Nation Pays Homage    
 
Poona decided to set up a Public Hall in the name of S opened by Dr C P Ramaswamy Aiyar on 19/2/1958. In May 1958 a Citizen’s Committee was set up by the Mayor in 1958 to celebrate S’s 75th birthday. At the felicitation speech he warned against the danger of provincialism and hoped that India would emerge a strong nation some day. Shri Bharucha, an old Congress leader said that Govt must take S’s help for solving the problem of Punjab since he was loved by Hindus and Sikhs but he feared that the govt’s hatred for S would prevent them from doing so. He was given a reception at the Poona Nagar Vachanalaya. The Poona, Nagpur Universities conferred a Doctorate on S.

S’s health was deteriorating. When the govt decided to have two states in Gujarat and Maharashtra he urged the leaders of Gujarat to change the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati, its original name.

In 1960 S’s supporters decided to celebrate December 24, 1960 as Mrityunjay Day, the day on which S would have completed 50 year’s transportation had he been in jail. At Calcutta, Delhi it was celebrated with great enthusiasm. Rajagopalchari paid great tributes to S. At his home cast crowds gathered, then people paid their respects to him one by one. Hundreds of newspapers brought out special supplements, which said that S was the symbol of patriotism and sacrifice.

At a felicitation in Pune in January 1961 he said that military power was the only criterion of a great nation. He would prefer Hitler to democracy that was cowardly and yielding to every aggressor. He said that India must modernize its forces and have the Hydrogen bomb. He said that Naga hostilities would have been wiped out within a week had Nehru ordered the army to receive bullets instead of shooting the rebels. The only thing our Govt was capable of doing was protest notes, strong, stronger. This was his last public speech since he was very weak.

China humiliated India in 1962. Once again S’s proficiency had come true but Nehru! So upset was S with the plight of India and its soldiers that he wept bitterly for an hour or so on 14/12/1962. His birthday in May 1963 was celebrated with more enthusiasm as his forecasts had come true. The halo around Nehru was beginning to vanish. The national thinking was reassessing Gandhism.
R S S Chief Guru Golwalkar paid tributes to S. So did General Cariappa. Speaking at a club in Madras he appreciated S’s sound policy regarding defence. His wife departed in 8/12/1963 at the age of 76. He felt bad on hearing the news.

S thought Aurobindo was a great philosopher and Vivekananda’s Rajyog a masterpiece. Just then elections were held in Goa. While the Hindus there wanted it to be merged with Maharahstra given the cultural affinities, the Catholics wanted it to be a separate state. It proved S’s thesis that change of religion was change of nationality.

Nehru died on 27/5/1964, S did not issue a statement. With Shashtri as PM, the govt began to appreciate S’s realism and warnings. They agreed to give a monthly aid to S from October 1964. The blackout of his name gradually disappeared.