Romance as historical puzzle

It seems eons ago, but as a student of Modern Indian history, whenever stark textual content appeared monotonous, my thoughts would...

It seems eons ago, but as a student of Modern Indian history, whenever stark textual content appeared monotonous, my thoughts would invariably drift to the implicit relationship between Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten. In those days when permissiveness of any sort was frowned upon and this supposed romantic liaison was only alluded to, it provided some sort of a dramatic relief from the drudgery of academia.

It is 60 years since independence and much water has flowed down the Thames and the Yamuna. Moreover, the surge of candid biographies 8212; two recent instances being those of Alex Von Tunzleman and Pamela Hicks 8212; meant that the Nehru-Edwina relationship came into sharper focus. But the questions don8217;t go away. Was this friendship merely platonic, or going by the overtones, something more physical? And if that was the case, did Lord Mountbatten accept it, or simply acquiesce in a menage a trois for political compulsions?

It was only natural, then, that when I landed up in Southampton for a conference to commemorate 60 years of independence in the university where the Mountbattens have donated the viceregal private papers, my excitement knew no bounds. What was more, as part of the itinerary we were to visit 8216;Broadlands8217;, the residence of the Mountbattens. I had read in Tunzleman8217;s book that Nehru would often visit this mansion on his post-independence visits to the UK. 8216;Broadlands8217; is very much a stately English home. It was in these idyllic environs, that the two cohorts wandered about in the woods far from the madding crowds, I thought to myself as we drove to 8216;Broadlands8217;. My romantic ramblings ceased as our bus arrived in front of the Georgian mansion, where Lord Mountbatten8217;s grandson, Lord Romsay, received us. Going around the impeccably maintained residence was akin to being transported to the by-lanes of a common history. Indisputably, it was a saga of the ruler and the ruled but, in retrospect, after 60 years, there was some synergy in that nostalgia.

Even though the Mountbattens8217; stint in India was a bare 15 months, it apparently remained etched in their mindscape. The memorabilia which lie in the residence bear testimony to this. Among the photographs, there are a large number that can be seen as narratives of the Independence period. Iconic photographs 8212; such as the one of Gandhi with his hand on Edwina8217;s shoulder 8212; adorn the walls. The family room hold more personal photographs. Among them is an impressive one of Pandit Nehru 8212; kept slightly apart from the official ones. Does this pattern of display signify something important? Perhaps. But this is one romance that continues to remain a puzzle despite new writing on it.