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Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: Second Series, Volume 26 (1 June 1954-30 September 1954). Edited by RAVINDER KUMAR and H. Y. SHARADA PRASAD. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund; distributed by Oxford University Press, 2000. 532 pp. $29-95 (paper).
Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: Second Series, Volume 27 (1 October 1954-31 January 1955). Edited by RAVINDER KUMAR and H. Y. SHARADA PRASAD. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund; distributed by Oxford University Press, 2000. 642 pp. $29-95 (paper).
Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: Second Series, Volume 28 (1 February 1955-31 May 1955). Edited by RAVINDER KUMAR and H. Y. SHARADA PRASAD. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund; distributed by Oxford University Press, 2001. 674 pp. $29-95 (paper).
If Mahatma Gandhi may be called the "father of the Indian nation," Jawaharlal Nehru could be termed "free India's first teacher." A leader of the Indian freedom struggle and, after 1947, free India's prime minister, Nehru sought to push both the Indian National Congress and the people of India along a path toward his vision of modernity. In the realm of international affairs, Nehru conceived of a world of peaceful nonalignment whose relations were governed by mutual respect and understanding. Whether addressing an impromptu public rally in some provincial town or corresponding with world leaders, he was a constant advocate of principled action and thought.
Nehru drew strength from the Indian masses, yet despaired of their habits of mind and action, which he perceived to be obstacles to progress. His Congress party, an amalgam of many interests, proved to be unsteady...