Nehru was the first prime minister of India and a prominent leader of the Indian independence movement. He was also a visionary who shaped the modern India with his policies and ideals. Here are some facts about him:
- He was born on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad, North-Western Provinces, British India. His father was Motilal Nehru, a wealthy lawyer and nationalist, and his mother was Swarup Rani Nehru. He had two sisters, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and Krishna Hutheesing.
- He received his education in England, where he attended Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He also studied law at the Inner Temple and became a barrister. He returned to India in 1912 and joined the Allahabad High Court.
- He married Kamala Kaul in 1916 and had one daughter, Indira Gandhi, who later became the prime minister of India. His wife died in 1936 after suffering from tuberculosis.
- He joined the Indian National Congress in 1919 and became a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, who mentored him and influenced his political views. He participated in various civil disobedience campaigns against the British rule, such as the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Salt March, and the Quit India Movement. He was arrested several times and spent a total of nine years in prison.
- He wrote several books while in prison, such as Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1929), An Autobiography (1936), and The Discovery of India (1946). These books reflect his thoughts on history, culture, philosophy, and politics.
- He became the president of the Congress in 1929 and declared the goal of complete independence from Britain. He also advocated for a secular, democratic, and socialist India that would ensure social justice and equality for all. He opposed the idea of partitioning India on religious lines and tried to prevent the communal violence that erupted after independence.
- He became the first prime minister of independent India in 1947 and held the office until his death in 1964. He established a parliamentary system of government and introduced various reforms in education, health, industry, agriculture, and science. He also promoted the policy of non-alignment in foreign affairs and maintained friendly relations with other countries, especially with China and the Soviet Union. He played a key role in the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations.
- He died on 27 May 1964 in New Delhi due to a heart attack. He was cremated at Shantivan on the banks of the Yamuna river. His ashes were scattered in various rivers across India and abroad. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1955.