Be brave,and all the rest follows

Be brave, and all the rest follows!

Jawaharlal Nehru, in a letter to his daughter Indira, from the Naini Central Prison, written on her thirteenth birthday, October 26, 1930 (according to the Samvat era) gave her this advice: “One little test I shall ask you to apply whenever you are in doubt... Never do anything in secret or anything that you would wish to hide. For the desire to hide anything means that you are afraid, and fear is bad thing and unworthy of you. Be brave, and all the rest follows. If you are brave you will not fear and will not do anything of which you are ashamed. You know that in our great Freedom Movement under Bapuji’s leadership, there is no room for secrecy or hiding.  We have nothing to hide.  We are not afraid of what we do and what we say…And if you do so,my dear,you will grow up a child of the light, unafraid and serene and unruffled, whatever may happen…. May you grow up into a brave soldier in India’s service." 

Prophetic words, indeed! Nehru’s daughter, a frail woman, the political rivals calling her goongi gudia, went on to become the 'Iron Lady' of India, displaying exceptional courage, as the future Prime Minister, and taking many a bold historical decisions, unparalleled in independent India, that had great national and intentional impact, and the opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee describing her Goddess Durga, when she liberated Bangladesh, dismantling Pakistan in a decisive war, December 1971.

This letter has been a source of inspiration to me, ever since I had the opportunity to read it more than fifty years ago, after arrival in the city of dreams Bombay; instantly his advice ‘Be brave…’reverberating in my mind whenever I was in low spirit or faced any adverse situation. These letters to Indira- nearly 200- written from the prison between October 26, 1930 and August 9, 1933- published as Glimpses of World History- are a fascinating account of history. The Glimpses remains the best introduction to the story of man for young and growing people in India and all over the world.

It is a mystery to unravel the human nature. Why do people wish to hide things? Is it the fear of coming face to face with reality? People think that a wrong can be made right and a black converted into white by using foul means and doing hera pheri. That is a misconception. Money, power and intimidation may succeed in suppressing truth and achieving one’s objective temporarily. However, what people fail to understand is the power of truth and the courage of conviction that come from character and inner strength.

A true liberation of mind is freedom from fear.  Fear is imaginary and makes people insecure and paralysed. Out of fear that something unforeseen and unpleasant thing might happen, people hide the reality, fearing facing the truth. Why invite trouble, when it is easier to stay in a comfort zone and escape into a mythical world of make believe, by practicing self-deception and remaining a coward! However, avoiding pain doesn’t ensure peace of mind and happiness. That peace and happiness mean avoiding difficult situations and playing safe is a fallacy.  It is in meeting challenges and adversities with fortitude that our creativity is at its best.  It is only when we learn to overcome adversity with faith, self-belief and perseverance that we emerge strong.

Fearless people achieve success and realize their goal because they are mentally tough. To be fearless, one must have a clear conscience, guts and gumption to accept the things as they are, and the moral principles to do what is right, and not compromising with evil. The best way to counter wickedness is to operate from a high moral pedestal and invoke the power of moral force that Gandhiji did so effectively, more often, bringing the greatest empire on the earth to its knees. The clash between right and wrong, dharm and adharm, is as old as civilisation. 

Nehru wanted his people to” work as crusaders... fight for what they think is right and not submit humbly to wrong.”  At a public meeting in Tiruchchirappalli, December 9, 1957, he exhorted the people: “When a people or a country loses the spirit of daring and adventure then it goes back. It becomes weak…that is what happened to India, which in its earlier days had shown this tremendous spirit of life, which explored the earth and explored the heavens with the daring of its heart… we have survived great dangers and met great challenges. We met the challenge of the British Empire and won. And we met the great challenge which came to us after the independence of India, when the partition came… ” and warned, “do not think that freedom once won has come to stay. A little negligence or carelessness can imperil our freedom. It has happened many times in our history.”

And speaking at the immersion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes, at the Sangam, Allahabad, February 12, 1948, he reminded his fellow citizens:”Our country gave birth to a mighty soul and he shone like a beacon not only for India but for the whole world…Now that voice is silenced...that voice is the voice of truth, and though truth may occasionally be suppressed it can never be put down…”