In earlier letters I mentioned the kindness we had received from American G.I.s. in Peshawar and Lahore and from one in particular, Clyde Hall. We met up with him again in Frankfurt and, since he was by then on leave, took him on with us to Britain. We stopped at the B.E.A. terminal in London in order that people could telephone friends and relatives, then went to Heathrow to collect Clyde's baggage. By 10.30 a.m. on October 9th we were in Edinburgh. A short T.V. film was taken and some newspaper photographs, then quietly, it seemed, we broke up and went our various ways.

Cuddles has been cleaned and is now more or less sold. We are just keeping her for a nostalgic picnic run on October 19th and a Comex exhibition in London next week. And so the great adventure is, over, though the tales will be told for some time yet and the memories are unforgettable.

WHAT, IF ANY, HAVE BEEN THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS?

The successes or failures of Comex 3 can be measured at three levels: 1, On the level of Comex 3 as a whole; 2, At contingent level; 3, At a personal level.

1. The success or failure of Comex 3 as a whole has received attention from newspapers in India and Britain. The Times of India and the Hindustani Times preferred to hit at Comex India for poor organisation at the Commonwealth Youth Festival, New Delhi. The Guardian and the Times saw much to criticize on the other side, Comex 3.
Points open to criticism were: inadequate facilities for 1000 Indian and British young people, attempted riots by Delhi students because the festival was not being held at the University and the apparently, poor standard of cultural performances. The camp was at the biggest open-air auditorium in India and as many as ten thousand people came to the performances on some evenings. To some extent therefore, there was failure. But can an audience of ten thousand be regarded as a failure? Can the successful transportation of five hundred British people to India be regarded as a failure? Suppose this were so, the fact is that the people of India and Britain as well as their governments were suddenly being made aware that something was happening within the Commonwealth; that instead of India and Britain being separate parts of an organisation becoming less and less important, exchanges of knowledge and ideas were being made, be it in a small way. Is this a measure of success? Comexes one, two and three are building therefore in minds. With bricks Comex has built a staging post between east and west in Simla and this year a site was offered for another in Kabul. Comex is building within the Commonwealth new knowledge, and better understanding. It recognises the non-existence of the Empire but is uniting within a somewhat disunited Commonwealth.
When the Empire was dissolved Ghandi said "In my opinion, if the British Government means what it says and honestly helps us to equality it would be a greater triumph than a complete severance of the British connection. "Lord Mountbatten can see no better example existing of his political insight and moral judgement, which of course was reflected in his great disciples Nehru and Patel."
Comex was the brain child of Nehru, in fact, and the ideal of Colonel Lionel Gregory, the leader of the three expeditions so far mounted. Greg., as we know him, hoped that Comex 3 would be an "outstanding success" since this is the year of the Ghandi centenary. It may have been. Who is to judge?

2. At contingent level I can only speak of our own. We can measure our success from two facts: Firstly we have lived as a democratic team of 26 people for three months, sorting out our own daily domestic problems. Secondly, we had transported ourselves over a distance of 15000 miles to set routes and schedules, returning home safely without serious accident or difficulty. We had our own youth festival in Jaipur, Rajasthan, as the guests of the University. We received hospitality far beyond our anticipation. We took part in debates and discussions and also cultural exchanges. We weren't exactly in the best of health when we reached Jaipur but were able to respond to this hospitality and the demands of the Jaipur Students in the exchange of knowledge and ideas. Even on the cultural side, though our talent was undoubtedly latent, we felt that we gave them enjoyment from Scottish dance and music. We cannot, however, judge the level of success for ourselves, though it was in our minds as we departed that we had accomplished something.

3. At the personal level, two gains can be made. One is experience, the other confidence. On this expedition emotions changed rapidly. These sudden surprises, joys, fears or sadnesses, have all I contributed to experience, as has new knowledge of countries and peoples thus encountered! Confidence has been gained by being forced on to stage or into debate. Dependence upon the team countered by dependence of the team I upon the individual, and illness or accident far beyond any help from home built new confidence. To what degree characters and personalities have changed rests with each individual. One hopes for the better. The measure of success, however, may be viewed from outside without the knowledge of that individual. Back