Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi: जवाहरलाल नेहरू, IPA:[dʐəʋäɦəɾläl nɛɦɾu]; 14 November 1889[2]–27 May 1964) He was the first and longest-serving prime minister of independent India, serving from 1947 to 1964. As one of the founders of the Non-aligned Movement, he was an important figure in the international politics of the post-war era. He is also referred to as Pandit Nehru ("pandit," Sanskrit, "scholar", as honorific) and in India, as Panditji (-ji, honorific suffix). The son of the wealthy Indian barrister and politician Motilal Nehru, Nehru became a leader of the left-wing of the Indian National Congress at a remarkably young age. Rising to Congress President under the mentorship of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru was a charismatic, radical leader, advocating complete independence from the British Empire, and was eventually recognized as Gandhi's political heir. A life-long liberal, Nehru was also an advocate for Fabian socialism and the public sector as the means by which long-standing challenges of economic development could be addressed. Nehru raised the flag of independent India in New Delhi on 15 August 1947, and took office as Prime Minister. Nehru's appreciation for parliamentary democracy, secularism and liberalism coupled with concerns for the poor and underprivileged enabled him to formulate policies that influence India to this day. They also reflected the socialist origins of his worldview. Both as prime minister and as Congress president, Nehru pushed through India's Parliament, dominated by members of his own party, a series of legal reforms intended to emancipate Hindu women and bring equality. These reforms included raising the minimum marriageable age from twelve to fifteen, empowering women to divorce their husbands and inherit property, and declaring illegal the ruinous dowry system. His long tenure was instrumental in shaping the traditions and structures of independent India. He is sometimes referred to as the 'Architect of Modern India'. His daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv Gandhi also served as Prime Ministers of India.
