Pandit Motilal Nehru was the father of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime minister of India. A spirited freedom fighter, Motilal was a lawyer by profession. He was a member of the Central Legislative Assembly. He headed the Congress party at its 1919 session at
Amritsar, in
Punjab and at Calcutta (now
Kolkata) in 1920. He founded the Swaraj Party along with another freedom fighter, Deshbandhu
Chittaranjan Das, in 1923.
Motilal Nehru had his education in
Kanpur and
Allahabad. He started his practice of law at the Allahabad High Court. He became one of the most successful lawyers of his time. Though at first he followed the western style of living, Motilal gave it up for the cause of freedom. He was arrested along with his son, Jawarhallal Nehru, in 1921 during the course of India’s freedom struggle.
Motilal became famous as a parliamentarian and organizer. He was one of the most notable figures of Indian nationalism in the Gandhian era. He died on February 6, 1931.
