November 14 marks the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. He was born in Allahabad on November 14, 1889, and he served the country from 1947 till his passing in 1964. He was regarded as a key fighter in Indian politics both before and after independence. Jawahar Lal Nehru was born in Prayagraj, an area of Ahmedabad. He was also known as Pandit Nehru because of his affiliation with the Kashmiri Pandit community, but Indian children called him Chacha Nehru. The birthday of Jawahar Lal Nehru is generally observed as Children's Day. Motilal Nehru, who led India as prime minister between 1919 to 1928, is his father. Swarup Rani Thussu is his mother's name, and she was Motilal's second wife. Among his two sisters, Jawahar Lal Nehru was the oldest. The oldest sister, Vijay Laxmi, went on to lead the General Assembly of the United Nations. Also, the eldest sister Krishna Hutheesing was a well-known author who wrote several books on her brother. Kamala Nehru, who was born in 1899, was married to Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Jawahar Lal Nehru’s Education: Nehru visited Trinity College, Cambridge, in October 1907, and in 1910, he earned an honours degree in physics. During this time, he also studied literature, history, economics, politics, and other subjects with little interest. The writings of Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, John Maynard Keynes, Bertrand Russell, Lowes Dickinson, and Meredith Townsend had a significant influence on the majority of his political and financial philosophy. Nehru proceeded to London and enrolled in the Inner Temple Inn's legal programme after earning his degree there in 1910. He kept researching the members of the Fabian Society throughout this time, notably Beatrice Webb. In 1912, he received his bar admission.
Early Independence Struggle (1912 - 1938): Nehru became interested in Indian politics while studying and practising law in Britain. Within months after his return to India in 1912, Nehru attended an annual meeting of the Indian National Congress in Patna. He was concerned by what he perceived to be "very much an English-knowing upper-class affair" in Congress, which in 1912 was the party of elites and progressives. Despite his doubts about Congress' effectiveness, Nehru chose to work for the party in 1913 to raise money for the Mahatma Gandhi-led Indian civil rights fight in South Africa. Later, he spoke out against indentured servitude and other forms of discrimination against Indians in the British colonies.
The Non-Cooperation Movement: In 1920, at the start of the movement, Nehru made his first big national contribution. Nehru was detained in 1921 on suspicion of engaging in anti-government activity. Nehru refused to join the Swaraj Party founded by his father Motilal Nehru and CR Das and remained Gandhi's ally in the Congress split that resulted from the abrupt end of the Non-Cooperation movement after the Chauri Chaura incident.
Success of the Salt Satyagraha: The Salt Satyagraha was successful in getting the public's attention. Indian, British, and international perspectives all began to acknowledge the truth of the Congress party's demands to independence. The salt satyagraha, in Nehru's opinion, represented the pinnacle of his collaboration with Gandhi and had lasting relevance in terms of altering Indian attitudes.
Jawahar Lal Nehru The First Indian Prime Minister: Nehru led the Republic of India for 18 years, beginning in 1950 as a temporary prime minister before becoming the permanent prime minister.
Congress won the majority of seats in the legislature in the 1946 elections, and Nehru served as the leader of the interim administration. Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn in as the country of Free India's first prime minister on August 15, 1947. He assumed office as Prime Minister of India on August 15 and delivered his inauguration speech, "Tryst with Destiny."
Hindu Marriage Law and Jawahar Lal Nehru's Contribution: In the 1950s, several legislation aimed to codify and modify Hindu personal law in India were passed, including the Hindu Code law. This codification and reform, a process started by the British Raj after India gained independence in 1947, was finished by the Indian National Congress government led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Hindu Code Bill's goal was to substitute a body of personal Hindu law, which the British government had only slightly modified, for a civil code. The bill was introduced to the Constituent Assembly on April 9, 1948, however it caused a lot of controversy and was later divided into three additional specialised legislation that were presented to the Lok Sabha during the 1952–1947 session. The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Bill focused on the adoption of girls, which had been rarely done before; the Hindu Succession Bill put daughters on an equal footing with widows and sons when it came to family property inheritance. The Hindu Marriage Bill prohibited polygamy and placed limitations on intercaste marriages and divorce procedures.
1952 Elections and Jawahar Lal Nehru: After the constitution was ratified on November 26, 1949, the Constituent Assembly went on to act as the interim parliament until new elections could be held. There were 15 members of Nehru's provisional cabinet, representing various groups and political parties. Several cabinet officials quit their jobs to start their own political parties and run for office. While serving as prime minister, Nehru was also chosen to lead the Congress in 1951 and 1952. Despite a huge number of parties running in the election, the Congress party under Nehru's leadership won substantial majorities both at the state and federal levels.
Jawahar Lal Nehru died in 1963. After his health began to deteriorate gradually in 1962, Nehru spent many months recuperating in Kashmir. On May 26, 1964, Nehru returned from Dehradun feeling very at ease. He went to bed as usual and had a quiet night, but when he came back from the restroom, he complained of back discomfort. Nehru briefly conversed with the medics caring for him before falling nearly instantaneously to the ground. He remained unconscious until he passed away. His death was reported to the Lok Sabha on May 27, 1964, the same day that it is believed he died of a heart attack.
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