Jawahar Lal Nehru

"Great men are meteors that consume themselves to light thee."

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. He was a person with a dynamic personality. Popularly he was called "Chacha Nehru". He was a great lover of peace. He was very much impressed by the teachings of Lord Budha. He followed the path of 'Ahimsa'. He gave the famous principles of 'Panch Sheel'. He wanted to see mother India to be a famous and prosperous country.

He was born on November 14, 1889 at Allahabad. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His birthday is now celebrated as Children's Day in India. He was the only son of Pandit Moti Lal Nehru, who was a leading lawyer. He got his early education at home. He was brought up like a prince. At the age of fifteen, he was admitted to the public school of Harrow in England. Then he went to Trinity College, Cambridge University. He got his degree in law with honors and returned to India as a Barrister. He got married in 1916. His only child was Indira Priya Darshani popularly known as Indira Gandhi.

He joined the freedom movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. It was very much against the wishes of his father. So he had to suffer a lot. He had to go to jail several times.

In 1923, he was elected as the Secretary of the Congress. Then he also became the President of the Indian National Congress. Like Gandhiji, he believed in the right means. So he became the greatest apostle of peace in the world. When India got freedom, he was made the first Prime Minister of the country. As the Prime Minister of Independent India, he worked for peace. But when China attacked India in September 1962, he received a crude shock, India had been pleading for China's interests in the world. But China stabbed India in the back.

Nehru became one of the most popular leaders of the world. He adopted the formula of Panch Sheela. According to Nehru, "Independence means only internal independence. Independence in the world can be relished only if India keeps away from the power blocs." Nehru launched Non-Aligned Movement. His foreign policies were successful. Nehru believed that if we were tied to a bloc, we could not take our independent decisions. The non-aligned movement started by him has spread to more than a hundred countries of the world these days.

India progressed by leaps and bounds. He was the symbol of India's unity. He shaped India's destiny. For him, there was no rest. He took a keen interest in industrialization. He established steel plants with foreign help. He worked hard on Five Year Plans. In fact, he fought against hunger, poverty, disease, and unemployment.

Through his dedication and hard work, he brought name and fame to India. He did major work of reconstruction of a prosperous India for his followers to follow. He served the motherland till he passed away on May 27, 1964. Really he was a great man. He will remain a source of inspiration for the coming generations. Nehru would live forever in the hearts of Indians for his great deeds.