Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was one of India’s leading voices in world affairs. A pioneering policymaker, stateswoman, and diplomat, she paved the way for women in many fields across the globe. As a prominent politician, she was India’s first woman cabinet minister. Her extraordinary international achievements encompass her being India’s first ambassador to the United Nations (UN), the first ambassador to the Soviet Union, and the first woman elected as the president of the UN General Assembly. Inarguably, the journey of Vijay Lakshmi Pandit is interwoven with that of India’s history in the twentieth century.
What imprint did she have on India’s national movement? And what were her contributions toward Indian foreign policy post-independence? Relatedly, what does Madam Pandit’s international life tell us about India’s relationship with the world?
Carnegie India hosted Manu Bhagavan for a Security Studies Seminar on his book, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit: A Biography.
DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS
Women and International Human Rights: Participants discussed Vijay Lakshmi Pandit’s role in shaping the discourse around equitable rights for women and people of color. She opposed a traditional political system, arguing that a conservative space can lead to systemic discrimination of women and their exclusion from the political landscape. She directed her efforts toward empowering women and remedying the imbalance in their political representation. Participants noted Madame Pandit’s remarkable work on shaping the discourse around women’s rights, particularly by enabling conversations about the issue of unpaid labor. They also discussed how Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit’s insistence on anti-racism and equal rights informed her conceptualization of Indian foreign policy. Advocating against South Africa’s discriminatory laws against Indians, she issued a strongly worded resolution against non-discrimination at the UN. Furthermore, her stance against fascism and appeasement laid the foundation for the UN’s support for the cause of India’s independence.
Madam Pandit’s Political Thinking: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit represented India at the global stage and contributed toward conceptualizing a foreign policy for the country after independence. Participants discussed how her association with Jawaharlal Nehru, M. K. Gandhi, Morarji Desai, and Indira Gandhi, coupled with her own diplomatic engagements, shaped her political beliefs. She was often described as a corrective influence on Prime Minister Nehru’s impulses. Participants noted that her personal interactions with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai helped her gauge China’s intentions with respect to India, which served to inform Prime Minister Nehru’s evaluation of China. Participants also highlighted that Madame Pandit was undeterred while voicing her disagreement with other leaders. She returned from retirement during the tense political time of the 1970s to oppose the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi.
Shaping India’s Relationship with the World: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit’s works in the form of letters, memos, speeches, and several experiential books have been subdued in history. Participants explained that although these writings haven’t been regarded as pieces of intellectual thought, they are crucial to understanding her worldview and perspectives on issues relevant to countries with a colonial history. She took strong positions on international platforms on matters concerning post-colonial countries and voiced India’s stance on national and global issues. Participants remarked that Madam Pandit’s reinforcement of the Atoms for Peace Speech, delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and her remarks supporting Nelson Mandela on human rights issues at the United Nations demonstrate her advocacy. She insisted on the importance of the UN and recognized its responsibility as the “trustee of the future and architects of the new world.”
This summary has been prepared by Vrinda Sahai, a research and program intern at Carnegie India.