“Peace hath her victories no less renowned than war” wrote Milton it has been humanity’s constant endeavor to establish peace on earth and lead a life of prosperity and happiness. Genuine peace consists in the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living. The kind that enables men and nation to grow and hops and to build a better life of their children, not merely peace in our times but peace for all times to come It is, in fact, the rational ambition of rational men. When the whole world is conceived of as a family, it is certain to have quarrels and conflicting interests similar to those of family. World peace like community peace does not require that each man love his neighbor it requires only that they live together with mutual tolerance, submitting their dispute to a just and peaceful settlement.
The international situation is certainly not likely to hearten a lover of humanity. The nations plead for peace and prepare for war, People talk about peace, human brotherhood, equality of all nations, and welfare of all peoples and the total absence of wars. But they are not ready to give up the cast of mind that leads to strife. That is why; wars were many and grievous though there was a steady growth after about 1652, of reasoned opinion against war as an institution.
Though there has been no end to the intermittent feuds between various nations, there was a continuing endeavor to establish peace. As Bertrand Russell who has come to be known as Voltaire and Erasmus of the modern age, said, unless mankind were to commit suicide, all war, to settling disputes between states or between factions within the states, must be rendered impossible. Kennedy said that “Mankind must put an end to war or else war would put an end to mankind.”
“We have to pave the path for peace”, once said Dr. Rajendra Prasad, “our local and domestic peace, peace of the entire world.” It is not unusual for the people of the world to hear thoughtful and appealing vistas about peace from India. It is no exaggeration if we call our country as a Mediator for peace in the past and the present. We can proudly quote many instances in the history of our country which undoubtedly prove the anxiety of our people for peace and paint them as Mediators for peace. Mediation for peace is not a new thing to India and there were many instances which can well be our guidelines for the future. People loved peace from the very inception of civilization in our country and they did make efforts to achieve it. People usually witnessed men and women entering jungles for performing penance in quest for peace.
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Besides these efforts to promote peace in the world, India tried to curb the proliferation of the nuclear arms. India used many for urns to propagate against the use of Nuclear energy as a weapon for destructive purposes. She was duly rewarded for her efforts when the partial Nuclear Test-Ban treaty was signed in 1963. Mr. Nehru rightly said then that it was a great event and a turning point in the history of our time. The partial Test Ban treaty was a ray of hope.
In the midst of ail these, the world lost one of its leading peace lovers. Mourning the death of Nehru, President Lyndon Johnson said that the best memorial for the departed leader would be a war less world. This glowing tribute characterizes India as the Mediator for peace itself.
With the passing away of Mr. Nehru, our efforts towards mediating did not come to an end. Instead, these have been continued with the same spirit with which our beloved leader carried the message of peace throughout his life. The world breathed a sign of satisfaction when they saw Mr. Shastri pursuing the same ideals as that of Mr. Nehru and taking active part in world politics. The grand example of Nehru was emulated by his illustrious daughter Smt. Indira Gandhi and is now being forcefully and, for once, authentically practiced by our young ebullient and dynamic Prime Minister Sri Rajiv Gandhi.
Non-alignment has been the guiding principle of India’s foreign policy ever since she attained independence on 15th August, 1947. Shri Jawaharlal Nehru was the main architect of the policy of non-alignment in the world. It was due to India’s non-aligned posture that she could play such a significant role in bringing an end to the wars in these two countries by playing the role of a peace maker. India in those days also played an important part in the solution of other disputes like Congo-Cyprus, Arab-Israel etc. India also formed the five golden principles of ‘Panch-sheel’ for practical implementation of the policy of non-alignment. In these five principles India preached the policy of non-aggression, non-interference in the internal affairs of one-another, a basis of equality and mutual benefit, respect for one-another’s territorial integrity and sovereign to and peaceful co-existence. India’s policy of non-alignment also consisted of the principle of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism. All through, India advanced the cause of the people suffering under the colonial rule in Asia, Africa and elsewhere. Another important principle of non-alignment has been anti-racialism and the elimination of wars in the world.
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To conclude, we can say that though mediation for world peace is not an easy task, it should be pursued with zeal and earnestness. India has played a very important and positive role towards the establishment of world peace, decolonization, and lessening the tension between the American and Russian blocs.