Jawaharlal Nehru was born on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad and educated in England, at Harrow and Cambridge. In 1912, Nehru returned home to play a central role in Indias struggle for freedom from Britishcolonial rule and then, as prime minister of independent India for seventeen years, went on to shape the nations future as a modern, secular and democratic state. He died in office on 27 May 1964. Visionary andidealist, scholar and statesman of international stature, Nehru was also an outstanding writer. His three major worksAn Autobiography, Glimpses of World History and the Discovery of Indiaand this childrens classic are all published by Penguin.