[Letter to Jayaprakash Naryan]

Summary

In this letter dated August 19, 1974, M. R. Masani replies to Jayaprakash Narayan’s August 15 letter. He expresses concern about an unflattering photograph received from “Narotambhai” and about Narayan’s health, arguing that Narayan is doing too little to preserve himself and should not simply leave his survival to God.

Masani frames his concern politically rather than merely personally. He urges Narayan to consider whether the country’s interests are best served by exhausting himself or by conserving his energies for the longer term, and says that the same appeal applies to businessmen and politicians who need to adopt a broader historical perspective rather than a short-term outlook. Masani closes by promising to write again before leaving.

Key points

• Masani responds to a letter from Jayaprakash Narayan dated August 15, 1974.
• He comments on a photograph received from “Narotambhai” and says that it presents an unpleasing picture of Narayan’s health.
• He urges Narayan to do more to preserve his health and criticizes reliance on God as a substitute for self-preservation.
• Masani asks Narayan to take a cool political view of whether exhausting himself serves the country’s interests.
• He contrasts a short-term political and business outlook with the longer-term historical perspective he wants Narayan to adopt.