The Indian Libertarian

Summary

This 15 January 1958 ‘Republic Day Special’ (Vol. V No. 21) of The Indian Libertarian, edited by Miss Kusum Lotwala and issued from the Libertarian Social Institute in Bombay, blends Republic Day reflection, Cold War commentary, and India’s language and social-reform debates. In the rendered pages, the editorial examines Pakistan’s currency-note symbolism and the idea of an Islamic state; V. R. marks Republic Day; M. A. Venkata Rao reviews 1957 at home and abroad; Charles A. Willoughby surveys Western strategy against the Soviet bloc; Dr. K. N. Kini continues a series on revolutionising Indian life; ‘Lal’ defends Madan Mohan Malaviya against charges of communalism; and ‘Libra’ attacks ‘Hindi hysteria’ and Panchashila economics, championing English. Later items listed in the table of contents—‘Split in the Kremlin,’ ‘Sentence on Liberty,’ and the Book Reviews—begin past the rendered pages.

Essays

Editorial

The unsigned editorial opens with ‘Jinnah’s Picture On Currency Notes,’ reading Pakistan’s choice of imagery as a window onto its self-conception as an Islamic state, and moves through related notes on the idea of an Islamic polity, an Islamic conference at Lahore, and ‘Islam and Spiritual Outlook.’ It treats these developments critically from the journal’s liberal, secular standpoint.

• Leads with Pakistan’s Jinnah currency-note symbolism.
• Examines the concept of an Islamic state.
• Comments on a Lahore Islamic conference and Islam’s spiritual outlook from a liberal-secular view.

1957: At Home and Abroad

By MA Venkata Rao

M. A. Venkata Rao’s ‘1957: At Home and Abroad’ is a New Year retrospective surveying the past year’s politics in India and the wider world. He weighs domestic developments against the international scene, reading 1957 as a year that tested liberal and democratic assumptions both within India and abroad.

• A year-in-review of 1957, domestic and international.
• Reads the year through a liberal-democratic lens.
• Connects Indian developments to the global balance.

Western Blind Alley

By Charles A. Willoughby

Charles A. Willoughby’s ‘Western Blind Alley’ (subtitled ‘Red Chenghiz Khans On The Move’ / ‘Western Strategic Blind Alley’) argues that the Western powers have walked into a strategic dead end in the Cold War. The author attributes Western decline to a loss of conviction and a failure to apply liberal principles consistently in the contest with Soviet power.

• Diagnoses a strategic dead end for the Western powers.
• Blames a loss of conviction and inconsistent principle.
• Frames the Cold War as a contest the West is mishandling.

Malaviya was no Coward nor a Communalist

By Lal

‘Lal’s’ ‘Malaviya Was No Coward Nor A Communalist’ is prompted by the unveiling of a portrait of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in the Central Hall of Parliament. The author defends Malaviya’s record, arguing that he was neither timid nor a Hindu communalist, and invokes S. Radhakrishnan’s characterization of him to rebut the charge.

• Occasioned by Malaviya’s portrait unveiling in Parliament.
• Defends Malaviya against charges of cowardice and communalism.
• Cites Radhakrishnan’s view of Malaviya in his defence.

Hindi Hysteria, “Panchashila” and Indian Economy

By Libra

‘Libra’s’ ‘Hindi Hysteria, “Panchashila” and Indian Economy’ attacks the imposition of Hindi as a national language and links the language question to wider failures of economic and foreign policy. Arguing that Hindi is the mother tongue of only a minority of Indians, the author defends English and warns against a feverish, coercive linguistic nationalism.

• Opposes the imposition of Hindi as national language.
• Notes Hindi is the mother tongue of a minority of Indians.
• Defends English and ties language policy to economic missteps.

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