2.

Nehr
u’sLet
tert
oDaught
erI
ndi
raonherBi
rt
hday

MydearI
ndi
ra,

Ony ourbirt
hdayy ouhavebeeni nthehabitofr ecei
vi
ngpr esent
sandgoodwi shes.
Goodwi shesyouwi l
lsti
llhav
ei nful
lmeasure,butwhatpr esentcanIsendyoufrom
Nai
niPrison?Mypr esent
scannotbev er
ymaterialorsol
id.Theycanbeofthemindand
spi
ri
t,……Thingsthateventhehighwall
sofpri
soncannotst op.

Youknowsweet hear
t,howIdi sl
ikesermoni si
nganddolingoutgoodadv ice
……..Ihav eal
way sthoughtthatt hebestwayt ofi
ndoutwhati sri
ghtandwhati snot
ri
ght,whatshouldbedoneandwhatshoul dnotbedone,i snotbygi v
ingaser mon,but
bytalki
nganddi scussing,andoutofdi scussi
onsomet imesal i
ttl
ebitoft r
uthcomes
out.Ihaveli
kedmyt alkswi t
hy ouandwehav edi
scussedmanyt hi
ngs,buttheworldis
wideandbey ondourwor l
dlieot herwonder f
ulandmy steri
ouswor l
ds……. .noneofus
needev erbeboredori magine……. .thatwehav elear
nedev ery
thingwort hl
earni
ngand
becomev erywise.

…….Butwhatam It
odothen?Alett
ercanhar
dlyt
akethepl
aceofatalkatbesti
tisa
one-si
dedaf
fai
r……Imagi
nethatIhavemadeasuggest
iont
oyouforyoutothi
nkover
,
asifwereal
l
ywerehav
ingatal
k.
Inhistorywer eadofgr eatper i
odsi nt helif
eofnat i
ons,ofgr eatmenandwomen…do
your ememberhowf ascinat
edy ouwer ewheny ouf irstreadt hestoryofJeanned‘ Arc,
andhowy ourambi ti
onwast obesomet hinglikeher ?Or dinarymenandwomenar enot
usuallyher oi
c.Theyt hi
nkoft heirbreadandbut ter
,oft heirchi l
dren,oft
heirhousehol d
worriesandt hel i
ke.Butat i
mecomeswhenawhol epeopl ebecomei nt
erestedi na
greatcause.Thenhi st
or yhelpsev ensimpl e,or dinarymenandwoment obecome
heroes.Gr eatl eadershav esomet hingint hem whi chi nspiresawhol epeopl eand
makest hem dogr eatdeeds………I nI ndiaagr eatleader ,ful
lofl oveforal
lwhosuf fer
andeagert ohel pthem, hasinspiredourpeopl et ogr eatactionsandnobl esacri
fice.He
hashel pedt omaket hestarvi
ng, thepoorandt heoppr essedf reeandhappy.
Bapujiisinpr i
son,butthemagi cofhismessagehasst ol
entheheartsofI ndi
a‘
s
mill
i
ons.Menandwomen,andev enli
ttl
echil
dren,comeoutofthei
rli
ttl
eshellsand
becomeI ndia‘
ssoldi
ersoff
reedom.InIndi
atodaywear emaki
nghist
ory
,andy ouandI
arefort
unatetoseet hi
shappeningbef
oreoureyesandt ot
akesomepartoursel
v esi
n
thi
sgreatdrama. ;
Whatpartshal
lwepl ayinit?Ifwear etobeIndia‘
ssoldi
erswehav etorespectIndi
a‘s
honour
,andthathonouri sasacredt r
ust….
.Iti
snoeasymat t
ertodecidewhatisr i
ght
andwhatisnot .Onel i
tt
letestIshallaskyoutoapplywhenev eryouareindoubt……
Neverdoanythinginsecretoranythingthatyouwouldwisht ohide.Forthedesir
et o
hi
deanythi
ngmeanst hatyouareafraid,
andfearisabadthingandunwor t
hyofyou.Be
brav
e,andallt
herestfoll
ows….
Youknow t hati nourgr eatFreedom Mov ement,underBapuji
‘sleader
ship,ther
eisno
room forsecr ecyorhidi
ng.Wehav enothi
ngt ohide.Wearenotaf r
aidofwhatwedoor
whatwesay .Wewor kinthesunandi nthelight
.Ev ensoi
nourpr iv
ateli
vesletusmake
fri
endswitht hesunandwor kintheli
ghtanddonot hi
ngsecret
ly……andi fyoudoso,my
dearyouwi llgr ow upachi l
doft heli
ght,unafr
aidandser eneandunr uff
led,what
ever
mayhappen.

Ihavewrit
tenav er
ylonglet
tert
oyou.Andyetther
eissomuchIwoul
dliket
otel
lyou.
How canal ett
ercontai
ni t
?Good-
bye,li
tt
leone,andmayyougrow upint
oabr ave
sol
dieri
nIndia‘
sservi
ce.

Withall
myl ov
eandgoodwi
shes.
Yourlovi
ngfat
her,
Jawaharlal
Nehru
Summar
y

Thepresentlessonisalett
erwri
tt
enbyPandi tJawaharLalNehrufrom NainiJai
ltohi
s
daught
er,Indir
aGandhi ,onthelatt
er‘
sthi
rteenthbirt
hday.Throughhi slett
erPandi
t
Nehrutel
lsIndirathatonecangettotheri
ghtansweronl yafterdiscussi
on.Wemust
notbel
ievethatsincewehavelear
nedever
ythingwehav ebecomewi se.

Hefur
thersuggest sthati
tisnoeasymat t
ertodeci
dewhatisr i
ghtandwhatisnot.One
l
it
tl
etestIshallasky outoapplywheneveryouarei
ndoubt.Nev erdoanythi
nginsecr
et
orany
thingthaty ouwouldwi sht
ohide.Forthedesi
retohideany t
hingmeansthatyou
ar
eafrai
d,andf earisabadt hi
ngandunwor t
hyofyou.Bebrave,andallt
herestf
oll
ows.

Youknow thatinourgr eatFreedom Mov ement,underBapuj

i‘
sleader
ship,ther
eisno
room f
orsecrecyorhidi
ng.Wehav enothi
ngt ohide.Wearenotafr
aidofwhatwedoor
whatwesay .Wewor kinthesunandi nthelight
.Ev ensoi
nourpri
vateli
vesletusmake
fri
endswi
tht hesunandwor ki ntheli
ghtanddonot hi
ngsecr
etl
y.Andifyoudoso,my
dearyouwillgrow upachi l
doft heli
ght,unafr
aidandsereneandunr uf
fled,what
ever
mayhappen.

PanditNehr ugoesont ot el
lherhowBapuj imoti
vatedthecommonmant obecomea
partofthestruggleforf r
eedom.Heci t
edtheexampleofhowcommonmenandwomen
whogener al
lycannott hinkbeyondt
; hei
rhousehold,ri
seabovepettyconsiderat
ionsto
becomeher oeswhent heyf i
ghtforacause.Pandi tNehr
ualsot el
lsIndir
aaboutt he
i
mpor tanceofunder standinganddoingwhatisright.Hesaysthatfi
ghtingforfr
eedom
wast herightthi
ngtodo.Sheshoul dnotf
earofbeingpartoft
hemov ement .

Pandi
tNehrufi
nall
yblessesI
ndi
rabysay
ingt
hatshemaygr
owupi
ntoabr
avesol
dier
i
ntheser
viceofthenati
on.