The Folly of Others

India's Minister of Food Chidambaram Subramaniam flew into Washington last week on an urgent mission that may mean life or death for thousands of his countrymen. He came to appeal for tons more of U.S. food to help India stave off what threatens to be its worst food crisis in two decades. With Subramaniam came assurances from Prime Minister Lai Bahadur Shastri that India, after years of giving top priority to industrialization, will put more emphasis on agriculture in the new five-year plan that begins in April, and will spend $11 billion for fertilizer, farm machinery, irrigation, and better seed, with the aim of increasing farm output nearly 50% by 1971.

But India's need is now. In talks with President Johnson and Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, Subramaniam explained that 1965's drought-decimated harvests had left India at least 13 million tons short of grain to feed its 480 million people. Though the U.S. made no definite promises, there seemed little doubt that President Johnson would step up U.S. grain shipments. As he left Washington, Subramaniam told reporters, "Your great President gave me confidence that the problem will be solved. I go back to my country inspired."

The country Subramaniam returned to seems strangely unconcerned about the looming crisis. The newspapers still pay more attention to Britain's problems in Rhodesia than to India's food problem. Though he called for the nation to emulate him, Prime Minister Shastri is about the only Indian who dug up his lawn for a garden, and his skip-a-meal-a-week plan is also largely ignored. Snaps one young Indian editor, who refuses to skimp on meals: "Why should I suffer for the folly of others?"

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