Nehru's love for children
Dear Kids,
All of you must have heard of Pandit Nehru's love for children. Here's an interesting anecdote from his life, especially for you:
Pandit Nehru was on a tour of Tamil Nadu. (then known as Madras). Large crowds lined the roads to have his darshan. Many children had climbed up the trees that lined the roads to get a glimpse of their beloved Chacha.
Set behind the crowd was a balloon seller. The strings of the balloons were gathered in his hand, but the balloons, of all shapes and sizes provided a colorful panorama, a sport of drifting halo behind the crowd.
On an impulse, Pandit Nehru instructed the motorcade to stop. He jumped out of the open jeep, signaled to the balloon seller to his side. The man came, hesitantly. Had he earned the wrath of the Prime Minister? What would happen to him now? He bowed, held his head bent. "Buy up all his balloons. Give them to the children," Nehru told his aide who new Tamil.
The news was conveyed to the balloon seller. He could not believe his ears. He bowed again, ran back, distributing the balloons among the children.
Nehru walked to a plump girl, happily watching the balloon in her hand soar far above her head, pinched her cheek gently and returned to the jeep. The children screamed, happily, "Chacha Nehru, Chacha Nehru."
The word Chacha had crossed linguistic barriers. It had found a place in the vocabulary of all Indian children. And they used it every time they addressed Pandit Nehru.
Happy reading!
Uncle N
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