Jawaharlal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889 at
Allahabad.
Motilal Nehru, who was one of the greatest legal luminaries during his time with a lucrative practice, was the father of Jawaharlal Nehru. Ferdinand T Brooks, a theosophist, became a great influence for the young Jawaharlal. At the age of 13, Nehru joined the Theosophical society, initiated by
Mrs. Annie Besant. This led Nehru to develop interest in reading and gain knowledge about the mysteries of science. Another person who influenced Nehru in shaping his personality was one of the Munshis of his father.
Jawaharlal Nehru completed his higher education in England, at Harrow and Cambridge. He closely watched various political situations in India during his studies in England. Lala Lajpat Rai’s speech which he made when he visited England, became a great influence on Nehru.
After completing his studies when he returned to India at the age of 26, Nehru was married to Kamala Kaul, a pretty Kashmiri woman, seventeen years old.
In 1916, Jawaharlal Nehru met Mahatma Gandhi during the Lucknow congress session. He was strongly influenced by Gandhi but was not a blind follower. Ganhiji held a very high opinion of Nehru and considered him as his political heir. He had liberal thoughts and his personality was a mix of occidental learning and oriental culture. He had strong views but he was averse to religious bigotry. He understood the common man's needs and fought for this cause.
Jawaharlal entered the first rank of Indian nationalist politics as president of the Congress for the first time in 1929. Nehru spent most of these years in prison writing books and letters; he lost his father and wife while in prison.
In 1947, India earned independence from the British and Jawaharlal Nehru, who was unanimously elected, became the first Prime minister of India. Nehru served as the prime minister of India for 18 years consecutively from 1947-1964. After his loyal service to the nation he passed away on May 24, 1964.
Besides being an able politician, Nehru was a versatile writer as well. His books include Glimpses of World History, which is a compilation of the letters written to his only daughter Indira, while he was in prison, The Discovery of India and an Autobiography.
