JACQUELINE KENNEDY'S ASIAN JOURNEY

[Music] India a country as ancient as it is modern moving as history moves across the threshold of the path for 5,000 years wave after wave of the peoples of Asia have streamed across India's borders [Music] conkers immigrants soldiers holy men and scarlet pilgrims of many creeds and the many races of woven their customs traditions and beliefs into a continuous and intricate pattern of civilization and of beauty they farmed may have thought they loved and they have prayed they have thought and they have played they have built monuments and palaces and temples and cities they have written poetry and they have sung songs for 5,000 years and they have moved as history moves into the contemporary world of today Delhi has been called the city of seven capitals the seat of power of seven ancient dynasties New Delhi is now the seat of power of India's Democratic Republic [Music] in February in 1962 the world's largest democracy went to the polls for the third time in the history of the 12 year old republic over 100 million voters cast their ballots in and for the democratic process the process of free elections March the 12th 1962 a new session of Parliament opens dr. rajendra prasad once more takes his place the first democratically elected successor to india's past heads of state india's first president also on this day March the 12th 1962 India the people and prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru expect a visitor [Music] from a sister democracy 9,000 miles across oceans and continents accompanied by the American ambassador Kenneth Galbraith comes mrs. jacqueline kennedy wife of the 35th President of the United States and her sister invited guests of the Prime Minister and of his daughter [Music] mrs. john f kennedy a lover of the Arts and the mother of two young children brings to the people of India the greetings of the people of her own country it's also a people of varied backgrounds and customs of many faiths and races and beliefs the United States Embassy in the center of New Delhi combining modern architectural techniques and ancient Indian motives reflects the new world and the old and the longstanding friendship between our countries between the United States and India mrs. Kennedy has a special interest in the culture and traditions old and new of the world she's about to enter this is India 1962 kings and emperors and explorers of five centuries ago new and pressured the silk of Banaras today the ancient art of weaving joins the 20th century in a procession of silks brocades and Muslims for fashions that go around the world [Music] the continuity of artistic tradition moves in an unbroken line from the variety and richness of the past to the living art today art reaches across many barriers makes many friends in her own land Jacqueline Kennedy has given a new place of importance to the American artist mrs. Kennedy finds in the young Indian artists who have come to meet her a welcome close to her heart little dandy my friend it gives me great pleasure to present to you today the children's art carnival a presence of the children of India I Wilson noticed the art of children is the same in the world over and so of course is our feelings our children I think it is good in the world whether it's quite enough to divide people that we should cherish the language and an emotion that unites us all thank you [Music] the distance from the Prime Minister's gardens in the center of modern New Delhi is measured not only in air miles to Jaipur capital of the state of Rajasthan it is also measured in years taking the American visitor on the first step of her journey into India's past to the land of the Rajput of warrior and Prince elephants and emperors have always been friends the rocky road up the hill to the amber palace was once traveled on the lumbering backs of elephants by raja man singh of thirst and his retinue of court followers 350 years ago Alexander the Great marched his armies out of India with two hundred elephants tamarov Samarkand with nearly a thousand a long time ago maharaja sawai ajay singh looked out from the terrace of the palaces fathers had built and saw the pleasant plains below he decided it was time to come out of the fortified hills in 1728 he built jaipur the pink city one of the first planned cities of the day [Music] [Applause] [Music] no murmurs of discontent of there were na were allowed to reach this monarchy is in the courtyards of the city palace or the corridors of a hawa Mahal the palace of the winds maharaja sawai Ajay Singh was a scientist he preferred to think about the shape of the earth the universe the stars mrs. Kennedy's journey continues back into time another city another age another monument the Year 1569 the city abandoned the Emperor long since gone the monument remains marble and mother-of-pearl to honor the tomb of a saint in fatehpur sikri the saints alan chisti prophesied that the great emperor would have the son he duly wanted and so the story is told akbar the great did have a son and his son had a son [Music] the monuments of India's historical past do not however belong to the past they belong to each new day and to the people who live it the priests into scala merchant and villager to neighbor to stranger to friend this is the monument the son of the son of the great Akbar built a garden of Cyprus a pool of still water and a dome of killin are behind a pissed marble screen emperor shah jahan and tuned the body of his dead wife [Music] three centuries have gone by year by year hour by hour the sky of India touching to immortality the tomb of the Emperor's whoa [Music] the Taj Mahal an emperors monument to love and to death banaras the people's monument as ancient as the sacred Ganges that flows along its bank a people's monument to the life of India itself to the holy city of temples and of minarets to the city of the sacred River and to nearby sarnath where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon more than 2,000 years ago come millions of India's pilgrims come India's friends the immense and sprawling life of Banaras is a reminder that the people of india form one-sixth of the peoples of the world you [Music] farthest in fireman in space from the start of the American journey into India the medieval city who died poor with the sunlight still falling on its ancient walls moving towards tomorrow the white city is already a seat of learning and India's five-year plan will bring further means of economic growth and modernization to its people a window on the diapers lake patroller opens and as in many other parts of India and mrs. Kennedy one small looks out on a changing day on a day of legendary beauty [Music] as I look back upon my journey through India it is with the feeling of great affection for this country and its people and for the Prime Minister whose kindness made my visit possible at the end of every day I could not decide which day was the best each day but new experiences new friends and a new welcome it was a wonderful surprise to meet our own American pioneers of the Peace Corps so many miles from home going the unknown ways in my husband's words requires many gifts of character and a confident vision of the future I believe that both the people in India and we in our own country share this vision [Music] for the gentleman who went his way softly no marble or ivory monument is needed strong in spirit as he was frail in body Mahatma Gandhi's memorial is in the hearts of his people and in the thoughts of those everywhere who seek to maintain freedom and to secure peace [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the unity of God the oneness of the universe the brotherhood of man the age-old articles of faith of the people of Islam have begun to acquire new meaning today in the life of the young nation of Pakistan a national homeland for the Muslim people inheritors of a tradition and the culture whose roots go deep into the ancient past Pakistanis look to their faith to guide their nation's future the future of any nation young old lies with her children the mother of two young children mrs. Kennedy knows what it means to bring a smile to the face of a sick child [Music] among the gifts she is brought from the United States to General Hospital not the least as mrs. Kennedy's own delight in making a new young friend never far from pakistan's hope for the future are her memories of the past through the ancient streets shower gateway to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier mrs. Kennedy follows the route history followed kiss Akane the bizarre the storytellers for centuries a meeting place a soldier and tribesmen of merchant and scholar on their way down a long stretch of perilous road from a mountain reaches of the Khyber Pass descendants of the tribesmen of all still guard the bleak approaches to the past the tribal Malik still welcome friends in the traditional way if the traditional gifts the Khyber rifles historical defenders of the fertile valley of the Indus of the land below the mountain [Music] [Applause] [Music] year after year century after century friend and invader traveled this road armies and caravans bound for the riches of the great sub continent of Asia the rice the great Alexander of Macedonia Genghis Khan tamura stomach and swept down across these mountains sundown at the Governor's House of the shower the drums of the Kaaba tribesmen no longer sound for battle but revived for the American visitor an ancient ritual the car accidents [Music] [Music] the pomp and ceremony of another day now mark the opening of a modern ritual celebrating a young tradition in the ancient city of Louisville [Music] the ninth annual Pakistani national horse and cattle show [Music] I [Music] [Music] [Music] president ayub gift to mrs. Kennedy sadaa descendant of an ascot women traces his ancestry back to the fame stables of the Agra con a from the president and the people symbol of the warmth of the welcome the visitor from America received wherever she went [Music] from the horn growl bindi and the shawa to Karachi from the distant plains of Texas and the subways of New York are brought to Bashir the camel driver the good wishes of many Americans and the greetings of mrs. Kennedy and his sister Bashir has his own contribution to make to mrs. Kennedy's visit to Pakistan [Music] in the search for identity of purpose and for a place in the 20th century Pakistan has not forgotten man's need to dream [Music] over 300 years ago the Shalimar Gardens brought proposed to a mogul Emperor today the gardens offer repose and delight to anyone who seeks it and let's say I'm his family repelled by the residence to do in Pakistan has the artistry of culture and through the youth which you make of it now my own countrymen who has applied in their tradition so I think as I stand amid garden which was there long before my country was born but that's one more thing that binds us together and it's always will I had always heard of Pakistan's proverbial hospitality and it was even more than I had expected I hope that was my husband I will be able to return again soon to this Bible in beautiful country [Music] [Music]