Greatly admire Nehru's outlook but cannot support all his beliefs and policies, says Shashi Tharoor

The Life, Lessons & Legacy of Sree Narayana Guru," stating that the book was written with the deliberate aim of taking the Guru's legacy beyond South India. He said his understanding of the depth of reverence for Sree Narayana Guru grew after he became a Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that while he regards India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as the founder of Indian democracy, his admiration is not without criticism, asserting that acknowledging Nehru's mistakes is necessary, but blaming him alone for all of India's problems is unjustified. Speaking at the fourth edition of the Kerala Legislative Assembly International Book Festival (KLIBF), Tharoor spoke on the BJP government's treatment of Nehru's legacy.

"I am a fan of Jawaharlal Nehru, but not an uncritical fan. I greatly admire his mind and outlook, and I have deep respect for him, though I cannot support all his beliefs and policies 100%. Many of the things he did deserve the highest appreciation. Most importantly, it was Nehru who firmly established democracy in India... I would not say that they (the Modi government) are anti-democratic, but they are certainly anti-Nehru. Nehru has been turned into a convenient scapegoat," he said. While recalling the 1962 India-China war, Tharoor said, "In some cases, their (Modi Government) criticism may have a basis, for instance, the 1962 defeat against China can partly be attributed to some of Nehru's decisions."

Shifting focus on the BJP, Tharoor said, "But what they do now is blame Nehru for everything, regardless of the issue." Reflecting on his personal journey as a writer, Tharoor said his love for reading began in childhood because of asthma, when there was no television or mobile phones, making books his only companions.

His first novel was also written at a very young age, though it was later lost due to ink spillage. The biography of Sree Narayana Guru is his 28th book. Tharoor observed that while reading habits are declining in many parts of the world, Kerala continues to remain ahead in reading culture. He said he wrote "The Great Indian Novel" in 1989 as a satirical work because that genre was largely absent in India at the time.

Addressing the younger generation, Tharoor said short books with fewer pages may be more effective for readers who struggle to find time to read today. He also reminisced about his college days at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, recalling that he once acted as Antony while noted filmmaker Mira Nair played Cleopatra in a stage production. During the session, Dr. Tharoor also recited lines from his earlier poem "How to Sleep at Night." (ANI)

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