Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was born to Swaroop Rani and Motilal Nehru in Allahabad on November 14, 1889. He went to England at the age of 15 and studied in Cambridge. After receiving his education he returned to India in 1912. He put in his heart and soul in national movement for freedom. He was married to Kamala Nehru in 1916.
He got political training from Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi had huge influence on Nehru family. Nehrus were living in the world of elite class but after the contact with Gandhi the Nehru family followed Gandhian philosophy of life. In fact, Gandhi became his mentor and guide that ultimately led him to become Prime Minister of India. He was a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Even when his father Motilal Nehru joined Swaraj Party, he stayed with Mahatma Gandhi.
Nehru was elected President of the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress. He did remarkable work for the country and adopted the goal of complete independence from Britishers. He participated in almost all the independence movements such as Non-cooperation Movement (1920-21), Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit India Movement. He was imprisoned nine times in connection with independence of India.
He was a multifaceted personality. He was the great son of a great father. His father was also a renowned lawyer of his time. Pandit Nehru was a man of letters as he wrote many great books. His books ‘Discovery of India’ and ‘Glimpses of World History’ are epitome and evidence of his love for knowledge. Through these books he delineated the glorious images of India. He was a staunch internationalist, humanist, a classy statesman, and historian. He had great affinity towards spreading scientific temper among the masses. He was a crusader for science and technology. He was an architect of modern India. He is credited with drafting the infrastructural development of India. He laid the foundation stone of growth of India.
He had great faith on democratic values as once he said, “We must constantly remind ourselves that whatever our religion or creed, we are all one people.” He was against all kind of disparity and inequality.
He was one of the founding fathers of our constitution. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru is credited with signing of the first constitution of Independent India in 1949. He is credited with setting up great institutions of technology at Delhi, Madras, Bombay, Kanpur and Kharagpur. He is also credited with the founding national laboratories and other institutions of advance research. He forged the policy of non-alignment with the then Yugoslav President, Josip Broz Tito and then President of Egypt, Abdel Nasser. At present the Non-aligned Movement has more than hundred nations as members.
He remained the prime minister of Indian from 1947 to 1964, till his death. He was very popular among children and they called him Chacha Nehru. It is his love for the children that his birthday is celebrated across the country as a Children Day or Bal Divas. He was a real modernist and liberal philosopher who had acquired the skill of mingling the diversity in unity. He was a perfect example of internationalist, as once he himself quoted, “I have become a queer mixture of the East and the West…Out of Place everywhere, at home nowhere.” Thus, it may be said that he was a great political leader, educator, administrator and humanitarian. He is still remembered for his immense contribution of making the India first rank democracy in the world.