Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
1889 — 1964
Inde, Raj britannique, Union indienne
Prime Minister of independent India from 1947 to 1964, Nehru was one of the architects of independence alongside Gandhi. Architect of the modern Indian state, he embodied the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War.
Famous Quotes
« At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. »
« Culture is the ability to respond to the greatness of a civilization. »
Key Facts
- 1889: Born in Allahabad into a wealthy Brahmin family
- 1916–1947: Activist in the Indian National Congress alongside Gandhi
- 15 August 1947: Becomes the first Prime Minister of independent India
- 1955: Co-founder of the Non-Aligned Movement with Nasser and Tito
- 27 May 1964: Dies in office after 17 years in power
Works & Achievements
Written in prison, this autobiography traces his personal and political journey up to the 1930s. It reveals a man torn between his Indian roots and his British education at Cambridge.
A collection of 196 letters written to his daughter Indira from prison, recounting the history of the entire world. Translated into many languages, it is one of the most widely read introductions to world history of the 20th century.
A masterwork written during his imprisonment at Ahmadnagar Fort, this essay explores five thousand years of Indian civilization. A founding text of modern Indian national consciousness, it was adapted into a television series in 1988.
Delivered to Parliament on the night of independence, this speech is considered one of the great political texts of the 20th century. It set out the vision of a secular, democratic, and sovereign India.
Nehru established these elite engineering schools to train the scientific leaders of independent India. The IITs are today among the most selective higher education institutions in the world.
Nehru launched three socialist-inspired five-year plans to industrialize and modernize India, laying the foundations of a mixed economy with a strong public sector. This policy established the groundwork for the country's industrial development.
Anecdotes
On the night of August 14–15, 1947, Nehru delivered his famous 'Tryst with Destiny' speech in New Delhi at the stroke of midnight, at the exact moment India gained independence. The speech is considered one of the greatest political texts of the 20th century. It was broadcast live on All India Radio and heard by millions of Indians who had waited decades for that moment.
Nehru was imprisoned nine times by British authorities, spending a total of roughly nine years behind bars. It was during his final imprisonment at Ahmadnagar Fort (1942–1945) that he wrote his masterwork, 'The Discovery of India' — a historical and philosophical essay of over 500 pages, written entirely from memory with no access to a library.
Although he was a close companion of Gandhi, Nehru disagreed with him on fundamental points: where Gandhi dreamed of a rural, artisanal India, Nehru envisioned an industrial and scientific nation. He established the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and oversaw the construction of major dams, declaring these achievements the 'temples of modern India.'
Nehru was known for wearing a fresh red rose in the buttonhole of his white sherwani every single day. This habit, inherited from his father Motilal Nehru, became his trademark at all public appearances and diplomatic meetings, from New York to Moscow.
At the Bandung Conference in April 1955, Nehru was one of the architects of the Non-Aligned Movement, bringing together 29 Afro-Asian nations that refused to choose between the American and Soviet blocs. This historic moment marked the emergence of the Third World as an autonomous international political force.
Primary Sources
Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge... At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.
India is a geographical and economic entity, a cultural unity amidst diversity, a bundle of contradictions held together by strong but invisible threads.
These letters, written to his daughter Indira from Naini Prison between 1930 and 1933, trace the entire history of humanity to introduce a teenager to world politics.
I have become a queer mixture of the East and the West, out of place everywhere, at home nowhere. Perhaps my thoughts and approach to life are more akin to what is called Western than Eastern.
The five principles of peaceful coexistence: mutual respect for territorial sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, peaceful coexistence.
Key Places
Nehru's birthplace in 1889, in the grand family estate Anand Bhavan. The house is now a national museum dedicated to the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Nehru's official residence throughout his 17 years as Prime Minister. Converted into a museum after his death, it preserves his personal archives and his study just as he left it.
Colonial prison where Nehru was held from 1942 to 1945 alongside the leading figures of the Congress party. It was here that he wrote 'The Discovery of India' on makeshift notebooks.
City that hosted the Afro-Asian Conference in April 1955, bringing together 29 nations. Nehru played a central role in shaping the principles of non-alignment at this historic gathering.
The site where Nehru delivered his landmark 'Tryst with Destiny' speech on the night of 14 August 1947, and where he governed India for 17 years as its elected Prime Minister.