Dr.Chettiar's Correspondence

letter to Shri Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

My Dear Panditji,

I have great pleasure in acknowledging receipt of your letter of the 30th July addressed to Madras and received by me here yesterday. I consider it a great privilege to be addressed by you and that on a subject of great importance as the Inter Asian Relations Conference. I have not had the good fortune of meeting you personally and am looking forward to the day when I could be introduced to your great and noble personality. Your achievements are great, your sacrifices are greater and the country as a whole adores you. As the President of the Inter Asian Relations Conference opportunities of a magnitude unimagninable lie before you and I am sure you will rise equal to the occasion and earn the lasting gratitude of the millions not only in India, but of whole Asia. I do not want to spoil this letter by the outburst of my admiration or enthusiasm but shall content myself only by informing you that it is my proud privilege to respond to your great call. 1 have great pleasure in enclosing a cheque for Rs.10,001/-.

I wish you all good luck in forming the new National Government.

With kind regards, Yours   , Sd.. RM. Alagappa Chettiar, .

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Camp: Bombay.

Encl: IOB Cheque for Rs.10,001/-

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My dear Panditji,

It is Just 12.01 hours. Exactly 24 hours later will emerge a Free India - India led by Jawahar, the idol of millions, the terror of the Imperialist, the architect of Freedom, Art and Culture. May the Gods on high and the men on earth bless you now and for ever. It is bliss to be alive on August 15th. It matters little if one dies one minute after.

                           Who lives if (India) dies

                           Who dies if (India) lives.

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My dear Panditji,

Subsequent to my talk with you I conveyed the gist of the conversation to the Hon'ble Mr. Sitaram Reddiar (Minister for Industries and member of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research). I have just had a telephone from the Hon'ble Minister today that the Hon'ble Premier of Madras Mr. Ramaswami Reddiar has sent a letter to you conveying the request of the Madras Government inviting you to the Madras Province and also to lay the Foundation stone of the Electrochemical Research Institute at Karaikudi. As I told you in person, the extire Province is looking forward to your visit. I need hardly add that i look forward to it with pride and delight.

Dr. Bhatnagar is expected here on the 14th instant and he will be accompanying me to Karaikudi to look round the site and come to a final decision. He will of course make his report to you and to the Council.

I shall close the letter with the prayer that Providence will guide the destinies of our great country in a manner that will give you the much needed relief and leisure to enable you to build up the New India that is to be.

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My dear Panditji,

I was delighted to see. your letter of the 6th April, 48 giving me the joyous confirmation of your visit to the South as well as your acceptance of my request to associate yourself with the Electro Chemical Research Institute.

Dr. Bhatnagar's "difficulty'' regarding water supply at Karaikudi has been overcome. The Madras Minister for Industries Mr. Sitarama Reddy who is now in Delhi for Labour Conference, will satisfy Dr. Bhatnagar on this point.

I understand from Lieut N.K. Jain, Secretary to the Nehru Central Fund, who met you at Bombay recently, that you are due to visit Ooty in the 1st week of June. It is the desire of Mr. Sitarama Reddy and myself that this visit of yours must be taken advantage of by us to have the foundation stone laid at Karaikudi by you. I shall be most grateful if you could squeeze in this engagement in your programme and satisfy South which is literally in hunger to see you.