At a time when Donald Trump, Victor Urban of Hungary, Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Netanyahu of Israel and Narendra Modi are in control of World far right politics, it is imperative to examine the legacy of the maker of Modern India, who had his own share of failings. He is most loved and much attacked like no other, perhaps after Mahatma Gandhi. Every 14th November, we see the child within us, a day which happens to be Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday. His thoughts and beliefs and his vision for India are reflected for posterity in his writings.
Nehru is celebrated as our greatest nation builder, the founder of our secularism, our socialism and our parliamentary democracy. This foresight has brought us where we are today as a nation. Politically and socially, the Nehru legacy continues to define the Indian nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posting on the social media platform X, wrote, “On his birth anniversary, I pay tribute to our former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.”
Nehru was particularly fond of children, often referring to them as “the future of the nation.” His policies to enhance the welfare of children were clearly visible in his policy measures concerning education and healthcare. He envisioned the rising generation becoming knowledge conscious, equal, and free. On 14 November, schools across the country conduct various activities such as cultural functions, sports, and exhibitions to inspire young minds and remind them of Nehru’s values.
If Pandit Nehru was born in a different period in the time line of history, he would have made a fine historian. His lifetime from 14 November 1889 to 27 May 1964 made him an active participant in the anti-colonial struggle before 1947. He was in and out of jails. Post independence he proved to be a champion of scientific temper, parliamentary democracy and a secular humanist of the highest order. He advocated that the scientific approach and temper are or should be a way of life, a process of thinking, a method of acting and associating with our fellowmen.
During the non-cooperation movement launched by Gandhi in 1920, he was first imprisoned on 6 December 1921 on charges of anti-governmental activities, marking the first of eight periods of detention between 1921-1945, lasting over nine years in all. This was a difficult period in India’s history when nationalists had to sacrifice filial bonds and spend almost their whole life in jail, he first lost his father, then his wife and mother but there was no time to grieve.
He spent more than 3,259 days behind the bars and shared with the world his vision for the future of India through his writings, most of which were in jail. How many of our present day politicians have spent a single day in jail for causes worth fighting for?
Nehru first attempt at writing in prison was, Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1929).This was followed by Glimpses of World History (Also a compilation of letters to his daughter but written in jail from 1931 to 1934). Thereafter he released his Autobiography: Toward Freedom (1936). It was in Ahmednagar Fort, where he was incarcerated from 1942 to 1945 for his participation in the Quit India movement that he wrote The Discovery of India – A reflection on India’s history, culture, and heritage (1946).
On the midnight of 14 August 1947, Nehru gave a critically acclaimed speech, "Tryst with Destiny", when he was sworn in as the Dominion of India's Prime Minister.
“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge…….. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.”
Upon India's independence, he served as the country's first Prime Minister as well as the External Minister of India for 16 years till his sudden death. Under Nehru's leadership, the Congress dominated national and state-level politics, winning elections in 1952, 1957 and 1962.
Ramchandra Guha in his book, “India after Gandhi”, in the chapter on, ‘Nehru’s India’, quotes Nehru's-campaign speech delivered on Gandhi’s birthday, 2 October 1951 in Delhi, in “If any person raises his hand to strike down another on the ground of religion, I shall fight him till the last breath of my life, both at the head of the government and from outside”. Nehru was of the opinion that politicisation of religion is a danger to any society, past or present. He held the view that those who wish to use religion for their own interests try to politicise it.
As India’s first Prime Minister, he greatly contributed to the political, economic, and social setup of the country. The objective of achieving growth with social justice is as relevant today as it was ever before. Nehru firmly held that no sound and stable society could be built-up “on the basis of inequality and injustice, or on the exploitation of one class or group by another”.
Based on modernity, science, and technology, Nehru’s dream for India was committed to democracy and social justice. Nehru envisioned the desire to establish socialism to uplift the conditions of the people of India. His was not doctrinaire Socialism which is under attack currently from both the right and the left wings and therefore his path was perhaps based on his convictions.
Jawaharlal wrote to Indira, "Socialism, I have told you, is of many kinds. There is general agreement, however, that it aims at the control by the State of the means of production that is, land and mines and factories and the like and the means of distribution, like railways, etc; and also banks and similar institutions. The idea is that individuals should not be allowed to exploit any of these methods or institutions, or the labour of others, to their own personal advantage”. He emphasized democratically planned development within the framework of a mixed economy with private, public and co-operative sectors to achieve the objectives of modernization, growth and social justice. Nehru’s vision which built modern India is under attack and as the world goes far right his principles get eroded. How Nehru would stand up to the present world is any body’s guess with no Abdul Nasser of Egypt and Josip Tito of Yugoslavia around. Together they had built a new world order of Non-aligned nations.
Key institutions which were going to define the India of growth – like the Planning Commission, the IITs, and All India Radio – were established under Nehru. In international affairs, he is well-known as one of the founders of the Non-aligned Movement and also for steering India clear of the two blocs of the Cold War. This is perhaps one of the most significant factors in shaping India’s world position today. He was nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize eleven times from 1950 to 1955, but the final selection always eluded him.
After Nehru's death, Vajpayee, then a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh made a speech in the Rajya Sabha, hailing Nehru as Bharat Mata's "favourite prince" and likened him to the Hindu God Rama. Internationalism, democratic socialism, political and economic equality and an end to subjugation, these were among Jawaharlal's cherished goals. His principles of leadership were fundamentally based on scientific temper, learning and equality—a set of values required to shape India even today.
(Dr Sushila Sawant Mendes is an Author and Professor
in History and an
Independent Researcher)