Jawaharlal Nehru

Lore & Background

Nehru was born in Allahabad to Motilal Nehru, a prominent lawyer and Indian nationalist, and Swarup Rani. He was educated at Harrow School, Trinity College, Cambridge, and trained in law at the Inner Temple, becoming a barrister. After returning to India, he enrolled at the Allahabad High Court but gradually became interested in national politics, joining the Indian National Congress. He rose to lead a progressive faction during the 1920s and eventually the Congress, receiving the support of Mahatma Gandhi, who designated Nehru as his political heir. As Congress president in 1929, Nehru called for complete independence from the British Raj.

Nehru promoted the secular nation-state in the 1937 provincial elections, allowing Congress to sweep the elections. In September 1939, Congress ministries resigned to protest Viceroy Lord Linlithgow's decision to join World War II without consulting them. After the Quit India Resolution of 8 August 1942, senior Congress leaders were imprisoned. Nehru, who had reluctantly heeded Gandhi's call for immediate independence and had desired instead to support the Allied war effort, came out of prison to a changed political landscape. In the 1946 provincial elections, Congress won, but the Muslim League won all seats reserved for Muslims, which the British interpreted as a mandate for Pakistan. Nehru became interim prime minister in September 1946.

Upon India's independence on 15 August 1947, Nehru gave the speech 'Tryst with Destiny' and raised the Indian flag at the Red Fort. He became the Republic of India's first prime minister on 26 January 1950. He led the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement, steering India clear of Cold War blocs. Under his leadership, Congress dominated politics and won elections in 1951, 1957, and 1962. He died in office from a heart attack in 1964.

Reader's Guide

Jawaharlal Nehru's significance lies in his role as the principal architect of modern India's political and social framework. As the first prime minister, he established parliamentary democracy, secularism, and a focus on science and technology, shaping India's trajectory as a pluralistic nation. His promotion of a multi-party democracy and the secular nation-state during the 1930s and 1940s laid the groundwork for India's post-independence governance. In foreign affairs, Nehru's leadership in founding the Non-Aligned Movement allowed India to maintain independence from the two Cold War blocs, a stance that defined its international posture for decades. His economic, social, and political reform programme aimed at modernizing India, while his writings, including 'The Discovery of India', contributed to global understanding of Indian culture and history. Nehru's legacy is also marked by his role in the Indian nationalist movement, where he worked alongside Mahatma Gandhi and led the Congress to demand complete independence. His death in office in 1964 ended a 16-year tenure that fundamentally transformed India, and his birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India.

Did You Know?

• Nehru was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, and trained in law at the Inner Temple.
• He wrote books including 'Letters from a Father to His Daughter' (1929), 'An Autobiography' (1936), and 'The Discovery of India' (1946).
• Nehru gave the critically acclaimed speech 'Tryst with Destiny' upon India's independence on 15 August 1947.
• His birthday, 14 November, is celebrated as Children's Day in India.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"The present objective is Kashmir . The next declared objective is Patiala , East Punjab and Delhi . “ On to Delhi " is the cry all over West Punjab." — Jawaharlal Nehru "My chief reason for wishing to go to Oxford is [that] Cambridge is becoming too full of Indians." — Jawaharlal Nehru "J. Nehru. Letter, Jawahar to father , London, July 15, 1910. SWJN:1, 76-77 - Quoted in Stanley Wolpert: Nehru: a Tryst with Destiny, page 23." — Jawaharlal Nehru "Every war waged by imperialist powers will be an imperialist war whatever the excuses put forward; therefore we must keep out of it." — Jawaharlal Nehru