Sovereignty, democracy, secularism, pro-poor orientation and modern scientific outlook, core values of the India’s Independence Movement have in short been described as ‘the Idea of India’. Jawaharlal Nehru not only fought for these values during the freedom struggle but also played a pivotal role to implement them in the newborn nation after independence. His life, philosophy and works throw light on his vision for India: its civilizational past, roadmap for the post-independent nation and possibilities for a future.

With its focus on Nehru’s understanding of history and of India’s cultural past, the book opens a window to his deep understanding of communalism and commitment to secularism. His absolute faith in a democratic society and invaluable contribution to its nurturing in Indian soil, his efforts in building an independent and egalitarian economy, and a society suffused with scientific temper, provides us multiple insights into the life and work of one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century.

Six decades after his demise, do Nehru’s principles which reflected the values of India’s independence movement still hold water? Candid, argumentative and thought-provoking, Nehru’s India is a brilliant work on the man who made sincere efforts to discover, champion and defend the idea of India.