1.Nehru was a prolific writer and authored several books, including "The Discovery of India," which was completed during his imprisonment in 1944.
2.Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India and held the office from 1947 until his death in 1964.
3.He was a student of law and had completed his education at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1910.
4.Nehru was a trained barrister and had practiced law in Allahabad High Court before joining politics.
5.Nehru was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and had worked closely with him during India's freedom struggle.
6.Nehru had a great interest in science and was instrumental in establishing several scientific institutions in India, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
7.Nehru was a polyglot and was fluent in several languages, including English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Persian.
8.Nehru was a prolific letter writer and had written thousands of letters throughout his life, including personal letters to his family and friends.
9.Nehru was a great lover of nature and had a keen interest in mountaineering. He had climbed several peaks in the Himalayas, including Kamet, in 1931.
10.Nehru was a strong advocate of secularism and had played a key role in drafting the Indian Constitution, which enshrines the principles of secularism and democracy.
11.Nehru was born on November 14, 1889, in Allahabad, India. His father, Motilal Nehru, was a prominent lawyer and his mother, Swaroop Rani Nehru, was a homemaker.
12.Nehru was a product of the English education system in India, having studied at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge.
13.Nehru had a great passion for politics from an early age and had joined the Indian National Congress when he was only 16 years old.
14.Nehru was a staunch believer in socialism and had worked tirelessly to establish a socialist economy in India.
15.Nehru had a great interest in international affairs and had played a key role in shaping India's foreign policy during his tenure as Prime Minister.
16.Nehru was a great admirer of the Soviet Union and had maintained close relations with the Soviet leadership.
17.Nehru had a complex personal life, having been involved in several romantic relationships outside his marriage. He had a close relationship with Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India.
18.Nehru was a charismatic leader and had a great influence on Indian politics for several decades. He was widely respected and admired by the Indian people, and his legacy continues to shape India's political and cultural landscape.
19. Nehru was a great believer in the power of education and had emphasized the importance of education for India's development. He had played a key role in establishing several prestigious educational institutions in India, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
20.Nehru had a deep commitment to democracy and had famously declared that "democracy is not just a political system, but a way of life." He had worked tirelessly to strengthen India's democratic institutions and had laid the foundation for India's vibrant democracy.
The following highlights Jawaharlal Nehru's top twenty five contributions to the Indian economy.
Some of the contributions are: 1. National Philosophy of India 2. National Unity 3. Parliamentary Democracy 4. Industrialization 5. Socialism 6. Scientific Temperament 7. Secularism 8. Non-alignment 9. Nehru Strategy 10. Industrial Development and others.
Contribution # 1. National Philosophy of India:
For Jawaharlal Nehru, every state needs a 'national philosophy' or 'national ideal' to hold it together and give it coherence and a sense of direction and purpose. In his view the need for such a philosophy was particularly great in a new country like India whose people were divided on religious, ethnic, linguistic and other lines, economically underdeveloped, socially stable and politically inexperienced.
Thus a shared public vision was needed to unite them and give them clearly defined 'goals' or 'objectives'. As the first Prime Minister of India, he considered the development of this national philosophy to be his most important task.
Like most nationalist leaders, Nehru was convinced that India had become deeply decadent and needed radical restructuring. Its rebirth included modernizing itself along the lines of modern European society, which had been in decline for centuries and turned a corner in the nineteenth century by reorganizing itself extensively along the lines required of modern industrial civilization. For Nehru, 'modernisation' was India's national philosophy and involved seven 'national goals', namely, national unity, parliamentary democracy, industrialisation, socialism, development of scientific temper, secularism and non-alignment.
Contribution # 2. National Unity:
Nehru argued for national unity or what he sometimes called national integration, which was the main reason for national independence. 'We must give top priority to developing a sense of unity in India because these days are important'.
Nationwide authority structures, narrow regional loyalties, divisions among its people sometimes so deep that they do not mind inviting outside help. Settlement of old scores, and absence of pubic spirit and patriotism.
If these were not correct, India would have been destroyed. Nehru thought that India's constitution took care of some of them and gave it a strong state for the first time in history, combining regional aspirations for autonomy with the need for a central government to hold them together and protect them. against external threats.
Contribution # 3. Parliamentary Democracy:
Parliamentary democracy was Nehru's second 'national goal'. He was convinced that a democratic form of government was necessary in India not only because the latter respected the individual and was inherently desirable, but because a diverse, vast and divided country could not be united and governed in any other w
He also felt that it, especially the national and state elections, was a great advantage in drawing the public into public affairs and giving them a stake in the new politics. Nehru knew that parliamentary democracy depended on a strong and united opposition for its success and that India not only had none but was unlikely to have one for some time.
As he was convinced that this was the only suitable government for India, he searched for ways to compensate for the absence of opposition. He regularly consulted and briefed opposition leaders and tried unsuccessfully to involve them in overseeing the work of government departments.
He urged his party to think of itself in national terms, encouraged vigorous internal debate and even welcomed dissent. At times he internalized the opposition and acted as leader of the opposition himself, openly criticizing his colleagues and even himself and admitting his mistakes.
He encouraged the press to play a recruiting role and chided chief ministers who tried to punish critical journalists. None of these came close to playing the role of powerful opponents but they humanized the exercise of power and introduced moderate checks on its abuse.
Contribution # 4. Industrialization:
Industrialization was the third component of the national ideal. Although Nehru was convinced that India needed to encourage cottage and small-scale industries to alleviate the problems of poverty and unemployment, he saw these as only a temporary expedient until the country was fully industrialized.
Unlike Gandhi, he was convinced that India could not permanently eradicate poverty and fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the people.
