NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, JODHPUR

WINTER SESSION
(JUNE-NOV 2017)

HISTORY-I
C.A. II – BOOK REVIEW

“THE UNFORGETTABLE NEHRU”

(DR. P.D. TANDON)

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

VAIBHAV GADHVEER DR. OM PRAKASH
B.A. LL.B (HONS) (FACULTY OF HISTORY)
ROLL NO. 1596
SECTION B
I SEMESTER
ACKNOWLEGEMENT..................................................................................................................3

About the Author.............................................................................................................................4

Kind and Gracious...........................................................................................................................5

Work was His Worship....................................................................................................................7

Very Short-tempered.......................................................................................................................8

Mystery of Churidar Pyjamas.......................................................................................................10

Emotional Side of Nehru...............................................................................................................11

Concern about Others....................................................................................................................12

Critical Analysis........................................................................................................................13
 ACKNOWLEGEMENT
I owe a heartfelt of gratitude to people who directly and indirectly helped me towards completion
of this project. Without their assistance and contribution this would not have seen practicability.

Firstly, I extend my gratitude to my mentor and History-I teacher Dr Om Prakash, Faculty of

History-I whose continuous guidance and support provided me with new ideas as to how I
should proceed and gave me a better insight into my project. I am grateful to the IT Staff for
providing all necessary facilities for carrying out this work. I thank all members of the Library
Staff for providing me the assistance anytime needed.
I also thank my friends and batch mates for providing me the much needed aid whenever needed.
Most importantly, I would like to thank my parents Mr S.R. Gadhveer and Mrs Mamta Gadhveer
for providing me the much needed force for accomplishing this project.
 About the Author

P.D. Tandon was a minister in the UP government, and advisor to the state’s Chief Minister in
1989. He was also the president of the state’s Working Journalist’s Federation. During the 1942
revolt against the British Raj, Shri Tandon was imprisoned in Naini Central Jail, Allahabad.

Shri Tandon has written about forty books in five different languages, which include
Flames from the Ashes (his autobiography); Indira Gandhi-Lingering Echoes; Echoes from the
Past (letters of Gandhi, Nehru, Bernard Shaw, Lord Mountbatten, Indira Gandhi, and several
others ). He has also written various articles for many newspapers magazines and periodicals.
We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the
adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. -Jawaharlal Nehru

Kind and Gracious

This biography starts from Anand Bhawan, Jawaharlal Nehru’s home. A small group of students
come there to meet Pandit ji.

Nehru ji enquired “how are you”. Lads smiled and said “sab theek hain,Pandit ji”.

“Any difficulties” he asked. The boys looked at each other and hesitated to say anything.
“come along, what is the matter?” he enquired.

One of them blurted out, “Pandit ji, during the rains our books get wet and we drenched
with water when we return home.

“Really! Is that so?” he queried affectionately. He said “jai hind”, and walked away. The
boys echoed “Pandit ji ki jai”.

Nehru went to Delhi and sent a man to market to buy some books and rain coat for those
boys and sent to Allahabad for the boys.

This incident shows that how big heart he carried. There are many such incidents which I
will describe in this summary.

Now going to childhood of Nehru ji, where some children came to Motilal Nehru
(Jawaharlal Nehru’s father) for some donation. They were turned down sent back but young
Jawaharlal saw them asked them the problem. Those children first hesitated then they told him
the all the fuss. He pulled out a cheque of 101, and handed it to the boys. “I hope you are
satisfied now,” said Nehru.

The boy brimming with joy replied “yes sir, we are very happy. Thank you, sir.”

The following incidents were reported to Dr P.E. Dustoor, formally of Allahabad University. On
September 1947, Nehru and Liaquat Ali reached the Adampur aerodrome. The Prime Ministers
went to the nearest Indian refugee camp at kamalpur. As soon as the Muslims refugees saw
Nehru, they shouted, “Aaya zalim! Maar dala, loot liya.”. even after hearing such harsh
comments Nehru did not lose his temper. He remained there with Liaquat Ali, listening all the
complaints. The crowd which treated Nehru ji as murderer on his arrival became friendly to him.

When Indian Prime minister left the Muslim refugees, there were no longer cries of “Zalim
aagaya” ,which he had heard on his arrival, but “Wazir-e-azam Hindustan zindabad!”.
Failure comes only when we forget our ideals and objectives and principles. -Jawaharlal Nehru

Work was His Worship

Nehru’s life as Prime Minister was an arduous one. He hardly got time to engage in pleasant
pursuits. He hardly got any rest. Often he gulped down his lunch and rushed back to office. Even
after working whole day he got any rest, he would sit down to read reports, files and clippings
and then dictate to his stenographer.

At times he was so tired that he fell asleep while talking to people. He would suddenly wake
up, talk a little again, put aside his spectacles, and rest his face on palm of his hand to sleep.

Once author’s friend after an interview with Nehru, wrote to him, ‘it was thrilling experience
to have met the charming Prime Minister. It will long be a memory. But thank god, he did not
sleep during my interview.

He used to yoga everyday even after such a tight schedule one can easily find excuses for
not doing things, but Nehru was not one of them. His opinion was that if you want to work long
hours you have to have good health.

Once Nehru was alighting from the car when a door suddenly banged on two of his fingers
and they began to bleed. He was restless and in severe pain, but he did to talk about it. The
injured fingers were bandaged and return to his official tour. He tried to give a friendly smile to
everyone. All the handshaking that day was done with left hand. Someone said, “sir, I am sure
you are in great pain but you are facing it bravely.”

Nehru smiled and replied, “After all, it is a minor injury. Tell me, how are you?”. He
never gave any kind of excuse doing his duties. That’s why he was a great leader.

One day Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Nehru’s room to meet him and he found it
extremely hot. He asked Nehru why he stayed in that room during the day time. Nehru said that
he did not feel the heat particularly and was used to it; besides, he liked working in that room,
because he had worked there for years.
The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all. -Jawaharlal Nehru

Very Short-tempered
There are innumerable instances of Nehru losing his temper. In early 1955, he came to Allahabad
to lay foundation-stone of the Allahabad Railway Junction Station. A big show was organised,
and several thousands of rupees were spent in order to make the function a great success.
Everything was made spic and span. The Railway department was in charge of the function.
Money flowed freely and at the eleventh hour, a ‘tragedy’ occurred. The loud speakers refused to
function and this infuriated Nehru. Nehru was disgusted with all this.

He had hoped to speak to people of his home town who have been waiting for long to
hear him. This hurt him, and he said, “What are these arrangements? This is amazing
incompetence. This is scandalous incompetence. I am disgusted. These officials know to sign
papers only.”

He waited for some time, expecting loud speakers to work but nothing happened. Now his
anger was on its peak. Nehru rebuked the officials; the public enjoyed the fun. Some people
wanted to leave the meeting, believing that they would not be able to hear Nehru, but other
stopped them, saying, “wait, Pandit ji will bang these officials further and that will be good fun”.
The public waited. Nehru flared up again and again and shouted the officials. Mr Lal Bahadur
Shastri, the Minister for Railways, was there at the meeting and felt greatly embarrassed.

Nehru often got sick of security arrangements. When he saw a crowd of people, he
wanted to go to them and move among them, but he could not do it the way he liked. He did not
want to hide himself in a closed car when people lined the roadside to have glimpse of him. On 8
August 1955, when Nehru saw a huge car at the Bamrauli aerodrome, waiting to take him to
Anand Bhawan, he angrily asked, “What is this? Is there no open car? Always wrong
arrangements! Is there no jeep? I will feel suffocated in that closed car.

Officials at the airport were very upset after they were ordered to not to take Nehru in open
vehicle. They somehow arranged a jeep and took Pandit ji to his home. When the open jeep was
provided for his journey to Anand Bhawan, he became normal again. He had great love for his
people he wanted to make people happy at any cost. He ignored his pleasures and gave his life in
hands of people. He treated Indian public as his sons and daughters. He knew when to reprimand
and when to appreciate someone like his offspring. He never treated anyone differently in his
eyes everyone was equally beloved.
Democracy and socialism are means to an end, not the end itself. -Jawaharlal Nehru

Mystery of Churidar Pyjamas

Nehru used to wear Churidar pyjamas. These pyjamas were of great wonder in minds of
foreigners. When the Cripps negotiations were going on in New Delhi, Colonel Johnson was
there and met Nehru frequently. He was intrigued to see Nehru in churidar pyjamas. He
wondered how anyone could get into them. One day, he apologetically enquired, “Permit me to
ask, Mr Nehru, how do you get into these pyjamas?”

Promptly Nehru replied, “But they get on me all right.” As said this, there was laughter and
later he explained the ‘mechanism’ of the churidar pyjamas.

These are some part of lighter side Nehru’s life, most of his life went in working for his nation
but he also managed to enjoy the life in his childhood or during his tight schedule of work.

Every evening Motilal Nehru relaxed after the day’s hard labour and number of visitors and
friends would call on him. Anand Bhawan resounded with his tremendous laughter. Jawaharlal
was naturally curious to know what those people said to each other and he would occasionally
peep into room to have a glimpse of the distinguished visitors. Once on a while, his father would
pull him out and make him sit near him.

One evening, Jawaharlal saw his father drinking claret or some other deep red wine.
Horrified, he rushed to his mother and told her in fright, “Father is drinking blood!”
 Every little thing counts in a crisis. -Jawaharlal Nehru

Emotional Side of Nehru

According to this biography, Jawaharlal Nehru was highly emotional. He was greatly attached
greatly attached to his friends, family and comrades, and in a very humane way. When his
mother was lathi charged by the police, he was in jail. He became greatly agitated over it.

Nehru always had a great respect for Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. Once during day time
when Nehru was in jail he dozed off, and he had a strange dream in Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
was attacked on all sides and Nehru was fighting to save. He woke up in between the dream and
found his pillow wet with tears.

He had great emotional attachment to his home town Allahabad. One might find him always
involved in work hardly getting any time to share his feeling with others but whenever he landed
to Allahabad his character used to change completely. That does not mean he did not work at all
whenever he was in Allahabad.

Gandhi ji’s death was a very cruel blow to him personally and it made him very sad. He
could not forget Bapu and missed him very much. Once, when he was returning from London,
after a Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ conference, somebody gave him a book which
contained numerous photographs of Bapu. He was flying from Bombay to Delhi. He turned a
few pages here and there and then suddenly broke into tears. Those pictures of Ghandi ji brought
to his mind memories of the past and he could help crying.

Once in his childhood, at the age of five or six, Nehru was severely beaten by his father. Two
beautiful fountain pens were arrayed on the table. Nehru got attracted towards these pens. He
thought father might not need two pens so he took one of them without telling his father. Father
searched the whole house but did not find any clues and due to his father’s fear near did no utter
a word about pen. After few days Motilal Nehru somehow came to know about pen and that day
was one of the bitter days of Nehru’s childhood.
 Action itself, so long as I am convinced that it is right action, gives me satisfaction.
Jawaharlal Nehru

Concern about Others

In his eyes everyone had similar status. No one was too big or too small for him. He treated
everyone from his servants to his father, equally. He always remembered his servents

Even when he was in jail, he used to talk everyone present there. Once when he was in jail
he wrote a letter to his sister asking her to get the house of old women repaired as the rains were
about to set in.

In another letter, he said that the pay of the Anand Bhawan servants should be increased
because in the absence of the Nehrus, the responsibilities servants and watchmen had
considerably increased. Only Nehru could think of increasing the salaries of servants when they
had no work to do!

Nehru was a good nurse also. If you were in his company and fell ill, you could depend upon
his affectionate care. Nehru and other members of the Congress Working Committee were
imprisoned in Ahmednagar in 1942. He attended most devotedly on those who were ill and
helped them all in gardening and sports. Every day the little garden in that gloomy place
improved due to the labours of Nehru. He was always busy “digging and delving, sieving and
stocking, weeding and watering.”

Nehru loved speed, and slowness wearied him. He had great love for children. Despite heavy
work and worry, Nehru hardly ever lost zest for life. He was essentially a man of love and
laughter. He laughed heartily and loved to play with children.
 CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book “The Unforgettable Nehru” written by Dr P.D. Tandon talks about the life of ex-Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He very carefully described some part of Jawaharlal’s life. I actually
liked his way of writing. I never felt boring while reading this book. He described every instance
in a new chapter, which makes it interesting to read because you are in fresh mood to start that
chapter. Authors told the story in casual style and tried to hold the reader attention throughout.
He captured some beautiful instances of Nehru’s life in a very brief manner. He did not boast
about Nehru instead he told all the negative and positive characteristics of Nehru in his opinion.
He knew he is writing biography about one of the greatest leader of all time so he moulded his
words in such a way which did not hurt the general public. He was working under Jawaharlal
Nehru for a long time. He described some instances where he was actually present there and
some instances which he got from other books or heard from someone else. Good thing about the
author is that he specified those sources from where he is getting all these information. He wrote
everything very simple. Any person of common intellect can understand him. Over and all he
did a great job but his articulation was not that great. He could have done better in this field.