Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru - Maker of Modern India

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Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru - Maker of Modern India

Since 1947, enough water has flown down the Ganges. The generation has changed and so has changed the popular view of idea of India. Today, fifty years after Death of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, maker of modern India, is being belittled.

After a long spell of foreign rule, India tasted freedom breaking shackles of slavery and threw away colonial yoke. The newly independent country developed consensus on relatively younger politician, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru to lead the country. There were many contenders for the premiership. Gandhiji was visionary enough to put his stamp on Pt. Nehru. The country needed stewardship of a person who could take every section of society along, who could lay a strong foundation of friendship with other countries. A country facing acute hunger, illiteracy and disease needed touch of a socialist hand.

Pt. Nehru’s socialist policies worked well for the country with some failure as any policy would. The five year plan borrowed from erstwhile USSR brought intended result in agriculture, industry and other fields. Today there may not be need of planning commission, but the India of yesteryears needed it.

People might find flaws with Nehruvian foreign policy today, some may call it a moralistic running commentary or far right may dub it as an utter failure. But the Nehruvian foreign policy remains a time tested one which was by and large successful. None Aligned Movement, Panchsheel and friendship with USSR bear witness to the success of his policies.

Today there are people, large in numbers who question the choice of leadership. They conveniently ignore that India of 1947 faced myriad challenges on all fronts. A country which was liberated from colonial yoke was to learn to walk independently maintaining good relationship with other nations in the world. There were threats of external aggression as well as internal instability. The partition led to the worst kind of communal conflict in south Asia. The communal force needed to be stemmed. In such circumstances, Nehru was an appropriate choice to lead the country. The united and vibrant India is testimony to the great leadership of Pt. Nehru.

Nehru faced long incarceration bravely during freedom struggle like a brave soldier; his remarkable books like Glimpses of world history, Discovery of India, My autography established him as a scholar, His socialist approach and humane persona made him a great human being.

As a grateful nation we should pay homage to the great leader on his birth day and take a pledge to grow stronger by fighting and defeating divisive forces and remain united amidst diversity………


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