Nehru–Gandhi family
The Nehru–Gandhi family is an Indian political family that has occupied a prominent place in the politics of India. The involvement of the family has traditionally revolved around the Indian National Congress, as various members have traditionally led the party. Three members of the family—Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi—have served as the prime minister of India, while several others have been members of parliament (MP).
| Nehru–Gandhi family | |
|---|---|
| Political family | |
Family photo of 1927. Standing (l-r): Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Krishna Hutheesing, Indira Nehru (later Gandhi), Ranjit Sitaram Pandit. Seated: Swaroop Rani Nehru, Motilal Nehru, Kamala Nehru. | |
| Current region | Delhi, India |
| Etymology | Nehru: from Hindi nehr, canal Gandhi: originally Ghandy, "perfume seller," from gandh, "scent" |
| Place of origin | Kashmir, India |
| Members | Raj Kaul Vishwanath Kaul Nehru Mansaram Nehru Laxminarayan Nehru Gangadhar Nehru Nandlal Nehru Motilal Nehru Swarup Rani Nehru Brijlal Nehru Rameshwari Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit Uma Nehru Krishna Hutheesing Indira Gandhi Braj Kumar Nehru Nayantara Sahgal Feroze Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi Arun Nehru Sonia Gandhi Maneka Gandhi Rahul Gandhi Priyanka Vadra Varun Gandhi Robert Vadra |
The Guardian wrote in 2007, "The Nehru brand has no peer in the world—a member of the family has been in charge of India for 40 of the 60 years since independence. The allure of India's first family blends the right to rule of British monarchy with the tragic glamour of America's Kennedy clan."
The Gandhi surname came from Feroze Gandhi, a politician of Gujarati Parsi ancestry, who after joining the independence movement, changed the spelling of his surname from Ghandy to Gandhi, to match that of Mahatma Gandhi despite not being related familially. Indira Priyadarshini Nehru, daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, married Feroze Gandhi in 1942 and adopted his surname.