Remembering 'Chacha' Nehru: 6 must-read books on and by India's first PM

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, popularly known as 'Chacha' Nehru, was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. A well-regarded author, his books written in prison, such as 'Letters from a Father to His Daughter' (1929), 'An Autobiography' (1936), and 'The Discovery of India' (1946), have been read around the world. On 26 January 1950, when India became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, Nehru became the Republic of India's first prime minister. His premiership spanning 16 years, 286 days – which is, to date, the longest in India – ended with his death on 27 May 1964 due to a heart attack. Remembering Nehru today, here are 6 books on and by him you must read.

This is Nehru's autobiographical work which he penned down between the years 1934 and 1935 while he was in prison. In this book, he explores his ideologies and the events in his life that led him to the situation he was positioned in when he wrote this book. The book also paints a vivid picture of the pre-independence era in India, where the air of dissension was at an all-time high. It depicts the political realization of an upcoming giant of a nation and the battle for its freedom.

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It is a collection of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter Indira Nehru, originally published in 1929 by Allahabad Law Journal Press at Nehru's request and consisting of only the 30 letters sent in the summer of 1928 when Indira was 10 years old. The letters were educational pieces on the subjects of natural and human history.

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This biography of Nehru is also a political history of India over the forty years of Nehru's involvement in the freedom movement and the politics of the formative years of Indian nationhood. It traces Nehru's political and psychological development, exploring the complexities of his character. Brecher assesses Nehru as a leader and also his place in history.

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This short biography examines a great figure of twentieth-century nationalism from the vantage point of the beginning of the twenty-first. Deftly weaving personal facets with historical events, it tells the fascinating story of Jawaharlal Nehru-aristocrat, socialist, anti-imperialist, the foremost disciple of Gandhi, diehard secularist, and India's first prime minister, who sought to educate the Indian masses in democracy by his example.

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It is written by M.O. Mathai about his experiences while working as the private secretary to India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. There are 49 chapters, some on Nehru's work and personal life and some on the people that Mathai met while working with Nehru. Furthermore, Mathai writes about Nehru's style, Krishna Menon's habits, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit's extravagance, Feroze Gandhi's ambitions, and Mountbatten's weakness for titles and honors.

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Written by Nehru during his incarceration in 1942–1945 at Ahmednagar fort in the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra by British colonial authorities before the independence of India, this book is a broad view of Indian history, culture, and philosophy. The book starts from ancient history, moved to Vedas, Upanishads, and textbooks on ancient times, and ends during the British raj.

Pic credit: Penguin