Myth

Today's dose of myth is that Nehru loved children and hence his birthday is observed as Childrens' Day.

To accept truth Nehru, indeed loved but one child only whom he groomed as PM over the head of many a stalwarts.

Can there be anybody who does not love children, especially if they are kept far and used only to gain publicity? Children are kept in hot sun for hours to greet VIPs, to take part in ceremonies, to celebrate childrens' day - and I too love them if they are kept that way.

Somebody said that people tend to see extraordinary in ordinary things, and attribute greatness where none is deserved. This is how myths and halos are artificially created.

To quote a quote in an article in TOI today -

"For a man who left the country not better fed, clothed or housed... more corruptly governed ... with higher taxes, ever-rising prices, over-acute foreign exchange difficulties and more unemployment than when he took charge, India has been too kind to Nehru. It is time we took the mythology out of History."

I would add, we should remember him for

1.his pseudo-secularism (discarding dhoti for churidars)
2.his pet socialism which had to be dismantled eventually by Narasimha Rao & Man Mohan Singh.
3.Eternalising Kashmiri problem.
4.Ceding away large chunk of India 'as not a blade of grass grows there'!
5.Dynastic politics.

remove the chaff take the grain.

...ponder