Jawaharlal Nehru 56th Death Anniversary: Interesting Facts About India's First Prime Minister Who Laid The Foundation of Independent India

Independent India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru remains one of its most prodigal sons who strived hard to get his nation free from the clutches of the British. An accomplished lawyer turned freedom fighter, Jawaharlal Nehru is considered an architect of post-independence India. He was a statesman who spent a major part of his life fighting for the cause of his countrymen. The Nehruvian era saw him emerge as a major international leader who laid great emphasis on peace as a tool for world growth. Jawaharlal Nehru had another dimension to his personality and it was that of an accomplished author who could cast a magical spell on his readers with his words. Jawaharlal Nehru 56th Death Anniversary: Rare Photos of India’s First Prime Minister That You Would Not Want to Miss.

A massive heart attack on May 27, 1964, saw the death of Jawaharlal Nehru which was a great loss to a young nation. On his death anniversary, we take a look at some interesting facts about Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru-Gandhi Family Tree: Here's a Look at Jawaharlal Nehru's Ancestors and Descendants on His 56th Death Anniversary.

• Jawaharlal Nehru did not attend school till 15 and was tutored at home by skilled governess and teachers at the behest of his father Motilal Nehru who took great interest in his academics.
• Jawaharlal Nehru studied at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. During his time studying Bachelor of Law from Inner Temple, he was affectionately called as Joe Nehru.
• He wanted to be a lawyer and enrolled himself as an advocate at the Allahabad High Court post his return to India in 1912.
• He was one of the first leaders who spoke about the idea of complete freedom from the Britishers.
• Jawaharlal Nehru was so impressed by the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi that he became a freedom fighter.
• The famous Nehru Jacket is named after him as he took to wearing them along with Sherwanis and Kurta. Pandit Nehru shunned western attire for Indian wardrobe.
• The coveted Nobel Peace prize alluded Jawaharlal Nehru although he was nominated 11 times between 1950 and 1955.
• When he was 26, he was married to a 16-year-old Kashmiri Brahmin girl named Kamala Kaul who died in 1936 due to tuberculosis.
• ‘Toward Freedom’ – the autobiography of Jawaharlal Nehru was written by him in jail between June 1934 and February 1935. In total, he was imprisoned 9 times and for a total of 3259 days.
• Jawaharlal Nehru survived four assassination attempts in his lifetime in – 1947, 1955, 1956 and 1961.
• During his visit to Tokyo in 1949, he gifted the Japanese children an elephant named Indira which became a feature in the Indo Japanese relationship.
• A staggering 1.5 million people came out on the streets of Delhi to watch the cremation of Pandit Nehru.

A colossal leader and an immensely learnt man, Jawaharlal Nehru remains one of the founding members of our nation. His contributions have made sure he has an important place in India’s rich and vivid history.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2020 01:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).