Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny

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 !

I believe Prof. Stanley A. Wolpert has done intensive research on his book and has the concept of "free speech" in mind. Nehru an over-rated person has been defined truely in this book. This book is for the people who are free in their minds and for the people who can appriciate truth. I would recomend this book to all Indians who love their country in a true manner.

With his biography of Nehru, Stanley Wolpert has completed a trilogy of works on three of the key architects of Modern South Asian history (with Zulfikar Bhutto and Jinnah). Wolpert's insight, aided by his impressive access to research materials and interviews with supporting cast, provides a comprehensive view of India's first leader, and gives a keen, objective account of his life. It is refreshing to see an accurate, unbiased reporting, instead of the overly romanticized and effusive distortion espoused by Attenborough in his movie, Gandhi. Upon reading Wolpert's biographies of Nehru, Bhutto and Jinnah, one will be left with the conclusion that Jinnah was a man to be respected and admired; Bhutto was a man whom one could admire but not respect; and Nehru was a man whom one could neither respect nor admire. The book shows Nehru to be a duplicitous charlatan who hid behind the guise of his pompous upbringing and education, and was more concerned with the sexual conquest of the wives of powerful men than with the concerns of his countrymen. These three biographies should be required reading for anyone interested in South Asian history and politics, particularly in light of the recent developments of India's and Pakistan's nuclear programs. One may better understand the genesis of the underlying hostility between these two nations through an examination of those who helped shape things.

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.