Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru
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Name	Jawaharlal Nehru
Caption	Nehru in 1947
Office	1st Prime Minister of India
Term start	15 August 1947
Term end	27 May 1964
President	Rajendra Prasad, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Predecessor	Office established
Successor	Gulzarilal Nanda (acting)
Office1	Minister of External Affairs
Term start1	15 August 1947
Term end1	27 May 1964
Predecessor1	Office established
Successor1	Gulzarilal Nanda
Office2	Minister of Defence
Term start2	31 October 1962
Term end2	14 November 1962
Predecessor2	V. K. Krishna Menon
Successor2	Yashwantrao Chavan
Birth date	14 November 1889
Birth place	Allahabad, North-Western Provinces, British India
Death date	27 May 1964
Death place	New Delhi, Delhi, India
Party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Kamala Nehru, 1916, 1936
Children	Indira Gandhi
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge, Inner Temple
Awards	Bharat Ratna (1955)

Jawaharlal Nehru was a central figure in the twentieth-century history of Asia and the chief architect of the modern Republic of India. As the first Prime Minister of India from independence in 1947 until his death in 1964, he laid the institutional foundations for the world's largest democracy, championing secularism, parliamentary democracy, and economic planning. His vision for a non-aligned foreign policy positioned India as a leading voice in the Cold War era, while his prolific writings, including The Discovery of India, articulated a hopeful, scientific vision for the nation's future.

Early life and education

Born into a wealthy Kashmiri Pandit family in Allahabad, his father, Motilal Nehru, was a prominent lawyer and early leader of the Indian National Congress. He was educated at home by tutors including Ferdinand T. Brooks, who introduced him to theosophy. In 1905, he was sent to Harrow School in England, later studying natural sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge, and law at the Inner Temple in London. During his years in Europe, he was influenced by Fabian socialist thought and the writings of George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells. Returning to India in 1912, he practiced law at the Allahabad High Court but felt increasingly drawn to the growing nationalist movement.

Political career and role in the independence movement

His political awakening was catalyzed by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 and his deepening association with Mahatma Gandhi, under whose guidance he became a committed leader of the Indian independence movement. He served as the President of the Indian National Congress multiple times, first in 1929 at the historic Lahore session, where the demand for Purna Swaraj (complete independence) was formally adopted. He endured long periods of imprisonment by the British Raj, including during the Quit India Movement, spending over nine years in various jails such as Ahmadnagar Fort. During these incarcerations, he wrote major works like Glimpses of World History. He was a key negotiator in the final, tumultuous transition to independence, including the Cabinet Mission plan and the subsequent Partition of India.

Prime Minister of India (1947–1964)

As Prime Minister, his tenure was defined by nation-building and consolidation. He oversaw the integration of princely states like Hyderabad and Junagadh, and the creation of the States Reorganisation Commission. His government initiated a series of Five-Year Plans, emphasizing the development of heavy industry through massive public sector projects like the Bhilai Steel Plant and Damodar Valley Corporation. He championed scientific advancement, establishing institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Atomic Energy Commission of India. His government also enacted major social reforms, including the Hindu code bills, which modernized Hindu law. Significant challenges included the first war with Pakistan over Kashmir and the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

Foreign policy and non-alignment

He was the principal architect of India's foreign policy, formulating the doctrine of Non-Alignment to maintain strategic autonomy during the Cold War. He was a leading figure at the Bandung Conference in 1955, which laid the groundwork for the Non-Aligned Movement. He cultivated relationships with global leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia. While advocating Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence) with China, the 1962 war was a major diplomatic setback. He also played a key role in mediating during international crises, such as the Korean War and the Suez Crisis, positioning India as a moral voice in international forums like the United Nations.

Personal life, family, and legacy

In 1916, he married Kamala Nehru, who became an active participant in the freedom struggle; their only child was Indira Gandhi, who later became Prime Minister. After Kamala's death from tuberculosis in 1936, his sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, a distinguished diplomat, remained a close confidante. Known for his eloquence and iconic style, symbolized by his Nehru jacket and a rose in his lapel, he was popularly called Panditji. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955. His legacy is deeply embedded in India's democratic and secular fabric, though his economic policies and handling of China remain subjects of debate. Major institutions like the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library and Jawaharlal Nehru University bear his name, and his birthday is celebrated as Children's Day.

Category:Prime Ministers of India Category:Indian independence activists Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna