School of Business, Public Policy and Social Entrepreneurship

School of Business, Public Policy and Social
Entrepreneurship
PROJECT REPORT ON
PANDIT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU

THE ARCHITECT OF MODERN INDIA
Under the guidance of

Dr. Tuheena Mukherjee
Submitted by :
Amrita Arora
Assistant Professor (HR & OB)
S143F0005
School of Business, Public Policy

& Social Entrepreneurship (SBPPSE)
Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD)
Acknowledgement
I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the kind
support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my sincere thanks
to all of them.
I am highly indebted to Tuheena Mukherjee mam for her guidance and constant supervision as
well as for providing necessary information regarding the project & also for her support in
completing the project.
I would also like to express my gratitude towards my family & members of School of Business,
Public Policy and Social Entrepreneurship, Ambedkar University, Delhi for their kind cooperation and encouragement which helped me in completion of this project. My thanks and
appreciations also go to my colleagues, specially Ms. Akriti Sondhi, in developing the project
and people who have willingly helped me out with their abilities.
AMRITA ARORA
Description
Page No.
PART-I
Page 2
HIS LIFE AT A GLANCE

1.
PART II
ANALYSIS USING OB THEORIES
1. Introduction
PART- III
CONCLUSION
Conclusion of the project
PART- IV
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Page 3
PART- I
HIS LIFE AT A
GLANCE
Page 4
Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru
The Architect of Modern India
'Awake to freedom'
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny,
and now the time comes
when we shall redeem our pledge.
Page 5
INTRODUCTION
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehrus life was closely intertwined with the history and destiny of modern
India. Born on November 14, 1989, this great leader, played a central role in Indias struggle for
freedom from British colonial rule and went on to become the first and longest serving Prime
Minister of independent India.
With his visionary thinking, compassionate approach and rational decision making, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru became the greatest man of his generation, who laid the foundation stones of
the India, as we see today. The following lines describe the greatest man in his own words:
The ambition of the greatest man of our generation
has been to wipe every tear from every eye.
That may be beyond us,
but as long as there are tears and suffering,
so long our work will not be over
By understanding his life journey and various facets of his personality, well get to know what
made this great leader, the transformer of the country called India.
CHILDHOOD
Page 6
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was born in the famous, sacred city of Uttar Pradesh, Allahbad on
November 14, 1889. His mothers name was Swarup Rani and the fathers Pandit Motilal Nehru.
He had a sheltered and uneventful childhood. He was the only son of his prosperous parents and
that too, an only child for first eleven years of his existence. He did not even had the
companionship of children at school as he was taught by governesses and tutors. Loneliness,
apparently for this reason, was embedded deeply in the psychology of Nehru ji.
In the summer of 1905, as a sixteen year lad, he went to England for studies. There he easily
adjusted in the new environment. At Harrow, he took full interest in all the activities- he was
always updated in current affairs, good at studies and played all the games, like cricket, with full
interest. Then he went to Trinity College, Cambridge University. His experience, in his words:
The three years I was at Cambridge, three quiet years with little of disturbance in them,
moving slowly on like the sluggish Cam. These were the pleasant years, with many friends and
some work and some play and a gradual widening of the intellectual horizons.
YOUTH
Page 7
Nehrus stay in England had made him an Englishman by body, though he remained out and out
Indian by heart.
After getting his degree at Cambridge in 1910, young Nehru dilly dallied a while over I.C.S.,
and then joined the Inner Temple for the Bar, where he worked for two years. At that time, he
drifted through fashionable life and developed expensive habits.
Young Barrister from England returned to India and took to law here by joining the high court.
But his life began to lose his freshness. He felt his existence pointless.
This was the time when he decided to join the Indian freedom struggle.
FREEDOM STRUGGLE
Page 8
Jawaharlal Nehru and the Non-Cooperation Movement: The first big involvement of
Jawaharlal Nehru came at the onset of the non-cooperation movement in 1920. Nehru joined in
whole-heartedly in this Satyagraha based movement that stormed India. Nehru was arrested on
charges of anti-governmental activities and was released a few months later. In the rift formed
within the Congress following the sudden closure of the non-cooperation movement after the
Chauri Chaura incident, Nehru remained loyal to Gandhi's camp and denied to join the Swaraj
Party formed by Motilal Nehru and CR Das
Nehru and the Civil Disobedience Movement: The Lahore Congress of 1929 was monumental
in the political career of Nehru as well as the history of India's freedom struggle. Nehru was
elected the president of Congress for the first time at a young age of forty. He used the platform
of the Lahore conference to declare the goal of complete freedom or Purna Swaraj.
Nehru and the last days of Indian Freedom Struggle: The Government of India Act of 1935
called for nation-wide elections. Nehru campaigned vigorously for Congress, although he
himself did not contest directly in the elections. With Gandhi concentrating on the spiritual
development of his followers and gradually dissociating himself from direct political action, the
stature of Nehru within the Congress ranks was now more than ever. He became the Congress
President in the consecutive years of 1936 and 1937.
RISE IN POLITICS
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF GANDHIJI
Page 9
Nehrus autobiography discloses his lively interest in Indian politics. His letters to his father
over the same period reveal their common interest in Indias freedom. But not until father and
son met Mahatma Gandhi and were persuaded to follow in his political footsteps did either of
them develop any definite ideas on how freedom was to be attained. The quality in Gandhi that
impressed the two Nehrus was his insistence on action. A wrong, Gandhi argued, should not only
be condemned, it should be resisted. Earlier, Nehru and his father had been contemptuous of the
run of contemporary Indian politicians, whose nationalism, with a few notable exceptions,
consisted of interminable speeches and long-winded resolutions. Jawaharlal was also attracted by
Gandhis insistence on fighting Great Britain without fear or hate.
Nehru met Gandhi for the first time in 1916 at the annual meeting of the Indian National
Congress(Congress Party) in Lucknow. Gandhi was 20 years his senior. Neither seems to have
made any initially strong impression on the other. Nehru did not assume a leadership role in
Indian politics, however, until his election as Congress president in 1929, when he presided over
the historic session at Lahore (now in Pakistan) that proclaimed complete independence as
Indias political goal.
This was the time, when he rose as a leader in Indian politics and grew afterwards.
PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
Page 10
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. His Prime-Minister-ship was
marked by social and economic reforms of the Indian state. A number of foreign policy
landmarks like the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement also marked the tenure of Jawaharlal
Nehru as Prime Minister.
The enduring legacy of Nehru rule is the effect of Nehru's economic policies. His economic
policies were far reaching and its effects are felt to this day. Jawaharlal Nehru is best known for
his enduring brand of 'Nehruvian Socialism' or the Indian version of Socialism. The original
socialist policies were watered down by Nehru to gel with the Indian economic context.
Jawaharlal Nehru was responsible for the special economic reform policy vehicle, Planning
Commission of India.
.
Jawaharlal Nehru's last days as India's Prime Minister were marred by political problems. The
Congress Party suffered from corruption within itself. He promoted his daughter Indira Gandhi
to the Indian political landscape in that period. Indira Gandhi later became India's first woman
Prime Minister. The last period of his Prime Minister-ship also included the Indian invasion of
Portugal in 1961. Jawaharlal Nehru died in office on the 27th of May 1964.
HIS BOOKS
Page 11
Letters from a Father to his Daughter, 1929

This is a collection of 30 letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1929 to his
daughter Indira Gandhi when she was 10 years old, teaching about natural
history and the story of civilisations. At the time of the writing of the
letters, Nehru was in Allahabad, while Indira was in Mussoorie.
Written in 1928, these letters remain fresh and vibrant, and capture.
Glimpses of World History, 1934
This is a panoramic sweep of the history of humankind. It is a collection

of 196 letters on world history written from various prisons in British
India between19301933. The letters were written to his young
daughter Indira, and were meant to introduce her to world history.
An Autobiography, 1936
An Autobiography also known as Toward Freedom, (1936) is
an autobiographical book written by the first Prime Minister of India,
Jawaharlal Nehru while he was in prison. It ran nine editions in the first
year alone. He wrote the book to explore how and why he had ended up
taking the path of civil disobedience that in turn led to his imprisonment.
Discovery of India, 1946

In this book, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru tries to study the history of India starting
from the Indus Valley Civilization, and then covers the country's history from the
arrival of the Aryans to government under the British Empire. He says that India
in the past was a country that lived in harmony and peace, but the evils of society
corrupted the people. The effect of these various people on Indian culture and
their incorporation into Indian society is examined. This book also analyses in
depth the philosophy of Indian life.
This book was dedicated to the Prisoners of Ahmednagar jail.
CHACHA NEHRU
Page 12
His great love for roses as well as children is a well-known fact. In fact he often compared
the two, saying that children were like the buds in a garden. They should be carefully and
lovingly nurtured, as they were the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow. He felt
that children are the real strength of a country and the very foundation of society. Most
importantly he did not discriminate between the sexes and believed in giving equal
opportunities to girls and boys. In fact his own little girl grew up to be the third Prime
Minister of India.
Quite naturally, he was the 'beloved' of all the children who gave him the endearing name of
'Chacha Nehru'. As a tribute to this great man and his genuine love for children, his birthday
is celebrated all over India as 'UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S DAY'. A day of fun and fanfare.
It is not only a national holiday, but is celebrated with singing, dancing and storytelling in
schools and colleges as well as on radio and television. Special functions are held to
honor children all over the country.
HIS DEMISE
Page 13
It was a scorching day of the summers, the 27 th May 1964, when the messiah of peace and
brotherhood passed away. The whole nation, nay, the entire world was stunned with grief. The
news of his demise made people throng at his official residence, the Teen Murti Bhavan, in
uncountable numbers. People came from all walks of life, from all directions and from every age
group. For his popularity knew no caste, creed, age, sect or even the geographical barriers. He
was the darling of the masses. Especially the children lost their beloved Chacha Nehru.
His funeral procession started from the Teen Murti Bhavan and traversing the few kilometres
distance in many hours, reached the bank of Jamuna. The spot where she was cremated is known
as Shanti Ghat, on the banks of Jamuna, adjoining to the Raj Ghat, where his mentor and Guru,
Gandhijis cremation took place
In the crimson haze of the dying sun, the flames lept higher and the fire consumed the mortal
remains of the Indias most illustrious son.
Indian newspapers repeated Nehru's own words of the time of Gandhi's assassination:
"The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere."
Awards and Recognition
Page 14
Bharat Ratna, 1955

On July 15th 1955, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias first Prime Minister, was awarded the
Bharat Ratna (Indias highest civilian honour) by then President Rajendra Prasad.
Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding

The Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding is an international award
presented by the Government of India in honor of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime
minister.
Jawaharlal Nehru University

Many institutions were also named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The most famous of them
being the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
Page 15
PART II
ANALYSIS USING
OB THEORIES
Big 5 Model Of Personality
Page 16
Openness To Experience
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was high on the parameter of openness to experience. This was
because he was broad minded, open to new ideas , easily adjustable to new culture and
secular. This is depicted in his following quote:
By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim,
& a Hindu only by accident of birth."
Conscientiousness
Nehru was high on conscientiousness as he was hard working and ambitious in nature.
Extraversion
As an individual, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was low on extraversion trait. Since

childhood, loneliness was his constant companion. Even, during his time in jail, he liked
loneliness, that was when he wrote his famous letters.
But as a leader, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was high on extraversion as he listened
compassionately to the people and also conveyed his views and opinions easily.
Agreeableness
Pandit Nehru was high on agreeableness which can be seen in his concern for the people
of India.
Neuroticism
Nehru was low on neuroticism as he had a stable state of mind and he always made
rational decisions.
Nurture Theory
Page 17
Nurture theory shows how nurture affects the personality of an individual.

This theory can be easily applied to the life of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, where there are explicirt
instances to support this.
Childhood
Loneliness defined his childhood
Being the only son for a long time and his staying alone in
London contributed to his shyness
He had a fear for Public Speaking.
For e.g.- At the debating society of Trinity College, Cambridge,

The Magpie and Stump he usually paid fine rather than
speaking in public
Youth
Peasants robbed young Nehru of his shyness
Earlier, he was frightened of public speaking
They taught him how to speak in public
Indeed, real school of Oratory for Nehru
Being surrounded by them all time, made him speak,

without any choice in front of around 10,000 people
Thus, the Nurture theory shows how the surroundings of an individual shape his behavior
Abilities
Ability is the mental or physical capacity to do something.
Page 18
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru possessed both cognitive and physical abilities.
Cognitive Abilities
General knowledge
He had keen interest in
Read books and newspapers
Had interest in politics, knew more about english

political scene than the English boys at harrow
Took natural Tripos + literature history economics

politics in Cambridge
Envisioned himself as Garibaldi in India after reading a

series on Garibaldi
Physical Abilities
Enjoyed swimming a lot
Took full share of games at Harrow
Adventure fascinated him
Enjoyed games heartily
He also liked horse riding, which can also be seen

in the picture.
Thus, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had a good share of cognitive and physical abilities.
Utilitarian Values
Page 19
These are values that dictate that decisions should be made that generate greatest good for
greatest number of people.
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru made his decisions using utilitarian values

.
For e.g.- Planning Commission was based on the concept of Utilitarian thinking.
Motivation
Maslows Need Hierarchy Theory
Page 20
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was on the level of Self Actualisation Needs.

This can be shown as follows:
Physiological Needs
His physiological needs were fulfilled because he came from a well to do family
Safety Needs
His safety needs were fulfilled because he got a good job as a Lawyer
Social Needs
These needs were fulfilled when he came back to India and met different people,
specially the peasants
Esteem Needs
These needs were fulfilled when he left Law practice to join Politics, got recognized as a
leader first and then as the Prime Minister of India
Self Actualization Needs
He was at this level as he felt the need to serve the country at the best of his capabilities
Expectancy Theory
Page 21
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was a great motivator. With his thoughts and speeches, he made the
Indians think about and feel the need for Independence. Its impact on Indians can be
understood through the Expectancy Theory.
Expectancy
Expectancy among Indians was high. They perceived that if they try hard, they can
together work towards achieving Independence.
Instrumentality
Instrumentality was also high among Indians. They perceived that if they worked
collectively towards achievement of Independence, theyll certainly get it.
Valence
For the outcome to be achieved i.e. Independence, valence was at a very high level
among Indians. They felt the need for it.
LEADERSHIP
Leadership is the ability of an individual to influence others.
Page 22
Transformational Leadership
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was a Transformational Leader, who inspired his followers to trust
him and perform behaviors that contribute towards achievement of goals.
With his leadership skills, he transformed India from what it was left by the British at the
time of independence to a strong country.
What India is today, is firstly because of the efforts of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Charismatic Leadership
Page 23
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was a Charismatic Leader who won followers respect and support for his
vision.
Peasants put their heart at his feet
They showered affection on Chacha Nehru
They looked on him with loving and hopeful eyes
Clung to Nehru deeply
Told him about their crushing exactions
They gave him full support
Rational Leadership
Page 24
Rational leadership stands for a rational and scientific outlook in life. It is mostly exhibited
through the State power. This kind of leadership pays due respect to the past culture, but its main
concern is with gradual change for the better in every sphere of social and political life. It tries to
bring about the desired changes through State laws and State authority.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a rational leader. This can be seen through his rational decisions.
It is also depicted in his following quote:
A leader or a man of action in a crisis almost always acts subconsciously and then thinks of
the reasons for his action.
Effective Communication Skills
Page 25
Though, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had a fear of public speaking in his childhood, he developed
effective communication skills later in his life.
Some of the major features of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehrus effective communication skills were:
Transparent sincerity in his words
Conversationalists manner of speaking
Heart to heart manner of communicating
Simplicity
Expertise in the precious art of artlessness
Power
Page 26
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru possessed following types of power:

Expert Power
He came back to India as a highly educated man and also as lawyer
So, he had high credibility and hence expert power
Referent Power
Indians admired Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, before and after independence
They looked upon him and hence he had referent power
Legitimate Power
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent
India
He thus got the legitimate power with his position.
Page 27
PART-III
CONCLUSION
Conclusion
Page 28
Its too difficult to describe such a great man in few words.

But, I would like to end with the following lines:
Poet Robert Frosts lines were the Mantra of this great leader, let them be so for all
his countrymen:-
The woods are lovely dark and deep

But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep!
And miles to go before I sleep!
Page 29
PART -IV
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliography
An Autobiography, Jawaharlal Nehru, Penguin Viking, 2004
Page 30
Chacha Nehru, Dr. B. R. Kishore, Anil Prakashan, 2001
Page 31

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PANDIT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU

Under the guidance of

Assistant Professor (HR & OB)