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4 I THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER "SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 WED. OCTOBER 29, 1969 SECTION 2 - PAGE 1 India In Transition Is Story Of Senator's Trip (During the recent Congres­ sional recess, Senator Charles H. Percy of Illinois and his family spent three weeks trav­ eling in Asia. This is the first of four articles by Senator Per­ cy recalling highlights of the tour.) What made this-my fourth- visit to India so valuable was the ability to see what a dozen years of development had ac­ complished since my initial vis­ it while at the same time see­ ing the country anew through the eyes of our teen-aged children, Gail and Mark, as they gained their first impressions. Despite diligent study, the children were unprepared for the mass of humanity; the con­ trast between great wealth and unspeakable poverty; the bust­ ling life of the cities contrast­ ed against the placid life of the rural villages; the gentle, kind­ ly, happy countenance of the people and so much animal life that at times the animals seem­ ed to outnumber the human pop­ ulation. Soon after our arrival, we went to the private residence in New Delhi of Prime Min­ ister Indira Gandhi for an in­ formal family dinner. On a previous visit, Loraine and I had been impressed with the modest homelike atmosphere of the Prime Minister's res­ idence. Gail and Mark were seated with Mrs. Gandhi's ol­ der son, Sanjay, an airline pi­ lot and the Prime Minister's younger son, Rajiv, who has developed a low-priced family automobile which he hepes some day to produce in India. At dinner, the room air con­ ditioner was noisy enough to nearly muffle conversation but it nevertheless moved along at a lively pace. Mrs. Gandhi talk­ ed about the recent presidential election, and she was most pleased with the results. She al­ so jspoke about going out into the country to meet with the people after the Lik Sabha, or the Indian Congress adjourned, to gain their support. Despite being in the midst of a power struggle with the right wing " syndicate" within the Congress party, she was relaxed andgay. The next morning, I attended a session of Parliament. A majority of the members were in their seats as the session opened, in sharp contrast to the handful to be seen on the floor of the Senate or House at most times. This chamber is what the struggle for the survival of democracy in India is all about. Here, representatives of 540 million Indians derive power to control the executive branch of government by raking the ministers over the coals, de­ manding information about the operation of government, ques­ tioning expenses and insisting in general on the right to know. The Prime Minister and her ministers appear on the floor of Parliament to defend their positions. Hie India to which Mrs. Gan­ dhi referred-the real India- "Don't cry over spilt milk...keep an extra supply on hand." A I I W R H I I N t l .nru < I N S « K i .vt ion > was not in New Delhi, but rath­ er in the countryside. It was to see this India that we left ear­ ly one morning for a 500-mile drive that could be completed on any American super-highway in an easy day's drive yet in India constitutes a most har­ rowing 3-day experience. This, however, is still the best way to get a feel for In­ dia's people. One may see gyp­ sies by the roadside, encounter snake charmers and perform­ ing bears; glimpse water buf­ falo wallowing in the muddy waters, oxen serving as beasts of burden in every form; har­ nessed camels, beautiful pea­ cocks and parrots flying free and wild, and carts of dung, used as building material, fuel and fertilizer. At one railroad crossing we photographed a truck, a jeep, bicycles, automobiles, an el­ ephant, camels, ox carts and wagons that were stopped along with us. No one seemed annoy­ ed when the gate was drawn 15 minutes before the arrival of a train that took another 10 minutes to complete the crossing. For a few dollars a night, we stopped at hotels that had formerly been maharajah pal­ aces, resting in spacious air- conditioned rooms with baths the size of a country club lock­ er room. Everywhere there were plenty of eager hands will­ ing to help. If you ask directions a dozen people will come up to assist. Look with the slightest interest at an article and shop keepers and street peddlers de­ scend upon you. Arrive at a ho­ tel or an airport and a half- dozen men are right there to handle luggage. (The children said half in jest, that whenever they soaped their faces and put down the washcloth, a fresh one was there before they could finish drying their eyes.) Hav­ ing earlier waited interminably for restaurant service in Scan- danavia, we watched with amazement as the waiters brought appetizers even before the headwaiter finished taking our orders. Flies and insects abound, at­ tacking the food of the rich as well as the poor. College stu­ dents are disillusioned when they cannot utilize their skills in productive jobs, although stu­ dent suicides that we had heard about on campuses a dozen years ago have not been men­ tioned this trip. The caste system still ex­ ists in rural villages. Mar­ riages for the most part still take place within one's own caste but the formerly rigid lines have given way to urban­ ization, education and enforce­ ment of the law that bars caste discrimination. Children run naked in the streets but it is poverty, not lack of modesty, that reveals nature in the raw. Rah jas and princes are invar­ iably still rich, living off gov­ ernment tax-free "funds." But they have little, if any, power and the dole is being systema­ tically reduced for their heirs. Some of them have entered di­ plomacy or politics or business and have become hard-working and productive citizens. And there are still cows ev­ erywhere, almost a billion of them, two for every man, wo­ man and child in India. Though the availability of medical assistance is gradually expanding, health care has a long way to go. And although human life is undervalued, iron­ ically there exists a deep con­ cern for family and friends. One day, while Gail was not feeling up to par and yet dog­ gedly tried to stick to the sched­ ule, everyone we metexpressed ..concern for their "little sister," and our "little baby." Everywhere there are family planning signs proclaiming that two, certainly three, children are enough for any family. What a contrast with earlier visits when the question was put to a woman, "How many children do you intend to have?" She might reply, "That is beyond my con­ trol; that is up to my hus­ band and he is poor and the only way he can show his im­ portance is to have many chil­ dren." Ask her now and she will likely as not, hold up two or three fingers. At a family planning center, long lines 0f women waited for sterilization, loop insertion, pills or technical information. A few years ago these centers could not be found, and if they had existed at all, people were neither interested enough nor knowledgeable enough to use them. As a guide at Agra put it: "India is a rich country with poor people." All seem con­ cerned over the unconcern of the wealthy. Frequently one hears land owners, factory own­ ers, bankers, and industrialists condemned. Even a young en­ gineering student whose father owned a hotel, expressed his delight at Indira Gandhi's na­ tionalization of the banks. "The big banks were run to finance big business," he said. "Now STUDY CON-CON -- Mrs. Walter Bolger, left, Voter Service chairman for the League of Wo­ men Voters, and Mrs. Donald Meyer, chair lady of the Con-Con Study Group, are shown per­ using information on the Illinois Constitutional Convention prior to Con-Con Candidates' Night Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. at the V.F.W. club­ house, McHenry. ' PLAINDEALER PHOTO I have the feeling the banks will have an interest in finan­ cing my ideas." Fortunately, American tech­ nology and know-how-some of it from Illinois-is helping to pro­ vide the needed capital and tech­ nical assistance on a partner­ ship basis. To cite but one ex­ ample of change, an increasing number of village wells are now equipped with electric power, though hand-drawn water is still the rule. In sum, the teeming subcon­ tinent has made much progress in the last decade but India still has a long way to go. COOLING SYSTEM SPECIAL with guaranteed radiator protection! / ALL THi ONE LOW PRICE! i V Regularly }*ue tcMPin Cooling system is inspected and tested under pressure to check for radiator, hose or head leakage Entire cooling system is drained and flushed New thermostat is instal led Upper and lower hoses are replaced Water pump is lubricated System refi l led -- including 2 gallons of high quali ty permanent . int i-freeze Retfcst to check hose connections and operation *Price will be reduced SB.00 if new thermostat and new hoses are not needed. 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