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From: paturi@harvard.UUCP (Ramamohan Paturi)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india
Subject: Re: TV series on Mountbatten
Message-ID: <680@harvard.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Feb-86 10:42:24 EST
Article-I.D.: harvard.680
Posted: Tue Feb  4 10:42:24 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Feb-86 03:17:32 EST
References: <1181@ulysses.UUCP> <19@petrus.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Aiken Comp Lab, Harvard
Lines: 51
Summary: more on Mountbatten

In article <19@petrus.UUCP>, mwg@petrus.UUCP (Mark Garrett) writes:
> ++
> Yesterday, I saw about a half hour (all I could stand) of the PBS series,
> "Lord Mountbatten - The Last Viceroy".  It seemed to me just an episode
> of Dallas starring people with darker skin!  Jinnah (sp?) and several of
> the characters 'on his side' were portrayed as conniving, ruthless men;
> Ghandiji was made to be a fool -- like he was a popular puppet put up
> by the ones with the real power for the people to adore.  There was a
> scene where Mountbatten confronts a mob of thousands of angry Moslems,
> demanding an independent Pakistan, who he befriends simply because he
> is wearing green (by chance) which is their color!  This really seemed
> like the way African natives were treated in Tarzan movies.  Are we
> to beleive that after so many years of British rule, the Moslem Indians
> were so backward and naive about their governor?
> 
> My opinion is based on watching only 20-30 minutes of that trash; seeing
> the movie, "Ghandi" three years ago; and traveling for 6 weeks in Bombay,
> Madras, Kerela, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, New Delhi and Agra (two years ago).
> I visited cities and villages, and everywhere people asked me, "Did you
> see the movie about Ghandiji?"  They all seemed very proud of it.  If
> "Ghandi" has a grain of truth to it, this "Mountbatten" thing doesn't.
> PBS should be ashamed.
> 
> -Mark Garrett

Any self-respecting Indian (or Pakistani or Bangladeshi) should protest
this idiotic series on Mountbatten.

I ask some basic questions regarding the greatness of Mountbatten in relation
to India.

Where does his greatness lie?

Did he prevent partition?

Did he atleast prevent massacres with so much police powers in his hands?

What does it mean by Mountbatten is responsible for an "orderly" transfer
of power? 

Any credit for reducing the Hindu-Moslem animosity goes to Gandhi.

Credit for unifying India goes to Sardar Vallabhabai Patel.

Perhaps, Mountbatten played an understanding role rather than exacerbating
the situation.

Hope others can enlighten my attitude.

-Ramamohan
paturi@harvard