A Life in Freedom - Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

A Life in Freedom

(Author: Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit)

A landmark edition bringing together Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit’s celebrated memoir 'The Scope of Happiness' and her searing prison diary 'Prison Days' in one essential volume.

Born into the prominent Nehru family in 1900, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit’s life was inextricably tied to India's journey toward independence and its emergence as a global democracy. Daughter of Motilal Nehru, sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, and wife of scholar-freedom fighter Ranjit Sitaram Pandit, she entered the Gandhian movement early, enduring imprisonment, personal loss, and political upheaval before serving as one of independent India’s premier diplomats and the first female President of the UN General Assembly.

A Life in Freedom combines two foundational historical texts:

• The Scope of Happiness: A candid, graceful memoir reflecting on Anand Bhawan, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, marriage, diplomacy, the United Nations, and post-Independence politics including the Emergency.

• Prison Days: A quiet, courageous daily record written during her 1942 incarceration following the Quit India Movement.

Writing with moral clarity and restraint, Pandit offers a deeply personal self-portrait as a daughter, prisoner, diplomat, and citizen living at the center of modern Indian history.

Key Highlights:

• Two Books in One Edition: Combines both The Scope of Happiness (memoir) and Prison Days (jail diary).

• Firsthand Historical Account: Vital record of Anand Bhawan, the Quit India Movement, Gandhian philosophy, and early Indian diplomacy.

• Pioneering Female Leader: Insights into the life of the first woman President of the UN General Assembly and a central figure in Indian freedom.

• Essential History & Biography: Ideal for students, historians, readers of Indian autobiography, and political history enthusiasts.