Life of pandit jawaharlal nehru

In many respects, the act was almost identical to the Hindu Marriage Act,demonstrating how secularised the law regarding Hindus had become. The Special Marriage Act allowed Muslims to marry under it and keep the protections, generally beneficial to Muslim women, that could not be found in the personal law. Under the act, polygamy was illegal, and inheritance and succession would be governed by the Indian Succession Act, rather than the respective Muslim personal law.

Divorce would be governed by secular law, and maintenance of a divorced wife would be along the lines set down in civil law. The Constituent assembly debated the question of national language between and The pro-Hindi bloc was further divided between supporters of Hindustani led by Nehru, and supporters of Modern Standard Hindi based on Sanskrit.

The anti-Hindi bloc was generally in favour of promoting English to an official status. Efforts by the Indian government to make Hindi the sole official language after were unacceptable to many non-Hindi Indian states, which wanted the continued use of English. The text of the Act did not satisfy the DMK and increased their scepticism that future administrations might not honour his assurances.

The Congress government headed by Indira Gandhi eventually amended the Official Languages Act in to guarantee the indefinite use of Hindi and English as official languages. This effectively ensured the current "virtual indefinite policy of bilingualism " of the Indian Republic. Throughout his long tenure as the prime minister, Nehru also held the portfolio of External Affairs.

His idealistic approach focused on giving India a leadership position in nonalignment. He sought to build support among the newly independent nations of Asia and Africa in opposition to the two hostile superpowers contesting the Cold War. After independence, Nehru wanted to maintain good relations with Britain and other British Commonwealth countries.

As prime minister of the Dominion of Indiahe acquiesced only after Krishna Menon's redrafting of the London Declarationunder which India agreed to remain within the Commonwealth of Nations after becoming a republic in Januaryand to recognise the British monarch as a "symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth".

On the international scene, Nehru was an opponent of military action and military alliances. He was a strong supporter of the United Nations, except when it tried to resolve the Kashmir question. He pioneered the policy of non-alignment and co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement of nations professing neutrality between the rival blocs of nations led by the US and the USSR.

Krishna Menon at the United Nations in and Nehru argued for its inclusion in the United Nations and refused to brand the Chinese as the aggressors in the west's conflict with Korea. Nehru was a key organiser of the Bandung Conference of Aprilwhich brought 29 newly independent nations together from Asia and Africa, and was designed to galvanise the nonalignment movement under Nehru's leadership.

He envisioned it as his key leadership opportunity on the world stage, where he would bring together emerging nations. While averse to war, Nehru led the campaigns against Pakistan in Kashmir. He used military force to annexe Hyderabad in and Goa in While laying the foundation stone of the National Defence Academy inhe stated:. We, who for generations had talked about and attempted in everything a peaceful way and practised non-violence, should now be, in a sense, glorifying our army, navy and air force.

It means a lot. Though it is odd, yet it simply reflects the oddness of life. Though life is logical, we have to face all contingencies, and unless we are prepared to face them, we will go under. There was no greater prince of peace and apostle of non-violence than Mahatma Gandhi We cannot live carefree assuming that we are safe.

Human nature is such. We cannot take the risks and risk our hard-won freedom. We have to be prepared with all modern defence methods and a well-equipped army, navy, and air force. Nehru entrusted Homi J. Bhabhaa nuclear physicist, with complete authority over all nuclear-related affairs and life of pandits jawaharlal nehru and answerable only to the prime minister.

Many hailed Nehru for working to defuse global tensions and the threat of nuclear weapons after the Korean War — He also had pragmatic reasons for promoting de-nuclearization, fearing a nuclear arms race would lead to over-militarisation that would be unaffordable for developing countries such as his own. At Lord Mountbatten's urging, inNehru had promised to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir under the auspices of the UN.

However, as Pakistan failed to pull back troops in accordance with the UN resolution, and as Nehru grew increasingly wary of the UN, he declined to hold a plebiscite in His policies on Kashmir and the integration of the state into India were frequently defended before the United Nations by his aide, V. Krishna Menon, who earned a reputation in India for his passionate speeches.

InNehru orchestrated the ouster and arrest of Sheikh Abdullahthe prime minister of Kashmir, whom he had previously supported but was now suspected of harbouring separatist ambitions; Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad replaced him. Menon was instructed to deliver an unprecedented eight-hour speech defending India's stand on Kashmir in ; to date, the speech is the longest ever delivered in the United Nations Security Councilcovering five hours of the nd meeting on 23 January, and two hours and forty-eight minutes on the 24th, reportedly concluding with Menon's collapse on the Security Council floor.

Menon's passionate defence of Indian sovereignty in Kashmir enlarged his base of support in India and led to the Indian press temporarily dubbing him the "Hero of Kashmir". Nehru was then at the peak of his popularity in India; the only minor criticism came from the far right. InNehru signed with China the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistenceknown in India as the Panchsheel from the Sanskrit words, panch : five, sheel : virtuesa set of principles to govern relations between the two states.

Their first formal codification in treaty form was in an agreement between China and India inwhich recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. ByChinese Premier Zhou Enlai had also persuaded Nehru to accept the Chinese position on Tibet, thus depriving Tibet of a possible ally, and of the possibility of receiving military aid from India. They became widely recognised and accepted throughout the region during the premiership of Indira Gandhi and the three-year rule of the Janata Party — His role, both as Indian prime minister and a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, was significant; he tried to be even-handed life of pandit jawaharlal nehru the two sides while vigorously denouncing Anthony Eden and co-sponsors of the invasion.

Nehru had a powerful ally in the US President Dwight Eisenhower who, if relatively silent publicly, went to the extent of using America's clout at the International Monetary Fund to make Britain and France back down. During the Suez crisisNehru's right-hand man, Menon attempted to persuade a recalcitrant Gamal Nasser to compromise with the West and was instrumental in moving Western powers towards an awareness that Nasser might prove willing to compromise.

There were various assassination attempts on Nehru. The first attempt was made during partition in while he was visiting the North-West Frontier Province now in Pakistan in a car. Nehru's health began declining steadily in In the spring ofhe was affected with a viral infection over which he spent most of April in bed. Some writers attribute this dramatic decline to his surprise and chagrin over the Sino-Indian War, which he perceived as a betrayal of trust.

He had a restful night until about Soon after he returned from the bathroom, Nehru complained of pain in the back. He spoke to the doctors who attended to him for a brief while, and almost immediately he collapsed. He remained unconscious until he died at On 28 May, Nehru was cremated in accordance with Hindu rites at the Shantivan on the banks of the Yamunawitnessed by 1.

US President Lyndon B. Johnson remarked on his death History has already recorded his monumental contribution to the molding of a strong and independent India. And yet, it is not just as a leader of India that he has served humanity. Perhaps more than any other world leader he has given expression to man's yearning for peace. This is the issue of our age.

In his fearless pursuit of a world free from war he has served all humanity. The name of Jawaharal Nehru enjoyed the tremendous respect and love of the Soviet people, who knew him as a tested and wise leader of the Indian people's struggle for national independence and the rebirth of their country, and as an active fighter against colonialism.

Jawaharal Nehru is known as an outstanding statesman of modern times who devoted his life of pandit jawaharlal nehru life to the struggle for strengthening friendship and cooperation among peoples and for the progress of humanity. He was a passionate fighter for peace in the world and an ardent champion of principles of peaceful coexistence of states.

He was the inspirer of the nonalignment policy promoted by the Indian Government. This reasonable policy won India respect and, due to it, India is now occupying a worthy place in the international arena. Nehru's death left India with no clear political heir to his leadership. Lal Bahadur Shastri later succeeded Nehru as the prime minister.

The death was announced to the Indian parliament in words similar to Nehru's own at the time of Gandhi's assassination: " The light is out. Nehru served as the prime minister for eighteen years, first as interim prime minister during — during the last year of the British Raj and then as prime minister of independent India from 15 August to 27 May Krishna Menon — was a close associate of Nehru, and was described as the second most powerful man in India during Nehru's tenure as prime minister.

From the inception of Nehru's prime ministry, Menon carefully selected Lord Mountbatten as the only suitable candidate and presented him as such to Labour through Sir Stafford Cripps and Clement Attleewho promptly appointed him the last Viceroy. Menon, Sardar Patel, and an adamant Jinnah. Under Nehru, he served as India's high commissioner to the UK, ambassador to Ireland, ambassador-at-large and plenipotentiary, UN ambassador, minister without portfolio, de facto Foreign minister, and Union minister of defence.

He was significantly involved in the annexation of Goa. He resigned after the debacle of the China War but remain a close friend of Nehru. Ambedkarthe law minister in the interim cabinet, also chaired the Constitution Drafting Committee. Vallabhbhai Patel served as home minister in the interim government. He was instrumental in getting the Congress party working committee to vote for partition.

He is also credited with integrating many princely states of India. Patel was a long-time comrade to Nehru but died inleaving Nehru as the unchallenged leader of India until his own death in After resigning from the cabinet, he founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh inthe forefunner of the Bharatiya Janata Party. His contribution to establishing the education foundation in India is recognised by celebrating his birthday as National Education Day across India.

Jagjivan Ram became the youngest minister in Nehru's Interim Government of India, a labour minister and also a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, where, as a member of the Dalit caste, he ensured that social justice was enshrined in the Constitution. He went on to serve as a minister with various portfolios during Nehru's tenure and in Shastri and Indira Gandhi governments.

Morarji Desai was a nationalist with anti-corruption leanings but was socially conservative, pro-business, and in favour of free enterprise reforms, as opposed to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's socialistic policies. After serving as chief minister of Bombay Statehe joined Nehru's cabinet in as the finance minister of India. The plan, as proposed by Madras Chief Minister K.

Kamaraj, was to revert government ministers to party positions after a certain tenure and vice versa. With Nehru's age and health failing in the early s, Desai was considered a possible contender for the position of Prime Minister. Govind Ballabh Pant — was a key figure in the Indian independence movement and later a pivotal figure in the politics of Uttar Pradesh UP and in the Indian Government.

Pant served in Nehru's cabinet as Union home minister from until his death in He was also responsible for the establishment of Hindi as the official language of the central government and a few states. Deshmukh was one of five members of the Planning Commission when it was constituted in by a cabinet resolution. In the years following independence, Nehru frequently turned to his daughter Indira Gandhi for managing his personal affairs.

She would virtually become Nehru's chief of staff. In that capacity, she was instrumental in getting the Communist-led Kerala State Government dismissed in Described as a Hindu agnostic[ ] [ ] and styling himself as a " scientific humanist ", [ ] Nehru thought that religious taboos were preventing India from moving forward and adapting to modern conditions: "No country or people who are slaves to dogma and dogmatic mentality can progress, and unhappily our country and people have become extraordinarily dogmatic and little-minded.

The spectacle of what is called religion, or at any rate organised religion, in India and elsewhere, has filled me with horror and I have frequently condemned it and wished to make a clean sweep of it. Almost always it seemed to stand for blind belief and reaction, dogma and bigotry, superstition, exploitation and the preservation of vested interests.

As a humanist, Nehru considered that his afterlife was not in some mystical heaven or reincarnation but in the practical achievements of a life lived fully with and for his fellow human beings: " Nor am I greatly interested in life after death.

Life of pandit jawaharlal nehru: Jawaharlal Nehru (born November 14,

I find the problems of this life sufficiently absorbing to fill my mind," he wrote. I do not believe in such ceremonies, and to submit to them, even as a matter of form, would be hypocrisy and an attempt to delude ourselves and others. In his autobiography, he analysed Abrahamic and Indian religions [ ] [ ] and their impact on India. He wanted to model India as a secular country ; his secularist policies remain a subject of debate mainly by the Hindutva proponents.

InNehru was conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Mysore. InNehru was awarded the Bharat RatnaIndia's highest civilian honour. Inhe was posthumously awarded with the World Peace Council Prize. Jawaharlal Nehru, next to Mahatma Gandhi, is regarded as the most significant figure of the Indian independence movement that successfully ended British rule over the Indian subcontinent.

As India's first Prime minister and external affairs minister, Nehru played a major role in shaping modern India's government and political culture along with the sound foreign policy. Nehru's education policy is also credited for the development of world-class educational institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, [ ] Indian Institutes of Technology, [ ] and the Indian Institutes of Management.

Following the independence, Nehru popularised the credo of 'unity in diversity' and implemented it as state policy. While differences in culture and, especially, language threatened the unity of the new nation, Nehru established programs such as the National Book Trust and the National Literary Academy which promoted the translation of regional works of literatures between languages and organised the transfer of materials between regions.

In pursuit of a single, unified India, Nehru warned, "Integrate or perish. Called an "architect of India", [ e ] he is widely recognised as the greatest figure of modern India after Mahatma Gandhi. Writing inRamachandra Guha wrote that while no other Indian prime minister was ever close to the challenges that Nehru dealt with and if Nehru had died in then he would be remembered as the greatest statesman of the 20th century.

In his lifetime, Jawaharlal Nehru enjoyed an iconic status in India and was generally admired across the world for his idealism and statesmanship. People often emulate his style of clothing, especially the Gandhi cap and the Nehru jacket. Many public institutions and memorials across India are dedicated to Nehru's memory. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port near the city of Mumbai is a modern port and dock designed to handle a huge cargo and traffic load.

The complex also houses the offices of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, established in under the chairmanship of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnanthen president of India. The foundation also gives away the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fellowship, established in There have been many documentaries about Nehru's life, and he has been portrayed in fictionalised films.

Similarly, in the film Ab Dilli Dur Nahin lit. It attempted to instruct her about natural history and world civilisations. Nehru's books have been widely read. John Guntherwriting in Inside Asiacontrasted it with Gandhi's autobiography:. The Mahatma's placid story compares to Nehru's as a cornflower to an orchid, a rhyming couplet to a sonnet by MacLeish or Auden, a water pistol to a machine gun.

Life of pandit jawaharlal nehru: Early life and career

Nehru's autobiography is subtle, complex, discriminating, infinitely cultivated, steeped in doubt, suffused with intellectual passion. Lord Halifax once said that no one could understand India without reading it; it is a kind of 'Education of Henry Adams,' written in superlative prose—hardly a dozen men alive write English as well as Nehru Nehru's books were not scholarly, nor were they intended to be.

He was not a trained historian, but his feel for the flow of events and his capacity to weave together a wide range of knowledge in a meaningful pattern give to his books qualities of a high order. In these works, he also revealed a sensitive literary style. Glimpses of World History is the most illuminating on Nehru as an intellectual.

The first of the trilogy, Glimpseswas a series of thinly connected sketches of the story of mankind in the form of letters to his teenage daughter, Indira, later prime minister of India. Despite its polemical character in many sections and its shortcomings as an impartial history, Glimpses is a work of great artistic value, a worthy precursor of his noble and magnanimous Autobiography.

Michael Crocker thought An Autobiography would have given Nehru literary fame had the political fame eluded him:. It is to his years in prison that we owe his three main books, Nehru's writings illustrate a cerebral life, and a power of self-discipline, altogether out of the ordinary. Words by the million bubbled up out of his fullness of mind and spirit.

Had he never been prime minister of India he would have been famous as the author of the Autobiography and the autobiographical parts of The Discovery of India. An Autobiographyat least with some excisions here and there, is likely to be read for generations. There are, for instance, the characteristic touches of truism and anticlimax, strange in a man who could both think and, at his best, write so well Nehru's life of pandit jawaharlal nehru " Tryst with Destiny " was rated by the British newspaper The Guardian to be among the great speeches of the 20th century.

Ian Jack wrote in his introduction to the speech:. Dressed in a golden silk jacket with a red rose in the buttonhole, Nehru rose to speak. His sentences were finely made and memorable—Nehru was a good writer; his Discovery of India stands well above the level reached by most politician-writers. The nobility of Nehru's words—their sheer sweep—provided the new India with a lodestone that was ambitious and humane.

Post-colonialism began here as well as Indian democracy, which has since outlived many expectations of its death. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item. Prime Minister of India from to For other uses, see Nehru disambiguation.

Rajendra Prasad from Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Lord Mountbatten C. Rajagopalachari until Earl Wavell Lord Mountbatten. Kamala Kaul. Motilal Nehru father Swarup Rani Nehru mother. Lawyer Politician. This article is part of a series about. Life and events. Gandhian socialism Scientific temper Secular humanism Secularism. Theosophy G. Places related.

Early life and career — Birth and family background. Nationalist movement — Civil rights and home rule: — Non-cooperation and afterwards: — Declaration of independence. In prison — Congress president, provincial elections: — Civil disobedience, Lahore Resolution, August Offer: Japan attacks India, Cripps' mission, Quit India: Cabinet mission, Interim government — Independence, Dominion of India: — Main article: Tryst with Destiny.

Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: Integration of states and Adoption of New Constitution: — Prime Minister: — Subsequent elections: See also: Annexation of Goa. See also: Sino-Indian War. Vision and governing policies. Hindu code bills and marriage laws. Further information: List of state visits made by Jawaharlal Nehru. See also: India and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Defence and nuclear policy. Assassination attempts and security. See also: List of assassination attempts on prime ministers of India. Main article: Death and state funeral of Jawaharlal Nehru. Key cabinet members and associates. Religious and personal beliefs. Anti-monarchism Anti-corruption Civic virtue Civil society Consent of the governed Democracy Democratization Liberty as non-domination Mixed government Political representation Popular sovereignty Public participation Republic Res publica Rule of law Self-governance Separation of powers Social contract Social equality.

Theoretical works. Republic c. National variants. Related topics. Further information: List of things named after Jawaharlal Nehru. Bust of Nehru at AldwychLondon. Nehru's study in Teen Murti Bhavanwhich is now converted into a museum. See also: Cultural depictions of Jawaharlal Nehru. Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.

India Since Cambridge University Press. ISBN Nehru was a social democrat who believed that liberal political and economic institutions could deliver economic growth with redistribution. The s witnessed greater state control over industrial activity and the birth of the industrial licensing system, which made it necessary for companies to seek the permission of the government before initiating business in permitted areas.

Schenk, Hans The idea that the state should actively and in a planned and 'rational' and 'modern' manner promote development originated abroad. Inspiration came to some extent from the Soviet Russian planned economic development, and for some, including Nehru, from the—at that time still a bit remote—concept of the West European and largely social-democrat idea of the 'Welfare' state.

Winiecki, Jan Central European University Press. Nehru, a Fabian socialist, or social-democrat in modern parlance, either did not read Mill or disregarded the minimal institutional requirements outlined by that classical writer. In Nehru's view, it was the state that should direct the economy from the center, as well as decide about the allocation of scarce resources.

Chalam, K. Social Economy of Development in India. Social democrats advocate peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism. While Jawaharlal Nehru was considered as a social democrat, his colleague in the Constituent Assembly, B. Ambedkar, was emphatic about state socialism. It appears that the compromise between these two ideas has been reflected in the Directive Principles of State Policy.

Indian National Congress. Hindustan Times. Shyam 11 July The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 December Retrieved 15 November The Nehrus: Motilal and Jawaharlal. Oxford University Press. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Life of pandit jawaharlal nehru: Jawaharlal Nehru was born in

Archived from the original on 15 November The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 July Nehru reluctantly joined Gandhi in his hardline stance and the pair were again arrested and jailed, this time for nearly three years. Bywithin two years of Nehru's release, simmering animosity had reached a fever pitch between the Congress Party and the Muslim League, who had always wanted more power in a free India.

The last British viceroy, Louis Mountbatten, was charged with finalizing the British roadmap for withdrawal with a plan for a unified India. Despite his reservations, Nehru acquiesced to Mountbatten and the Muslim League's plan to divide India, and in AugustPakistan was created—the new country Muslim and India predominantly Hindu. The importance of Nehru in the context of Indian history can be distilled to the following points: he imparted modern values and thought, stressed secularism, insisted upon the basic unity of India, and, in the face of ethnic and religious diversity, carried India into the modern age of scientific innovation and technological progress.

He also prompted social concern for the marginalized and poor and respect for democratic values. Nehru was especially proud to reform the antiquated Hindu civil code. Finally, Hindu widows could enjoy equality with men in matters of inheritance and property. Nehru also changed Hindu law to criminalize caste discrimination. Nehru's administration established many Indian institutions of higher learning, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Indian Institutes of Technology, and the National Institutes of Technology, and guaranteed in his five-year plans free and compulsory primary education to all of India's children.

The Kashmir region—which was claimed by both India and Pakistan—was a perennial problem throughout Nehru's leadership, and his cautious efforts to settle the dispute ultimately failed, resulting in Pakistan making an unsuccessful attempt to seize Kashmir by force in The region has remained in dispute into the 21st century. Internationally, starting in the late s, both the United States and the U.

To this life of pandit jawaharlal nehru, Nehru co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement of nations professing neutrality. His pacifist and inclusive policies with respect to China came undone when border disputes led to the Sino-Indian war inwhich ended when China declared a ceasefire on November 20,and announced its withdrawal from the disputed area in the Himalayas.

Nehru's four pillars of domestic policies were democracy, socialism, unity, and secularism, and he largely succeeded in maintaining a strong foundation of all four during his tenure as president. While serving his country, he enjoyed iconic status and was widely admired internationally for his idealism and statesmanship. He had initiated socio-economic policies of the idealistic socialist kind.

He established a parliamentary government and is known for his nonaligned or neutralist policies in foreign affairs. He participated in India's Independence movement and was a principle leader in the s and 40s. Jawaharlal Nehru was born in a Kashmiri Brahman family. His father Motilal Nehru was a renowned lawyer and leader of the Indian independence movement.

He was also one of the prominent associates of Mahatma Gandhi. Jawaharlal Nehru was the eldest son of Motilal Nehru out of four children and two of whom were girls. He completed his early education until the age of 14 at home under private tutors. At the age of fifteen, he went to England at Harrow school. Despite efforts at cooperation by both countries, Indian-Chinese border disputes escalated into war in and Indian forces were decisively beaten.

This had a significant impact on Nehru's declining health. He died on 27 May Two years later Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, became prime minister. With an interruption of only three years, she held the post until her assassination in Her son Rajiv was prime minister of India from tobut he too was assassinated. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.