Date: 24 July 1933
Location: London
Speaker: Aga Khan III
Source: Speeches of Aga Khan III – K K Aziz
Full Text
The occasion a source of pride and satisfaction – Indians are united on the historical changes taking place – the. experience of British statesmanship – tribute to Sir Samuel Hoare – an appeal to Indians for unity.
The Aga Khan, who was received with hearty cheers, said that there had been no occasion in his life – not even when he won the Derby – on which he could look back with more pride and satisfaction. They heard much, especially from quarters which were slow to recognize the great changes taking place in India, of the differences in that sub-continent of caste, race, creed, language and outlook. But he defied any informed thinker to point to any part of the world of the same vast extent and the scene of so many historical developments in which there was so much essential unity. Nothing could afford stronger proof of that unity than that they had been able to bring their discords into the remarkable measure of harmony which was summed up in the White Paper policy. They had been helped in this task by the experience of British statesmanship, now moving with deliberate purpose toward that proudest day of British destiny of which Macaulay spoke so eloquently a century ago – the day when India would not only seek but secure the management of her own affairs.
As a loyal British subject and a life-long believer in the British connexion, he appealed to the British public to be guided on this great issue by statesmen like Sir Samuel Hoare who in his examination by the Joint Select Committee had shown such mastery of every detail of this complicated issue and whose steady patriotism as an Englishman could not for one moment be ques tioned. He appealed even more strongly to his own countrymen to set aside jealousies and exclusively sectional aims, and to keep away from the sterile fields of fault-finding and mere destructive criticism. They should make the best use of the powers and responsibilities they were to be given in the confidence that by this means, and when they showed themselves capable of it, India would ultimately attain to the full attributes of a dominion.
Source: The Times, London, 25 July 1933.
According to the Times’ report: “A reception in honour of the Aga Khan was given at the Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, yesterday afternoon by all his fellow delegates to the Joint Select Committee on Indian Reforms, and their regard for him was expressed by Sir Akbar Hydari on behalf of the States Delegation, and by Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru on behalf of the British Indian Delegation. “Sir Akbar Hydari said that it had always been the endeavour of His Highness to adapt communal claims and communal policies to the interests of India as a whole. Though he was the leader of the Moslem Delegation from the first session of the Round Table Conference he was also elected from the beginning Chairman of the entire British Delegation. When committees ceased from troubling and conferences were at rest His Highness was still a most acceptable ambassador of India in this country. His varied interests included not only politics but sport, and it was not too much to say that he could not have done a greater service to India than when he won the Derby. (Cheers.) In the constitutional discussions of the last three years His Highness had played a great, but unobtrusive part. He had not made. many speeches, but had been behind the scenes directing with all the wise judgment which he had, all those who had been working for an honourable settlement between England and India in the matter of the future governance of India. “Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru associated himself with these tributes. He said the Aga Khan’s great influence had been used in the direction of moderation of view on matters which had divided one section from another. He exemplified the best culture of both the East and the West. “There were 26 hosts, and those who accepted invitations were: “The Brazilian Ambassador, the Polish Ambassador, the Portuguese Ambassador, the Austrian Minister, the Cuban Minister, the Czechoslovak Min ister, the Estonian Minister, the Finnish Minister, the Greek Minister, the Lithuanian Minister, the Paraguayan Minister, the Swiss Minister, the Yugoslav Minister, the Albanian Charge d’Affaires, the Columbian Charge d’Affaires, the Danish Charge d’Affaires, the Persian Charge d’Affaires, the Peruvian Charge d’Affaires, General-Major Nyssens, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, the Maharajah of Morvi, General Smuts, Prince Aly Khan, Syed Amjad Ali, Mr. and Mrs. Amery, the Duke and Duchess of Atholl, Sir Adrian and the Hon. Lady Baillie. “Mr. R. B. Bennett, Sir Henry and Lady Betterton, Lord Blanesburgh, Sir Denys and Lady Bray, Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Butler, Major Edward Cadogan, Lady Carr, Sir Austen and Lady Chamberlain, Mrs. Neville Chamberlain, Sir Atul and Lady Chatterjee, Mr. and Mrs. Winston Churchill, Mr. Tom Clarke, Sir Reginald Craddock, Sir Philip and Lady Dawson, Mr. and the Hon. Mrs.J. C. C. Davidson, the Earl of Derby, the Hon. Violet Douglas-Pennant, Lord and Lady Ebbi sham, the Earl and Countess of Ellesmere, Major Elliot, Mr. Isaac Foot, Sir Reginald and Lady Glancy, Sir Padamji and Lady Gunwala, Sir Ernest and Lady Graham-Little, Sir Maurice Gwyer, Mr. H. A. Gwynne, Major and Mrs. G. Lloyd George, Sir Malcolm Harley, Mr. H. Wilson Harris, Sir Dennis and Lady Herbert, Sir Samuel and Lady Maud Hoare, Lady Horridge, Lady Hydari, Lord and Lady Irwin, Sir Henry and Lady Jackson, Mr. and Miss Jinnah, Mr. MorganJones, Sir Louis and Lady Kershaw. “Sir Clement and Lady Kinloch-Cooke, Sir Cecil and Lady Kisch, Lord Leigh, the Marquess and Marchioness of Londonderry, the Marquess of Lothian, Mir and Begum Maqb ool Mahmood, Sir Reginald and Lady Mant, Sir Homi Mehta, Lord Mildmay of Plete, Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra, Mr. H. P. Mody, Lord and Lady Hutchison of Montrose, Colonel Sir Joseph and Lady Nail, Sir Stewart and Lady Patterson, Lady Pattani, Lord and Lady Eustace Percy, the Hon. Mary Pickford, Sir John and Lady Power, Lord Rankeillour, Miss Eleanor Rathbone, the Marquess and Marchioness of Reading,. Viscount Sankey and Miss Sankey, Sir Herbert and Lady Samuel, Sir Naime Stewart-Sandeman, Sir Henry Strak osch, Sir Findlater and the Misses Stewart, Viscount Templetown, Mr. and Mrs.
J. H. Thomas, Sir John and Lady Thompson, Sir Richard and Lady Trench, Colonel Nawab Sir Umar Hayat Khan, the Kumara Rajah of Venkatagiri, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent, Sir T. Vijayaraghavacharya, Sir John Wardlow-Milne, Sir Henry and Lady Wheeler, Sir Mohammad Yakub, Sir Hilton and Lady Young, the Marquess and Marchioness of Zetland, and Dr Zia-ud-din Ahmad.”