Jawaharlal Nehru

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Jawaharlal Nehru
1st Prime Minister of India
In office
15 August 1947 – 27 May 1964
MonarchGeorge VI
(until 26 January 1950)
PresidentRajendra Prasad
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Governor GeneralThe Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
(until 26 January 1950)
DeputyVallabhbhai Patel
Preceded byPosition established
Himself as Vice President of Executive Council
Succeeded byGulzarilal Nanda (Acting)
Minister of Defence
In office
31 October 1962 – 14 November 1962
Preceded byV. K. Krishna Menon
Succeeded byYashwantrao Chavan
In office
30 January 1957 – 17 April 1957
Preceded byKailash Nath Katju
Succeeded byV. K. Krishna Menon
In office
10 February 1953 – 10 January 1955
Preceded byN. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
Succeeded byKailash Nath Katju
Minister of Finance
In office
13 February 1958 – 13 March 1958
Preceded byTiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachariar
Succeeded byMorarji Desai
In office
24 July 1956 – 30 August 1956
Preceded byChintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh
Succeeded byTiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachariar
Minister of External Affairs
In office
2 September 1946 – 27 May 1964
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byGulzarilal Nanda
Vice President of Executive Council
In office
2 September 1946 – 15 August 1947
Personal details
Born(1889-11-14)14 November 1889
Allahabad, North-Western Provinces, British India
(present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died27 May 1964(1964-05-27) (aged 74)
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Cause of deathHeart Attack
Resting placeShantivan
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)
Kamala Nehru
(m. 1916; died 1936)
ChildrenIndira Gandhi
ParentsPandit Motilal Nehru
Swaruprani Thussu
RelativesSee Nehru–Gandhi family
EducationHarrow
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Inns of Court
Occupation
  • Barrister
  • writer
  • politician
Awards Bharat Ratna (1955)
Signature

Jawaharlal Nehru (also referred to as Pandit Nehru) (November 14, 1889 - May 27, 1964) was the first prime minister of India for 17 years. He became prime minister after India became independent in 1947.[1] He was born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi.[2]

Nehru was the first prime minister of India after it became independent from the British rule.[3]

Under British rule, Nehru was jailed many times. During these periods, he used to write long letters to his daughter, Indira, on Indian and World history. These letters were remarkably well written and became very successful books when published later as Glimpses of World History and The Discovery of India.[4]

Personal life[change | change source]

Jawahar Lal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889, in Allahabad to Pandit Motilal Nehru and Swarup Rani.[5] His father Motilal Nehru, a lawyer, served twice as the president of Indian National Congress[6] and was an important figure in the Indian freedom struggle. His sister, Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first woman president of United Nations General Assembly.[7] His daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv Gandhi became prime ministers of India.

Nehru received his early education at home and later went to Trinity College, Cambridge and graduated with the honors degree in natural science. He studied Law at Inns of Court school. Nehru returned to India in 1912.[7]

References[change | change source]

  1. BBC ON THIS DAY | 27 | 1964: Light goes out in India as Nehru dies. BBC News. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  2. "Indian National Congress". inc.in. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  3. "Nation pays tribute to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 124th birth anniversary". Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  4. Balakrishnan, Anima (4 August 2006). "The Hindu : Young World : From dad with love". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  5. "Jawahar Lal Nehru: Top 10 facts about Chacha Nehru - Times of India". The Times of India. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  6. DelhiFebruary 6, India Today Web Desk New; May 6, 2017UPDATED; Ist, 2017 10:55. "Remembering Motilal Nehru, founder of the Nehru-Gandhi family". India Today. Retrieved 2022-03-23. {{cite web}}: |first3= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Jawaharlal Nehru: Freedom struggle icon, maker of modern India". Hindustan Times. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2022-03-23.