● Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a
leading figure in the Indian
Independence struggle. He was the
first Prime Minister of Independent
India. He had initiated socio-
economic policies of the idealistic
socialist kind. He was a prolific writer
and authored books such as 'The
Discovery of India' and 'Glimpses of
the World History'.
Jawaharlal Nehru was the father of
Indira Gandhi, the first woman Prime
Minister of India. He established a
parliamentary government and is
known for his nonaligned or neutralist
policies in foreign affairs. He
participated in India's Independence
movement and was a principle leader
in the 1930s and 40s.
Jawaharlal Nehru:
Born on: 14 November, 1889
Place of Birth: Allahabad, Uttar
Pradesh, India
Father's Name: Motilal Nehru
Mother's Name: Swarup Rani Nehru
Spouse: Kamala Nehru
Children: Indira Gandhi
Education: Harrow School, London;
Trinity College, Cambridge; Inns of
Court School of Law, London
Occupation: Barrister, Writer, and
Politician
Political party: Indian National
Congress
Political Ideology: Nationalism,
Socialism, Democracy
Award: Bharat Ratna
Publications/Works: The Discovery of
India, Glimpses of World History,
Jawaharlal Nehru's Autobiography,
Letters from a Father to his
Daughter, etc.
Died: 27 May 1964
Place of Death: New Delhi
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Memorial: Shantivan, New Delhi
Jawaharlal Nehru: Early
Life, Family, and
Education
Jawaharlal Nehru was born in a
Kashmiri Brahman family. His father
Motilal Nehru was a renowned lawyer
and leader of the Indian
independence movement. He was
also one of the prominent associates
of Mahatma Gandhi. Jawaharlal
Nehru was the eldest son of Motilal
Nehru out of four children and two of
whom were girls. He completed his
early education until the age of 14 at
home under private tutors. At the age
of fifteen, he went to England at
Harrow school. After two years, he
went to Trinity College, Cambridge,
and earned an honours degree in
natural sciences. At the Inner Temple,
London, he had completed his
studies for a barrister.
He spent seven years in England but
was very confused and always felt
that he is in a half home neither in
England nor in India. And so, he had
written, "I have become a queer
mixture of East and West, out of
place everywhere, at home now
where". He came back to India in
around 1912. He had an interest in
the struggle of all nations who
suffered under foreign domination. In
1916, he married Kamala Kaul and
settled in Delhi. In 1917, Indira
Priyadarshini (Indira Gandhi) was
born.
Jawaharlal Nehru:
Political Journey
- He attended the Bankipore
Congress as a delegate in 1912.
- In 1919, he became the Secretary
of the Home Rule League, Allahabad.
- In 1916, the first time he met
with Mahatma Gandhi, and was
immensely inspired by him.
- In 1920, he organised the first Kisan
March in the Pratapgarh district of
Uttar Pradesh.
- Due to the Non-Cooperation
Movement (1920-22), he was
imprisoned twice.
- In September 1923, he became the
General Secretary of the All India
Congress Committee.
- In 1926, he toured Italy,
Switzerland, England, Belgium,
Germany, and Russia.
- As an official delegate of the Indian
National Congress, he had attended
the Congress of oppressed
Nationalities in Brussels in Belgium.
- In 1927, he attended the tenth-
anniversary
celebrations of the October Socialist
Revolution in Moscow.
- During the Simon Commission in
1928, he was lathi-charged in
Lucknow.
- He attended the All-Party Congress
on 29 August 1928 and was one of
the signatories to the Nehru Report
on Indian Constitutional Reform that
was named after his father Shri
Motilal Nehru.
- In 1928, he founded the
'Independence for India League' and
became its General Secretary.
- He was elected the President of the
Lahore Session of the Indian National
Congress in 1929. In this session
only, the complete goal for the
independence of the country was
adopted.
- During 1930-35, he was imprisoned
several times, due to the connection
with Salt Satyagraha and other
movements launched by the
Congress.
- On 14 February 1935, he had
completed his 'Autobiography' in
Almora Jail.
- After releasing from jail, he went to
Switzerland to see his ailing wife.
- He was again arrested for offering
an individual Satyagraha on 31
October, 1940 to protest against
India's forced participation in the war.
- In December 1941, he was released
from jail.
- At the 'All India Congress
Committee' session in Bombay on 7
August, 1942, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
moved the 'Quit India' resolution.
- He was arrested with other leaders
on 8 August, 1942 and taken to
Ahmednagar Fort. This was the
longest and his last detention.
- He was released from Jail in
January 1945 and organised a legal
defence for officers and
men of the INA charged with treason.
- In July, 1946, for the fourth time, he
was elected as the President of the
Congress and again for three more
terms from 1951 to 1954.
In this way, he became the first Prime
Minister of independent India. He
was the first Prime Minister to hoist
the national flag and make his iconic
speech "Tryst with Destiny" from the
ramparts of the Lal Quilla (Red Fort).
Major works of
Jawaharlal Nehru after
becoming the Prime
Minister of India
- He imparted modern values and
thought.
- He insisted on the secular and
liberalist approach.
- He focused on the basic unity of
India.
- He advocated democratic socialism
and encouraged India's
industrialisation by implementing the
first five-year plans in 1951.
- Promoted scientific and
technological advancements by
establishing higher learning.
- Also, instituted various social
reforms like free public education,
free meals for Indian children, legal
rights for women including the ability
to inherit property, divorce their
husbands, laws to prohibit
discrimination based on caste, etc.
Jawaharlal Nehru:
Legacy
He believed in pluralism, socialism,
liberalism, and democracy. He had an
immense love for children and so, his
birthday is celebrated as Children's
Day in India. He supported and
generated a way for India's education
by envisioning the top tier institutions
of India including the Indian Institute
of Technology, All
India Institute of Medical Sciences
and India's first Space Program, etc.
In fact, Shyam Benegal created a TV
series "Bharat Ek Khoj" that was
based on Jawaharlal Nehru's famous
book, Discovery of India. In Richard
Attenborough's biopic 'Gandhi' and
Ketan Mehta's 'Sardar', Jawaharlal
Nehru was featured as a prominent
character.
Jawaharlal Nehru: Death
On 27 May 1964, he died due to a
heart attack. He was cremated at the
Shantivan on the banks of the
Yamuna River in Delhi.
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