HistoryModern India: Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist movement

Jawaharlal Nehru edited a collection of letters written to him during…

Jawaharlal Nehru edited a collection of letters written to him during the national movement and published it as A Bunch of Old Letters. In which year was this collection published?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → 1958

Nehru published A Bunch of Old Letters in 1958, reprinting letters such as those exchanged during the Congress rift of 1936.

NCERT (2026-27): “6.1 Public voice and private scripts …
But we must remember that this private-public distinction often breaks down. Many letters are written to individuals, and are therefore personal, but they are also meant for the public. The language of the letters is often shaped by the awareness that they may one day be published. Conversely, the fear that a letter may get into print often prevents people from expressing their opinion freely in personal letters. Mahatma Gandhi regularly published in his journal, Harijan, letters that others wrote to him. Nehru edited a collection of letters written to him during the national movement and published A Bunch of Old Letters”

“… Both Prasad and Nehru turned to Mahatma Gandhi and met him at his ashram at Wardha. The latter acted as the mediator, as he often did, restraining Nehru’s radicalism and persuading Prasad and others to see the significance of Nehru’s leadership. In A Bunch of Old Letters, 1958, Nehru reprinted many of the letters that were exchanged at the time. …”