India - the Mother

September 14, 1955

Generally, politicians cover up all their misdeeds with fine words, but the misdeeds are there nonetheless. The world is so organized that one cannot be otherwise. A man who accepts no kind of compromise could not remain in politics; he would be driven out by the sheer force of things. There will come a time when all that will change, but not yet. Politics may be the last thing to change. Many others will have to change before that. Politics is certainly one of the most recalcitrant things.

Two things are very difficult to change: finance and politics; the field of money and the field of government are the two points where man is the weakest and most attached to falsehood. So that is probably where transformation will happen last....

[Mother is asked a question about reconciliation between the USA and the USSR:] Those things are only appearances, superficial ideas and interests—"interests," not even true interests, but the notion they have of their interests.... The political attitude is very flimsy, very meagre; it's shallow, mostly words, hollow words; they make a lot of noise because they're hollow, just high-sounding words.... If the economic problem were solved ... those political differences would lose most of their support....

Does India have a special role to play in today's politics

... India has a role to fulfil in the world. But that is something ideal, requiring a conversion which, well, has not yet taken place, so far as I know. On the superficial, external standpoint, she could play her role if she were sincere. That's all I can say.

Questions and Answers (1955): 14 September 1955