Jawaharlal Nehru, Tribes and Tribal Policy

Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India, was an important influence in shaping tribal policy and development strategy in the post-Independence years. It was an exciting period. The Indian awakening and freedom struggle had thrown up a philosophy of humanism which reflected Nehru’s interest and concern for the tribal people. The panchsheel principles, based on Nehru’s guidelines, are a historical declaration of objectives and intent, which could rank with some of the finest pronouncements that have appeared on the ethnic question anywhere in the world. The Anthropological Survey of India presents a collection of papers on Nehru and the tribes of India—ranging from personal memoirs to analyses of Nehru’s influence on tribal policy; including Nehru’s own speeches and writing on the tribals of India.