Motilal Nehru was an Indian independence activist and leader of the Indian National Congress. He was born on May 6,1861 in Agra, India. The Nehrus hailed from Kashmir, but had settled in Delhi since the beginning of the eighteenth century. Motilal Nehru’s grandfather, Lakshmi Narayan, became the first Vakil of the East India Company at the Mughal Court of Delhi. His father, Gangadhar, was a police officer in Delhi in 1857, when it was engulfed by the Mutiny.
Motilal Nehru was one of the first Indians to receive ‘Western’ education in India. He attended Muir College at Agra but failed to appear for his Bachelor of Arts degree examinations. Motilal Nehru then enlisted himself as a lawyer in the English courts. He became a barrister and settled in Allahabad. As a successful barrister, he earned the honor of appearing in the Privy Council of Great Britain.
Motilal Nehru was the prime mover of the Nehru Commission (1928), the first constitution written by Indians which sought a dominion status for India within the British Empire. It was rejected by hard line Indians who saw it as an unfair document not representing the varied interests of the native Indian population.
In 1889, his wife Swarup Rani gave birth to a son, who was named Jawaharlal. Two daughters, Sarup (later Vijayalakshmi Pandit) and Krishna (later Krishna Hutheesing) were born in 1900 and 1907 respectively. In 1900, he purchased a house at Allahabad, rebuilt it, and named it Anand Bhawan (the abode of happiness).
The emergence of Mahatma Gandhi on the Indian political stage changed the course of Indian history; it also profoundly influenced the life of Motilal Nehru and his family. The Rowlatt Bills and the publication of the Satyagraha pledge in February 1919 deeply stirred Jawaharlal Nehru; he felt an irresistible call to follow the Mahatma.
Shortly afterwards events marched to a tragic climax in the Punjab; the holocaust of Jallianwala Bagh was followed by martial law. Motilal Nehru did what he could to bring succour and solace to that unhappy province.
Motilal Nehru’s failing health kept him out of the pre-independent Indian politics when Mahatma Gandhi started the Salt Satyagraha. He was arrested in 1930, but was released quickly due to his deteriorating physical condition. This freedom fighter and a prominent figure in Indian National Congress passed away on February 6, 1931.
He had a rational, robust, secular and fearless outlook on life. A brilliant lawyer, an eloquent speaker, a great parliamentarian, and a greater organiser, he was one of the most notable and attractive figures of Indian nationalism in the Gandhian era.
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