Jawahar Lal Nehru

The First Prime Minister of India

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru at the Indian Parliament on 26th November 1949

Here's a timeline of Pandit Nehru's life :

• 1889 - Born in Allahabad to Motilal Nehru and Swaruprani
• 1905 - Studied at the Harrow School, Middlesex
• 1907 - Went to Trinity College, Cambridge and studied Natural Science
• 1910 - Moved to London for Law studies
• 1912 - Admitted to the English Bar; Returned to India. Enrolled as an advocate of the Allahabad High Court
• 1913 - Collected funds for the civil rights campaigners led by M.K. Gandhi
• 1914 - Joined St John Ambulance and worked as one of its provincial secretaries in Allahabad during the First World War
• 1916 - Married Kamala Nehru
• 1917 - Joined and become the secretary of Annie Besant's All India Home Rule League
• 1919 - Joined Gandhiji in protest against Jallianwala Massacre
• 1920 - Joined and led the Non-Cooperation Movement in the United Provinces.
  Note: After the sudden closure of the non-cooperation movement due to the Chauri Chaura incident, Nehru remained loyal to Gandhi and did not join the Swaraj Party formed by his father Motilal Nehru and CR Das.
• 1921 -
  • Followed Gandhi in sympathy with the Khilafat movement.
  • Joined the first civil disobedience campaign as general secretary of the United Provinces Congress Committee
  • Imprisoned for the first time by the British
• 1922 - Released on 3rd March
• 1923 - Imprisoned in Nabha for defying an order banning entry into Nabha state; Elected General Secretary of the Congress party from Kakinada session of the Congress in 1923
• 1927 -
  • Second term as general secretary with the Madras session of Congress
  • Introduced a resolution demanding "complete national independence" - rejected because of Gandhi's opposition
  • Represented India at the Congress of oppressed nationalities in Brussels in Belgium and was elected to the Executive Council of the League against Imperialism formed at this meeting
• 1928 - Founded the Independence for India League
• 1929 - Became the President of the Congress party during the Lahore session and introduced a successful resolution for complete independence
• 1930 - Arrested and imprisoned for violation of the Salt Law
• 1935 - Became the President of All India States People's Conference
• 1937 - Nehru declined the proposal of All India Musliim League to cooperate with the All-India Congress Committee in forming a coalition government in the United Provinces
• 1942 - Nehru imprisoned till 1945 for taking part in Gandhi's "Quit India Movement"
• 1946 - Became the Vice President of the Interim government formed 2 September and also became the President of Viceroy's Executive Council and member for External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations
• 1947 -
  • Said that independent India would not accept the Divine Right of Kings
  • declared that any princely state which refused to join the Constituent Assembly would be treated as an enemy state
  • Accepted the partition proposal
  • Became the first Prime Minister of Independent India
• 1948 - Addressed the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Paris
• 1949 - Inaugurated the eighteen nation conference to condemn Dutch aggression on Indonesia
• 1952 - Formed new government after the first General Elections in Independent India. Continued his stint as Prime Minsiter
• 1954 - Chou En-lai visited India. A joint statement listing the five principles (Panchsheel) for the regulation of relations between nations was issued
• 1960 - Addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York
• 1961 - Founded the Non-Alignment Movement
• 1964 - Passed away at the age of 74

"I have worked very hard with Nehru. I told him he should be the light of Asia, to show all those millions how they can shine out, instead of accepting the darkness of Communism"

- Winston Churchill, Former Prime Minister of The United Kingdom

If you have time, you should read more about this incredible human being on his Wikipedia Entry