New Delhi: Penguin Random House India has announced the launch of the Penguin Nehru Library, described by the publishing house as “a definitive collection celebrating the life, philosophy, and writings of Jawaharlal Nehru.”
The announcement comes a month after the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JLMF) revealed plans for an audio-visual archive that will compile a wealth of material by and about Nehru under one digital platform. The archive will be accessible to the public from 14 November 2025.
The Penguin Nehru Library promises five volumes of Nehru’s letters to various chief ministers.
“Jawaharlal Nehru’s writings highlight his acumen as a cerebral politician, statesman and world leader. His understanding of the civilisational past of India is marvellous,” said Premanka Goswami, head of Backlist and associate publisher of Vintage, a Penguin imprint. “The five-volume Letters to Chief Ministers opens a window to his involvement and engagement of India’s society and polity. His writings are critically important to engage with and interpret the idea of India.”
Penguin has yet to announce a release date for the library.
The arrival of both archives coincides with a period of widespread misinformation and disinformation about India’s first prime minister, much of it driven by the ruling BJP. Decades after his death, Nehru’s life and work continue to face intense scrutiny.
While Penguin is yet to divulge details on the purpose of their library, publisher Milee Aishwarya referred to Nehru as “a seminal figure in our struggle for freedom and a distinguished man of letters.”
“His contribution towards laying the foundation of modern Indian thought, polity and key institutions are exemplary,” she added.
At the announcement event for the online archive, Congress spokesperson reiterated that the JLMF’s archive “was an intellectual endeavour, not a political one.”
The majority of Nehru’s papers are in what used to be the Nehru Memorial Museum Library, which is now the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library.
Ahmedabad-based historian Rizwan Kadri, who is affiliated with the PMML recently wrote to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi that papers consisting of Nehru’s correspondences with various historically significant characters like Jayaprakash Narayan and Edwina Mountbatten had been “taken away” by a representative “deputed by Sonia Gandhi.” He urged Gandhi to facilitate their return.
One wonders how such a lopsided article got published on The Print. Is Mr. Shekhar Gupta not in charge at The Print? Or are the editorial oversight and supervisory mechanisms not working at The Print?
Sample this gem of a line from the article-
“The arrival of both archives coincides with a period of widespread misinformation and disinformation about India’s first prime minister, much of it driven by the ruling BJP.”
Ms. Antara Baruah is free to have her political views, biases and loyalties. But how does this qualify as “objective journalism”?
Is this a sample of the much vaunted “un-hyphenated journalism” that Mr. Gupta keeps talking about?