Nehru – The Visionary Democrat

The nation remembered Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on 14th November this year under full government patronage to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of its first Prime Minister. It was a laudable effort and due credit must go to the present Prime Minister who took personal initiative to organize the celebrations in a befitting manner. In fact, remembering such nation builders is much needed to create a sense of history in our young population. Nehru did not belong to any party. He belonged to the entire nation and was one of the architects of modern India. Organizing the event on such a scale and with due fanfare was certainly a praise worthy attempt to remind the country’s overwhelmingly large young population of one of the nation’s greatest heroes, whose fondness and love for children gave him the name Chacha Nehru. It was an usual sight on a Republic Day to find Nehru shake hands with children standing in a line on both sides of the road connecting India Gate and Rhastrapati Bhavana. This columnist have the privilege of being on of those children on one occasion some half a century ago. A champion of global brotherhood and peace Nehru was one of the founding father’s of the non aligned movement which stood for peaceful coexistence of the nations. His belief in principles of panchsheel was unflinching and his contribution to global geopolitics will always be remembered.
A thinker and philosopher, Nehru was a great visionary and it is only ironical that his ideals, of late, did not find due favour in the very party he led to many electoral victories. His critiques, notwithstanding, Nehru’s contribution to India was crucial. He had seen, felt and understood India and his policies were considered views based on the needs of the time. It would be an understatement to say that he laid down foundations of Modern India. An India battered by depredations of alien rulers for centuries, an India that was trying to recover from the blood and gore of partition, an India whose memories of great famines of those days were still alive.
Nehru knew what course the country needed to take to stand on its feet. He wanted the country to be self reliant. And he knew that science and technology were the means. His ideas of industrialization were prudent and his belief that the public sector would lay down the foundations of modern India was based on sound reasoning. He rightly acknowledged that PSUs were temples of modern India. A self reliant India owes a lot to the public sector. He established the IITs, IIMs, ISI and other centres of excellence which have brought laurels to the country. His economic ideas were rightly rooted in mixed economy as he knew that India did not have strong private sector then.
Those who quote growth stories of the India today forget that the foundation of this India was laid down by Nehru. But Nehru must also be known for his democratic values. A liberal to the core Nehru welcomed criticisms and would often walk that extra mile to keep critics around. A stalwart amongst politicians Nehru knew that dissent was important for democracy. He also respected those who disagreed with him. A man who was in tune with his time, Nehru must be given the credit that is his due.