Motilal Nehru birth anniversary: Lesser-known facts about Jawaharlal Nehru's father

Motilal Nehru was an Indian lawyer, activist and politician belonging to the Indian National Congress. Born on 6 May 1861, he also served as the Congress President twice. He was a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the father of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

A few facts about Motilal Nehru that will certainly intrigue you:

• Motilal Nehru was born on 6 May, 1861 and is the son of Gangadhar Nehru and Indrani. His father passed away three months before he was born.

• Motilal has two older brothers. They are Bansidhar Nehru and Nandlal Nehru.

• Motilal Nehru passed the lawyer examination in 1883 and began practising as a lawyer at Kanpur.

• Three years after his examination, he moved to Allahabad to join the lucrative practice already established by his brother Nandlal.

• Motilal became the sole bread earner of his family at the age of 25 due to his brother- Nandlal's death.

• Many of Motilal's suits were civil cases involving large land-owning families and soon he made a mark for himself in the legal profession of Allahabad.

• In 1900, his practice was thriving and therefore, he managed to buy a large family home in the Civil Lines of the city, he rebuilt it and named it Anand Bhavan.

• In 1909 he reached the pinnacle of his legal career by gaining the approval to appear in the Privy Council of Great Britain.

• Motilal Nehru twice served as President of the Congress Party, once in Amritsar in 1919 and the second time in Calcutta in 1928.

• He was arrested during the Non-Cooperation Movement.

• The entry of Motilal's son- Jawaharlal Nehru into politics in 1916 started the most powerful and influential Indian political dynasty.

• Motilal Nehru passed away on 6 February 1931. He spent his last days with his son- Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi.