Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny (Hardcover)

~ Stanley Wolpert (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India and the founder of a political dynasty realized by his daughter Indira Ghandi and her sons, was a statesman of immense depth, courage, and charisma. His semi-autobiographical account of his country's history, The Discovery of India, is astonishingly learned, drawing from Socrates, Nietzsche, Yeats, and the Bhagavad Gita with equal ease. Wolpert, who teaches Indian history at UCLA, met Nehru in the 1950s. As he assesses the legacy of a life devoted to Indian independence and socialism, his biography tries to show both the stature and the foibles of his subject. He also details Nehru's personal life, including the early death of his wife and his long affair with Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of the last British viceroy of India.

From Publishers Weekly

Jawaharlal Nehru was a Kashmiri Brahmin who felt more at home in London than in India, a modern secular man who consented to an arranged marriage with full Hindu rites. UCLA historian Wolpert relies heavily on published materials to paint this warts-and-all portrait of India's brilliant and charismatic first prime minister. Wolpert (Jinnah of Pakistan; Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan) never got at the golden fleece of Nehru biographers?the love letters between Nehru and Lady Edwina Mountbatten, and other private papers "still locked away by foolish heirs and self-appointed guardians." Still, he convincingly goes beneath Nehru's exalted image to reveal some pesky demons. Nehru's power struggles with his father, his differences with Mohandas Gandhi and his close, enduring ties to his daughter and political heir, Indira, are well delineated. Treatment of the Edwina Mountbatten liaison, however, tantalizes rather than satisfies, and we're left wondering about the apparent collusion of her husband, Louis "Dickie" Mountbatten. The book is strongest on the time period 1918 through 1947, when Nehru's frequent imprisonment for political activities gave him ample time to assemble his written legacy to the world. Wolpert's chapters on the post-independence era are skimpier. He highlights Nehru's foreign and domestic policy failures and suggests that India's George Washington, through egotism, stubbornness and emotional blindness, made some tragic mistakes for which his country paid dearly. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 568 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195100735
• ISBN-13: 978-0195100730
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #732,769 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny, February 13, 2001

By	Christine Saalbach (San Antonio TX) - See all my reviews

I admit that I knew precious little about India prior to reading this book, and even less about Nehru. Author Stanley Wolpert, UCLA professor of Indian history, presents well-researched information. Wolpert was given access to private files and letters that make his text gleam with insightful tidbits of Nehru's life. There is no doubt that Nehru's influence on India was profound during his life and since his death in 1964.

I began to think of Nehru as a "rascal" and this label for him continued to cross my mind as I read further. Although Nehru studied law at Cambridge, he had little interest in it. What did interest him was wandering around Europe, sitting in hot tubs at Harrogate's hydro, and acting, dressed as a seductive woman, in Victorian tableaux. Whenever he needed money to pursue his dalliances, he would ask his father for more. If Motilal would refuse, he would ask his mother to intercede.

Meanwhile, world events began to change India's attitude toward British colonialism. During World War I, over one million Indian troops fought for the British Empire, with over 100,000 killed. Not ones to show their gratitude, the British passed the Black Acts in 1915 that suspended Indian civil liberty and judicial due process. Nehru traveled through India with Gandhi to speak about Indian independence. Of the masses who greeted Gandhi, Nehru said that they were "dull...and uninteresting individually," but "produced a feeling of overwhelming pity and a sense of ever-impending tragedy."

By the late 1920's, Nehru was heavily entangled in Indian politics. Although he signed the Delhi manifesto, a compromise that gave India dominion status rather than full independence, he felt guilty about going against his inner voice. His fervent speeches about Indian independence led to years of incarceration. While in court in 1934 charged with sedition, Nehru stated his desire to "achieve the independence of India and to put an end to foreign domination." His approach to Indian independence became even more radical, moving further away from Gandhi's peaceful resistance. In public, however, Nehru did not admit his swing away from Gandhi's passivity. He recognized Gandhi's popularity as a guru. Gandhi, in turn, recognized Nehru's political support.

If ever a movie is made about Nehru, I am certain that the bulk of the story will be on his liaisons with Edwina, Claire Boothe Luce and others. Fortunately, author Stanley Wolpert does not dwell on this portion of Nehru's life in his book, but rather concentrates on Nehru's obvious impact upon India's government. Of course, a movie about Nehru's many years of incarceration would be quite boring. I found many parts of this book difficult to follow because Wolpert jumps around in time faster than a Quentin Tarantino movie. The absolute worst omission from the book is that there is no map of India or of south Asia. I am not the sort who carries a world map in my head, so when a book like this is chock-a-block full of references to geographical features and political strife, why is there is no map to which to refer? Other than this serious lack, the book is a thoughtful and well-researched focus on a great world leader.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book about a fascinating man, March 18, 2009

By	U. Lakhani "Usman Lakhani" (North York Ontario) - See all my reviews

Jawahar Lal Nehru was undoubtably one of the most influential political figures in the history of India. His life, his habits, his passions, his beliefs all showed him to be a man who was obsessed in getting what he wanted.

About the book:
Fabolous, marvellous, well researched, insightful and beautifully written. A must read for any one who wishes to understand the history of the Indo Pak region. Stanley Wolpert has written a very honest account and has presented Nehru's good and bad sides without adding or taking away anything.

About the man:
Nehrus personality had the charm and attraction that pulled people to follow his words. He was the angry young man of India who wanted to 'do or die' but get the british out of India. His vigour and energy , as portrayed in the book, was exemplary.

He was a mans man - brave, intelligent, determined and having an eye for beauty [both natural and feminine] and was not shy in going after what he believed to be right and just. Like all human beings, he was not perfect and made oversights due to his ego and bias but he did change the course of history. He was no less then Che Guevera or Martin Luther King in leading 'his' people to freedom. An iconic man with an overwhelming personality !

This is a book which needs to be read with patience !

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical account, November 11, 1997

By A Customer

I laud Stanley Wolpert's scholarship in giving a detailed account of free India's first prime minister. All too often, historical accounts about Nehru have reflected on his intellect and idealism-shaped policies. However, Wolpert's work gives a balanced view that describes Nehru's failings as well. In the end, Wolpert argues, Nehru was not the most suitable person to lead a young democracy struggling to balance its often-competing priorities in an increasingly polar, post-war world.