Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964)

Jawaharlal Nehru, was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist and a prominent leader of the Indian nationalist movement, at the forefront of the struggle for independence in the 1930s and 1940s. Following India's independence in 1947, he became the country's first Prime Minister, serving in this role for 16 years. Nehru was a advocate of parliamentary democracy, secularism, and scientific progress, exerting a profound influence on India's trajectory as a modern nation. Nehru's history of India, "The Discovery of India" (1946), achieved worldwide recognition, and his humanist vision contained within has become influential to global humanist movements.

Born into a family deeply involved in the Indian nationalist movement, Nehru received his education in England at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge. Nehru gradually turned his attention to politics, eventually dedicating himself full-time to the cause. He joined the Indian National Congress and emerged as a leader within the progressive faction of the party in the 1920s. His ascent continued, gaining the support of M.K. Gandhi. As the Congress president in 1929, Nehru called for complete independence from British rule. Nehru ultimately became the interim Prime Minister of India in 1946 and, upon independence in 1947, he was sworn in as the country's first Prime Minister. Nehru embarked on an ambitious program of economic, social, and political reforms. He advocated for a pluralistic multi-party democracy and played a key role in the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of nations that did not align with the Cold War's ideological blocs.

Image Source: Nehru Memorial Library, © Public Domain

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Photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru at the 1949 Indian Science Congress

Letter from Janaki Ammal to Norman Loftus Bor, 15 November 1949

Seating chart of New Year’s Eve dinner organised by Nehru with Indian and international scientists, 1951

Letter from Janaki Ammal to C.D. Darlington, 25 September 1953

Jawaharlal Nehru profile in section 'Peace Begins in the Minds of Men' from UNESCO’s The Courier journal