Reviving Old Memories of Hindi-Chini Phai Phai Days

At the end of 2008， while browsing the Internet， I was attracted by a piece of news: At a party in celebration of the successful conclusion of a China-India anti-terrorism military exercise， the Indian soldiers sang Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points of Attention— a popular Chinese Red Army song， while the Chinese PLA men sang in Hindi the Indian National Anthem composed by great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. The news was a pleasant surprise to me and aroused my curiosity and nostalgia. I continued my search on the net for this famous Tagore song so familiar to me 50 years ago. Eventually， I found a video recording on the Indian Culture page. The music had been beautifully rearranged by a young producer. By using Indian classical， folk and electronic musical instruments， he created a brand new musical appeal. The 13 vocalists， sometimes singing solo， sometimes as a trio or chorus， added a unique charm to this song composed within one scale in range. The song brought back my memories of India over half a century ago to the days when the song of Hindi Chini Phai Phai could be heard over the vast land of China and the Indian Peninsula.

India， An Unexpected Encounter

When I graduated from university in 1953， I was assigned to work in the Chinese People’s Committee for the Defence of World Peace located at 1 Taijichang in Beijing which had formerly been the Italian Embassy. The Committee had three sections in its International Liaison Department: American and Oceania Section responsible for world peace movement and American-Oceanian affairs， Japanese Section for Japanese and Korean affairs， and the Indian Section for South and Southeast Asian affairs. I was put in charge of India， Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). As a student majoring in English， I was not very happy about this assignment since my goal was to become a good interpreter. I was ignorant about the history of these countries. The first time I saw Indians and Pakistanis was during the Peace Conference of Asian and Pacific Regions held in Beijing only five months before， at which I saw on one occasion， delegation members walking into the Conference Hall hand in hand， scattering colourful petals on each other and then embraced with tears in their eyes. All the delegates stood up， clapped their hands and cheered them for a long time. It was a very moving scene， but at that time I did not know what it really meant. However， in the early years of Liberation， “submitting oneself to the assigned job” and immersing oneself in whatever task one was allocated was a “matter of principle”. So I settled into my job and started to learn my work. The Committee was one of the first national people’s organizations in China engaged in exchanges with foreign countries in many fields except economic affairs. It was privileged to subscribe newspapers and magazines of other countries. The staff in the Liaison Department was required to follow closely developments in the world peace movement in the countries for which they were responsible. Hence， reading newspapers， keeping clippings， taking notes of the activities of various peace organizations and personages became my routine work. I worked pretty hard and soon developed a great interest in India. I read all the books and newspapers that I could get hold of about this fascinating country in the hope of becoming an “expert” some day.

The early 1950s were a golden era for Sino-Indian relations. China had just overthrown the oppression of the “the three big mountains” — imperialism， feudalism and bu- reaucratic capitalism—and establi- shed the PRC in 1949， while India had also gained national in- dependence from British colonial rule of over two centuries and established its own destiny as the Republic of India in 1951. Both countries were faced with great tasks of reconstruction and developing friendly relations with other countries， particularly in the economic and cultural areas. Contacts between China and India， both large countries in A- sia， dated back 2，000 years. Eminent Buddhist monks， Faxian in the Han Dynasty and Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty， travelled thousands of miles to India and to introduce Buddhism to China. It was regrettable that such exchanges did not go far as a result of the decline of Buddhism in India. The old relationship was renewed in the early 20th century when China and India rose to fight against the oppression of colonialism and imperialism for national independence. In 1924， Rabindranath Tagore made a special trip to China when he was already over 60. He came with genuine goodwill and enthusiasm to “repair” the two thousand-year-old bridge between the two great nations. He spoke at numerous meetings to Chinese youth trying to win sympathy and remove prejudice. Unfortunately， China was then on the eve of the military activity known as the Northern Expedition. The country was virtually in chaos and Tagore failed to attract much attention among young people. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression， China appealed to peoples throughout the world for aid and support. In response to the requests from Mme. Soong Ching Ling and Zhu De， Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Route Army， Jawahalal Nehru， later to be independent India’s first prime minister， sent a five-member medical team to Yan’an， in the name of the Indian National Congress. The team worked at the guerrilla battle front in Shan- xi-Chahar-Hebei region. One of its members， Dr. Kotnis， laid down his life for the cause of Chinese people’s liberation. He had worked at the front for four years under extremely dangerous conditions. His sacrifice added a new brilliant chapter to the annals of Sino-Indian friendship. The birth of New China made Prime Minister Nehru realize the importance of the two independent Asian nations “speaking with one voice” in the international arena. This led to India’s recognition of the PRC two months after its founding and， in April 1950， the country became the first in the non-socialist camp to establish diplomatic relations. Since then， exchanges between the two governments and two peoples grew fast. A large Chinese cultural delegation visited India in July 1951 and a grand Chinese Culture and Arts Exhibition was held at the same time， arousing tremendous interest among the Indian people. In October 1952， a big peace delegation headed by the INC leader Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew came to attend the Peace Conference of Asian and Pacific Regions in Beijing. The delegation toured a number of cities and saw with their own eyes the zeal and determination demonstrated by the Chinese people in national reconstruction. The peoples of China and India marched into a new era of friendly exchange and cooperation.

The First Indian Artists Performance Tour in New China

Against such a historical background， the Indian government sent an art delegation to visit China in summer 1953. Led by prominent cultural figure Sachin Sen Gupta， the delegation consisted of over 20 famous musicians and dancers from Punjab， West Bengal， Uttar Pradesh， Kerala， and some other states. The repertoire included classical instrumental solos of Sitar， Sarangi and Tabla; solo dances of Khatak， Bharat Natyam and dances based on the two great Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana performed by a Katakare dance group. There were also solo performances of traditional Indian songs， Punjabi folk songs and Bengali Tagore songs. For the Chinese audience it was the first time to get in touch with Indian culture and enjoy such diverse and high-leveled performance of Indian music and dance.

India is a country of an ancient civilization where many ethnic groups of different religions holding different beliefs lived together for thousands of years. Such diversity has made the country somewhat mysterious. Indian music and dance are well-known in the world for their miraculous skill， subtlety and unique charm. But back then， ordinary Chinese were not familiar with them. They knew very little about the fact that Indian performing arts reflected in one way or another stories from legends and Hindu religious ceremonies. In view of these factors， it was very important for the Chinese host organization to make adequate preparations to help Chinese audience understand and enjoy the performance， thereby enhancing mutual understanding and friendly sentiments. In fact， both the Chinese and Indian governments paid great attention to the visit. Premier Zhou Enlai took personal supervision of the reception work. After careful consideration， the Peace Committee was chosen to be the host， and I myself was to serve as the interpreter for the stage managers of both sides.

The Indian artists toured Beijing， Shanghai， Hangzhou， Wuhan and Guangzhou from June to August， the hottest summer months in China. They entered into and departed from China at Luohu Customs， then a little village between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Since there was no regular civil air service in those days， the delegation was privileged to travel from city to city by a special train with four compartments plus a dinning car and a luggage car. Being interpreters and liaison officers， we staff of the Peace Committee， escorted the Indian guests for the whole trip. Before long we became good friends. A few Katakare dancers were not English speakers. We would communicate with them through sign language， a mixture of Chinese， English and Hindi words and imitations of certain movements from their Katakare dance which always provoked laughter. By and by， we got used to the Indian way of saying yes by a shake of the head in contrast to the Chinese way of nodding agreement. Sometimes a clumsy imitation of pronunciation or movement became a joke. The memories of these interesting times of traveling together remain fresh in my mind. It was my first time to work with Indians， I was much surprised to find that their lifestyle was completely different from Westerners—women wearing colourful sari and men white dhoti. No one wore Western suits， ties and leather shoes. As for food， many of them preferred Indian curried rice the Chinese cook had just learned to make to Chinese delicacies or famous French cuisine. They always put their palms together when greeting people and never said hello or shook hands with strangers. In a word， they stuck to the deep-rooted Indian tradition and lifestyle despite the influence of two centuries of British colonial rule.

As the host organization， the Peace Committee sought to meet the needs of our guests in terms of food， accommodation， stage property and travel arrangements and to make them feel at home. To our surprise， their requests were very simple. The musicians went on stage without any make-up and dressed as usual. They only asked for two or three microphones for the show and a small piece of carpet to be placed in the stage center for singers and instrumentalists to sit on. Once they started singing or playing， they would concentrate on what they wanted to convey to the listeners and fully immersed themselves in the world of music. The dancers just wanted some flowers to be laid out at the bottom of the blue background screen as decoration， some adjustable lights and a spotlight to follow the dancer. All the dancers would handle their own make-up and costume dressing. The only thing that bothered us was the supply of fresh jasmine flowers for their hair dressing. Jasmine was an easy growing all-season plant in India， but， it was not the case in Beijing even in summer. We underestimated the difficulty in obtaining them and failed to get enough for the premiere. Later， I realized that the Indian music and dance were mostly performed at religious ceremonies and traditional festival celebrations， the performers paid more attention to conveying respect for gods and making a joyful atmosphere than setting up fabulous stage properties.

The experiences of working with the artists proved to be my primary lesson in Indian culture. As the stage managers’ interpreter， I had the advantage of watching the show closely from the wings. I found myself completely absorbed by the fascinating performances. I learned to appreciate the delicate and dazzling movements of fingers and eyes of the classical dance of Bharat Natyam， the graceful Khatak dance with dozens of foot and arm bells miraculously controlled by the dancers， the wonderful Sitar solo with so many chord strings resounding to the main string， the sweet and beautiful Punjabi folk songs and the Bengali Tagore songs. I could also feel how the audience responded with tremendous curiosity and amazement and how the artists tried their best to win the heart of the audience. I arrived at the conclusion that music and dance could serve as bridges for spiritual communication among the peoples. Though the words of the songs had not been translated nor the stories behind the dances introduced， the sweet melodies and beautiful movements could always reach the hearts of the audience.

Hindi Chini Phai Phai Resounding Over Beijing and Delhi

Among all the programs， the Indian artists performed， the most popular item had been Hindi Chini Phai Phai， a song sung in chorus by Debabrata Biswas， the popular Bengali singer of Tagore songs， and Surunder Kaur， the famous “nightingale of Punjab”. People in the audience did not understand the words in Hindi， but the repeated “Phai， Phai” (brother， brother) seemed to touch the emotional chord of brotherhood in the hearts of our two peoples who had shared the past experience of being oppressed and were facing a common task of rebuilding their own countries. The song always brought about a climax in the performance. Biswas， the stage manager of the Indian side， suggested that we escorts learn the song so that it would stay in China. He was a warm-hearted， enthusiastic and straightforward person. He insisted that I join him and Surunder in singing Hindi Chini Phai Phai at the closing concert. When we went on board the train to our last stop Guangzhou from Wuhan， he took me to the dining car， showed me the song sheet with English alphabet marked under Hindi verses and started to teach me word by word. His effort paid off and the final performance in Guangzhou turned out to be the most exciting and successful one. Cheers rose from the audience when the song was jointly performed by two Indian artists and a Chinese. Hindi Chini Phai Phai became a set phrase in Chinese frequently used as an expression showing the friendship between the Chinese and Indian people.

In April 1955， on the eve of the Bandung Conference， a Chinese delegation， consisting of over 30 public figures and led by Dr. Guo Moruo， President of the China Peace Committee， went to New Delhi to participate in the Peace Conference of Asian Countries. This aimed at exchanging ideas and creating public opinions for the convocation of the Bandung Conference at which the prime ministers of China and India would put forward the Panchasila Principles (i.e.， the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence). A mass rally of over ten thousand people was organized by the Indian hosts in Delhi Square in celebration of the successful conclusion of the conference. Dr. Guo Moruo made a speech on behalf of the Chinese delegation， after which he turned to us interpreters urging us to sing Hindi Chini Phai Phai at the rally.When the three of us walked onto the stage and began singing the song in Hindi， waves of cheers and applause from the audience turned the square into a scene of jubilation. As my eyes met those of ordinary Indians， men and women， young and old， I saw in them sincerity， goodwill and friendliness.

I went to India again to attend the All-India Peace Congress in November 1956 working as an interpreter for Deputy Secretary General Zheng Senyu of the Peace Committee. I learned how the India Peace Committee and India-China Friendship Association functioned and met their leaders and staff. As a result of the historic Bandung Conference， non-governmental exchanges and cooperation in various fields between China and India kept growing. A minor episode: On our return trip， I carefully carried four gramophone records (including two Tagore songs by Biswas) as my hand baggage when I boarded the plane. We arrived at Rangoon at about 3 a.m. and were taken to the Chinese Embassy for a rest before boarding the next plane for Beijing. The car sped on the road for there was little traffic. Suddenly， the driver saw three men in white crossing the street. He hit the brakes immediately to avoid a crash. The car dashed towards an open ditch beside the road before it stopped on its wheels after a 360-degree somersault. No one was injured except the driver who was slightly bruised. My first reaction after calming down: “My goodness， the records are finished!” I searched for the record box under the seat. To my surprise， they were intact! The records are still with me. Only there is no gramophone to play them. They are mementos from my early years.

Perhaps this accident after my departure from Calcutta signalled the end of my involvement in Indian affairs in the Peace Committee. From then on， my life and work went on a completely different course.

Friendship to be Regenerated Amidst the Lingering Song

Beginning from 1959， drastic changes had taken place both in China and in the world. Following the “struggle against the bourgeois Rightists” in 1957， a large scale organizational restructuring was carried out in the Peace Committee. In 1972， the Peace Committee merged with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. My work was no longer associated with India.

It was only after my retirement from the Friendship Association in the 1990s that I began to revive my old interest and hobbies. Once when I read the memoirs of Ji Xianlin， the noted Chinese scholar of oriental cultures， I was attracted by an article he wrote about his revisit to India in 1979. In this article， Ji Lao (Venerable Ji， as all Chinese call him) depicted with deep affection the warm friendship and hospitality of the Indian people towards the Chinese people which aroused the fond memories of my visits to India. I was touched in particular by the scene of his departure at the Calcutta airport. When he was saying goodbye to his Indian friends， he heard the song Hindi Chini Phai Phai by Biswas:

The song of friendship arises from all sides

Indians and Chinese are brothers

The dawn has come to the great earth

With morning glow over the horizon

The song of friendship arises from all sides

Indians and Chinese are brothers

The two peoples must shake off the yoke of the old world

Tell me now

Who can match our heroes

…

This was the first time for me to know the words of the song in Chinese. I guess it must have been translated from Hindi by Ji Lao himself. Describing his emotions on hearing the song at the airport， Ji Lao used one Chinese phrase “dong ren xin po” (striking a deep chord in one’s heart) and said: “It speaks out what we wish to say in our heart.”“It has been a long time since we heard this song，” responded his Indian friend， “it’s a real delight to hear it again!”

Since entering the 21st century， China and India have become emerging economies in the world. The great achievements have been the results of the sacrifices made and prolonged struggles waged by several generations. From the time when the Indian friends brought Hindi Chini Phai Phai to China， to the time when the Chinese PLA men learned to sing the Indian national anthem， Sino-Indian relations， having gone through ups and downs in mid 20th century， have entered a new era of cooperation in the 21st century. The two countries will join hands to create a better life for their peoples in a world of multi-polarization and economic globalization. The Indian national anthem was composed in 1911 after British colonialists’ brutal suppression of the nation-wide struggle waged by the Indian people in 1908， which opposed the British policy of “Divide and Rule” and boycotted British commercial products. Tagore wrote the song to encourage all Indians irrespective of their ethnicities and religious beliefs to unite as one， pull through the cold night and get prepared for the coming of the dawn. This patriotic song became popular among the Indian people and was made the national anthem after the country’s independence. I believe should Tagore hear the Chinese soldiers singing this song after a China-India joint military exercise today， he would be gratified.

China and India are both countries of brilliant ancient civilization. The cultural exchanges of over 2，000 years between the two peoples have made it possible for the two cultural systems to embrace a common ground –the philosophies of “Nature and Man are One” in China and “Brahmatamikyam” in India. I am confident that the younger generations of both countries will inherit their great cultural tradition and work closely together to build a better and harmonious world.

Dec. 31， 2009