Jawaharlal Nehru - An Autobiography

WHEN a learned person is imprisoned for his ideological beliefs, he has all the time in the world to reflect on his life, especially on events leading to his predicament.
By the time Jawaharlal Nehru found his true calling in life, he had been in and out of prison so many times that he almost treated the jail as his second home.
The once-future Prime Minister of India spent many months during one of his numerous jail terms in then British-controlled India writing this autobiography. The mood that emerges from this 623-page book is almost melancholic.
Born in the latter half of the 19th century and the only son of wealthy barrister Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal was a descendant of the Kashmiri clan and a member of the Brahmin caste.
Even though Nehru modestly recounts his early education at England's Harrow and Cambridge University, the book impresses upon the reader that Nehru felt that he was indeed one of the few lucky ones amid the impoverished millions back home. Understandably, the major portion of the autobiography evolves around his political struggles and the effects of the accumulated years of incarceration on his family.
He shares his thoughts on Mahatma Gandhi with admirable candour. He discloses his doubts about the great Indian leader at certain junctures when Gandhi made decisions that did not seem to coincide with practical objectives.
This reflection and confession of thoughts and deeds cover a wide spectrum of Nehru's early checkered political career when he had to bear great physical discomfort and endure much personal hardship.
If the great Mahatma was the soul of India, then surely Nehru must be her conscience. It takes a man of great character to bare his heart and soul to the nation and the world, to expose his weaknesses and doubts about his own political beliefs and physical limitations. Yes, there were times when the beatings became so severe that even the steely resolve that was part of the Nehru persona began to buckle.
During the 1920s and early '30s, India was caught up in a massive, inexorable wave of nationalism. Nehru walked among the masses as one of the few leaders revered by people from all strata of society. He ate their food, stayed in their hovels and wore the kurta (local native attire) to drive home the message that he was there with them in spirit and in person.
For his courage of conviction and compassion for the people he had chosen to lead, the name Nehru was spoken with great reverence among the common folk, even till today. India should be proud that in her history there once strode a man named Jawaharlal Nehru.
If one desires to understand India, her people, and history, this book will serve as a great introduction. A study of India cannot be complete without learning about
Nehru the politician, the husband, the son and the voice of the Indian masses.
While this is not light reading, those who dare to walk along side with Nehru as he trudges down the long and winding path he once took will find the rewards enormously satisfying.