Nehruvian roads sans barricades
THE oath-taking ceremony of the new Haryana Chief Minister and his Cabinet, held in Panchkula last week, was lavish despite those in power claiming to be frugal. It saw the masses being subjected to great inconvenience. Roads leading to the venue were barricaded, with commuters forced to take long detours at peak office hours. Many travelling by cars were searched, causing them harassment. A huge contingent of cops, armed with guns and dandas, was deployed; they were stationed every few metres.
Seeing all this, I was reminded of the days of 1959-60 when I was studying in a school in Chandigarh. One day, we were told that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru would be visiting the city the next day and that we should be clad in neat and well-ironed uniforms and well-polished shoes.
After the morning assembly, the principal declared that all students and teachers would be given the Tricolour, and the children would march in their respective school ‘houses’ to Madhya Marg. Disciplined as we were, we reached the designated spot, enthusiastically waiting to have a glimpse of the PM. Soon, at a distance, a pilot jeep appeared, followed by a small cavalcade. Panditji, in his trademark sherwani adorned with a red rose and sporting a white cap, was standing in a slow-moving open car. He was greeting all people who were gathered there. Waving the flags, we schoolboys raised slogans at the top of our voices: “Chacha Nehru zindabad, Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” Nehru waved back at us in his inimitable style. Soon, it was all over and we went back to our classrooms.
Nehru was a role model for us youngsters. Indeed, he inspired reverence and awe among the masses — our parents and teachers would sing paeans to leaders like him who were instrumental in getting us freedom from British rule without taking recourse to violence or revenge for the atrocities leashed upon Indians.
Nehru’s book The Discovery of India gave us every reason to be proud of our civilisation and heritage. His philosophy of self-reliance became a topic of declamation contests and, ultimately, a part of our daily lives.
His declaration that the Bhakra Dam was the ‘temple of modern India’ fuelled the agricultural and industrial revolutions in the country.
On another occasion, when we lived in Shimla, we had a close glimpse of Dr Rajendra Prasad, our first President, while he was taking a walk on The Mall. There were hardly any barricade stopping us from going near him.
Indeed, those were different times and different people, who deserved the respect accorded by the people for the sacrifices made by them in laying the foundation of a strong nation.
