Kamala Nehru College

Kamala Nehru College is located at the August Kranti Marg, New Delhi. It was established in the year 1964 and is affiliated to University of Delhi.

Smt. Kamala Nehru was a flame that flickered briefly during the raging storm of the freedom movement in India but left the imprints for generations to follow. Her contribution as an individual is not known to everyone. During the freedom struggle, she braved lathi-charges, organised processions, addressed meetings and led picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shops. She had to languish in the prison for days for the cause of India’s independence. Her personality had a major influence on her husband Jawaharlal Nehru and she stood by him in his determination to plunge into the movement started by Mahatma Gandhi so that India could be free from the clutches of the British rule.

While her husband was sent to the prison for days and months, Kamala Nehru put all her energies into social work. To begin with, she instituted a hospital in Swaraj Bhawan (Nehru’s family mansion) to treat freedom fighters and others wounded due to severe lathi charges. She persuaded women to come out of their homes and join the freedom struggle movement. Her determination for the empowerment of women pushed her to work for the education of women and encourage them to get rid of the old custom of purdah which was a prevalent practice in Rajasthan and other parts of North India at that time. She represented the modern woman with a free will at a time when women were not allowed in public places.

As a member of the Rashthriya Stree Sabha which was set up in 1921, Kamala Nehru worked for the entry of Dalits into temples. She was the first among the group of volunteers to sell contraband salt during the Salt Satyagraha. During the year 1930, Kamala Nehru led Desh Sevika Sangh along with Kasturba Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu and took up the challenging task of policing the disturbed areas of Bombay. While most men fighting for the freedom of the country were behind the bars, Kamala Nehru took up the task of organizing the work related to the freedom movement in her own ways. She was also the President of the Allahabad District Congress.

By the end of 1931, Kamala Nehru’s health started deteriorating and she passed away suffering from tuberculosis at the age of 37 in Switzerland. This was the end of the life of Smt. Kamala Nehru who left a legacy of determination and courage for women to follow. The life of Smt. Kamala Nehru instils the spirit of hard work, determination and a sense of pride in every student who becomes a part of Kamala Nehru College. The very name of the courageous Kamala Nehru encourages the young women of the college to confidently march ahead against all odds in life towards knowledge and freedom.