Motilal Nehru began his legal career in 1883 and soon established himself as one of the leading barristers at Allahabad. In 1900 he bought a magnificent family home in the city and named it ‘Anand Bhavan’ or ‘abode of happiness’.
He fitted out this mansion with every manner of comfort and lived in considerable luxury for many years. The Nehru household adopted British customs, dress, furnishings and even English tutors and nannies for the children. However, Motilal’s admiration for everything British underwent a drastic change in later years.
In 1919, the massacre of hundreds of Indians at Jallianwala Bagh resulted in a bitterly opposed section of Indian elite, of which Motilal and Jawaharlal were a part. The launch of the Non-cooperation Movement by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 prompted the Nehrus to give up their anglicized lifestyles and become fully committed to expelling the British from India.
The Nehru household adopted a simpler, more authentic mode of life. Anand Bhavan was converted into the headquarters of the Indian National Congress and served as the cradle for the Indian freedom struggle. Motilal Nehru shifted his family to a smaller house and Anand Bhavan was renamed ‘Swaraj Bhavan’ or ‘self-rule house’ in anticipation of total freedom for India.
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