Jawaharlal Nehru जवाहरलाल नेहरू | |
|---|---|
| File:NehruV.jpg | |
| 1st Prime Minister of India | |
| In office August 15, 1947 – May 27, 1964 | |
| Succeeded by | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 14 1889 Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Died | May 27 1964 Delhi, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi: जवाहरलाल नेहरू, IPA: [dʒəvaːhərlaːl nehruː]) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964) was a senior political leader of the Indian National Congress, was a pivotal figure during the Indian independence movement and served as the first Prime Minister of the Republic of India. Popularly referred to as Panditji (Scholar), Nehru was also a writer, scholar and amateur historian, and the patriarch of India's most influential political family.
As the son of the wealthy Indian barrister and politician Motilal Nehru, Nehru had become one of the youngest leaders of the Indian National Congress. Rising under the mentorship of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru became a charismatic, radical leader, advocating complete independence from the British Empire. An icon for Indian youth, Nehru was also an exponent of socialism as a means to address long-standing national challenges. Serving as Congress President, Nehru raised the flag of independent India in Lahore on December 31, 1929. A forceful and charismatic orator, Nehru was a major influence in organising nationalist rebellions and spreading the popularity of the nationalist cause to India's minorities. Elected to lead free India's government, Nehru would serve as India's prime minister and head of the Congress till his death.
As India's leader, Nehru oversaw major national programmes of industrialization, agrarian and land reforms, infrastructure and energy development. He passionately worked for women's rights, secularism and advancement of education and social welfare. Nehru incepted the policy of non-alignment and developed India's foreign policy under the ideals of Pancasila. However, he was criticised for his failure of leadership during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. Later after his successor Lal Bahadur Shastri's demise ; Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi would go on to lead the Congress and serve as prime minister, as would his grandson Rajiv. Rajiv's widow Sonia and her children lead the Congress today, maintaining the Nehru-Gandhi family's prominence in Indian politics.
