Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889–27 May 1964) was a great Indian statesman and a leading figure in the Indian independence movement. He was the first and the longest-serving Prime Minister of India so far, having served from 1947 to 1964, for 17 long years. As one of the founders of the Non-aligned Movement, he was also an important figure in the international politics.  He is referred to as Pandit Nehru, “pandit” meaning “a great scholar”. 

Nehru was born as the eldest child of Swarup Rani and the wealthy barrister and politician Motilal Nehru in the city of Allahabad,  in the state of Uttar Pradesh. From the age of 15 to 23 Jawaharlal studied in England  returning to India in 1912. He did his schooling from Harrow and completed his Law degree from Trinity College, Cambridge. He became a leader of the Indian National Congress when he was still fairly young. Rising to become Congress’s President, under the mentorship of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru was a charismatic and radical leader.  In the long struggle for Indian independence, in which he was a key player, Nehru was eventually recognized as Gandhi’s political heir.

Nehru was given the singular honour of raising the flag of independent India in New Delhi on 15 August 1947, when India gained Independence from British rule. Nehru’s appreciation of the virtues of parliamentary democracy, secularism and liberalism coupled with concerns for the poor and underprivileged are recognised to have guided him in formulating policies that influence India to this day. They also reflect the socialist origins of his worldview. He set India on the path of democracy and nurtured its institution - Parliament, multi-party system, independent judiciary and free press. He encouraged Panchayati Raj institutions.

 As India’s first Prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru played a major role in shaping modern India’s government and political culture along with sound foreign policy. He is praised for creating a system providing universal primary education, reaching children in the farthest corners of rural India. Nehru’s education policy is also credited for the development of world-class educational institutions such as the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences), IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), and the IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management). With the foresight of a statesman he created institutions like Planning Commission, National Science Laboratories and laid the foundation of a vast public sector for developing infrastructure for industrial growth.

Nehru is credited for establishing a widespread system of affirmative action to provide equal opportunities and rights for India’s ethnic groups, minorities, women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

Jawaharlal was a prolific writer in English and wrote a number of books like ‘The Discovery of India’, ‘Glimpses of World History’, his autobiography, ‘Towards Freedom’.  Nehru established programmes such as the National Book Trust and the National Literary Academy which promoted the translation of regional literatures between languages and also organized the transfer of materials between regions.

Numerous public institutions and memorials across India are dedicated to Nehru’s memory. The Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi is among the most prestigious universities in India. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port near the city of Mumbai is a modern port and dock designed to handle a huge cargo and traffic load. Nehru’s residence in Delhi is preserved as the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. The Nehru family homes at Anand Bhavan and Swaraj Bhavan are also preserved to commemorate Nehru and his family’s legacy.

In his lifetime, Jawaharlal Nehru enjoyed an iconic status in India and was widely admired across the world for his idealism and statesmanship. His birthday, 14 November, is celebrated in India as Children’s Day in recognition of his lifelong passion and work for the welfare, education and development of children and young people. Children across India remember him as Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru).