<<Previous Page Next Page>>     not even thinking of violence'. He was aware of the threat to the world caused by the arms race, and wanted every country to strive towards absolute disarmament. At the Kremlin in Moscow, he said: 'There are no winnable nuclear wars, nor any impregnable defenses against nuclear weapons.' In the US, he asserted, 'the very survival of humankind today rests in the hands of a few countries.' In December 1985, Rajiv accepted the 'Beyond War Award', and said, 'Empires have come and gone, conquest has been succeeded by liberation. What has endured is the abiding non-violence of the Buddha, of Jesus Christ, and of Mahatma Gandhi. It takes more courage, and stronger moral fibre, to face injustice unarmed, and without hate in one's heart...' He added, 'We, the co-authors of the Six-Nation Initiative, have gone beyond merely pleading for disarmament. We have made a specific proposal for a twelve month moratorium on all nuclear tests. We have offered to monitor the implementation of the moratorium through our own monitoring stations.' Thus he laid the foundation of the very movement, which upheld the fact that humanity should live. NAM was an important component of India's foreign policy during Nehru's, Indira's and Rajiv's prime ministership. Regarding nonalignment, a US journalist suggested that non-aligned India 'tilts towards the Soviet Union', and Rajiv adlibbed: 'We stand upright...I do not believe we are more attracted to the Soviet Union than to the US. We make principles, which we hold dear, principles of our own...' He was extremely saddened by racism prevalent in some countries, especially the Apartheid movement in South Africa. He was very proud of the fact that much of the finance generated for India's development was organized internally. He emphasized on the proper co-ordination of the technological, economic and financial systems, so that they could be made to work in perfect harmony, to make the vision of a strong and independent India come true. Rajiv Gandhi was always open to any idea which was introduced and which he knew would help India move towards development. His humanity and compassionate nature was revealed by his actions, not only in India, but abroad. In fact, it will not be wrong to say that Rajiv's soul is, and will always be alive in India. <<Previous Page Next Page>>