Political and social views of Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889-1964, Indian statesman; includes account of Indian politics and government, chiefly of 1919-1947.

In the politics of twentieth century India, Jawaharlal Nehru is a familiar name. During the nine years he spent in prison, he wrote at length about Indian and world history. His ideas on history are not without distinction: he was the only major political leader of Asia or Africa to have written anything resembling a world history, for instance. The patterns and possibilities he saw in history were informed by what can be termed as his philosophy of history. He believed that how we write histories is directly related to the present we find ourselves in and the future we want to imagine. As such, a finer understanding of our past would not be possible without a more nuanced evaluation of our present and a more careful imagination of our future. The aim of this book is to understand Nehru in a new light as a philosopher of history by assembling his scattered reflections on the meaning of history and establishing a relationship between them. How did he argue for his specific historical-philosophical claims – and why?

Among the few great statesmen to emerge in Asia, Jawaharal Nehru achieved a national metamorphosis in some ways even more astonishing than that of another towering patriarch, Mao Tse-tung. Not only did he wrest from the British their most prized and dearly loved Imperial possession and give his people independence, he brought his culturally rich yet economically improvised nation into the twentieth century as a force to be reasoned with. The first volume of Sarvepalli Gopal’s remarkable biographic, covering Nehru’s youth and ending with Independence in 1947, is written from first-hand knowledge of the man who served for ten years in the Ministry for External Affairs and from the unlimited access granted him by the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to her father’s private papers.

First published in 1961, The Political Philosophy of Jawaharlal Nehru is an attempt to coordinate Jawaharlal Nehru’s ideas which, in essence, reflect his political philosophy. Nehru distinguished himself as a philosopher-politician, thinking somewhat as a philosopher while working as a politician, steering his political ideas between idealism and realism. In an eventful life, his had been the many-sided role of a revolutionary and a nationalist, a democrat and a socialist, an internationalist and a pacifist, a head of the government and, above all, a lone individual and thinker. Nehru preserved his individuality through all external influences, including those of Gandhi and Marx, and it is this which remains the keynote of his thought. It has been the aim of the author to present in an objective way the ideas of the man in the light of his own words as available from a wide range of material. This book will be of interest to students of history, political science, and philosophy.

About the Book : - Written by Nayantara Sahgal, prize-winning novelist and political commentator, Jawaharlal Nehru presents an intimate view of the influences, encounters and defining historical moments that forged the vision of India s first prime minister. Drawing from the Nehru and the Vijayalakshmi Pandit Papers, and from Nehru s letters to Sahgal, his niece, this book combines history with personal recollections to show how Nehru helped navigate India s transition from a colony to an influential, modern nation. Discussing the significant issue of independent India s foreign policy characterized by the non-alignment principle and the establishment of relations with the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China Sahgal reveals much about Nehru s political astuteness, realism and aversion to rigid economic doctrines, as well as the profound impact India s non-aligned policy had on the world of the time. Perceptive, original and stimulating, Jawaharlal Nehru draws much-needed attention back to the man and his unmatched ability to engineer a consensus among seemingly irreconcilable sides. About the Author : - Nayantara Sahgal is the author of nine novels, five non-fiction works and wide-ranging literary and political commentary. She has received the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Sinclair Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Eurasia. She is a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has held fellowships in the United States at the Bunting Institute, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the National Humanities Center. A resident of Dehradun, she has been awarded the Doon Ratna, and has also received the Distinguished Alumna Award from Wellesley College, Massachusetts, in 2003 and from Woodstock School, Mussoorie, in 2004.

The inspiring life stories of great personalities of India have left unforgettable impressions on Indian history and civilization. Their lives, work, thoughts, sacrifice, courage, commitment and achievements will act as a source of inspiration and motivation for children and help in building their personality.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a major political leader of the Congress Party, a pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement and the first Prime Minister of independent India. He was also a key figure in international politics in the post-war period (in which he was considered the leader of third world interests) and the patriarch of the Nehru-Gandhi family, one of the most influential forces in Indian politics. In the 1920s, Nehru was elected president of the All India Trade Unions Congress. He and Subhash Chandra Bose had become the most prominent youth leaders, and both demanded outright political independence of India. He would take office as the Prime Minister of India on August 15, and delivered his inaugural address titled “A Tryst With Destiny:” The book will prove an informative and most useful asset for students, scholars and teachers in this field. CONTENTS • Introduction • Nehru : The Maker of Independence India • Economic Policy of Congress • Foreign Policy of Nehru • Nehru, Jinnah and Patel • Nehru's Views on the Pursuit and peace • Nehru Writing on Indian State • Nehru and National Planning Committee