After a long innings, and just before stepping down, the President of India looks back to look ahead at the challenges that can disrupt a democracy’s dialogues.
MY FIRST EXPOSURE TO POLITICS was at home. My father, the late Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee, joined the Indian National Congress in response to the call of Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. A staunch nationalist, he was arrested several times by the British government during the freedom struggle. After Independence, he served as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Council for two terms.
I have many childhood memories of local Congress leaders frequently visiting our modest house. Quite often, when the discussions extended through the day, my mother would prepare a frugal meal for them. It is hence not surprising that when I entered college, the study of politics and modern Indian history captivated me. I became involved with student politics. Through all of this, and till date, Jawaharlal Nehru was a dominant influence on me.
A NEHRUVIAN INDIAN
Nehru was a politician, statesman, institution-builder and a nationalist committed to the plurality that makes India exceptional. In his thinking, only a democratic structure, which gave space to various cultural, political and socio-economic voices, could hold India together. Nehru also strongly discouraged all forms of hero worship. As early as November 1937, he had penned an article titled ‘Rashtrapati’ under a pseudonym, Chanakya, in the Modern Review of Calcutta, edited by Ramananda Chattopadhyay, accusing himself of having all the makings of a dictator, and concluded: “We want no Caesars.”
OF HUMAN BONDAGE
This story is from the April 03, 2017 edition of India Today.
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This story is from the April 03, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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