Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography

 Among the few great statesmen to emerge in Asia, Jawaharlal Nehru played a decisive role in the history of the twentieth century by putting India on the world map as a force to be reckoned with. Authored by one of the leading historians of India, these three volumes provide an authoritative first-hand account of Jawaharlal Nehru and his times.

 

Chronologically arranged, the first of the three volumes discusses Nehrus early life and ends in 1947. The second focuses on the first nine years of his Prime Ministership, and the third examines the last eight years of his life. Shifting effortlessly between the public and private spheres of Nehru the individual, the politician, and the family man, these volumes are as much a social and political history of their times as they are a biography.

 

The first volume traces Nehrus formative years, youth, entry in politics, role in the Independence struggle, his emergence as a leader of Congress, and events surrounding the transfer of power.

 

Nehrus tenure was fraught with domestic and foreign issues like the struggle between India and Pakistan for Kashmir, first elections of free India based on adult suffrage, demand for the creation of new linguistic provinces, and the Suez crisis. The second volume shows how Nehrus principled leadership ensured that he was considered among the foremost statesmen.

 

The third volume focuses on Nehrus efforts to sustain the economic and social advance of the Indian people without loosening the hold on the principles of his foreign policy. It bears testimony to the enduring impact of his policies and achievements in the national as well as the international sphere.