Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎315r] (631/644)

19
danger) this would give the Soviet Government a pretext for interfering m
South-East Persia, where the locusts normally breed. This would presumably be
unwelcome to His Majesty’s Government and the Government of India.
92. The Middle East Anti-Locust Unit is confident, however, of being able
to prevent serious infestation of Persia'dby their operations in Arabia.
Indian Affairs.
93. After its inauguration in Tehran in October 1944, the initial enthusiasm
of the Indo-Iranian Cultural Society lasted only until June, when {a) the hot
weather, (b) the dispersal to Europe of the leading Persian lights, i.e., Messrs.
Hikmat, Rashid Yassemi and Hejazi, (c) the illness of the President, M. Samii
(Abid us Sultaneh), (d) the aggressive Russian policy in North Persia, and (e) the
successive fall of Persian Cabinets after a two to three months’ life, virtually
suffocated its activities.
94. By dint of immense perseverance by the secretary (Major Naqvi, the
Government of India Consul in Tehran), suitable Persian students and graduates
were selected and sent off to India for long courses in'agriculture, forestry and
engineering, and to take up the generous scholarships granted by the Govern
ment of India. Although at first these eleven young men found it strange in
India, they gradually settled down to hard work in competition with Indians
with better educational qualifications and abilities than ever they could obtain
in Persia. One Persian official naively pleaded that these well-meaning grants of
scholarships actually embarrassed the Persian Government, for where India
offered a dozen or so, the Russians forced the Persians to send forty lads to
study at Baku, and all knew how those forty should serve Persia !
95. Enquiries from private individuals—men ana women for educational
facilities in India poured in and showed the need for a special Indian educa
tional officer to assist the embassy in their difficult task of advising and placing
these enthusiasts
96. In spite of ceaseless efforts no real progress was made in the efforts
to equate Persian school and university diplomas and decrees with recognised
standards in India, England, France or elsewhere in the Middle East, and this
made it extremely difficult to place students anxious to go to Indian schools and
universities or attend post-graduate courses. The fact is that the Persian
standards are very low and the Persian Government avoids having to admit it.
97 Some time in 1944 the British Council admitted that they could not
obtain English teachers to cope with the large number of requests for Anglo-
Persian Institutes and English classes and so it was agreed that Indian educa
tionalists should be engaged to teach English at Meshed, Kerman, Eezd and
Ahwaz. After certain vicissitudes the scheme got under way, and, where the
teacher is suited by his qualifications and own personality, there has been a good
response. Never, however, will the scheme be the self-supporting one it was
optimistically expected to be, as in these days of high cost of living in Persia,
the income from tuition fees cannot be expected to cover the teachers' normal
and legitimate living expenses. That the good work should continue is the opinion
of the^British Council, who have assisted the teachers by giving them the benefit
of their own “ refresher ” courses and other advice. The not-very-large expendi
ture that may have to be borne by the Government of India is well worth while.
Incidentally, it would be a heavier item had not the Indian trading community
in Persia voluntarily contributed most generously in hard cash to this fund for
the teaching of English. p ^ u / *i
98. After many years’ delay the Iran League of Bombay (mostly
Zeroastrian) succeeded in getting to Tehran a 2-ton bronze statue of the Persian
poet Firdausi, sitting on his cushion and writing his epic, the Shahnameh. The
statue was promised soon after Firdausi’s millenium in 1934, but the war pre
vented the export of the bronze. It is now admirably placed at the head of the
avenue bearing the poet’s name and surveying the modern city of Tehran.
99. At the end of October Dr. R. E. Mortimer Wheeler, the Director-
General of Archgeology in India, and his party came to Persia at the invitation
of the Persian Government. He was only able to see Kerman, \ezd, Shiraz,
Isfahan and Tehran before having to curtail his visit, and proceed to Iraq. In
fact, his proposed visit to Meshed coincided with the Russian-sponsored coup
in Azerbaijan and Persian army officer desertions in Meshed itself, and, as the
Russian Charge d’Affaires naively explained when asked why Russian permits
were refused, “ the time was not considered suitable for his visit ” ! Nevertheless.
Dr. Wheeler was able to make valuable contacts with Persian archaeological and
[77—51] D 2