The late PM taught us that democracy is about inclusion, debate, dissent and development

Times have changed and talking about someone like Jawaharlal Nehru may not be the best of the ideas more than 50 years after his death. Particularly when we are into the second decade of the 21st Century and there is so much hullabaloo and enthusiasm about liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation more fashionably called the lPG regime.

But this is precisely the reason why we need to remember Pandit Nehru as the country celebrated yet another birth anniversary, the 125th one of this visionary leader.

What Nehru stood for is still relevant today when there is so much debate on about civilisational values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Critiques of Nehruvian policies may find reasons to strongly disagree with him but even the staunchest of the opponents of his views would not like to disbelieve that he was a liberal par excellence. That perhaps was the greatest strength of his personality.

A true democrat, Nehru was always willing to encourage debate, be it in Parliament or other public fora. True, he was not without his failings. But he needs to be seen as a champion of liberal values, and his ideas and ideals were based on his deep interest and understanding of history.

In order to understand his philosophy, and his world view, which he definitely had, one may read his letters to his daughter Indira Gandhi, which were later compiled as letters From a Father To His Daughter. These letters were written in the summer of 1928 which were personal letters written to a little girl 10 years of age. The letters covered a wide array of subjects and reflected his understanding and insight that were developed through his deep erudition and scholastic aptitude.

The first letter was the one that talked about the expanse of the world and narrated the story of the earth. Nehru wrote that “if we want to understand the world, we must think of all the countries and all the people that have inhabited it and not merely of one country where we may have been born”.

He wrote that though his letters would tell very little about the world, yet they would make his daughter think about the world as a whole and of other people as brothers and sisters.

In one small and very easily comprehensible book written in very simple English, Nehru taught Indira many interesting and important facts of world, history and nature. This world for Nehru was a large family of nations which is a true appreciation of the ancient Indian ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

Some of the letters reflect what Nehru stood for. For instance the letter on ‘What is Civilization’. His explanations are very lucid. Nehru was a lover of peace and for him fighting war was barbarism. He looked down upon the European countries that fought great wars.

He felt that it is not easy to understand what civilisation means. Fine buildings, fine pictures and fine books and everything that is beautiful are certainly signs. But there is more to it.

But his poetic streak was just one side of his personality. The other and perhaps more significant was his belief in liberal democracy. Democracy is about inclusion, debate, dissent and development. As Justin Trudeau takes charge of Canada with several ministers of Indian origin, let us think of Nehru once again.

The writer is a professor, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad (Jharkhand). He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com