Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 - 27 May 1964) was the first Prime Minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics for much of the 20th century. He emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi and ruled India from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death in office in 1964. During his lifetime, he was popularly known as Pandit Nehru or as Panditji, while many Indian children knew him as Chacha Nehru.

Nehru was a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge and the Inner Temple where he trained to be a barrister. Upon his return to India, he enrolled at the Allahabad High Court and took an interest in national politics which eventually replaced his legal practice. Under Nehru’s leadership, the Congress emerged as a catch-all party, dominating national and state-level politics and winning consecutive elections in 1951, 1957 and 1962. In India, his birthday is celebrated as Children’s Day.