Remembering India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 131st birth anniversary

His father Motilal Nehru(1861-1931)was a self-made wealthy barrister who belonged to the Kashmiri Pandit community and his mother, Swarup Rani Thussu (1868-1938) who belonged to a well-known Kashmiri Brahmin family settled in Lahore, was Motilal's second wife. Motilal's first wife died in childbirth. Motilal served twice as a President of the Indian National Congress, in 1919 and 1928.

Nehru was the eldest among three children. His elder sister Vijaya Lakshmi served as United Nations General Assembly while his youngest sister Krishna Hutheesing was a noted writer and authored several books on her brother.

He grew up in an atmosphere of privilege at wealthy homes including a palatial estate called the Anand Bhavan and received his early education at home under private tutors. He went to England when he was 15 and then joined Cambridge University where he took his tripos in Natural Sciences.

In 1912, Jawaharlal Nehru returned to India and plunged straight into politics. Pandit Nehru was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi from the beginning and joined the Congress in 1912. He is credited with organizing the first Kisan March of Pratapgarh District of Uttar Pradesh in 1920.

He was arrested twice in connection with the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920-22. And in 1923 Nehru became the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee.

He toured many countries in 1926. In Belgium, he participated in the Oppressed Nationalities Congress in Brussels as an official representative of the Indian National Congress.

And in1927, he attended the tenth-anniversary celebration of the October Socialist Revolution in Moscow and on August 29, 1928, he attended the All-Party Congress.

In the same year, he also founded the 'Independence for India League', which advocated complete severance of the British connection with India, and became its general secretary.

In 1929, Pt. Nehru was elected President of the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress. He was imprisoned several times during 1930-35 in connection with the Salt Satyagraha and other movements launched by the Congress. He wrote his 'Autobiography' in Almora Jail in 1935.

Nehru was arrested again in 1940 for offering individual Satyagraha to protest against India's forced participation in the war. In 1942 he was arrested and released in January 1945, which was his longest and also his last detention.

He was elected President of the Congress for the fourth time on July 6, 1946, and again for three more terms from 1951 to 1954.

Nehru was imprisoned nine times altogether.

He died of a stroke in Delhi on May 27, 1964

Nehru had great affection for children and he considered children to be the future producers of the country and because of his affection towards children, children also loved him and called him 'Chacha Nehru'.For this reason, after the death of Nehru, it was decided to celebrate Children's Day to commemorate his birth anniversary and since then, 14 November has been celebrated as Children's Day in India.