WHEN JAWAHAR LAL WAS CHIDED FOR BEING EXTRAVAGANT

Motilal Nehru was not only a loving and indulgent father but also a strict disciplinarian who could chide his son if he felt the need to do so.

Jawahar Lal was at that time studying in London and had developed extravagant habits trying to ape some of his rich English friends who were scions of aristocratic families. His requests for money became more frequent and insistent and sometimes his father would receive a cable with only one word written on it: “Money”.

After sometime Moltilal lost patience and gave his son a piece of his mind the immediate provocation being the loss of 40 pounds by young Nehru to a friend. On May 30, 1912, he wrote to his son, “…there are many fathers in the world who are more indulgent than I am, but however indulgent I may be, I am not the man to stand nonsense….. the idea of throwing away 40 pounds in the way you did, does not commend itself to me….I am afraid that you have managed to fall in with a set of people, not always desirable for the son of a father of my means….You cannot imagine how grieved I am to say all this but things have come to a pass when I must cry halt.”Motilal went on ask his son to render an account of the money spent by him during the preceding six months.

The letter suitably chastened Jawahar but he seemed irritated by the demand to furnish details of his expenditure. He wrote back to his father: “…..Your last letter pained and surprised me very much. I am fully aware of the fact that I have lately spent too much money and have not given attention to my studies, which I should or might have given…..As for the 40 pounds, I could not very well refuse. I suffered enough for my folly later on; I was driven to such straits that for the first time in my life I had to pawn my watch…”

“You ask me to send you an account of expenditure….May I know if I am supposed to keep you informed of every penny I spend on a bus fare or a stamp? Either you trust me or you do not. If you do, then surely no accounts are necessary. If you do not, then the accounts I send you are not to be relied upon. To me the very idea of furnishing accounts is anathema …….. I am not desirous of staying in England or anywhere else under these conditions. I think it will be best for me to return home at once…….”

However immediately after dashing off his caustic letter Motilal felt contrite and hastened to make up with his son. The incident was soon forgotten.
(The above photo is of young Jawahar Lal in England)