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  • Letter from Marie Seton to Ronald Moody, addressed from Poona

Marie Seton, recipient: Ronald Moody

Letter from Marie Seton to Ronald Moody, addressed from Poona

25–26 March 1964

Page 1

Created by
Marie Seton 1910–1985
Recipient
Ronald Moody 1900–1984
Date
25–26 March 1964
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© The estate of Marie Seton

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Created by
Marie Seton 1910–1985
Recipient
Ronald Moody 1900–1984
Title
Letter from Marie Seton to Ronald Moody, addressed from Poona
Date
25–26 March 1964
Format
Document - correspondence
Collection
Tate Archive
Acquisition
Presented to Tate Archive by Cynthia Moody, the sculptor's niece, 1995.
Reference
TGA 956/1/2/58/54

Description

This letter was written over two days, starting on 25 Mar 1964 and concluding on 26 Mar 1964. The first part of the letter is dated 1963, which appears to have been a mistake.

25 Mar 1963
In the first part of this letter, Marie Seton writes about an attack on Satyajit Ray for defending Muslims. She also mentions plans for returning to London. She goes on to discuss problems for Indira and her father [Nehru] and gives an account of a conversation with a bearer in 1957 regarding Nehru and Indira's need for friends. She outlines incidents and opposition to Nehru, and refers to the arrest of the head of the organisation responsible for Gandhi's murder, and the emigration of Christian converts from Pakistan.

26 Mar 1964 (contd)
In the second part of this letter Seton writes about the slow rate of improvement in Nehru's health and his problems. She tells Moody of the superiority of good cheese over tigers etc as a gift to Nehru and Indira. Seton describes her negative reaction to an American specialist in religious films hoping to spread the gospel in India and American schemes in Poona. She concludes the letter by writing about the worsening of secular conflict in India and Nehru's broadcast for calm as frenzy spreads.

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Archive context

  • Papers of Ronald Moody TGA 956 (248)
    • Correspondence TGA 956/1 (84)
      • Correspondence with friends TGA 956/1/2 (84)
        • Letters from Marie Seton TGA 956/1/2/58 (71)
          • Letter from Marie Seton to Ronald Moody, addressed from Poona TGA 956/1/2/58/54
Artwork
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