A Bunch of Old Letters
Topic: The National Movement: Gandhian Era · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement"
Meaning
A Bunch of Old Letters is a book that Jawaharlal Nehru published in 1958. It collects letters from the years of the national movement, mostly letters other leaders wrote to him. Historians use it to see the private side of politics, meaning the anger, worry and disagreement that leaders did not show in public speeches. The book is also a warning to historians: once private letters are printed, the line between private and public becomes blurred.
Example
In 1936 Nehru was Congress president and gave socialist speeches. Conservative leaders such as Rajendra Prasad and Vallabhbhai Patel threatened to resign over them. The letters in this book show Gandhi stepping in to keep the peace, and urging Nehru to keep wearing "the crown of thorns" of the Congress presidency.
Don't confuse with
- Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi: an official set of many volumes containing Gandhi's own writings and speeches. A Bunch of Old Letters is a single book that Nehru put together from letters sent to him.
Related concepts
- Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi
- Young India and Navajivan
- Harijan
- Nehru-Patel strands in Congress
- Fortnightly Reports