Reminiscences of Nehru Age (1978) Truth about Jawharlal Nehru{karan14}

A banned book in india.
Thia book is more than gory details of Nehru;s personal life. It is behind-the-scene political drama that unfolded short years before and after India's independence. Mr. Mathai's insights are worth-noting.
For a long time I searched for a hard copy of this book. I learnt in the process that it had been banned by the Govt. of India. Naturally, I was curious. My perseverance paid off and for a modest price I was able to download an electronic version of the book.
It is extremely informative and at the same time EXPLOSIVE to say the least. The author, Mr. M. O. Mathai, as Nehru's Special Assistant, was in an exceptional position to first hand see the goings on in the national and international arena. He also admits to a 12 year-long affairs with Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, and the fact that Mr. Nehru was aware of that liaison. Although a kiss-and-tell chapter titled "She" in the book was dropped from publication at the last minute, there is an unverified text floating on the Internet, with credit to Maneka Gandhi, Mrs. Gandhi's younger daughter-in-law. However, there is little of no proof that Mr. Mathai penned those words. For the rest, the author had very little reason, if at all, to publish a scandalous book risking legal ramifications.
The book contains many interesting facts and historic anecdotes. If the mind boggling information contained therein is true, it is unconscionable that the public has been denied access to the facts. Suppression of information only makes the public even more determined. In this electronic age, it is much easier to obtain information and disseminate it to the masses with a simple click. The action of Govt. of India to take such extreme measures-- to prevent circulation of this book-- only supports the author's claims. The reader sees how some able and competent ideologists did not survive the politics to claim their rightful place in running the country. It is an equal shame that early in the emergence of the Republic of India, the corrupt and egotist politicians, who were ill-prepared as administrators, took impulsive, self-serving, near-sighted and ill-advised decisions (or without proper counsel, which often were more for vindictive reasons against their political rivals rather than for the good of the country) that in the process they only caused irreparable damage to India's national security, as well as financial and political viability, not to mention tarnishing her international standing. It took nearly six decades for India to do damage control and to claim her rightful place on the world stage.
Even though the book chronicles one man's views and recollections of events and individuals, which may be colored by his perception of the truth and/or personal biases, it has to be in a great part factual. (In fact, growing up I recall hearing from my parents many incidents or liaisons, which supposedly were public knowledge. Nonetheless the press remained kind to Nehru for the high esteem in which he was held by the public and the media.) A smart man like Mr. Mathai would neither gamble with his reputation nor would he risk libel/slander charges. Most significantly, he was already a man of means when he joined Pt. Nehru in 1946, and did not need regular income to support himself. He served Mr. Nehru during one of the most momentous periods in the Indian History, and long before Mr. Nehru was part of the Government. (In fact, Mr. Mathai joined his staff on Government payroll only reluctantly. His resignation in 1959 was tendered in the aftermath of communist propaganda. Mr. Mathai did not want to make public any of his personal matters. Mr. Nehru knew him well, trusted him implicitly, and was aware of no wrongdoing on Mr. Mathai's part. He, however, did include them in his letter to Mr. Nehru (Appendix III of this book) when requesting termination of his Govt. employment.) Naturally, in his 13-year association with Mr. Nehru, Mr. Mathai had a unique opportunity to see many significant events unfold. No one else knew Nehru as