Krishna Hutheesing

Krishna Nehru Hutheesing was born on 2 November 1907 into the Nehru family. She was the youngest sister of Jawaharlal Nehru and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and was affectionately known within the family as “Betty” or “Betti.” The Nehru Archive identifies her as an Indian writer and records her involvement in the Indian independence movement.

Krishna grew up in a politically active family during a period of major change in India. Her brother Jawaharlal became a leading figure in the Indian nationalist movement, while her sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit later became a diplomat and political figure. Krishna herself participated in the independence movement and served several jail sentences, linking her personal life directly with the political struggles of the period.

In 1933, Krishna married Gunottam P. “Raja” Hutheesing. Nehru Archive records describe their family relationships and correspondence over several decades. The couple had children, and Krishna remained closely connected with her brother and the wider Nehru family throughout her life.

Krishna Hutheesing also developed a career as a writer. Her writing drew heavily on her experiences within one of India's most prominent political families. In January 1955, her article “Nehru and Madame Pandit” appeared in Ladies' Home Journal. The article and her later writings attracted considerable attention because they offered a personal perspective on Jawaharlal Nehru and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.

One of her important literary projects was Nehru's Letters to His Sister, published in 1963. The collection brought together letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to Krishna and provided a personal record of their relationship as well as glimpses into family and public life. The Nehru Archive specifically identifies the book as a collection later published by Faber and Faber.

Her writing sometimes produced disagreements within the family. In a 1955 letter, Jawaharlal Nehru criticized an article she had written, particularly its treatment of personal and family matters. The surviving correspondence illustrates the tension that could arise when a family member wrote publicly about private experiences involving a major political figure.

Krishna continued to maintain a close relationship with Nehru despite such disagreements. The Nehru Archive contains numerous letters between them from the 1940s through the 1960s, documenting family matters, travel, social occasions, and personal concerns.

Krishna Hutheesing died in 1967. She is remembered primarily as a writer and independence activist whose life was closely connected with the Nehru family and India's transition from colonial rule to independence. Her writings and the surviving correspondence with Jawaharlal Nehru provide valuable material for understanding the personal dimension of the Nehru family's public life.