Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru is famous for a number of reasons. He was the first Prime Minister of India, as well as the father of the most famous Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi. He was a patriot, a freedom fighter as well as a highly regarded statesman.


Early Influences

Born on 14th November 1889, to a famous lawyer of high nobility, Motilal Nehru and his wife Swaroop Rani, Jawaharlal had a good start in life. His father wanted to give him the best education possible and so sent him to Harrow, a boarding school in England, in 1905. Harrow was famous for educating most of the to be Prime ministers of England.

Nehru then went on to get his M.A. degree from Cambridge University and returned to India as a barrister. In 1916, he married Kamala Kaul, who supported his patriotism and was a devoted wife in all respects.


Fate Had Other Things In Store

Even though he had a brilliant academic record, the legal profession did not attract him. Instead, he wanted to join the freedom struggle under the influence of Gandhiji. For a while he was the Chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Committee as a member of the Congress and then he joined the Home Rule League established by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant.

During the freedom struggle, he courted arrest many a times, and had been jailed 14 years in all. He was elected Congress President 5 times, and it was under his influence in Lahore, that the Congress adopted complete freedom as its goal. In 1947, after India gained its independence, he was automatically elected first Prime Minister.


As India's First Prime Minister

He headed the Indian government for 17 long and brilliant years. He wanted India to develop into a world - recognised nation. He supported technological and scientific progress and encouraged art and literature. He wanted to eliminate discrimination from the face of the world and encouraged peaceful co-existence. Nehru did not believe in aligning himself with the military political blocks and wanted to end the cold war. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955.


Nehru as a Personality

Not only was he a brilliant orator, a charming, warm and noble thinker and philosopher, but also a fantastic writer. He has written a few wonderful books 'Discovery of India', 'Glimpses of World History' and ' Letters from a father to a daughter''.

On May 27, 1964, India lost a great influence. In the words of Dr. Radhakrishnan "As a fighter for freedom he was illustrious as a maker of a modern India, his services were unparalleled. His life and works have had a profound influence on our mental make-up, social structure and intellectual development."