Maulana Azad’s testimony about the reality of partition is valuable because few leaders command as much credibility. The premium Nehru placed on the Maulana’s qualities of head and heart was enormous. Nehru’s deep respect for the Maulana as a loyal friend and intellectual comes out clearly in the letters he wrote to Indira Gandhi from Ahmadnagar Jail, including his intention to learn Urdu and Persian poetry from the Maulana, ‘an ideal teacher, except that he is too erudite’. But, as we have seen, the Maulana felt betrayed when Nehru lined up with Patel and others to accept the partition of
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