Letters from a Father to His Daughter  (English, Hardcover, Nehru Jawaharlal Jawaharlal Nehru)

Letters From A Father To His Daughter contains a series of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1928, to his then 10 year old daughter, Indira.

Summary Of The Book

The 30 letters in Letters From A Father To His Daughter, were written by Nehru in the summer of 1928, when Indira was in Mussoorie, and he was in Allahabad. To make up for his absence, he wrote these letters. He wanted to make his daughter aware of her circumstances, of her environment. Nehru’s intention was to nurture Indira’s young and impressionable mind with an unprejudiced view of history, as well as the current state of affairs.

In these letters, Nehru takes up a variety of topics. He discusses natural history, the beginning of the earth, and evolution. He talks about the varied races of the world, the genetic make-up, the differences in communities, and races, how these races were formed, and why people look different.

Nehru also touches upon the topic of civilizations. He discusses the ancient civilizations, the great cities of ancient times, the origin of language and religion, the growth of mankind, and the changes in religion and its current manifestations. Nehru also elaborately discusses the history of India, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the great kings of the past and their kingdoms.

The topics of economics, trade, and travel were also tackled by Nehru. He wanted Indira to have an empathetic view towards the world, its conflicts and woes. He also touched upon topics like division of labour, problems of the peasants, and the economically deprived.

The letters show Nehru’s love for nature, for people, for history, and also show his overwhelming desire to cultivate the same in his daughter. As Indira Gandhi says in the introduction, these letters were instrumental in arousing in her an interest in people, and concern for them.

These letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter contain priceless guidance, advice and information given by a loving father to his daughter.

About Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. Nehru is not just remembered as the man who played a prominent role in India’s freedom struggle, and shaped the government of independent India, but also as a writer.

Jawaharlal Nehru has written many books which include The Discovery Of India, Autobiography: Toward Freedom, Glimpses of World History, Mahatma Gandhi, An Autobiography With Musings On Recent Events In India, and others.

Jawaharlal Nehru was born in Allahabad in 1889. He completed his education in Cambridge University, and became a lawyer. Nehru returned home in 1912, and began his career as a lawyer. Being a strong Nationalist from his youth, Nehru could not be kept away from the freedom struggle for long. His association with the Indian National Congress began in 1919, and he became its President in 1929. Nehru also drafted the Indian Declaration of Independence. Gandhi’s ardent follower, Nehru played a very significant role in India’s freedom. After the country’s independence, Nehru became its first Prime Minister. He served the country as the Prime Minister for 17 years. Jawaharlal Nehru died in office in 1964, at the age of 74.