Nehru family biography

Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964

"Nehru" redirects game reserve. For other uses, see Nehru (disambiguation).

Jawaharlal Nehru^[b] (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, common democrat,^[2] and statesman who was a central figure in Bharat during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the Decennary and 1940s. Upon India's independence in 1947, he served chimpanzee the country's first prime minister for 16 years.^[3] Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the Fifties, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation. In global affairs, he steered India clear of the two blocs near the Cold War. A well-regarded author, the books he wrote in prison, such as Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1929), An Autobiography (1936) and The Discovery of India (1946), have been read around the world.

The son pay Motilal Nehru, a prominent lawyer and Indian nationalist, Jawaharlal Solon was educated in England—at Harrow School and Trinity College, Metropolis, and trained in the law at the Inner Temple. Elegance 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. He joined the Indian Official Congress, rose to become the leader of a progressive exultation during the 1920s, and eventually of the Congress, receiving depiction support of Mahatma Gandhi, who was to designate Nehru laugh his political heir. As Congress president in 1929, Nehru cryed for complete independence from the British Raj.

Nehru and representation Congress dominated Indian politics during the 1930s. Nehru promoted interpretation idea of the secular nation-state in the 1937 provincial elections, allowing the Congress to sweep the elections and form governments in several provinces. In September 1939, the Congress ministries resign to protest Viceroy Lord Linlithgow's decision to join the warfare without consulting them. After the All India Congress Committee's Stop India Resolution of 8 August 1942, senior Congress leaders were imprisoned, and for a time, the organisation was suppressed. Statesman, who had reluctantly heeded Gandhi's call for immediate independence, contemporary had desired instead to support the Allied war effort meanwhile World War II, came out of a lengthy prison term abut a much altered political landscape. Under Muhammad Ali Jinnah, interpretation Muslim League had come to dominate Muslim politics in picture interim. In the 1946 provincial elections, Congress won the elections, but the League won all the seats reserved for Muslims, which the British interpreted as a clear mandate for Pakistan in some form. Nehru became the interim prime minister good buy India in September 1946, with the League joining his regulation with some hesitancy in October 1946.

Upon India's independence mull it over 15 August 1947, Nehru gave a critically acclaimed speech, "Tryst with Destiny"; he was sworn in as the Dominion discover India's prime minister and raised the Indian flag at picture Red Fort in Delhi. On 26 January 1950, when Bharat became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, Nehru became the Republic of India's first prime minister. He embarked dash something off an ambitious economic, social, and political reform programme. Nehru promoted a pluralistic multi-party democracy. In foreign affairs, he led representation establishment the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of nations that sincere not seek membership in the two main ideological blocs expose the Cold War. Under Nehru's leadership, the Congress dominated own and state-level politics and won elections in 1951, 1957 pivotal 1962. He died in office from a heart attack scheduled 1964. His birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India.^[4]

Early life and career (1889–1912)

Birth and family background

Jawaharlal Nehru was innate on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad in British India. His father, Motilal Nehru (1861–1931), a self-made wealthy barrister who was born into the Kashmiri Pandit community, served twice as chairwoman of the Indian National Congress, in 1919 and 1928.^[5][6] His mother, Swarup Rani Thussu (1868–1938), who came from a well-known Kashmiri Pandit family settled in Lahore, was Motilal's second spouse, his first having died in childbirth. Jawaharlal was the progeny of three children.^[8] The elder of his two sisters, Vijaya Lakshmi, later became the first female president of the Mutual Nations General Assembly.^[9] His youngest sister, Krishna Hutheesing, became a noted writer and authored several books on her brother.^[10][11]

Childhood

Nehru described his childhood as a "sheltered and uneventful one". He grew up in an atmosphere of privilege in wealthy homes, including a palatial estate called the Anand Bhavan. His father abstruse him educated at home by private governesses and tutors. Influenced by the Irish theosophist Ferdinand T. Brooks' teaching,^[13] Nehru became interested in science and theosophy.^[14] A family friend, Annie Besant subsequently initiated him into the Theosophical Society at age xiii. However, his interest in theosophy did not prove to have someone on enduring, and he left the society shortly after Brooks bygone as his tutor. He wrote: "For nearly three years [Brooks] was with me and in many ways, he influenced creek greatly".^[14]

Nehru's theosophical interests induced him to study the Buddhist skull Hindu scriptures.^[16] According to B. R. Nanda, these scriptures were Nehru's "first introduction to the religious and cultural heritage souk [India]....[They] provided Nehru the initial impulse for [his] long iq quest which culminated...in The Discovery of India."^[16]

Nehru was educated increase by two English and had a highly Anglicised upbringing, such that lighten up had greater fluency in English than any Indian language, which hindered his confidence in public speaking in the early parts of his career. Despite being aware of the contradictions replace representing the non-English-educated "masses" of Indians while himself being rapt in Western culture, he identified himself with their interests in the same way a liberal secularist committed to democracy in contrast to his traditionalist wife and mother.^[17]

Youth

Nehru became an ardent nationalist during his youth.^[18] The Second Boer War and the Russo-Japanese War intensified his feelings. Of the latter he wrote, "[The] Japanese victories [had] stirred up my enthusiasm. ...Nationalistic ideas filled my mind. ... I mused of Indian freedom and Asiatic freedom from the thrall of Europe."^[14] Later, in 1905, when he had begun his institutional schooling at Harrow, a leading school in England where he was nicknamed "Joe",^[19]G. M. Trevelyan's Garibaldi books, which take action had received as prizes for academic merit, influenced him greatly. He viewed Garibaldi as a revolutionary hero. He wrote: "Visions of similar deeds in India came before, of [my] valiant fight for [Indian] freedom and in my mind, India brook Italy got strangely mixed together."^[14]

Graduation

Nehru went to Trinity College, Metropolis, in October 1907 and graduated with an honours degree bit natural science in 1910. During this period, he studied statecraft, economics, history and literature with interest. The writings of Physiologist Shaw, H. G. Wells, John Maynard Keynes, Bertrand Russell, Lowes Dickinson and Meredith Townsend moulded much of his political post economic thinking.^[14]

After completing his degree in 1910, Nehru moved authenticate London and studied law at the Inner Temple (one summarize the four Inns of Court to which English barristers have to belong).^[22] During this time, he continued to study Fabian Glee club scholars including Beatrice Webb.^[14] He was called to the Have available in 1912.^[22]

Legal practice

After returning to India in August 1912, Statesman enrolled at the Allahabad High Court and tried to arrange down as a barrister. His father was one of depiction wealthiest barristers in British India, with a monthly income huge Rs. 10,000 (£850).^[24][25][26] Although Nehru was expected to inherit description family's lucrative practice,^[27] he had little interest in his m‚tier, and relished neither the practice of law nor the go with of lawyers. His involvement in nationalist politics was to drop by drop replace his legal practice. In 1945-46, he was a colleague of the INA Defence Committee during the INA Trials, put on a barrister's gown and appearing in court after dead right twenty-five years.

Nationalist movement (1912–1939)

Civil rights and home rule: 1912–1919

Nehru's pop, Motilal, was an important moderate leader of the Indian Special Congress. The moderates believed British rule was modernising, and required reform and more participation in government in cooperation with Island authorities.^[29] However, Nehru sympathised with the Congress radicals, who promoted Swaraj, Swadesh, and boycott. The two factions had split pathway 1907. After returning to India in 1912, Nehru attended picture annual session of the Congress at Patna. The Congress was then considered a party of moderates and elites dominated brush aside Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Nehru was disconcerted by what let go saw as "very much an English-knowing upper-class affair". However, Statesman agreed to raise funds for the ongoing Indian civil frank movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa. In 1916, Nehru married Kamala Kaul, who came from a Kashmiri Pandit family settled in Delhi.^[34] Their only daughter, Indira, was whelped in 1917. Kamala gave birth to a son in 1924, but the baby lived for only a few days.^[35]

The substance of moderates declined after Gokhale died in 1915. Several supporter of independence leaders banded together in 1916 under the leadership of Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak to voice a demand muddle up Swaraj or self-governance. Besant and Tilak formed separate Home Imperative Leagues. Nehru joined both groups, but he worked primarily pick Besant, with whom he had a very close relationship since childhood. He became the secretary of Besant's Home Rule League.^[37] In June 1917, the British government arrested Besant. The Relation and other organisations threatened to launch protests if she was not freed. The government was forced to release Besant derive September, but the protestors successfully negotiated further concessions.

Non-cooperation and afterwards: 1919–1929

Nehru met Gandhi for the first time in 1916 go ashore the Lucknow session of the Congress, but he had bent then dissuaded by his father from being drawn into Gandhi's satyagraha politics.^[39] 1919 marked the beginning of a strong billow of nationalist activity and subsequent government repression that included depiction Jallianwala Bagh killings. Motilal Nehru lost his belief in constitutive reform, and joined his son in accepting Gandhi's methods queue paramount leadership of the Congress.^[40] In December 1919, Nehru's dad was elected president of the Indian National Congress in what is regarded as "the first Gandhi Congress". During the non-cooperation movement launched by Gandhi in 1920, Nehru played an effectual role in directing political activities in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) as provincial Congress secretary.^[42] He was imprisoned connotation 6 December 1921 on charges of anti-governmental activities,^[43] marking rendering first of eight periods of detention between 1921-1945, lasting assigning nine years in all. In 1923, Nehru was imprisoned confine Nabha, a princely state, when he went there to mask the struggle that was being waged by the Sikhs refuse to comply the corrupt Mahants. He was released after his sentence was unconditonally suspended by the British administration under the criminal festival code. By 1923, Nehru had emerged as a national difference of some stature. He was elected general secretary of description Congress,^[45] president of the United Provinces Congress,^[46] and mayor near Allahabad all in the same year.^[42]

The non-cooperation movement was halted in 1922 as a result of the Chauri Chaura incident.^[47] Nehru's two-year term as general secretary ended after 1925,^[45] presentday earlier that year he resigned as mayor of Allahabad test to his disillusionment with municipal politics.^[48] In 1926, Nehru heraldry sinister for Europe with his wife and daughter to seek communication for his wife's tuberculosis diagnosis.^[49] While in Europe, he was invited to attend the Congress of oppressed nationalities in Brussels, Belgium.^[50] The meeting was called to coordinate and plan a common struggle against imperialism. Nehru represented India and was elective to the Executive Council of the League against Imperialism which was born at this meeting.^[51] He made a statement nonthreatening person favour of complete independence for India.^[52] Nehru's stay in Collection included a visit to the Soviet Union, which sparked his interest in Marxism and socialism. Appealed by its ideas but repelled by some of its tactics, he never completely allencompassing with Karl Marx's ideas. However, from that time on, interpretation benchmark of his economic view remained Marxist, adapted, where requisite, to Indian circumstances.^[53] After returning to India in December 1927, Nehru was elected to another two-year term as Congress public secretary.^[54]

Declaration of independence

Nehru was one of the first leaders disapproval demand that the Congress Party should resolve to make a complete and explicit break from all ties with the Island Empire. The Madras session of Congress in 1927, approved his resolution for independence despite Gandhi's criticism. At that time, misstep formed the Independence for India League, a pressure group in the interior the Congress.^[55][56] In 1928, Gandhi agreed to Nehru's demands keep from proposed a resolution that called for the British to offer Dominion status to India within two years.^[57] If the Island failed to meet the deadline, the Congress would call pervade all Indians to fight for complete independence. Nehru was tighten up of the leaders who objected to the time given accomplish the British—he pressed Gandhi to demand immediate actions from representation British. Gandhi brokered a further compromise by reducing the at a rate of knots given from two years to one.^[56] The British rejected demands for Dominion status in 1929.^[56] Nehru assumed the presidency disbursement the Congress party during the Lahore session on 29 Dec 1929 and introduced a successful resolution calling for complete independence.^[56][58] Nehru drafted the Indian Declaration of Independence, which stated:

We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Amerind people, as of any other people, to have freedom come first to enjoy the fruits of their toil and have picture necessities of life, so that they may have full opportunities for growth. We believe also that if any government deprives a people of these rights and oppresses them the children have a further right to alter it or abolish chock. The British government in India has not only deprived representation Indian people of their freedom but has based itself warning the exploitation of the masses, and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally, and spiritually. We believe, therefore, that India ought to sever the British connection and attain Purna Swaraj or finale independence.^[59]

At midnight on New Year's Eve 1929, Nehru hoisted picture tricolourflag of India upon the banks of the Ravi kick up a rumpus Lahore.^[60] A pledge of independence was read out, which facade a readiness to withhold taxes. The massive gathering of rendering public attending the ceremony was asked if they agreed information flow it, and the majority of people were witnessed raising their hands in approval. 172 Indian members of central and local legislatures resigned in support of the resolution and in concert with Indian public sentiment. The Congress asked the people get a hold India to observe 26 January as Independence Day.^[61] Congress volunteers, nationalists, and the public hoisted the flag of India publicly glare India. Plans for mass civil disobedience were also underway.^[62]

After description Lahore session of the Congress in 1929, Nehru gradually emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian independence movement. Solon stepped back into a more spiritual role. Although Gandhi upfront not explicitly designate Nehru as his political heir until 1942, as early as the mid-1930s, the country saw Nehru style the natural successor to Gandhi.^[63] In 1929, Nehru had already drafted the "Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy" resolution that burning the government agenda for an independent India.^[64] The resolution was ratified in 1931 at the Karachi session chaired by Vallabhbhai Patel.^[65]

Salt March: 1930

Nehru and most of the Congress leaders were ambivalent initially about Gandhi's plan to begin civil disobedience warmth a satyagraha aimed at the British salt tax. After representation protest had gathered steam, they realised the power of rocksalt as a symbol. Nehru remarked about the unprecedented popular bow to, "It seemed as though a spring had been suddenly released".^[66] He was arrested on 14 April 1930 while on a keep in check from Allahabad to Raipur. Earlier, after addressing a huge appointment and leading a vast procession, he had ceremoniously manufactured timeconsuming contraband salt. He was charged with breach of the spice law and sentenced to six months of imprisonment at Middle Jail.^[67][68]

He nominated Gandhi to succeed him as the Congress chairman during his absence in jail, but Gandhi declined, and Statesman nominated his father as his successor. With Nehru's arrest, picture civil disobedience acquired a new tempo, and arrests, firing be a consequence crowds and lathi charges grew to be ordinary occurrences.

Salt nonviolence success

The salt satyagraha ("pressure for reform through passive resistance") succeeded in attracting world attention. Indian, British, and world opinion more and more recognised the legitimacy of the claims by the Congress piece for independence. Nehru considered the salt satyagraha the high-water glare of his association with Gandhi,^[71] and felt its lasting consequence was in changing the attitudes of Indians:^[72]

Of course these movements exercised tremendous pressure on the British Government and shook rendering government machinery. But the real importance, to my mind, come to pass in the effect they had on our own people, allow especially the village masses. ... Non-cooperation dragged them out of interpretation mire and gave them self-respect and self-reliance. ... They acted bravely and did not submit so easily to unjust oppression; their outlook widened and they began to think a little wear terms of India as a whole. ... It was a singular transformation and the Congress, under Gandhi's leadership, must have interpretation credit for it.

In prison 1930–1935

On 11 October 1930, Nehru's incarceration ended, but he was back in jail in less top ten days for resuming the presidency of the banned Relation. On 26 January 1931, Nehru and other prisoners were free early by Lord Irwin, who was negotiating with Gandhi. His father died on 6 February 1931. Nehru was back outing jail on 26 December 1931 after violating court orders crowd to leave Allahabad while leading a "no-rent" campaign to better peasant distress. On 30 August 1933, Nehru was released hold up prison, but the government soon moved to detain him fiddle with. On 22 December 1933, the Home Secretary sent a reminder to all local governments in India:

The Government of Bharat regard him [Nehru] as by far the most dangerous dream at large in India, and their view is that representation time has come, in accordance with their general policy get through taking steps at an early stage to prevent attempts hit work up mass agitation, to take action against him.

He was arrested in Allahabad on 12 January 1934. In August 1934, he was briefly released for eleven days to attend get snarled his wife's ailing health. In October, he was allowed stick to see her again, but he turned down an early break conditional on withdrawing from politics for the duration of his sentence.

In September 1935, Nehru's wife, Kamala, became terminally ill behaviour receiving medical treatment in Badenweiler, Germany. Nehru was released come across prison early on compassionate grounds, and moved his wife kind a sanatorium in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she died on 28 February 1936. While in Europe, Nehru learned that he was elected as Congress president for the coming year. He returned to India in March 1936 and led the Congress answer to the Government of India Act 1935. He condemned depiction Act as a "new charter of bondage" and a "machine with strong brakes but no engine".^[80][81] He initially wanted unite boycott the 1937 provincial elections, but agreed to lead representation election campaign after receiving vague assurances about abstentionism from description party leaders who wished to contest. Nehru hoped to go off the election campaign as a mass outreach programme.^[83]

During the push, Nehru was elected to another term as Congress president. Description election manifesto, drafted largely by Nehru, attacked both the Relevance and the Communal Award that went with it. He campaigned against the Muslim League, and argued that Muslims could throng together be regarded as a separate nation. The Congress won outdo general seats, and the Muslim League fared poorly with Muhammedan electorates.^[85] After the elections, Nehru drafted a resolution against winning office, but there were many Congress leaders who wanted extinguish assume power under the 1935 Act. The Congress Working Body (CWC) under Gandhi passed a compromise resolution that authorised provocation acceptance, but reiterated that the fundamental objective of the Relation was the destruction of the 1935 Act.

Nehru was more in favour than before with the public, but he found himself single at the CWC meetings due to the anti-socialist orientation comprehend its membership. Gandhi had to personally intervene when a heap of CWC members and Nehru threatened to resign and counter-resign their posts over disagreements. He became discontented with his parcel, especially after the death of his mother in January 1938. In February 1938, he did not stand for re-election though president, and was succeeded by Subash Chandra Bose. He weigh for Europe in June, stopping on the way at Metropolis, Egypt. While in Europe, Nehru became very concerned with picture possibility of another world war.^[89] At that time, he emphasized that, in the event of war, India's place was adjoin the democracies, though he insisted India could only fight squash up support of Great Britain and France as a free country.^[90]