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Jawaharlal Nehru’s 120th birthday
By Willy | November 14, 2009
On this day 120 years ago, in the United Provinces of British India, Jawaharlal Nehru was born. Pandit Nehru, as he came to be known, would grow up to be one of the leading figures in India’s struggle for independence, and independent India’s first prime minister. Among figures in the history of modern India, Nehru ranks second only to Gandhi in significance and prominence.
Cambridge-educated Nehru was the political successor of Gandhi, although the two men were opposites in many ways. While Gandhi advocated a return to ruralism and small-scale economies, Nehru was interested in industrial development and technological advancement. During the independence movement, Nehru faithfully followed Gandhi’s example of non-violence, although unlike Gandhi he did not believe in it as an ideology. Most visibly, Gandhi quit his western habits and lived as a peasant, encouraging his followers to do likewise. Nehru simplified his lifestyle to some extent, but remained a sophisticated urbanite.
Like the other leaders of the Congress party, Nehru spent many years in jail because of his non-violent protests against the British Raj. He devoted much of his time to writing. His most important works were Glimpses of World History (1934); his autobiography, published in the United States under the title Toward Freedom (1936); and The Discovery of India (1946). These books show a level of insight and erudition sadly uncommon in modern world leaders.
Ironic for the leader of one of the most religious countries in the world, throughout his life Nehru remained an atheist or agnostic. In his writings, he indicated a regret that he could not believe like his fellow countrymen and -women. Nehru’s life was marked with grief. His father, mother, and wife Kamala all died within five years of each other in the 1930s. Nehru was left with one daughter, Indira, who would also serve as prime minister of India.
After independence, Nehru steered India on a path of “non-alignment” by agreeing with the ideologies of neither the United States nor the Soviet Union. For seventeen years, Nehru led the world’s largest democracy through Partition, war with Pakistan, war with China, and famine, as well as economic and industrial development. As Gandhi’s successor, Nehru had an almost messianic popularity among the people of India. In world politics, he deeply resented Americans as neo-colonialists, but also distrusted the Soviet Union for their disrespect of human rights. Nehru died while still holding office on May 27, 1964. Both his daughter and her son were also prime ministers of India, and his family continues to influence Indian politics to this day.
Topics: History of India | 1 Comment »
November 27th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Earlier I reported that Nehru was educated at Oxford, but he was in fact educated at Cambridge.