Many students believe India can hardly be called a nation in
the sense that France is. Yet it is an ancient civilization, one of
the most complex social and cultural societies known. Its peoples
are more varied than those of all Europe and number about the
same. Hundreds of languages and various religions and castes
divide its people. Many observers fear that in any profound crisis
violent chaos or political "balkanization" might ensue. Yet its
peoples have risen in the last generation to throw off imperial
rule through a nationalist movement now in control of the
government which has embarked on a revolution to achieve full
nationhood and a welfare society.

The first article in this section briefly points to the salient
features of this revolution being undertaken by democratic means
--a revolution by consent. The ancient heritage of India and
the impact which the period of British rule still exerts on the
nation are explained by Vera M. Dean in the next selection.
A short discussion of the partition of India and Pakistan follows.
Gandhi, who became known and revered throughout the world
during the years of India's struggle against British rule, is dis-
cussed by India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru--who is in
part the heir to Gandhi's leadership--and by the writer Vincent
Sheean. Nehru himself, a complex personality often thought of
as a blend between the Orient and the West, is analyzed by the
New York Times correspondent Robert Trumbull. Brief notes
about India's constitution and politics follow, written by Indians
--an introduction to present-day India. The facts about the
exceedingly high rate of population growth are given last and
are included here as being the number one problem with which
India must grapple.

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