NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared excerpts from Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru’s will on his 61st death anniversary on Tuesday. In the will which was written 10 years before he died, Nehru expressed his last wish of how his ashes be scattered.Sharing the excerpts, Ramesh said, “For Nehru, India was both one and many at the same time. His entire life was dedicated to strengthening this unity and assimilating cultural diversity. Today, the idea of India is being repeatedly attacked, so to strengthen it, we will have to adopt Nehru’s ideas again. Pandit Nehru wrote his will and last wish ten years before his death – a brilliant prose work which is poetic in itself.““He was not only an extraordinary public leader who read, wrote and decisively shaped history, but more than that – he was a gentle, dignified, kind and prudent man who had no insecurities and no need for empty claims, pretensions or arrogance to prove himself – as we have seen repeatedly since 26 May 2014,” he added.Ramesh further contrasted Nehru’s rule with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “Nehru was authoritative but never authoritarian. He was not only an extraordinary public leader who read, wrote and decisively shaped history, but more than that – he was a gentle, dignified, kind and prudent man who had no insecurities and no need for empty claims, pretensions or arrogance to prove himself – as we have seen repeatedly since 26 May 2014.“The will said that Nehru wanted a major part of his ashes to be scattered in the “fields where the peasants of India toil” and a handful should be “thrown into the Ganga at Allahabad”.“The major portion of my ashes should, however, be disposed of otherwise. I want these to be carried high up into the air in an aeroplane and scattered from that height over the fields where the peasants of India toil, so that they might mingle with the dust and soil of India and become an indistinguishable part of India,” the excerpt said.“And as witness of this desire of mine and as my last homage to India’s cultural inheritance, I am making this request that a handful of my ashes be thrown into the Ganga at Allahabad to be carried to the great ocean that washes India’s shore,” it added.Tributes for the first prime minister poured in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “Tributes to our former PM, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary.”“Respectful tribute to the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji on his death anniversary. With the dream of a strong and inclusive India, Nehruji laid a strong foundation for independent India with his visionary leadership. His contribution in the establishment of social justice, modernity, education, constitution and democracy is invaluable. The legacy of Jawahar of India and his ideals will always guide us,” Rahul Gandhi said.Jawaharlal Nehru, a key figure in India’s struggle for independence, became the nation’s first prime minister in 1947 and held the position for over 16 years until his death from a heart attack on May 27, 1964. He is widely regarded as the architect of India’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and is fondly remembered as ‘Chacha Nehru’ for his deep affection for children. His birthday, November 14, is celebrated across the country as Children’s Day.
