China in 1933, then
initiated in India in 1934. But it was inaugurated in India first in 1935
and then in China in 1935. Therefore, China has had the privilege of
taking the leading part in initiation, but India, in inauguration. From
this we can see the urgent need of and the genuine zeal for the society in
both the countries, and both countries emulated each other in the
formation of .the society. Now the society has its formal existence
already for ten years in India and nine years in China. Although the
unfavourable and unfortunate situation of the world, specially the war in
China, has hampered to a very great extent the work and growth of the
Society, yet it has been going on quite well, especially in India. For
this, our due tribution must go first to the supreme inspiration and
auspice of the late Gurudeva Rabindranath Tagore, then to the wise
guidance and keen interest of the present President of the Society, Dr.
Abanindranath Tagore, and to the greatest enthusiasm and tireless effort
of Sri Rathindranath Tagore, the illustrious son of the late Gurudeva and
the General Secretary of The Sino-Indian Cultural Society in India, as
well as to other co-workers. The
object of the Society, as prescribed in the General Constitution, is “to
study the Mind of India and China with a view to an interchange of their
cultures and cultivation of friendship between the people of the two
countries for the purpose of promoting peace and unity in the world”.
This may be analysed in a more plain manner into six items: firstly, to
study Indian and Chinese learnings; secondly, to have a cultural
intercourse between India and China; thirdly, to develop mutual
understanding of Indian and Chinese feelings; fourthly, to start
associations of Indian and the Chinese people; fifthly, to establish love
and peace among human beings; and lastly, to bring about a great union and
harmony in the world. In
accordance with the above object and in order to carry it out the
following General Programme has been made : 1.
To organise Indian cultural delegations to go to China and Chinese
cultural delegations to come to India for research work respectively. 2.
To organise delegations to deliver lectures on Indian and Chinese cultures
in both countries. 3.
To recommend Indian students for studying Chinese culture in China and
Chinese students for studying Indian culture in India. 4.
Tom establish a Sino-Indian or Indian Institute for Indian and Chinese
students and scholars to study in China. If the Society is unable to build
an independent institute there for the time being, the Society shall
affiliate it, to some well-known Chinese university. 5.
To establish an Indian-Chinese Institute or Chinese Hall for Indian and
Chinese students and scholars to study in India. The Institute and the
Society itself may in the first instance be affiliated to the
International I University at Santiniketan. 6.
To publish books and journals containing the results of researches in
Indian and Chinese cultures, and revealing the spirit and content of the
same. 7.
To open in both the countries a Sino-Indian Publishing House for
publishing and circulating books on India and China. 8.
To found in both countries a Sino-Indian Library and Museum first on a
small scale within the scope of the Society and the Institute, which shall
be gradually developed and expanded into an independent library and
museum. 9.
To make arrangements for the purpose of receiving, guiding and
accommodating Indian visitors to China and Chinese visitors to India. As
mentioned before, the unfavourable circumstances of the world and the war
in China have handicapped a great deal of the work of the society, and
have even retarded its very growth; the above programme has not been fully
and satisfactorily carried out. In China, immediately after the formation
of the Society, we had acquired quite a large and new building for the
Society as its headquarters at Nanking. We intended to make out of it an
institute together with a library for our regular Sino-lndian studies. But
before we could hardly complete our plan and just start the work, the
Sino-Japanese War broke out. The wanton Japanese invasion of China had not
only upset the country but also our Society. The Japanese indiscriminate
bombardment of Nanking did not only destroy the city, but also our society
building. Later on, the location of the Society along with the city of
Nanking, the then capital of China, had been very painfully fast to and
very ruthlessly occupied by the merciless Japanese soldiers and invaders.
Since then, the members of our Society in China have been scattered over
the interior of the country. They could hardly have the chance of having a
formal meeting. And the circumstance of the country compelled them to
concentrate every energy and effort upon fighting the enemy out not only
for the independence and freedom of their own country but also for the
preservation of peace, justice and decency of the whole world. They could
not naturally do any obvious work for the Sino-Indian Cultural Society.
But this does not mean that they have forgotten or neglected the work of
the Society. Nor is it that the Society has died away or ceased to exist.
The Society will never die and will exist for ever. Despite the absolutely
difficult conditions of the country, the members of the Society in China
have tied and are always trying their best to promote the ideals and to
further the cause of the Society either individually or jointly. Whenever
and wherever there was any chance and opportunity they would never fail to
carry on the work of he Society either directly or indirectly or both.
There have been successive visits of several Chinese Missions to India in
recent years: first, the Buddhist Mission led by His Holiness Tai Hsu,
President of the China Buddhist Association, which visited India in
January-February, 1940: second, the Good will Mission led by His
Excellency Tai Chi-Tao, President of the Examination Yuan of the National
Government of China, which of education, which visited India in
March-April, 1943;
all these Missions had been more or less encouraged by the Society,
and all the members of these Missions are members of The Sino-Indian
Cultural Society in China. Although the historical visit of the supreme
Chinese leader and personality Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and his
heroic consort Madame Chiang to India in February 1942, was more political
and military in purpose than cultural, yet it has given great impetus to
the Society and both the Generalissimo and Madame Chiang are the Society's
best patrons and benefactors. Very recently the Society has again
constructed a new and large building at Chungking. Meetings and lectures
have been occasionally arranged in the new building. Plans for starting a
library and an institute are under preparation. Arrangements for
Sino-Indian studies have been made for members both inside and outside the
Society. It is hoped that as soon as the War will be over the Society will
without doubt be ready to carry on its programme in full swing in China. In
India the condition is different from that of China. Immediately after the
inauguration of the Society, a scheme for establishing a Chinese Hall at
Santiniketan was drafted and it had soon been carried out very
successfully. Hence the establishment of the Visva-Bharati Cheena-Bhavana,
I think, many friends would like to hear and to know; mentions, references
and remarks have been very often made by different persons in different
publications; several articles been written and published by several
scholars and writers in several languages; and great attention has been
focussed from and generous enthusiasm has been given by numerous friends
in every walk of life, specially in the cultural and educational fields of
both the countries, India and China. The Visva-Bharati Cheena-Bhavana is a
department of the Visva-Bharati University as the very name indicates,
forming an integral part of the same world-known International University
at Santiniketan. But it, at the same time, is also the centre of the
Sino-Indian Cultural Society in India. The work of the Society in India
has been concentrated on this Cheena-Bhavana during the last few years. It
has a big two-storied building together with two hostels and two family
quarters for the time being; the main building consists of a large hall
and spacious residential rooms down-stairs, and a large library, four big
research rooms and several offices, working and reading rooms upstairs.
The Chinese Library of the Cheena-Bhavana is not only magnificent and
unique in India but also rare and unusual in all countries outside China.
It contains abut two hundred thousand fascicles of Chinese books, most of
which deal with Chinese Buddhism, Chinese Classics, Chinese Philosophy,
Chinese history, Chinese Literature and Chinese Art, and are very
important and - valuable. I am afraid that owing to the indiscriminate and
criminal Japanese bombardments on Chinese institutions, museums and
libraries, many of these books might have been lost in China and shall be
found only in the Visva-Bharati Cheena-Bhavana. The main work of the
Cheena-Bhavana is Sino-Indian studies and research, for which we have
provided the following courses :-(1) Languages-including Chinese, Tibetan,
Sanskrit, Pali, Hindi, Bengali and other modern Indian languages; (2)
Buddhism-including Chinese, Indian and Tibetan, (3) Other
Religions-including Hinduism, Jainsim, Confucianism and Taoism; (4)
Philosophy - including Indian and Chinese; (5) Literature-including
Chinese and Indian; (6) History - including Chinese and Indian ; (7)
Cultural Studies-including Chinese and Indian, both ancient and modern.
(8) Restoration of lost Sanskrit works from Chinese and Tibetan
scriptures; (9) Translation of Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali and Tibetan
scriptures; (10) Editing of Sanskrit, Chinese and other works; and so on,
These items and subject open before us a very vast sphere of work and give
us the opportunity of cultivating many rich fields. It needs much labour
and it wilt take long time, to accomplish the end. At present we have one
and half-a-dozen of workers in
the Cheena-Bhavana, including the staff-members, research scholars and
students, both Indian and Chinese, of whom we may specially mention one of
the most celebrated Indian savants in modern time, Maha-mohapadhyaya
Pandit Vidhushekhara Bhattacharya Shastri, who had been a very intimate
friend and co-worker to the late Gurudeva for more than thirty years, who
had been the former principal of the Research Department of Visva-Bharati
for more than ten years and the Head of the-Sanskrit Department of the
Calcutta University for eight years, and now has taken charge of directing
research studies in the Cheena-Bhavana. The Sino-Indian Cultural Society
in India has already published a number of pamphlets and bulletins.
Several books are ready for publication. An annual journal is also under
preparation. But owing to the problem of paper, we have to postpone these
publications for the time being. The
preceding two paragraphs have only given a very short account in a general
way of the works done by the Sino-Indian Cultural Society in both
countries, China and India. Besides these, the Society from the very
beginning has been sending from time to time students and scholars from
China to India and from India to China for studies. Among those who went
to China from India, special mention should be made of Shri Krishna Kinker
Sinha, who was a research scholar of
the Visva-Bharati Cheena-Bhavana and has been sent to China at the
request of the Oriental Languages College, established by the Ministry of
Education of the national government of China, as professor of Hindi to
that College. Shri Sinha is also a Life Member of the Society. He is not
only a good scholar of Hindi Literature but also an ideal, active worker
along cultural and educational lines. A man with a simple mind, sincere
heart and religious nature, he has no hankering after any thing else but
love for and devotion to Sino-Indian studies as well as to the common
cause of the Sino-Indian Cultural Society. He has already written a number
of articles on Chinese subjects in Hindi, has translated Dr. Sun
Yat-Sen’s “San Min Chu Yi” into Hindi for the first time, and now is
translating the Generalissimo’s “China’s Destiny” into Hindi. Such
men and workers like him are really needed and have proved themselves
extremely helpful to the Society. Hence these few remarks. The Oriental
Languages College of China has also invited another Indian professor, Dr.
D. N. Roy of Gwahati, Assam, whose name is already well known both at home
and abroad, and who is also a member of the Society. Besides these, the
recent idea of the exchange of Indian and Chinese students between the
Government of India and the Government of China has also come from the
project of the Sino-Indian Cultural Society. And the recent visit of the
most outstanding exponent of Indian Philosophy, Sir Sarvapalli
Radhakrishnan, Vice-Chancellor of the Benares Hindu University, to China
in May this year (1944), and the most memorable and historical visit of
the great Indian National leader Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to China in
August, 1939, have given great impetus to the Society; the former is an
elected member of the Central Committee of The Sino-Indian Cultural
Society in India and the latter is an elected Honorary President of The
Sino-Indian Cultural Society in India. The
most important and characteristic feature of the Sino-Indian Cultural
Society is that we have gathered under the Society almost all the leading
scholars, educationists, culturalists, religionists, writers, artists,
etc., of both the countries, India and China. The Society also enjoys the
great courtesy, countenance and patronage, though without any material
support, of both the Government of India and the Government of China; and
many Government high officers of both the countries have joined the
Society as its members. It has also had the greatest sympathy, enthusiasm,
encouragement, good wishes and blessings of all the National leaders of
India and China, and the best wishes of the Indian and Chinese people as
well as of peoples over the world. But one sad thing is that shortly after
the institution of the Society, many of its-members have left the Society
as well as the world forever without witnessing any accomplishment of the
aim of and of the works taken by the Society. The most mournful event, in
the history of the Society is India is the inopporture demise of the
Gurudeva Ravindranath Tagore, the founder -President, the spiritual Guide
and the sponsor of the Society. It was due to his inspiration, that my
humble self has taken, the intial step in organizing the Society and had
devoted my humble self to the common cause of the Society. The most tragic
event of the Society in China is the unexpected death of the late Dr. Tsai
Yuan-Pei, the first Chief Director of the Executive Committee of the
Society in China. Dr. Tsai was one of the greatest cultural leaders of
modem China, the Founder-President of Academia Sinica, the highest Chinese
National Institute for learning, the sponsor of the New-Culture Movement
in China, and Patron of many educational and cultural institutions both
national and international. He was also one of the best friends arid
co-workers of the late Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. He was a typical old Chinese
scholar of simple ideals and noble spirit. His ideas, however, were those
of the young and the active and he possessed a large heart, combined with
a fare farsightedness. His interest in and hope for the Society were so
deep and so great that during-the last years of his life he gave up all
offices of other institutions, but kept the only one of the Sino-Indian
Cultural Society in China as its Chief Director of the Executive
Committee, It was mainly owing to his patronage together with the
patronage of His Excellency Dr. Tai Chi-Tao, President of the Examination
Yuan of the National Government of China who is already very well known to
India, that the Society owes its existence in China. To those two great
souls, the late Gurudeva Rabindranath Tagore and the late Dr. Tsai Yuan-pel,
we, the members of the Sino-Indians Cultural Society in India as well as
in China, especially my humble self, will remain in debt for ever and will
ever pay our highest homage. At last, I would like to point out another
very salient and important feature of the society, which needs and
deserves special mention and explanation. We have especially prescribed
General Constitution that the Society may cooperate with others cultural
or literary organizations of different countries but it shall strictly
keep away from any political movement, and shall never participate in any
work against any State or Race or Government. Why should we have made such
a particular restriction which no other organization of the same kind
would have even. There are several reasons: First, as I have mentioned at
the very beginning, the relationship between India and China from time
immemorial had been purely cultural and religious and not political.
Therefore we have had no quarrel or conflict of any kind between us but
love and respect for each other. We should not only always follow and
maintain such noble traditions ourselves, but should also help it to
spread all over the world. Secondly, all political movements so far as we
have seen are based on either narrow nationalism or communalism or
sectarianism. They care only for their own interest or the interest of a
particular nation or a particular community or a particular sect, and they
cannot help taking recourse to all kinds of evil means, especially in the
unhealthy atmosphere of the present world politics. They also can not go
without hatred, anger, wrath enmity, hostility and all kinds of ill will. The
only exception may be Mahatma Gandhi's movement. But according to me
Gandhiji’s movement is rather more religious than political. All these
things are not only against the aim and object of our Sino-Indian Cultural
Society, but also against our Hindu-Chinese cultural tradition. The
ultimate aim and object of our Society is not only the good of our own
countries and peoples but also the good of the whole world and all
mankind. We should not have any kind of ill will for any one but should
only have the best wishes for everybody, and our good will and motive
should he absolutely Sincere and unselfish. Thirdly, the life of a
political movement is always short and it changes like a Chamelion. There
is no in the association of politicians and in the political relationship
between countries. Today they are friends and tomorrow they can be
enemies, or today they are enemies and tomorrow they can turn into
friends. Such unfair and undesirable things must naturally be avoided by
our society, and the life of our society and the relationship between our
two great countries must be long and permanent. Fourthly, when we say, we
shall never participate in any work against away State or Race or
Government, it is not because we are afraid of any State or Race or
Government, but because we have got nothing to do with such work, and Such
work is absolutely not our business and is also against the aim and object
of our society. As we have no evil design of any kind, we have naturally
no fear. The aim and object of our society, when carried out, will only
help every State or Race or Government. Fifthly, a cultural society, like
ours should always keep up its lofty dignity and maintain its high
prestige. We should and must only work within the limit of our duty and
according to the scope of our programme. Of course, there were people who
did utilise such organization as custody for all kinds of mean works; but
we should absolutely not only avoid this kind of things but also condemn
the same. Otherwise, we shall not only lose our dignity and damage our S 1944 TAN
YUN-SHAN |
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1999 Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New DelhiAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced any manner without written permission of the publisher.