Indian nationalist leader and statesman, who was the first prime minister (1947-64) of independent India. Nehru was born on November 14, 1889, the son of a wealthy Brahman lawyer from Kashmir. He went to England at the age of 16 and was educated at the Harrow School and at the University of Cambridge. Returning to India in 1912, he practiced law for some years and in 1919 joined the Indian National Congress, the principal nationalist organization of India, led by …showed first 75 words of 421 total…

…showed last 75 words of 421 total…told an aggressive China in 1959 that he would defend India's borders with armed force. Under his guidance India became an influential force within the so-called Nonaligned Nations. His writings include letters published under the titles Glimpses of World History (1936) Letters to Chief Ministers (5 vol., 1987-90) and an autobiography published in the U.S. as Toward Freedom (1941); his addresses and articles were collected and published under the titles The Unity of India (1941) and Independence and After (1950).