29 Nationalism/Women/Domesticity: Select Letters of Jawaharlal Nehru & Sarojini Naidu
Anindita Das
Letters of Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), the Indian nationalist leader, who became the first Prime Minister of independent India, was born in Allahbad. His father Motilal Nehru, hailing originally from Kashmir, was a renowned lawyer. Initially, Jawaharlal Nehru received his education at home by private tutors and English governesses. Later, he went to Harrow, Cambridge and London for his further studies at the age of sixteen. He studied law in the Trinity College and in the year 1912, he returned to India to join the bar. At that time, Gandhi also returned to India as a lawyer, after fighting for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Henceforth, he got in touch with Mahatma Gandhi, the association which became a turning point in the history of India’s independence struggle. A leader of his stature, who was greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals had penned down a number of his experiences, which later apart from his personal occurrences, became valuable documents of India’s freedom struggle. All throughout his life he considered Gandhi as his guru and started following his way of living, abandoning the western style. He also took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement. He was actively associated with India’s Independence movement for about thirty five years. During that period he was imprisoned for seven times by the British rulers. Moreover, there was a dramatic growth in his political career as he was elected the president of the Congress for five times and held the post of Prime Minister till his death in the year 1964.
Nehru was a voracious reader and a prolific writer. His time spent in prison had been very productive. It was difficult for him to break the monotony of the life in prison for years. He made ample use of the inadequate amount of reading materials supplied to him in the jail. His love of history made him write the histories of the world. It was in the form of letters that he wrote the world history. The letters were addressed to his daughter Indira Gandhi. He renders a variegated description of history throughout the ages in Glimpses of World History published in the year 1934. It is a collection of hundred and ninety six letters written between October 1930 and August 1933. The other best known works of Jawaharlal Nehru include Discovery of India (1946) and A Bunch of the Old Letters and An Autobiography (1936). His dexterity in using the language is evident in all of his writings as its flow varies according to the form of expression. Thus, while describing a landscape his language becomes poetic, and in his personal letters and jail diaries it is conversational. At the time when Nehru was writing, letters were a very common mode of correspondence between the nationalist leaders. The letters of Mahatma Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu and Bal Gangadhar Tilak are the prominent ones. The letters they wrote document their thoughts and feelings as well as their activities. Though the range of Nehru’s letters differ in accordance with the people he had correspondence, there are some typical traits noticed in them. As expressed by Lady Mountbatten, with whom he had a very close association, regarding the letters he had written to her as “they are a mixture of typical Jawaharlal letters, full of interest and facts and really historic documents. Some of them have no personal remarks at all. Others are love letters in a sense….”. On the other hand, the letters Nehru wrote to his daughter were different in that sense. They demonstrate Nehru’s love for nature, people, history, and also show his immense desire to develop the same in his daughter. As Indira Gandhi notes in the introduction that these letters were instrumental in stirring in her an interest in people, and concern for them. Nehru’s own view about the letters is:
Nevertheless, the manner Nehru addresses his daughter in the letters sometimes as “my little one” or “sweetheart”, at other instance as “Indu” or “sweetheart” and also as “priyadarshini” becomes the most gripping element to sustain the interest of the reader who was a child. It made the reader feel the sense of affection as well as closeness even being away from her father.
Two letters of Jawaharlal Nehru have been selected for study in this paper, they are-‘The Early Civilisations’ included in Letters from a Father to His Daughter and ‘The Birthday Letter’ which appears in his work Glimpses of World History. The first letter was written when Indira Gandhi was about eight or nine years old. At that time she was in Mussoorie and Nehru was in Allahbad. The second one he wrote on her thirteenth birthday from Central Jail of Nainital. Both the letters exhibit Nehru’s profound knowledge of the world, as Indira Gandhi remarked while talking about her father:
Nehru held the view that knowledge can never be sufficient. He always had plenty of room in his mind to acquire more knowledge, which he expresses in the piece ‘The Birthday Letter’. Through the letters he shared his knowledge. It seems that the letters must have influenced Indira Gandhi in her formative years to provide her with the basic values and morals to become the first woman Prime Minister. It can justly be said that these letters formed the elementary foundation for Indira Gandhi to be the future leader.
In ‘The Early Civilisations’ Nehru provides an uncomplicated sketch of the different aspects of civilisations that prevailed in the earlier times, mentioning about the places, people and buildings. The letter begins as “We have said enough about patriarchs and kings for the time being. Let us now go back a little and consider the early civilisations and the kind of people who lived in those days” indicating the fact that the discussion had been already started and is carried forward. The expression “we” in the letter make the tone conversational making up with the absence of the reader. However, talking about civilisation Nehru says that though there is no particular evidence about the place where men first began to live, as stories such as the Atlantic Ocean destroying Indian civilisation is told. Similarly, in America too rich civilisation existed before Colombus discovered it. The ruins of ancient buildings found in Yukatan and Peru in America bears testimony to this fact. The genesis of the civilisations, in terms of habitation has also been discussed. He further mentions about the rivers such as the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, Ganga and Jamuna which played major roles in the establishment of the civilisations. ‘The Birthday Letter’, on the other hand, has its special significance as it was written as a birthday gift to Indira Gandhi, as reflected in the letter:
Unlike the previous letter, which deals with a particular subject, this letter encompasses a number of things. Firstly, as Nehru mentions, he wrote the letter in lieu of a regular birthday gift. For him, a gift should appeal “the mind and spirit”, possessing the ability to transcend any barrier, such as the prison from which he was writing. The letter according to Nehru though not directly intend to preach his daughter, there is always a temptation to make her sensitive about some ethical values. He then tells her about the heroic characters in history and the virtues that transformed them from ordinary men to heroes. He refers to Jeanne d’Arc in this context who was idealised by little Indira Gandhi. Nehru’s admiration for Mahatma Gandhi also finds expression in the letter. The overwhelming effect of Gandhi’s words, which could move the hearts of million is pointed out in the letter. Nehru’s sense of nationalism also becomes apparent when he talks about the necessity to honour the country. At times, he notes, when the nation was going through a turbulent phase, and it became difficult to differentiate between good and bad, he advises his daughter to adhere to the principle of truth whenever the mind would be in doubt. He thus says:
It shows how Nehru valued the ideals of Gandhiji, his message on the importance of being transparent in one’s life, to be brave enough to speak and work. The letters though written to his daughter, Nehru has reached to a wider readership due to the broader appeal they possess. Though he held the view that the letters were “….. an unfortunate mixture of elementary writing for the young and a discussion at times of the ideas of grown-ups. There are numerous repetitions. Indeed, of the faults that these letters contain there is no end”, they have their own significance. Jawaharlal Nehru never claimed to be a historian. It thus has been observed that Nehru’s letters “are personal yet objective; they are simple and yet put forth lofty ideals which are universal and relevant today”, even though they were meant only for his daughter.
Letters of Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu, a poet, nationalist and a social reformer, was born as Sarojini Chattopadhyay on 13 February, 1879 in Hyderabad to a Bengali Brahmin family. Her father Aghore Nath Chattopadhyay had a doctorate degree in Science from Edinburgh University and her mother Varada Sundari was a Bengali poet. She was the eldest of the eight children of her parents. Her poetic career began at the very tender age of eleven. As in the case of Nehru, Naidu was also educated initially at home. She topped the matriculation examination from Madras at the age of twelve, which made her known to the entire nation. Her proficiency in Urdu, Telegu, English, Bengali and Persian together with her academic brilliance enhanced her growth as an exceptional personality. She was inclined towards writing poetry. Her family, especially her father, had been very encouraging in making her pursue the dream she envisaged. In the year 1895, she left for England after receiving a scholarship from the Nizam of Hyderabad for her outstanding performance. She attended the King’s College, London and Girton College, Cambridge. In the year 1898 she returned to India and got married to Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu, a non-Brahmin and a doctor by profession, at the time when inter-caste marriage was an unthinkable affair.
To talk about her literary achievements, Sarojini Naidu was acclaimed as the national poet of India and she was called the “the Nightingale of India” by Mahatma Gandhi. The first collection of her poems The Golden Threshold was published in the year 1905. In the year 1918 another two collections The Bird of Time and The Broken Wings appeared in print. Some more of her collections are Feast of Youth, The Magic Tree, The Wizard Mark and A Treasury of Poems. Her poems are known for lyricism, symbolism and imagery. They are also marked for the element of mysticism. Though Naidu wrote in English, the native Indian fervour is very much evident in her poetry along with the depiction of folk life.
Her association with the great leaders at the time of India’s freedom struggle influenced her greatly to participate actively in the movement. Gopal Krishna Gokhale motivated her to use her poetic expertise to invigorate the spirit of independence among Indians. He was also instrumental in introducing her to the mainstream politics. She had been an ardent supporter and follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Moreover, it was under her influence that the women in India came forward to the public sphere. She advocated for women emancipation and franchise and helped to establish Women’s Indian Association (WIA) in the year 1917. A prominent woman of her time, Naidu “had an international presence as India’s unofficial cultural ambassador and spokesperson of freedom movement”. As a woman, she also had to juggle between her private and public life, endeavouring to balance her role as a wife and a mother, a nationalist leader, a literary person and a social and political activist. She also had to wrestle with her physical illness for a long time, but never gave up working for the cause of her people and country. In the year 1925 she became the first Indian woman to be the President of Indian National Congress. She was also the first Indian woman Governor of a state in India.
It was during the long years of freedom struggle that Sarojini Naidu had correspondence with many prominent personalities of India such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Tagore and others, which constitute the main body of her prose writings. She had also written letters to her family members, friends and publishers. Her letters varied in their content and manner depending on the person with whom she was corresponding. Her letters reveal the kind of relationship she shared with the people in her life. For instance, the letters she wrote to her husband, with whom she shared a very healthy relationship, contain her views and ideas which she wanted to exchange with him. Her concern for his work and health is evident from the letters. The passionate love letters she wrote to her husband at the age of sixteen, before they got married, are the most interesting ones. She had also been in constant touch via letters with her children Jaisoorya, Ranadheera Padmaja and Leilamani in course of her travel. The variety in her mode of writing can be determined from some of the letters. For instance, the fact that she revered and admired Rabindranath Tagore can be traced through her letter to him, as she writes:
The language of her letters is literary as well as poetic at times. However, the two letters of Sarojini Naidu that have been included in the paper for study are ‘Letter from Sarojini Naidu to Mahatma Gandhiji, dated August 7, 1928’ and her letter to her daughter Leilamani Naidu, which she wrote from Europe from on 4th March 1921. Both the letters have been written with different views altogether. On reading the letters it can be discerned that though they differ in their form and content, a few things remain the same. The letter addressed to Mahatma Gandhi was written from a tuberculosis sanatorium in Chittoor district. This letter is an ideal example of the multifaceted personality of Sarojini Naidu. The way she covers a lot of issues in it, such as her diverse concerns of being a mother, nationalist and a literary person illustrate her to be the symbol of a modern woman who could efficiently strike the balance between the private and the public spheres. The letter opens with the lyrical description of the nature around her, but the tone gradually changes to gloominess, as she says that the “velvet darkness…..does not always bring comfort to the suffering nor sleep…”.
She then talks about the Satyagraha movement that Gandhi started in South Africa. The letter also reveals the close relation that Naidu shared with Gandhi and her prospective visit to America as an agenda of the nationalist mission. At that time Naidu was taking care of her ailing daughter Padmaja and was sad to see her daughter suffer. It seems she had to take full care of her household duties at that particular period, as she mentions “I have become an expert in all the domestic virtues – practice makes perfect, but even more true is the proverb that opportunity makes – the Cook!.” She then brings up the issue of Hindu-Muslim unity, for which she had strived long. The letter sums up with Sarojini Naidu’s portraying herself as a woman who could play different roles at different times, as per the situation demanded, which according to her every woman should do. She thus says:
The letter mirrors the true essence of the woman, who had been and always be an inspiration to every Indian woman.
However, her letter to Leilamani manifests the motherly affection and worry for her daughter, which seems to be the chief concern of the letter. Like Nehru, Naidu also addresses her daughter as “little girl”, as she says:
It seems Naidu through the letter attempted to advise her daughter who had been going through a crucial period of her life, usually at an age when she was “too eager too exacting”, and at the same time ignorant about her own feelings and requirements. Naidu clearly mentions that her endeavour is to guide her daughter in the right direction, for which she might be misunderstood, which according her is a temporary thinking on her daughter’s part, like the phase itself. She was certain that with age and understanding her daughter would realise her mother’s protective behaviour towards her.
The time when the letter was written, Sarojini Naidu was on a holiday trip to Europe. Hence, she also mentions about her experience there to her daughter. Another key aspect of the letter needs to be mentioned here is that, Naidu, has always been compared to her predecessor Toru Dutt in terms of her writings, for the reason that they both have contributed enormously to Anglo-Indian poetry. Through their literary achievement, they defied the relegated sphere specified for women and established their identity as two very distinct women of India. Toru Dutt, within her short span of life, (as she died prematurely at the age of twenty one) recorded some of her experiences through her letters. Dutt’s collection of letters includes the ones which she had written from England to her cousins who were living in India. In one of the letters to her friend in England Dutt writes:
Dutt’s desire to be in England, a foreign land, is evident from the excerpt, as she felt free there. But she had her own reasons to think so. Toru Dutt’s family had converted to Christian, for which they were isolated from the society. In her own country and society she was an outcaste, whereas in a foreign country like England she was not subject to such treatment. She further expresses her longing to live a quiet life in a “country place”, which would suit her literary sensibility. In contrast, Naidu had a different view altogether of being in a foreign land, away from her children. It is thus expressed in the letter to her daughter Leilamani as:
Naidu’s feelings and experience of her country were different and she always carried the strong sense of patriotism at the back of her mind, no matter where she was. Moreover, she liked to be with the people, to be one of them, to work for them. She insists her daughter to imbibe that sense of responsibility in her when she says:
She particularly mentions the phrase “Indian womanhood” which she thought was different from others, and believed that it entailed lot more responsibility to be an Indian woman. She sought to move ahead with the task of liberating Indian women without giving an opportunity to be criticised by those “wretched slave-minds” who did not want it to happen.
The letters of Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarojini Naidu exhibit some common sensibilities. Firstly, they both were responsible parents, who performed their parental duties in the midst of the great nationalist mission they were involved in. Secondly, they wanted to cultivate in their children the values and ideals which they obtained from their experience. Furthermore, it is their strong will power and determination, as explicit through their letters, which made them sustain and grow irrespective of all the adversities they came across.
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Reference
- Mehrotra, R.R., Agarwal, A.K., Ganguly, S. Nehru: Man Among Men, New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1990
- Naravane, Vishwanath. S., Sarojini Naidu: Her Life, Work and Poetry, New Delhi: Orient Longman Limited, 1980
- Nehru, Jawahar, Letters from a Father to His Daughter, New Delhi: Puffin Books, 2004
- Paranjape, Makarand. P., Sarojini Naidu: Selected Letters, 1890s to 1940s, The University of Michigan Kali for Women, 1996
- http://historydepartmentphilos.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/6/1/26612531/jawaharlal_nehru_gli mpses_of_world_history.pdf
- http://www.mkgandhi.org/Selected%20Letters/Sarojini/letter40.htm
- http://www.rediff.com/freedom/19let1.htm