Use of Metaphors by Jawaharlal Nehru

Contents: Preface. 1. Leaders as storytellers. 2. Jawaharlal Nehru. 3. Historical evolution. 4. Identity. 5. Change. 6. Conclusion. 7. Bibliography. Index.

"This is a multidisciplinary book traversing the fields of politics, philosophy and literature. It examines Nehru's contribution to communication as a leader in terms of the language that he spoke and wrote, in terms of rhetoric. In rhetoric the book's axis is the role of metaphors. It is a book that attempts to go beyond the paradigm of Nehru's emphasis on modernity and change. In this sense, Nehru's work and writings are closer to Marx and Foucault for they too can be worked upon to go beyond what they are generally perceived to be. This book attempts to show how is not possible to appropriate Nehru either by the right or the left wing and that how Nehru's search for identity is akin to the search that some of the inmates of Auschwitz attempted after their survival and release. This book is a plea to inspire further research on Nehru in terms of semiotics. Such an exercise has not been attempted hitherto." (jacket)