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Publisher’s Note
Nehru, Kashmir &
the ‘Honeytrap’
India’s first Prime Minister was a figure as there was any physical element it can only have
controversial as he was striking. Known for his been of minor importance to either party.”
erudition and having a penchant for fine things, Nevertheless, Ziegler notes, “Governor-
Jawaharlal Nehru had also set tongues wagging General] Mountbatten’s reaction was one of
– indeed, they have never stopped – because of pleasure....He liked and admired Nehru, it was
his friendship with Edwina Mountbatten. useful to him that the Prime Minister should
Was Edwina the ultimate honeytrap? Enough find such attractions in the Governor-General’s
books, stories and sitcoms have been made home, it was agreeable to find Edwina almost
on the reported love affair between Lady permanently in good temper: the advantages of
Mountbatten and Pandit Nehru. At this point in the alliance were obvious.”
time, it doesn’t matter whether their relationship There is clearly more to Pandit Nehru than
was physical or platonic, it didn’t matter then Edwina Mountbatten but the story is so
and it doesn’t matter now. colourful, that one can’t help talking about it.
It has been said that the British either set up Our cover feature in this issue is about Pandit
Edwina, or exploited the relationship between Nehru’s visits to Kashmir, and specifically the
her and Pandit Nehru, to influence him on the exclusive photographs that the late veteran
question of Kashmir. The British didn’t want journalist Sati Sahni took of him and his family
India to get Kashmir and they even organised in the beautiful atmosphere of the region.
an invasion by Pakistani soldiers dressed in Nehruji loved Kashmir and is known to
tribal garbs. Mountbatten was sent to India have compared it to a beautiful woman, in an
to accomplish two objectives of the British autographed sketch he presented to Mr Sahni:
empire those were to keep Kashmir away from “Like some supremely beautiful woman, whose
India and to bring India into the fold of the beauty is almost impersonal and above human
Commonwealth. It’s difficult for anyone to desire, such was Kashmir in all its feminine
conceive that a man has long walks through beauty of river and valley...”
various meadows with another man’s wife while Mr Sahni was privileged to have taken some
her husband is walking behind. That’s exactly truly unique and offbeat photographs of Pandit
what would happen Edwina and Nehru would Nehru, though he kept the promise not to make
walk arm-in-arm through the various meadows them known during his lifetime. Now, we are
of the Viceroy Palace and Mountbatten allowed privileged to get a glimpse of that charmed slice
this to happen. of history.
As noted historian Philip Ziegler, who had
access to private diaries and letters, has said, the
relationship was “intensely loving, romantic, Vickram Sethi
trusting, generous, idealistic, even spiritual. If Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #17 | NOVEMBER 2020 3
