Pages: 226

Format: Paperback

[Nehru] is a book for today, not heavy and cumbersome, but sharp and witty, and relevant not just to India, but to other countries as well Biblio This short, beautifully written biography examines a great figure of twentieth-century nationalism from the vantage point of the beginning of the twenty-first. Deftly weaving personal facets with historical events, it tells the fascinating story of Jawaharlal Nehruaristocrat, socialist, anti-imperialist, foremost disciple of Gandhi, with whom he didnt always see eye to eye, die-hard secularist and prime minister who sought to educate the Indian masses in democracy by his own personal example. Shashi Tharoor also analyses the principal pillars of Nehrus legacy to India: democratic institution building, staunch pan-Indian secularism, socialist economics at home and a foreign policy of non-alignment, all of which were integral to a vision of Indianess that is fundamentally contested today. Praise for the Book Exceedingly well-informed, passionately conceived and elegantly written Outlook It is a must read to understand the fact that with the passage of Nehrus time the countrys intellect has narrowed tremendously Telegraph Sparkling, anecdotal and not necessarily controversial, [Nehru] is inventive in its own delightful way, low-keyed, unpretentious but highly readable Free Press Journal Shashi Tharoor is full of verve and flashing insight. [Nehru] is a short, accessible, intelligent and lively book The Washington Post