The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep
The above lines from a poem by Robert Frost were written and prominently displayed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, at his bedside, a few months before his final sleep, 52 years ago, this day, on May 27, 1964. This article recapitulates the last days of the “Architect of Modern India”.
The year 1964, Nehru’s last, began with a Congress session at Bhubaneswar where the AICC passed a resolution on “democratic socialism” modifying the “socialist pattern of society” passed in Avadi a decade earlier. The overworked Prime Minister developed high blood pressure and was flown back to Delhi. On January 11, he decided that his additional portfolios would be dealt temporarily by his Cabinet colleagues Gulzari Lal Nanda and T.T. Krishnamachari. On January 19, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev invited him to the Soviet Union for rest, which was politely declined. On January 21, Congress president Kamaraj discussed Cabinet changes and party affairs with Nehru. As a consequence, Lal Bahadur Shastri was called back to the Cabinet on January 22 as minister without a portfolio.
Republic Day saw people all along Rajpath greeting Chacha Nehru with thunderous cheers. The month of February was routine and relaxing followed by Holi celebrations at Teen Murti House. In early April, Sheikh Abdullah was released from jail and invited to Delhi for talks with the Prime Minister. The news of Abdullah’s talks with Nehru dominated the news headlines. On May 8, Nehru declared that there was no harm if Sheikh Abdullah visited Pakistan. But no decision will be taken without reference to Parliament. He said that a Kashmir solution would not be at the cost of principles. Meanwhile, Sheikh Abdullah declared that Jawaharlal alone could solve all issues. In a TV interview to the American media, on May 18, Nehru stated that a “no-war pact” with Pakistan will improve relations with the two countries.
At a press conference, on May 20, he stressed the need for easy access of people from one country to another. To a question “After Nehru Who ” repeatedly raised in the last few years, Nehru said, “My lifetime is not ending soon.” The over 200 correspondents at the packed press conference hall loudly cheered the remark, breaking a convention. On May 23, Nehru left for Dehradun for a holiday. The same day Sheikh Abdullah left for Pakistan to find a solution to the Kashmir problem based on his talks with Nehru.
On May 26, after a three-day rest accompanied by daughter Indira Gandhi, Nehru flew back to Delhi. At the airport, he was received by Shastri. He worked till midnight and the morning papers of May 27 reported that Nehru had recovered. But that was not to be. On the morning of May 27, he felt uneasy and too ill to get up. The news of illness spread like wildfire but there was hope that he might recover. People passionately prayed for his speedy recovery. Unfortunately for India, and the world, he did not. The world felt bereaved and many world leaders joined millions of Indians in his funeral procession.
Tributes poured in from all over the world. The American President, Lyndon B. Johnson, said: “History has already recorded his monumental contribution to the moulding of a strong and Independent India. And yet, it is not just as a leader of India that he has served humanity. Perhaps more than any other world leader, he has given expression to man’s yearning for peace As it was for Gandhi, peace was the ideal of Jawaharlal Nehru.” Soviet supremo Khrushchev said: “the triumph of the great ideals of humanism, of social progress and peace to the service of which Jawaharlal Nehru had devoted his entire outstanding life, will be the best memory of him.”
The co-founder of the Nonaligned Movement with Nehru, President Nasser of Egypt, said: “a great leader, distinguished thinker and politician who devoted himself to the last minute of his life to be a torch granting light to India, Asia and the whole humanity. Nehru was a leader far beyond the frontiers of countries and limits of continents.” President of Ceylon Sirimavo Bandaranaike said, “the world has lost one of its greatest statesmen and the whole of Asia grieves the loss of its foremost leader dedicated to the cause of peace.” Chester Bowles, the US ambassador wrote: “One of Nehru’s greatest achievements was the creation of a secular state in which 45 million Muslims, who chose not to go to Pakistan, may live peacefully and worship as they please.”
Nehru’s monumental contribution to the nation was, however, best summed up by then President Dr S Radhakrishnan: “Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the greatest figures of our generation, an outstanding statesman whose service to the cause of human freedom are unforgettable. As a fighter for freedom he was illustrious, as a maker of modern India his services were unparalleled. His life and work have had profound influence on our mental make-up, social structure and intellectual development His courage, wisdom and personality have held this country together One who has given all his life and energy to the freeing of men’s minds from political bondage, economic slavery, social oppression and cultural stagnation.”
But the best tribute in Parliament was paid by the 40-year-old Atal Behari Vajpayee: “A dream has remained half-fulfilled, a song has become silent, and a flame has vanished into the unknown. The dream was of a world free of fear and hunger, the song a great epic resonant with the spirit of the Gita and as fragrant as a rose; the flame a candle which burnt all night long, showing us the way... Nehru was the orchestrator of the impossible and inconceivable, one who was not afraid of compromise but would never compromise under duress The sun has set, yet by the shadow of the stars we must find our way.”
The writer, an ex-Army officer, is the member of the National Commission for Minorities. The views expressed are personal.
