Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s Notes on India’s Discovery

In this book, Pandit Nehru begins with the ancient history of India and continues all the way up to the years immediately following the end of the British Raj. Pandit Nehru brings to life an ancient culture and land that has been the base and headquarters of some of the world’s great traditions of philosophy, science, and art, as well as almost all of the world’s major religions, by analysing texts ranging from the Vedas to the Upanishads, epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and personalities such as the Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi.

During his time spent in jail for his involvement in the Quit India Movement (1942–1946), Jawaharlal Nehru published the book “The Discovery of India.” He did it while he was incarcerated at the Ahmednagar fort. This book was written by Nehru during his four years of solitary confinement in prison. It is his way of paying tribute to the country that he cherished so much as well as the vibrant culture that it possessed.

The book begins with early history, and Nehru writes at length about the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other textbooks on the subject. The book concludes during the time of the British raj. The book provides a comprehensive examination of the history, culture, and philosophy of India; the television series likewise follows the same format. This book is widely regarded as one of the most significant literary works on Indian history. This book served as the inspiration for the television series Bharat Ek Khoj, which debuted in the year 1988.

The Discovery of India: A Critical Analysis

When taken as a whole, The Discovery of India is an intriguing mishmash of historical facts, philosophical ideas, and reflective essays on a variety of topics written in attractive prose that frequently reaches artistic heights. It is a dissertation on Indian culture and history written by Nehru, a man whose thinking was both catholic and cosmopolitan. He approaches India as a “friendly stranger,” admires her wisdom, criticises her follies, and studies her history in order to turn it into a launchpad for action, to push and steer the flow of history into innovative future pathways. But it is impossible to count it entirely as a book of history or culture, because what interests us more in “The Discovery” is its intimate autobiographical tone, its lucid style and literary graces, and most importantly, its expression of the ideas and opinions, tastes and temperament, refined sentiments, and noble passions of our cherished leader and the chief disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.

Written during India’s discovery

Regarded as a piece of historical writing The Discovery is not without its flaws, but it does have a lot of going for it. It can be understood and appreciated as an introduction to the cultural history of India, as a study of the various phases in the gradual development of the national mind from the early dawn of civilization to the feverish, twentieth century when British India stood at the threshold of liberty and light. This can be done by viewing it as a study of the various phases in the gradual development of the national mind from the early dawn of civilisation to the feverish, twentieth century when British India stood at the is nothing more than a brief introduction geared toward the average reader. Nehru is not a professional academic historian, and the purpose of his work is not to recount the events of history with painstaking accuracy. He views himself more as a historian than a philosopher, and the objective of his work is to offer constructive advice on the basis of historical expertise. The future is what matters to a philosopher of history; the past just serves to shed light and give experience that can be used to skilfully shape the events of the future. However, his understanding of the past needs to be reliable, and he needs to maintain an objective stance toward it; he can leave out minor particulars, but he can’t get the big picture wrong about what happened in the past, or else all of his predictions about the future will be inaccurate. Nehru is an excellent candidate for the duty of narrating and interpreting history since he possesses the necessary skills. His reading is extensive and varied, his approach is sane, empathetic, and objective, his account of the national events is sincere and faithful, his judgement is good, and his ideas are forward-thinking. His description of the national events is sincere and faithful. Only in some situations do we get the impression that he is governed by certain inherent biases and is primarily concerned with pragmatic factors.

Discovery of India was written by Jawaharlal Nehru

This book gives the reader a comprehensive understanding of Indian history, philosophy, and culture from the perspective of an Indian who is fighting for the independence of his nation. During the time that he was locked up, he authored the book. Nehru maintained in his book “The Discovery of India” that India was an ancient nation with the inherent right to its own sovereignty.

Conclusion 

The adventure that is shown in “The Discovery of India” starts off in ancient times and continues all the way up until the final years of the British Raj. Nehru uses his knowledge of the Upanishads, Vedas, and textbooks on ancient history to introduce the reader to the development of India from the Indus Valley Civilization, through the changes in socio-political scenario each foreign invader brought, to the conditions that exist today. He does this by beginning with the Indus Valley Civilization and working his way up to the present day.

Nehru maintained in his book “The Discovery of India” that India was an ancient nation with the inherent right to its own sovereignty.