Nehru jee was the son of one of India's richest men of his time. He was born and brought up in luxury, and he could have continued to enjoy the same all his life. He could have easily become a loyal servant of his majesty's government and gone on to settle down in the first world England, where the quality of life would have been hundred times better than what a third world country like India could offer him those days. But guess what, he shunned all his luxuries and joined the freedom movement of India under the leadership of Mahatama Gandhi.
He could have easily afforded a car but now he had to walk hundreds of miles on foot along with Gandhiji, and had to bear the heat and dust of Indian roads & villages . He had a palatial house but now he had to spend days and nights in simple Gandhian ashrams . He could have enjoyed the best of the meals in the world but now he had to put up with a simple diet synonymous with the common mass of a poor India. Getting jailed at periodic intervals, possible baton charges & other physical tortures, not being able to meet wife and daughter for months etc came as some added incentives to this decision of his, but he accepted them gleefully.
Mind you, when he decided to join the freedom movement, he had no crystal ball which could tell him that India would become independent in 1947 and he would go on to become the first prime minister of the country. Who knows, he could have been arrested and deported to Andaman & Nicobar islands or even killed by the British at some point of the time or the other !!! Despite all these problems, uncertainties and dangers, he sacrificed his comforts & riches and fought for India's freedom.
Today the condition of India is not very different than what it used to be during the British Raj. Bhagat Singh's fear has become true. The white sahebs have simply been replaced by the brown sahebs. But how many of us who criticise Pandit Nehru, are willing to go to small towns like Ara and Buxar in Bihar and stand against the Red tapism, tyranny, bureaucracy & corruption of the bureaucrats and politicians there? How many of us can muster the courage of leaving the comforts of our life inorder to bring a revolution in this nation? I am sure the answer is none. Therefore mortals like us who are confined and concerned with the pleasures of day to day life only, have no right to criticise an immortal personality like Pandit Nehru.
According to Bonny, who happens to be a friend and a fellow moderator of the largest Indian army community on Orkut:-
This is not an isolated case. Look at all the countries in Africa. Look at Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma and now Bangladesh. And then see why India is so different. What is it that India has that Pakistan could never achieve? Both countries became independent in 1947, and were led by educated leaders - being Nehru and Jinnah respectively. So what went wrong with Pakistan? The Nehru that we all so love to abuse today is the guy who along with other political leaders of newly independent India made sure that India would continue to remain a practising democracy. The strong pillars which they built through the 1950s with their toil and sweat are still holding the roof over our collective heads.
Nehru stayed in power because our parents and grand parents voted for him. Indira won and lost because Indians voted for or against her. The Supreme Court judges talk down to Parliament because the Constitution of India gives them the power to do so. The UN cites our example because we largely hold free and fair elections".
There are many who accuse him of neglecting our defence. But these people forget that Pandit Nehru was a product of the Gandhian school. His extensive travels during the independence movement had taken him to far off areas, giving him a first hand account of the acute poverty in India. He had witnessed the pains of India's misery from very close quarters. He had seen the death of more than 30 Lakh Indians in the Great Bengal famine of 1943. He had seen villages getting wiped off in a flash owing to epidemics like Malaria, Small pox etc. All these memories were fresh in his mind when he became the prime minister of India in 1947. Therefore, it was quite natural for him to give more emphasis to basic factors like food, shelter and health.
Not many people gave credit to India when we first became independent in 1947. Many like Winston Churchill had written us off and had prophesied that we would soon become a failed country. These gentlemen were not completely wrong. India had all the catalysts of becoming a failed nation within few years of its independence. Centuries of plundering had left the Indian economy in shambles. Illiteracy was at its zenith. There was acute shortage of food. Epidemics would outbreak every now & then. One of the largest migration of mankind to and from Pakistan, followed by wide scale communal riots, loot, murder & rapes had taken the nation to the state of anarchy. And to make matters worst, none of our leaders had an experience of administering a country. Years of experience in the freedom movement had made us 'champion protesters', but we didn't know how to govern. After all, protesting against the government is quite different from restoring law and order in the country or collecting tax from the own countrymen. Pandit Nehru took over the country during this period of turmoil.
He captained the Indian ship amidst the most turbulent time of our history, and made sure that we do not end up becoming another Zimbabwe, Somalia or Pakistan. He laid a very strong foundation for our nation by strengthening its democracy, ensuring the freedom of judiciary from the executive, granting fundamental rights to its citizens and by upholding the freedom of media.
Nehru jee may not be as charismatic as Mahatama Gandhi or Subhash Chandra Bose. And like every other human being, he may have made few strategic mistakes. However no one can deny the fact that he always had the best interests of India in mind, and no one can write off his valuable contributions towards this country.
Pandit jee can best be compared to a candle which produces a small dark shadow on being lit, but illuminates the whole area by its light.
Vande Mataram.
Related Debate:-
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#CommMsgs?cmm=748139&tid=5383097312492040270
He could have easily afforded a car but now he had to walk hundreds of miles on foot along with Gandhiji, and had to bear the heat and dust of Indian roads & villages . He had a palatial house but now he had to spend days and nights in simple Gandhian ashrams . He could have enjoyed the best of the meals in the world but now he had to put up with a simple diet synonymous with the common mass of a poor India. Getting jailed at periodic intervals, possible baton charges & other physical tortures, not being able to meet wife and daughter for months etc came as some added incentives to this decision of his, but he accepted them gleefully.
Mind you, when he decided to join the freedom movement, he had no crystal ball which could tell him that India would become independent in 1947 and he would go on to become the first prime minister of the country. Who knows, he could have been arrested and deported to Andaman & Nicobar islands or even killed by the British at some point of the time or the other !!! Despite all these problems, uncertainties and dangers, he sacrificed his comforts & riches and fought for India's freedom.
Today the condition of India is not very different than what it used to be during the British Raj. Bhagat Singh's fear has become true. The white sahebs have simply been replaced by the brown sahebs. But how many of us who criticise Pandit Nehru, are willing to go to small towns like Ara and Buxar in Bihar and stand against the Red tapism, tyranny, bureaucracy & corruption of the bureaucrats and politicians there? How many of us can muster the courage of leaving the comforts of our life inorder to bring a revolution in this nation? I am sure the answer is none. Therefore mortals like us who are confined and concerned with the pleasures of day to day life only, have no right to criticise an immortal personality like Pandit Nehru.
According to Bonny, who happens to be a friend and a fellow moderator of the largest Indian army community on Orkut:-
"Whoever thinks that Nehru was a fraud or incompetent or selfish or plain stupid, should take a good look at countries which became independent in the post colonial era. For example, the most recent example is Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe gained independence from Colonial rule in the late 1960s and the white minority Rhodesian government finally surrendered to the will of the majority black population in 1980. In the free elections of February 1980, Mugabe and his ZANU party won a landslide victory. Its first democratically elected President is still in charge and has been accused of not letting go the power that he wields. Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. Zimbabwe's economic and food crisis, is described as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence.
This is not an isolated case. Look at all the countries in Africa. Look at Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma and now Bangladesh. And then see why India is so different. What is it that India has that Pakistan could never achieve? Both countries became independent in 1947, and were led by educated leaders - being Nehru and Jinnah respectively. So what went wrong with Pakistan? The Nehru that we all so love to abuse today is the guy who along with other political leaders of newly independent India made sure that India would continue to remain a practising democracy. The strong pillars which they built through the 1950s with their toil and sweat are still holding the roof over our collective heads.
Nehru stayed in power because our parents and grand parents voted for him. Indira won and lost because Indians voted for or against her. The Supreme Court judges talk down to Parliament because the Constitution of India gives them the power to do so. The UN cites our example because we largely hold free and fair elections".
There are many who accuse him of neglecting our defence. But these people forget that Pandit Nehru was a product of the Gandhian school. His extensive travels during the independence movement had taken him to far off areas, giving him a first hand account of the acute poverty in India. He had witnessed the pains of India's misery from very close quarters. He had seen the death of more than 30 Lakh Indians in the Great Bengal famine of 1943. He had seen villages getting wiped off in a flash owing to epidemics like Malaria, Small pox etc. All these memories were fresh in his mind when he became the prime minister of India in 1947. Therefore, it was quite natural for him to give more emphasis to basic factors like food, shelter and health.
Not many people gave credit to India when we first became independent in 1947. Many like Winston Churchill had written us off and had prophesied that we would soon become a failed country. These gentlemen were not completely wrong. India had all the catalysts of becoming a failed nation within few years of its independence. Centuries of plundering had left the Indian economy in shambles. Illiteracy was at its zenith. There was acute shortage of food. Epidemics would outbreak every now & then. One of the largest migration of mankind to and from Pakistan, followed by wide scale communal riots, loot, murder & rapes had taken the nation to the state of anarchy. And to make matters worst, none of our leaders had an experience of administering a country. Years of experience in the freedom movement had made us 'champion protesters', but we didn't know how to govern. After all, protesting against the government is quite different from restoring law and order in the country or collecting tax from the own countrymen. Pandit Nehru took over the country during this period of turmoil.
He captained the Indian ship amidst the most turbulent time of our history, and made sure that we do not end up becoming another Zimbabwe, Somalia or Pakistan. He laid a very strong foundation for our nation by strengthening its democracy, ensuring the freedom of judiciary from the executive, granting fundamental rights to its citizens and by upholding the freedom of media.
Nehru jee may not be as charismatic as Mahatama Gandhi or Subhash Chandra Bose. And like every other human being, he may have made few strategic mistakes. However no one can deny the fact that he always had the best interests of India in mind, and no one can write off his valuable contributions towards this country.
Pandit jee can best be compared to a candle which produces a small dark shadow on being lit, but illuminates the whole area by its light.
Vande Mataram.
Related Debate:-
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#CommMsgs?cmm=748139&tid=5383097312492040270
6 comments:
A devil or a saint??.........uhh well every human being have equally balanced proportion of devil n saint inside.... so as jawaharlal nehru.....no one can be 100%saint like ....not even saint... if they will.... then who will give importance to god?
!
But as an Indian frankly speaking i hate jawaharlal nehru ji alot for various issues.....Because of him India is still struggling with neighbors for its own land
Some people demonise Nehru and some make him larger than life & put him up on a pedestal ;)
Sure, he has done some good for india ,, but the question is .. was he a one man army ?? There were people like Sardar Patel as home minister, without whom, we would not have had the Republic of India as we have today. Nehru was entrusted with a job of getting just one state- J&K, into the fold of our republic. He decided to choose the arbitration of the UN. The results are for all to see - A great mess !
Another mess was the division of the country into states on the basis of language & look what we are facing today,, fights amongst states, more number of governments, resulting in humongous expenses & corruption !!
Lastly, Hindi-chini bhai bhai was the greatest humiliation faced by India in 1962.
These are but, 3 of his many blunders, which have had negative repercussions for generations to come.
And ofcourse, who can forget the dynastic rule that he was guilty of perpetrating ...
Somewhere, I once read about Nehru: “For a man who left the country,,NOT better fed, clothed or housed, more corruptly governed, with higher taxes, ever-rising prices, ever-acute foreign exchange difficulties and more unemployment than when he took charge, India has been too kind to Nehru. It’s time we took the Mythology out of our History. ”
Kruti, I have answered your comment here:-
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#CommMsgs?cmm=748139&tid=5425721825875769248
A very well written article. I completely agree when you say that nowadays it has become a fashion to hold Nehruji and Gandhiji accountable of accountable for almost all the problems India is facing today. This is one of our biggest agony as a nation and as a youth. It is indeed a pleasure to read the like minded thoughts on your blogs.
Let me get some things cleared first.
1)a)Do you believe in nationalism ?
Reasons. yes/no
b)The concept of nations/countries/regions etc. Human created boundaries. Does it hold good in your view ?
2)A human becomes more a capable self satisfying being than a able societal leader. Whims of a fancy idea of playing the fool with one's own land aren't a leader's duty nor a nation lover's. Actions of foolish imagery of well being wont cover up a truck load of sins.
Your views/arguments with regard to the above and Nehru.?
3)Giving up Luxury and experiencing ground level realities. Is this important ? why ? in relation to Nehru alone.
4)Ruling a country for a good enough period to change a generation of thinking,history,system towards a wrong fundamental is sin enough to not even consider small whimsical good imagery he has portrayed.
Your arguments?
5)An opportunity for a able person to change a country in 20 and more years. What should have been the likeliness of functioning or what shouldn't have been.? Your views.
sir what u written in this blog that is right but after becoming prime minister Pt. Nehru got the full power which helped him in facing these problems and most of the work done. by SARDAR VALLAB PATEL. he(Pt. Nehru) was mindless, because of him we lost 1961 war................
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