Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. He served as India's first prime minister for 16 years following independence in 1947.

The son of Motilal Nehru, a prominent lawyer and Indian nationalist, Jawaharlal was educated in England at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, and trained in law at the Inner Temple. He became a barrister and returned to India, where he gradually became interested in national politics.

Nehru joined the Indian National Congress and rose to become the leader of a progressive faction during the 1920s. As Congress president in 1929, he called for complete independence from the British Raj. He was a principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s.

Upon India's independence in 1947, Nehru became the country's first prime minister. He promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation. In international affairs, he steered India clear of the two blocs of the Cold War.