From the File

Marshal Tito's Historic Visit To India

His Excellency Marshal Josip Broz Tito, President of the Federal Peoples' Republic of Yugoslavia, is paying an 18-day State visit to this country at the invitation of the Government of India. At the New Delhi Railway Station, Marshal Tito was accorded a warm and rousing reception. The President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the Prime Minister, Sri Jawaharlal Nehru, the Vice President, Dr. Radhakrishnan, the Central Cabinet Ministers, Delhi State Ministers, Chiefs of the three Services and members of the Diplomatic Corps and high ranking civil and military officers were present to greet Marshal Tito when he alighted from the special train on December 17, 1954.

A salute of 21-gun was fired and the national anthems of Yogoslavia and India were played as soon as Marshal Tito stepped on the carpeted ceremonial platform in New Delhi. Marshal Tito reviewed a Guard of Honour presented by a contingent of India's armed forces outside the station building. Soon after his arrival Marshal Tito issued a statement to the Press conveying the best wishes of the Yugoslav people to the people of India.

He said : " The whole world knows India to be a peace loving nation and one endowed with lofty moral qualities. The people of India can truly pride themselves that they have never in their history shed the blood and tears of other nations for their selfish ends. All these have inspired the people of the new, socialist Yugoslavia with feelings of great friendship for the country whose hospitality we are today privileged to enjoy." Earlier on December 16, Marshal Tito was given a tumultuous welcome in Bombay. Guns boomed and zooming Liberators of the Indian Air Force flew past and dipped in salute as the smiling soldier-statesman set foot on the Indian soil. A crowd nearly 50,000 strong shouted "Viva Marshal Tito" almost drowning the boom of the 21-gun salute from the shore batteries.

The Indian Navy was the first to greet President Tito as he approached Bombay harbour in his yacht, Galeb, escorted by the Yugoslav destroyers, RE-51 and RE-52. The three Indian destroyers, the Godavari, the Ganga and the Gomati under the command of Captain SN Kohli went 15 miles out into the sea from Bombay to meet the Presidential yacht. Eleven Indian Navy ships, the Cauvery, Kistna, Jamna, Rajput, Magar, Godavari, Gomati, Ganga, Investigator, Bengal and the Rajputana, were drawn up midstream as Marshal Tito came ashore in his yacht.

Marshal Tito then walked up to the saluting base and took the salute to the strains of the national anthems of Yugoslavia and India struck up by the Naval band. Before proceeding to the Elephanta Caves Marshal Tito reviewed some of the Indian ships in stream. During the review Admiral Ballance and Commodore Chatterji stood by the side of the Marshal and gave him the descriptions of the ships on review.

A Naval guard of honour presented arms and dipped the President's Colours in salute to Marshal Tito. This is the first time the President's Colours have been paraded and dipped in salute to the visiting head of a foreign State. Marshal Tito was deeply impressed by India's cultural heritage when he visited the Elephanta Caves. The trimurti—one of the finest pieces of sculpture in the world—impressed the Marshal and his party the most.

In Delhi Marshal Tito laid a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi at Rajghat and later visited Delhi's historic Red Fort and Juma Masjid. Before placing a wreath at the foot of Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi, Marhal Tito planted an Ashok sapling in the garden. Marshal Tito was presented with an address of welcome and an ivory screen at a civic reception given in his honour by the Delhi Municipal Committee.

Speaking at the topic reception Marshal Tito said that his visit to this country was inspired by a sincere desire to strengthen the friendship and understanding between the two countries and to contribute to the maintenance of world peace. Marshal Tito in the course of a broadcast from the Delhi Station of All India Radio observed that he wished the people of India to achieve much success in their efforts to develop their country and in their noble endeavours for world peace. On the basis of the principal of co-existence, Yugoslavia and India, he said, were endeavouring to develop the broadest possible measure of co-operation with the widest number of States, and declared : "It is my conviction that therein alone lies the path to a better future and lasting peace".

Speaking at a banquet given by him in honour of the Indian leaders on December 20, Marshal Tito said that he was profoundly impressed by seeing the Indian People united in a gigantic effort to overcome the difficult legacy of backwardness and to achieve economic prosperity...