Newspaper clipping from Indonesian English language press, reporting on Rice to India, 12 Apr 1946

Newspaper clipping titled Indonesia offers rice to India, half a million tons, textiles would be welcomed in return, 12 Apr 1946. Significant is P.R.S. Mani’s role in conveying Nehru’s message to Indonesian Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir.

Important because this was a nationalist press endorsement of trade between nationalist movements not as yet free countries – neither the Indian nor the Indonesian nationalists were at that time free of their colonisers. So this offer marked a major assertive development. Particularly significant when read with diary entries which demonstrate Mani conceived this idea and approached Indonesian Prime Minister Sjahrir to suggest it. Indonesian VP Md Hatta later made a radio broadcast to endorse the offer. (series 13) India had suffered a severe famine in 1943, widely blamed at the time not only on the Japanese invasion of rice-supplier Burma, but on British decisions about food transport within India. Indian newspapers continued in 1946 to repeatedly warn of new impending famine conditions. So this offer addressed very widely-held Indian fears.