Essays

From being adored as a revolutionary and vibrant personification of the forward looking spirit of India, to being described as a pampered young man who accidentally acquired national leadership—indeed, Jawaharlal Nehru had many hues and shades to his personality.

Born on November 14, 1889 at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, he grew up in an influential political family with European governesses and tutors. The illustrious Motilal Nehru was his father and he was brought up in an aristocratic manner. From 1907-10, he studied Natural Science at Trinity college, Cambridge and later joined the Inner Temple, London. In 1912, he returned to India and following the footsteps of his father joined the Allahabad High Court Bar. In 1916, he entered into matrimony with Kamala Kaul. Their only child Indira was born the very next year.

The turning point in Nehru's life came while travelling on a train. He overheard General Dyer, of the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre, gloating about it—from then on he resolved to fight the British. So in the year 1920, he began his public career in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). He attended the special session of the Congress at Calcutta as a delegate. During this time, he was very active in politics. In 1930s, he formed the Left Wing of the Congress and called it the Congress Socialist Party. He disagreed to a coalition with the Muslim League in the post-electroral victory of 1937. Thereafter, he refused to join hands with Fazul Hague's Krishak Party as well, throwing Punjab and Bengal into the waiting arms of the League.

It is a well-known fact that Mahatma Gandhi admired Nehru and vice versa. In 1938-39, he openly supported the Gandhian philosophy during Gandhi - SC Bose rift. So, Bose resigned as the Congress President. In 1946, he openly declared that the Cabinet Mission Plan proposed by the British would be altered, once Congress was in power after Independence. This remark sparked insecurity in the Muslim

League and led to Muhammad All Jinnah's call for 'Direct Action'. This meant Partition of India and carving a separate state which was later called Pakistan. When India attained Independence, Nehru became the first Prime Minister of Independent India. He is credited with charting the course of India's development with his five year plans, a model which was borrowed from the erstwhile Soviet Union. An ardent supporter of socialism, he shouldered the responsibility of mobilizing resources to the public sector. Besides this, India's parliamentary democracy, free judiciary and media, civil servants and armed forces, the commitment to secularism, social justice and equality before law, all originated in the blueprint for free India, which he worked out.

Nehru is castigated today for his economic policies and giving the public sector such prominence. He is criticized for not linking up with western market economics. In this context it has to be remembered that the Indian private sector did not have the resources and motivation to invest in infrastructural sectors of the economy which required long-term investments and gestation periods.

Another reason for his criticism is his foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement and its relevance today. It is true that the movement has not been very successful in safeguarding the interests of its member countries, particularly India. Nehru believed that Non-alignment is a guiding principle of India's foreign policy so that India is assured of having the freedom of choice in making decisions responsive to its national interests.

The first Prime Minister of the country can certainly be faulted for his idealism and belief in the sanctity of international law and agreements. This is particularly true in the light of his decision to go to the United Nations on the Kashmir issue. Moreover, the 1962 Indo-China War exposed that he wrongly had faith in morality and goodwill as effective principles in inter-state relations.

Regardless of his fault lines, Nehru remains the most important architect of free India. As the ideologue of the Indian Constitution and Indian polity, Nehru's contributions cannot be denied. As a leader of the freedom struggle, as an international statesman and the beloved leader of Indian masses, his popularity is second only to Gandhi in this century. This committed statesman died a natural death in 1964