Swarup Rani Nehru was born in 1868 in Lahore, now in Pakistan. She married Motilal Nehru after his first wife and son died in childbirth.
The mother of three surviving children, Swarup Rani had an affluent lifestyle till the 1920s. Together with an extended family, she lived in a luxurious mansion called ‘Anand Bhavan’ in Allahabad, which had a tennis court, swimming pool, stables, electricity and running water.
However, when the non-cooperation movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi, the lifestyle of the Nehru household became austere. Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru gave up their legal practices and Anand Bhavan was donated to the Indian National Congress.
The resulting financial difficulties meant a meagre one-meal-a-day for the family and the sale of the Nehru women’s jewellery. Anand Bhavan became the cradle for the Indian freedom struggle and Swarup played a prominent role in the same.
She encouraged women to make salt in defiance of the prevalent British salt laws. She is quoted to have said, “If you are true to your motherland, then you should start manufacturing salt in every household”. She also rejoiced at her husband and son’s arrests during the freedom struggle, saying it was a “privilege” granted to those who dreamed of a free India. She was a devoted wife and mother and exerted a profound influence on her children. She was responsible for maintaining a traditional balance in their upbringing.
The Swarup Rani Nehru Hospital in Allahabad is named in her honour.
Picture Credit : Google
