146 Facts About Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century.

Jawaharlal Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation.

Jawaharlal Nehru became a barrister, returned to India, enrolled at the Allahabad High Court and gradually became interested in national politics, which eventually became a full-time occupation.

Jawaharlal Nehru joined the Indian National Congress, rose to become the leader of a progressive faction during the 1920s, and eventually of the Congress, receiving the support of Mahatma Gandhi, who was to designate Nehru as his political heir.

Jawaharlal Nehru promoted the idea of the secular nation-state in the 1937 provincial elections, allowing the Congress to sweep the elections and form governments in several provinces.

Jawaharlal Nehru became the interim prime minister of India in September 1946 and the League joined his government with some hesitancy in October 1946.

On 26 January 1950, when India became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, Jawaharlal Nehru became the Republic of India's first prime minister.

Jawaharlal Nehru embarked on an ambitious economic, social, and political reform programme.

Jawaharlal Nehru died in office from a heart attack in 1964.

Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India.

Jawaharlal Nehru was born on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad in British India to mother Swarup Rani nee Thussu and father Motilal Nehru.

Jawaharlal Nehru grew up in an atmosphere of privilege, which included life in the mansion Anand Bhavan in Allahabad.

Jawaharlal Nehru was educated at home by private governesses and tutors.

Jawaharlal Nehru was to write: "For nearly three years [Brooks] was with me and in many ways, he influenced me greatly".

Jawaharlal Nehru went to Trinity College, Cambridge, in October 1907 and graduated with an honours degree in natural science in 1910.

Jawaharlal Nehru's father was one of the wealthiest barristers in British India, with a monthly income exceeding Rs.

Jawaharlal Nehru's father, Motilal, was an important moderate leader of the Indian National Congress.

However, Jawaharlal Nehru sympathised with the Congress radicals, who promoted Swaraj, Swadesh, and boycott.

The Congress was then considered a party of moderates and elites dominated by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Jawaharlal Nehru was disconcerted by what he saw as "very much an English-knowing upper-class affair".

However, Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to raise funds for the ongoing Indian civil rights movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa.

In 1916, Jawaharlal Nehru married Kamala Kaul, who came from a Kashmiri Pandit family settled in Delhi.

Jawaharlal Nehru joined both groups, but he worked primarily with Besant, with whom he had a very close relationship since childhood.

Jawaharlal Nehru became the secretary of Besant's Home Rule League.

Jawaharlal Nehru met Gandhi for the first time in 1916 at the Lucknow session of the Congress, but he had been then dissuaded by his father from being drawn into Gandhi's satyagraha politics.

Motilal Jawaharlal Nehru lost his belief in constitutional reform, and joined his son in accepting Gandhi's methods and paramount leadership of the Congress.

In December 1919, Jawaharlal Nehru's father was elected president of the Indian National Congress in what is regarded as "the first Gandhi Congress".

Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned on 6 December 1921 on charges of anti-governmental activities, marking the first of eight periods of detention between 1921 and 1945, lasting over nine years in all.

In 1923, Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned in Nabha, a princely state, when he went there to see the struggle that was being waged by the Sikhs against the corrupt Mahants.

Jawaharlal Nehru was released after his sentence was unconditonally suspended by the British administration under the criminal procedure code.

In 1926, Jawaharlal Nehru left for Europe with his wife and daughter to seek treatment for his wife's tuberculosis diagnosis.

Jawaharlal Nehru represented India and was elected to the Executive Council of the League against Imperialism which was born at this meeting.

Jawaharlal Nehru made a statement in favour of complete independence for India.

Jawaharlal Nehru's stay in Europe included a visit to the Soviet Union, which sparked his interest in Marxism and socialism.

Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the first leaders to demand that the Congress Party should resolve to make a complete and explicit break from all ties with the British Empire.

Jawaharlal Nehru assumed the presidency of the Congress party during the Lahore session on 29 December 1929 and introduced a successful resolution calling for complete independence.

At midnight on New Year's Eve 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the tricolour flag of India upon the banks of the Ravi in Lahore.

In 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru had already drafted the "Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy" resolution that set the government agenda for an independent India.

Jawaharlal Nehru remarked about the unprecedented popular response, "It seemed as though a spring had been suddenly released".

Jawaharlal Nehru was charged with breach of the salt law and sentenced to six months of imprisonment at Central Jail.

Jawaharlal Nehru nominated Gandhi to succeed him as the Congress president during his absence in jail, but Gandhi declined, and Nehru nominated his father as his successor.

Jawaharlal Nehru considered the salt satyagraha the high-water mark of his association with Gandhi, and felt its lasting importance was in changing the attitudes of Indians:.

On 11 October 1930, Jawaharlal Nehru's detention ended, but he was back in jail in less than ten days for resuming the presidency of the banned Congress.

Jawaharlal Nehru was back in jail on 26 December 1931 after violating court orders not to leave Allahabad while leading a "no-rent" campaign to alleviate peasant distress.

On 30 August 1933, Jawaharlal Nehru was released from prison, but the government soon moved to detain him again.

Jawaharlal Nehru was arrested in Allahabad on 12 January 1934.

Jawaharlal Nehru was released from prison early on compassionate grounds, and moved his wife to a sanatorium in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she died on 28 February 1936.

Jawaharlal Nehru returned to India in March 1936 and led the Congress response to the Government of India Act 1935.

Jawaharlal Nehru condemned the Act as a "new charter of bondage" and a "machine with strong brakes but no engine".

Jawaharlal Nehru initially wanted to boycott the 1937 provincial elections, but agreed to lead the election campaign after receiving vague assurances about abstentionism from the party leaders who wished to contest.

Jawaharlal Nehru hoped to treat the election campaign as a mass outreach programme.

The election manifesto, drafted largely by Jawaharlal Nehru, attacked both the Act and the Communal Award that went with it.

Jawaharlal Nehru campaigned against the Muslim League, and argued that Muslims could not be regarded as a separate nation.

Jawaharlal Nehru was more popular than before with the public, but he found himself isolated at the CWC meetings due to the anti-socialist orientation of its membership.

Gandhi had to personally intervene when a group of CWC members and Jawaharlal Nehru threatened to resign and counter-resign their posts over disagreements.

Jawaharlal Nehru became discontented with his role, especially after the death of his mother in January 1938.

Jawaharlal Nehru was not directly involved in the events that split the Congress during the Bose presidency, and unsuccessfully attempted to mediate.

When Jawaharlal Nehru presented Lord Linlithgow with these demands, he chose to reject them.

In October 1940, Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, abandoning their original stand of supporting Britain, decided to launch a limited civil disobedience campaign in which leading advocates of Indian independence were selected to participate one by one.

We had differences from the time we became co-workers and yet I have said for some years and say so now that not Rajaji but Jawaharlal Nehru will be my successor.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill dispatched Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the War Cabinet who was known to be politically close to Jawaharlal Nehru and knew Jinnah, with proposals for a settlement of the constitutional problem.

Jawaharlal Nehru's prestige was restored unwittingly by Gandhi, who had been released from prison on medical grounds in May 1944 and had met Jinnah in Bombay in September.

Jawaharlal Nehru served as prime minister for 16 years, initially as the interim prime minister, then from 1947 as the prime minister of the Dominion of India and then from 1950 as the prime minister of the Republic of India.

Jawaharlal Nehru showed his concern for the princely states of South Asia since 1920s.

In July 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.

In 1963, Jawaharlal Nehru brought in legislation making it illegal to demand secession and introduced the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution which makes it necessary for those running for office to take an oath that says "I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India".

The Congress party under Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership won a large majority at both state and national levels.

In December 1953, Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the States Reorganisation Commission to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines.

Jawaharlal Nehru stressed commonality among Indians and promoted pan-Indianism, refusing to reorganise states on either religious or ethnic lines.

In 1962, Jawaharlal Nehru led the Congress to victory with a diminished majority.

From 1959, in a process that accelerated in 1961, Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the "Forward Policy" of setting up military outposts in disputed areas of the Sino-Indian border, including 43 outposts in territory not previously controlled by India.

The war exposed the unpreparedness of India's military, which could send only 14,000 troops to the war zone in opposition to the much larger Chinese Army, and Jawaharlal Nehru was widely criticised for his government's insufficient attention to defence.

Jawaharlal Nehru would continue to maintain his commitment to the non-aligned movement, despite calls from some to settle down on one permanent ally.

India's policy of weaponisation using indigenous sources and self-sufficiency began in earnest under Jawaharlal Nehru, completed by his daughter Indira Gandhi, who later led India to a crushing military victory over rival Pakistan in 1971.

Jawaharlal Nehru ordered the raising of an elite Indian-trained "Tibetan Armed Force" composed of Tibetan refugees, which served with distinction in future wars against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.

Jawaharlal Nehru is time and again described as a charismatic leader with a rare charm.

Parekh attributes this to the national philosophy Jawaharlal Nehru formulated for India.

Jawaharlal Nehru is credited with having prevented civil wars in India.

Jawaharlal Nehru convincingly succeeded in secularism and religious harmony, increasing the representation of minorities in government.

Jawaharlal Nehru implemented policies based on import substitution industrialisation and advocated a mixed economy where the government-controlled public sector would co-exist with the private sector.

Jawaharlal Nehru believed the establishment of basic and heavy industry was fundamental to the development and modernisation of the Indian economy.

Jawaharlal Nehru's vision of an egalitarian society was "a co-operative ideal, a one world ideal, based on social justice and economic equality".

In 1928, Jawaharlal Nehru had affirmed that "Our economic programme must aim at the removal of all economic inequalities".

The policy of non-alignment during the Cold War meant that Jawaharlal Nehru received financial and technical support from both power blocs in building India's industrial base from scratch.

Jawaharlal Nehru's critics contended that India's import substitution industrialisation, which continued long after the Jawaharlal Nehru era, weakened the international competitiveness of its manufacturing industries.

Jawaharlal Nehru was a passionate advocate of education for India's children and youth, believing it essential for India's future progress.

Jawaharlal Nehru's government oversaw the establishment of many institutions of higher learning, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institutes of Management and the National Institutes of Technology.

Jawaharlal Nehru outlined a commitment in his five-year plans to guarantee free and compulsory primary education to all of India's children.

Jawaharlal Nehru launched initiatives such as the provision of free milk and meals to children to fight malnutrition.

The Jawaharlal Nehru administration saw such codification as necessary to unify the Hindu community, which ideally would be a first step towards unifying the nation.

However, Jawaharlal Nehru has been criticised for the inconsistent application of the law.

Jawaharlal Nehru sought to build support among the newly independent nations of Asia and Africa in opposition to the two hostile superpowers contesting the Cold War.

Jawaharlal Nehru was a strong supporter of the United Nations, except when it tried to resolve the Kashmir question.

Jawaharlal Nehru pioneered the policy of non-alignment and co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement of nations professing neutrality between the rival blocs of nations led by the US and the USSR.

Jawaharlal Nehru argued for its inclusion in the United Nations and refused to brand the Chinese as the aggressors in the west's conflict with Korea.

Jawaharlal Nehru sought to establish warm and friendly relations with China in 1950 and hoped to act as an intermediary to bridge the gulf and tensions between the communist states and the Western bloc.

Jawaharlal Nehru was a key organiser of the Bandung Conference of April 1955, which brought 29 newly independent nations together from Asia and Africa, and was designed to galvanise the nonalignment movement under Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership.

Jawaharlal Nehru envisioned it as his key leadership opportunity on the world stage, where he would bring together emerging nations.

Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the key participants of the 1st Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961 in Belgrade, FPR Yugoslavia.

Jawaharlal Nehru used military force to annexe Hyderabad in 1948 and Goa in 1961.

Many hailed Jawaharlal Nehru for working to defuse global tensions and the threat of nuclear weapons after the Korean War.

Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned the first study of the effects of nuclear explosions on human health and campaigned ceaselessly for the abolition of what he called "these frightful engines of destruction".

Jawaharlal Nehru had pragmatic reasons for promoting de-nuclearization, fearing a nuclear arms race would lead to over-militarisation that would be unaffordable for developing countries such as his own.

At Lord Mountbatten's urging, in 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru had promised to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir under the auspices of the UN.

However, as Pakistan failed to pull back troops in accordance with the UN resolution, and as Jawaharlal Nehru grew increasingly wary of the UN, he declined to hold a plebiscite in 1953.

In 1953, Jawaharlal Nehru orchestrated the ouster and arrest of Sheikh Abdullah, the prime minister of Kashmir, whom he had previously supported but was now suspected of harbouring separatist ambitions; Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad replaced him.

Jawaharlal Nehru was then at the peak of his popularity in India; the only criticism came from the far right.

In 1954, Jawaharlal Nehru signed with China the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known in India as the Panchsheel, a set of principles to govern relations between the two states.

In 1956, Jawaharlal Nehru criticised the joint invasion of the Suez Canal by the British, French, and Israelis.

Jawaharlal Nehru had a powerful ally in the US President Dwight Eisenhower who, if relatively silent publicly, went to the extent of using America's clout at the International Monetary Fund to make Britain and France back down.

Jawaharlal Nehru spoke to the doctors who attended to him for a brief while, and almost immediately he collapsed.

Jawaharlal Nehru's death was announced in the Lok Sabha at 14:00 local time on 27 May 1964; the cause of death was believed to be a heart attack.

The name of Jawaharal Jawaharlal Nehru enjoyed the tremendous respect and love of the Soviet people, who knew him as a tested and wise leader of the Indian people's struggle for national independence and the rebirth of their country, and as an active fighter against colonialism.

Jawaharal Jawaharlal Nehru is known as an outstanding statesman of modern times who devoted his entire life to the struggle for strengthening friendship and cooperation among peoples and for the progress of humanity.

Jawaharlal Nehru was a passionate fighter for peace in the world and an ardent champion of principles of peaceful coexistence of states.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the inspirer of the nonalignment policy promoted by the Indian Government.

Jawaharlal Nehru's death left India with no clear political heir to his leadership.

Under Jawaharlal Nehru, he served as India's high commissioner to the UK, ambassador to Ireland, ambassador-at-large and plenipotentiary, UN ambassador, minister without portfolio, de facto Foreign minister, and Union minister of defence.

Jawaharlal Nehru was significantly involved in the annexation of Goa.

Jawaharlal Nehru resigned after the debacle of the 1962 China War but remain a close friend of Nehru.

Jawaharlal Nehru was instrumental in getting the Congress party working committee to vote for partition.

Jawaharlal Nehru is credited with integrating many princely states of India.

Patel was a long-time comrade to Jawaharlal Nehru but died in 1950, leaving Jawaharlal Nehru as the unchallenged leader of India until his own death in 1964.

Jawaharlal Nehru went on to serve as a minister with various portfolios during Nehru's tenure and in Shastri and Indira Gandhi governments.

Later Desai alleged that Jawaharlal Nehru used the Kamaraj Plan to remove all possible contenders 'from the path of his daughter, Indira Gandhi.

Jawaharlal Nehru was responsible for the establishment of Hindi as the official language of the central government and a few states.

Jawaharlal Nehru accomplished the nationalisation of insurance companies and the formation of the Life Insurance Corporation of India through the Life Insurance Corporation of India Act, 1956.

Indira was elected as Congress party president in 1959, which aroused criticism for alleged nepotism, although Jawaharlal Nehru had actually disapproved of her election, partly because he considered that it smacked of "dynasticism"; he said, indeed it was "wholly undemocratic and an undesirable thing", and refused her a position in his cabinet.

Jawaharlal Nehru began to be embarrassed by her ruthlessness and disregard for parliamentary tradition and was "hurt" by what he saw as an assertiveness with no purpose other than to stake out an identity independent of her father.

Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to model India as a secular country; his secularist policies remain a subject of debate mainly by the Hindutva proponents.

In 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru was conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Mysore.

Jawaharlal Nehru later received honorary doctorates from the University of Madras, Columbia University, and Keio University.

In 1955, Jawaharlal Nehru was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Jawaharlal Nehru is noted for contributing in the independence of other countries like Libya, Indonesia and others.

Jawaharlal Nehru is praised for creating a system providing universal primary education, reaching children in the farthest corners of rural India.

However, in recent years, Jawaharlal Nehru's reputation has seen re-emergence and he is credited for keeping India together contrary to predictions of many that the country was bound to fall apart.

Jawaharlal Nehru remains a popular symbol of the Congress Party which frequently celebrates his memory.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port near the city of Mumbai is a modern port and dock designed to handle a huge cargo and traffic load.

In 1997, Jawaharlal Nehru was voted as the greatest Indian since independence in India Today poll.

Benegal directed the 1984 documentary film, Jawaharlal Nehru, covering his political career.

Indian film director Kiran Kumar made a film about Jawaharlal Nehru titled Jawaharlal Nehru: The Jewel of India in 1990 starring Partap Sharma in the titular role.

Jawaharlal Nehru was a prolific writer in English who wrote The Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History, An Autobiography and Letters from a Father to His Daughter, all written in jail.

Letters comprised 30 letters written to his daughter Indira Priyadarshani Jawaharlal Nehru who was then 10 years old and studying at a boarding school in Mussoorie.

Jawaharlal Nehru's autobiography is subtle, complex, discriminating, infinitely cultivated, steeped in doubt, suffused with intellectual passion.

Michael Brecher, who considered Jawaharlal Nehru to be an intellectual for whom ideas were important aspects of Indian nationalism, wrote in Political Leadership and Charisma: Jawaharlal Nehru, Ben-Gurion, and Other 20th-Century Political Leaders:.

Jawaharlal Nehru's books were not scholarly, nor were they intended to be.

Jawaharlal Nehru was not a trained historian, but his feel for the flow of events and his capacity to weave together a wide range of knowledge in a meaningful pattern give to his books qualities of a high order.