Motilal Nehru Biography: Motilal Nehru (6 May 1861 – 6 February 1931) was an Indian jurist, activist, and Indian National Congress politician. Additionally, he served as President of the Congress twice, 1919–1920 and 1928–1929. He was the progenitor of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the father of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Motilal Nehru Biography
Early Years and Education
On 6 May 1861, Motilal Nehru was born as the posthumous son of Gangadhar Nehru and his wife Indrani. Gangadhar Nehru was a kotwal in Delhi, where the Nehru family had resided for several generations, and where the family had been established for several generations.[2] During India’s conflict for independence in 1857, Gangadhar and his family relocated to Agra, where some of his relatives resided. During the Mutiny, the Nehru family residence in Delhi was reportedly looted and burned down. Gangadhar arranged the marriages of his two daughters, Patrani and Maharani, to Kashmiri Brahmin families swiftly in Agra. Motilal, his youngest child, was born three months after his passing on February 4, 1861.
Bansidhar Nehru (born in 1842) and Nandlal Nehru (born in 1845) were respectively nineteen and sixteen years old at this time. Jeorani turned to her brother Amarnath Zutshi of Bazaar Sitaram in old Delhi for support until her sons could begin earning a living, as the family had lost nearly all of its assets during the upheaval of 1857. She did receive some assistance from him, but since the recent mutiny had devastated the entire city of Delhi, assistance could not be provided indefinitely. Within a few years, Nandlal secured a position as a scribe in the court of a Raja of Khetri and began providing for his mother and brother.
Thus, Motilal grew up in Khetri, the second largest thikana (feudal estate) in the princely state of Jaipur, now known as Rajasthan. Nandlal, his older sibling, won the favour of Raja Fateh Singh of Khetri, who was the same age as he, and ascended to the position of Diwan (Chief Minister; essentially the manager) of the vast feudal estate.
Career
In 1883, Motilal Nehru passed the bar exam and began practising law in Kanpur. Three years later, he relocated to Allahabad to join his brother Nandlal’s lucrative practise. In 1909, he attained the pinnacle of his legal career when he was granted permission to appear before the British Privy Council. His refusal to perform the traditional “prayashchit” during his frequent trips to Europe infuriated the Kashmiri Brahmins. He was the first chairperson of the board of directors for The Leader, a prominent Allahabad-based newspaper.
In 1919, he established a new daily newspaper, The Independent, that was far too liberal for Motilal’s conventional and lucid thinking. He became wealthy among the few leaders of the Indian National Congress and was one of the first to adopt a more traditional Indian lifestyle, excluding western clothing and material objects. To support his large family and extensive family homes, he had to return to the practise of law on occasion. Motilal Nehru served twice as the President of the Congress Party, first in Amritsar (1919) and then in Calcutta (1928). He was at the centre of the accumulating storm that brought down numerous recognisable landmarks the following year.
In September 1920, he was the only prominent leader to support non-cooperation at the special Congress in Calcutta.
The Assembly rejected Nehru’s request for a representative conference to design a constitution granting India full Dominion status in March 1926. Motilal’s son Jawaharlal Nehru entered politics in 1916, establishing the most potent and influential political dynasty in India. When Jawaharlal Nehru was elected Congress president in 1929, Motilal and Nehru family admirers were delighted to see the son succeed the father.
Motilal Nehru Works
- Kavalam, editor. The Voice of Freedom: Selected Speeches of Pandit Motilal Nehru. Madhava Panikkar, A. Pershad. Asia Pub. House, 1961
- Preet Chablani’s Motilal Nehru is a collection of essays and reflections on his life and times. Chand, S., 1961.
- Motilal Nehru’s Selected Works (Volumes 1–6), edited by Ravinder Kumar and D. N. Panigrahi. Vikas Pub., 1995.
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Motilal Nehru Legacy and death
Age and declining health prevented Motilal Nehru from participating in the historic events of 1929–1931, when the Congress adopted complete independence as its objective and Gandhi launched the Salt Satyagraha. Together with his son, he was apprehended and imprisoned, but his health deteriorated and he was released. Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee were released by the government in the final week of January 1931 as part of the chain of events that led to the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. In his final days, Motilal had the satisfaction of having his son and Gandhi by his side. On 6 February 1931 he perished.[1]
Motilal Nehru is remembered as the patriarch of the most potent political dynasty in India, which has produced three Prime Ministers. Two of his great-great-grandsons, Rahul Gandhi and Varun Gandhi, are members of the Lok Sabha for the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, respectively.
Facts
- Motilal had two older brothers, Bansidhar and Nandlal Nehru. The latter of whom was the Diwan of Khetri in Rajasthan and had cared for Motilal as his own heir. Financing his education by sending him to the University of Cambridge, where he graduated with a Law degree. Becoming one of the first Indians to receive a ‘Western education’
- He began his career as an attorney in Kanpur before relocating to Allahabad. Over time, he became one of the best attorneys in the country. As he dealt primarily with land ownership cases involving clients from large families, resulting in him earning lakhs.
- In 1900, he purchased a large mansion in Civil Lines, Allahabad, which he subsequently named Anand Bhavan. When Indira Gandhi gave it to the Indian government, it was subsequently transformed into a museum. The museum displays all information regarding the Nehru-Gandhi family.
- In 1909, he attained the pinnacle of his legal career when he was invited to appear before the Privy Council of Great Britain.
- Nehru is also credited with writing the Nehru report, which is the first Indian-written constitution. The report proposed India’s dominion status within the Empire.
- In 1916, his son entered the political arena and became extremely active. Finally, he transferred the presidency to his son Jawaharlal Nehru.
- Under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru gave up his extravagant lifestyle and began donning khadi.
- Due to his deteriorating health, he died on February 6, 1931. Motilal Nehru College at Delhi University was named in his honour.
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