Q. What do critics of Pandit Nehru have to say about the book?
A. The critics say that Pandit Nehru went wrong in his policy towards China and Kashmir.  I have examined these controversies in my book. Nehru was a seasoned politician and not a naïve man and he had his own reasons for the policies that he pursued. To one gentleman who was criticizing Pandit Nehru, I posed three simple questions:

1. Would you say that Pandit Nehru possessed at least as much intelligence as you and I posses?
2. Would you say that Pandit Nehru cared about India or was he indifferent to the country and its welfare?
3. Pandit Nehru was in Indian politics for almost 5 decades. Can anyone with that much of political experience fail to have grasp over political realities?

The gentleman had no answers to my queries.

In my experience, people have a tendency to make their prejudices interfere with assessment of situations. They make judgments quickly without spending enough time on analyzing the circumstances in which he had to take those decisions. I have attempted to take into account the difficulties Panditji faced when he took certain decisions and have tried to understand the reasons behind the policies he adopted in solving delicate problems pertaining to India. One needs to transplant oneself mentally to the period in which those decisions were taken.

Q. What in your opinion were the most admirable traits of Pandit Nehru?
A. Pandit Nehru had great physical and moral courage. Once, in 1947  when he came to know that some unsocial elements were proposing to attack the Jamia Millia Islamia university, he rode in a taxi unescorted by security personnel through riot-ridden areas and told the then Vice-Chancellor of the university -Dr.  Zakir Hussain “I wanted to make sure you are safe. I will spend the night with you – let me see who attacks the University.” To give an instance of moral courage, Panditji never blindly copied Gandhiji in spite of  being named as his political successor by the Mahatma himself. He dressed in a manner that he liked and had the courage to openly disagree with some of Gandhiji’s views.
Pandit Nehru was also extremely sensitive to the political situations of countries outside of India. When a civil war was taking place in Spain in 1937 it affected him deeply. He once called the editor of the Bombay Chronicle, at 2AM to inquire about the latest situation in Spain. When the reply was “Panditji, the democrats seem to be winning”, he replied “Thank GOD!  I can sleep now.” He wrote in his autobiography “The Spanish tragedy has come to me as a personal sorrow” when the democrats in Spain were defeated in the political struggle. An Urdu couplet comes to my mind when I think of his sensitivity  “Khanjar chaley kisi pe, tadapte hain hum Ameer, Saare jahaan ka dard humaarey jigar mein hai”.

Q. Would you say that the ability to write is a natural gift? In the making of an author how much is nature and how much is nurture?
A. Some people come into the world with a natural flair for things – take language for instance. They learn languages more quickly than others. Since my schooldays I had a great desire to choose appropriate words to convey my ideas. I participated in debates when 3 to 5 minutes were given to present one’s ideas. I spent a lot of  time on choosing the relevant points and tried to present them with utmost clarity so that I may carry conviction with the listeners. That being said, a lot of hard work must go into developing the natural talent. The English poet Thomas Gray wrote his poem ‘Elegy written in a church courtyard’ 75 times and was satisfied with only the 75th version. Each of those specimens has been preserved and displayed in the British Museum library. 

Q.  You are a reputed speaker, could you tell us about some orators who influenced you?
A. The Head of the department of Political Science, Osmania University,  Prof. P. V Rajagopal was a brilliant orator. His command on the English language was incredible and his presentation left little to be desired. His style suited both small as well as large gatherings. The great statesman Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan had a style that suited large gatherings and important occasions. Sir C.P Ramaswamy Iyer was another great orator. Pandit Nehru had a captivating style as well. He knew the right thing to say and spoke from his heart. For instance, in June 1948, during the farewell function of  Lord Mountbatten, Nehru touched the hearts of the listeners by saying something which he alone could have said. Referring to the earlier eight months which were full of turmoil, Nehru said  “In fact, I wonder as to why the people of India put up with my government after all that has happened in the country during the last eight months. I am not sure that  I would have put up with my government.  We are small people and we were faced with gigantic problems and all that I can say with great humility is that we tried to meet those challenges to the best of our capacity”.   He captured the mood of the people and spoke words that were very appropriate for the occasion. There was a time when people told me that my oration reminded them of Pandit Nehru’s style of speaking. With considerable effort I changed my style as each person has to choose a style that suits his personality. 

Q. How do you feel now that the book has been published? What is your newest project?
A. I feel very happy. I have been a lifelong student of Nehru and Gandhi. I have written about leaders such as Lokmanya Tilak, Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and others and while doing so, I have tried my utmost to put their ideas and policies in perspective. Presently, I am working on a book in Marathi about leading Urdu poets as I feel that Marathi speaking people are very keen to understand the nuances of Urdu poetry.

 
Q. Why not publish the book in English for the benefit of a wider audience?
A. I will certainly give that a serious thought.