Book Description

For over thirty years Jawaharlal Nehru was one of India's foremost nationalists, and for seventeen years, as its Prime Minister, he nurtured what was then the world's most populous democracy. The expanse of his career, the range of his interests and involvements, and the subtleties of his character placed extraordinary demands on his biographer and offer more than ordinary rewards to the reader. B. N. Pandey brings us a many-faceted man--the Nehru only half known to the world--a person of intellect, vision, and essential goodness. We come to see how a man who is honest and sincere, dispassionate and indecisive, untouched by ruthlessness, malice or pettiness, can wield great power successfully in a profession where men of his character so often fail. We understand how such a man could have so close a bond with Gandhi, a leader unlike him in outlook, manner, and ideology. We are shown every aspect of Nehru's career, family life, inner self, and public image. --jacket.