Jawaharlal Nehru: Rebel and Statesman (Oxford India Paperbacks)

Jawaharlal Nehru, adulated during his lifetime, has in recent years suffered ill-informed denigration. This book seeks to restore the balance by providing a well-rounded picture of Nehru, the man and statesman, by placing his career within the social milieu and political context of his times. Jawaharlal Nehru, adulated during his lifetime, first as the most charismatic leader of the Congress party during India's freedom struggle and subsequently as independent India's first Prime Minister, has in recent years suffered ill-informed denigration. This book seeks to restore a balance by providing a well-rounded picture of Nehru the man and statesman and by placing his career within the social milieu and political context of his times. This re-evaluation focuses particularly on significant aspects of Nehru's life. The author traces the development of Nehru's nationalist ideas, and discusses his interaction with significant personalities of his time such as his father Motilal Nehru, Gandhi, Bose and Azad. Other important and controversial topics covered include Nehru's attitude to Partition, economic planning, administration, and non-alignment, as well as his relations with the British. A concluding overview brings together the complex strands of Nehru's multi-faceted personality and career. This book is a sequel to the author’s 1962 book The Nehrus , which focuses on Motilal Nehru’s entire career and the first forty years of Jawaharlal Nehru’s life. It contains essays dealing with various aspects of Nehru’s life, ideas and work, with the goal of placing his role in a historical perspective, both during the years of struggle for India’s independence and his years as Prime Minister. This book looks at Nehru’s nationalism, which was already evident when he was seventeen years old studying in an English public school. It also examines his relationship with Mahatma Gandhi and their influence on Indian personalities and politics, as well as his relationship with Subhas Bose. The book also looks at his views on religion, the Partition of India, and socialism. It includes a plate section consisting of photographs of Nehru with Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Churchill, Kennedy, and many prominent political figures of that time