An artist with pen

It is almost a rule that we remember individuals for their achievements in their respective fields of popular repute. While doing so we tend to ignore or overlook other accomplishments where they truly displayed merit. How many of us really know that Subhas Chandra Bose, apart from being the patriot of patriots, was also the pioneer of the concept of planning in India. Similarly, we are not so keen to appraise that Gandhiji used to edit as many as six newspapers. This is to an extent applicable when we make an assessment of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru whose name we all memorize as the first Prime Minister of India. Pandit Nehru, along with his achievements as a freedom fighter and as a political leader, was also gifted with the art of expression. He was a devoted writer who could easily combine his intellect with meticulous choice of words. Such was his command over the language that even when he wrote things like chronicles or historical commentaries, the readers experienced a kind of ease and refreshment: it was never drab narration of facts. Pandit Nehru had the opportunity of looking into the diversities of life. He was also well versed in various subjects. Combining his self-acquired knowledge and legacy of learning, Pandit Nehru could churn out thoughts which were not so pedagogical and yet they carried profound sense of understanding. Even with his schedule of activities which, on many occasions, sent him behind the bars, Nehru was never tired of writing. Ironically, some of his best works evolved during his tenure of imprisonment — like 'Letters from a Father to His Daughter' (1929), 'An Autobiography' (1936) and 'The Discovery of India' (1946). All these books have been read around the world.

"I am not a man of letters" wrote Jawaharlal Nehru in one of his missives from jail to his daughter Indira, but of course he was. Nehru changed the course of Indo-Anglican prose; his literary works intertwine literature, history and science all together. All through his life Nehru did not spare any opportunity of writing. His words took the form of drafts and resolutions for the Congress Party. He was exposed to writing essays on contemporary issues for newspapers and journals. Nehru was equally active in penning letters addressed to his friends and colleagues. As the Prime Minister of India, Nehru had the habit of writing long letters to the chief ministers every fortnight. It is clear that despite the responsibilities he had to shoulder, words were always favourite to Nehru for delineating a sense about the conundrums of life and politics. Nehru was a man of letters as readers of 'Glimpses of World History' or 'Discovery of India' would gladly say. We can read Nehru not just for the ideas that his writings present, or not just for the sense of social philosophy that his words evoke, but for the grace and rhythm with which he delivers his language. Nehru was among a handful of Indian writers who, like Tagore and Gandhi, could write the Queen's language without the colonial taboo.

It is a saying that "English made the empire''. It may be true but individuals like Pandit Nehru exhibited the art of using English language as a form of protest and criticism. No wonder only Nehru could have said about the Government of India Act 1935 that it is a machine "with all brakes, no engine''. His condemnation of the Act is even more articulate when he describes it as a "Charter of Slavery''. Such use of antithesis not only pronounces the poignancy of rejection, it also reveals appropriate usage of words. Nehru advocated freedom of press; he considered fearlessness to be mandatory for members of the press. Yet his writings bore a kind of sublimity coupled with penetrative discourse. There is no point of overt excitement in Nehruvian articles. Deep words of protest sound with dulcet manifestations of the English language.

Pandit Nehru was pragmatic enough to understand the utility of communication in English though English happened to be the language of the colonial masters. Like many contemporary Indian leaders, Pandit Nehru accommodated English in his conversation. He strongly believed that in order to reach the world, the importance of the English language was immense. Even if one wants to glorify the heritage of India, to the outside world, English would be utterly needed. This is exactly what Nehru has done in 'Discovery of India'. There is no doubt that the work itself has unveiled India not only before the West but also before many Indians. In 'Letters from a Father to His Daughter', the way Nehru's explanation of our epics is not only beneficial to children but it is also beneficial to anyone who is willing to know about our epics in a succinct form. Nehru wrote in various forms — autobiography, letters, historical study, journaling and others. While doing so he strengthened these genres in Indo-Anglian writing. He proved before the world how Indians can frame different pieces of writing. At the same time, Nehru's works provided a model to contemporary writers and even to those who came afterwards. Today when the entire world prefers lucid writing, we will have to acknowledge that Nehru achieved it much early. He was way ahead of his time in his literary technique that relied on words pleasing to the ear as well as to the mind. In his works like 'Glimpses of World History' Nehru maintained a kind of objectivity of treatment, which is a point of learning even for modern chroniclers.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a democrat who loved freedom. His writings bear that stamp of free-flowing mind. His prose hovers on the poetic border. Personally, Pandit Nehru was a great admirer of Robert Frost and it is heard that he often used to quote the concluding lines of 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'. His prose took us miles away from the dreariness of mundane exercise, combining memories of the past and fancies of the future. Nehru was a rationalist in his writings. He featured topics which would draw the attention of the readers. His works can be defined as a delightful cup of intellectual champagne. They inform us, they guide us and they delight us. Nehru is modern in his literary approach although there are touches of romantic temperament in his works. Nehru had a natural metaphoric cast of minds that finds apt portrayal in his writings. His use of images conveys ideas so clinically that the readers easily co-relate words with ideas — who can forget his historic 'Tryst with Destiny' speech where he says India shall wake to life and freedom. There may not be any better speech declaring the birth of a nation attaining independence. Pandit Nehru remains a writer who can safely claim to be our contemporary.

The writer is an educator from Kolkata. Views expressed are personal