Berating Jawaharlal Nehru is in with a big bang. The present regime thinks that all that is ailing the country today is due to him and if it removes him, the country can get rid of all that ails it. As he is no more, it has decided to do away with all that remains of him. There are some roads, some government schemes and some institutions that are named after him. So a massive programme is launched to rename them. Sometimes his name occurs in history books. Hence a very conscious attempt is being made to rewrite history books and replace his names with the idols of the present regime. Considering the fury with which the programme is undertaken, there is litter doubt that Nehru’s name and all that he did will be wiped out of the memory of the nation in record time. Therefore let us remember him and say good bye to him.
We remember him as one of the rarest human beings blessed with intelligence and charm of the highest order. He was as Gandhiji said “pure as crystal, truthful beyond suspicion..” In short, he was no-pareil.
In 1947 a nation died and a nation was born. The death of a nation and the birth of a nation are no ordinary events. They are followed by catastrophes and catastrophes were there. There was a partition, an exodus and a holocaust. Nehru had to deal with those horrific events. Soon after assuming office, he got the shock of his life when a madman shot Mahatma Gandhi dead. Though deeply shocked and saddened, Nehru was not distracted or discouraged.
Though development is a much touted word these days, Nehru was committed to development and that too planned development. He planned and laid the foundations of heavy industries that would eventually reduce India’s dependence of imports. He planned and laid the foundations of research institutions and academies that world equip our youth to be responsible citizens. He planned and laid the foundations of mega projects that would bring prosperity to our agricultural sector. He worked tirelessly to instill scientific temperament and change the feudal mindset into liberalized and enlightened state of mind.
However, his detractors often say that he dithered about resolving the issue of princely states, that his policy towards China, Tibet was wrong, that, he straight-jacked the industrial growth by his policy of inspector raj.
If we shift our focus from merely political considerations these very weaknesses which are trumpeted by Nehru’s detractors, define his lofty ideals. Nehru cared for the other point of view and was not hungry of power. He knew the blatant exploitation and shameless greed of unbridled capitalism. He was a politician as well as a noble man. Scurrying for short term gains was not in his nature. It was for this reason that he was one of the tallest leaders of the world of his time.
To grudge a few reads, institutions or schemes named after him maybe an Indication of changing times but the rhetoric “ Kya Baapka Mal…. ” by Rishi Kapoor really hurts. It is all so very bad, sad and mad.
