The enduring relevance of Nehru’s legacy

Context: Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru on the advent of his 132nd birthday.

Contributions of Nehru in Independent India

• Instilled the habits of democracy in people: He spent a lifetime immersed in the democratic values that Ambedkar had codified.
• Life of disdain for dictators, respect for parliamentary procedures, abiding faith in constitutional system.  
• Defined the face of India:  Incorruptible, visionary, ecumenical, a politician above politics. 
• Nation building – Four principal pillars: 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 Indianness.
• Exemplify checks and balances: Subjected himself and his government to cross-examination in Parliament by the small, fractious but undoubtedly talented Opposition, allowing them an importance out of all proportion to their numerical strength.
• Took care not to interfere with the judicial system.
• Daily darshan: Started the practice of offering a ‘daily darshan’ at home for an hour each morning to anyone coming in off the street without an appointment.
• He was astonishingly accessible for a person in his position. 

Conclusion: It was Nehru who instilled democratic habits in our country. His respect for Parliament, his regard for independence of the judiciary, his courtesy to those of different political convictions, his commitment to free elections, and his deference to institutions over individuals, all left us a precious legacy of freedom. 

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