Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was born in Allahabad in 1889 and educated at Harrow, Cambridge and the Inner Temple. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1919, became a close ally of Mohandas Gandhi and was repeatedly imprisoned for civil disobedience. He was elected Congress president in 1928 and played a central role in the negotiations for independence. On 15 August 1947 he became India's first prime minister and also served as foreign minister. He held office until his death in 1964.

The Indian National Congress calls Nehru the father of Indian democracy, crediting him with regular elections, secular institutions, scientific education and an independent foreign policy. Admirers note that India remained a democracy at low income levels while many new states did not. Critics argue that his planned economy and licensing system slowed growth for decades, that his handling of Kashmir left a lasting dispute, and that his China policy left India unprepared for its defeat in the 1962 border war. Others debate his role in the dynastic politics that followed, as his daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv Gandhi later became prime ministers. His birthday, 14 November, is celebrated in India as Children's Day.