Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.India: The Empty Chair
It had been obvious for months that Jawaharlal Nehru was in failing health.
He walked unsteadily, had difficulty getting in and out of automobiles, often dozed off while talking to visitors. His voice was frail, his skin puffy and loose.
More and more, Nehru was forced to take to his bed with internal disorders.
Last week, at 74, he suffered the most serious illness of all, a stroke that left him bedridden and partially paralyzed.
Suddenly India was faced with its most pressing leadership crisis since independence in 1947.
Quiet & Subdued. The blow...
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