Indira Gandhi

Indira Nehru and Feroze Gandhi knew each other since childhood - this acquaintance slowly matured into a relationship when both of them were in the UK for their studies. They got married in March 1942 and were later blessed with two sons - Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.

Operation Blue Star changed her life as two of her Sikh bodyguards, deeply hurt by the insult heaped upon the Sikh nation, shot her to death, in order to avenge the insult.

Though Gandhi was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and was operated upon, she failed to survive and was declared dead. She was cremated near Raj Ghat - the spot is now known as Shakti Sthala. Her funeral was televised live on numerous domestic and international channels.

Born as Indira Nehru to Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India’s first Prime Minister, and Kamla Nehru, she was the only child of the couple, a younger brother dying in infancy.

Unlike others, her childhood wasn’t a happy one, as her father was mostly away from home due to his political commitments and her mother frequently suffered from bouts of illness.

She attained her preliminary education at home after which she briefly attended school to complete her matriculation. Indira was enrolled at the Viswa Bharti University in Calcutta but had to leave the same due to the ailing health of her mother in Europe.

Post the death of her mother, Indira attended the University of Oxford in Britain, where she studied history, political science and economics. However, due to her constant ill-health, she returned to India without a degree.

WAfter the death of her father in 1964, Indira Gandhi was appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha. She also became one of the members of Lal Bahadur Shastri's cabinet, serving as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

The untimely death of Lal Bahadur Shastri saw numerous contenders for the position of the Prime Minister. However, unable to come to a single conclusion, Indira Gandhi was chosen as the compromised candidate as they thought her to be easily manageable. She became the Prime Minister of India in January 1966.

Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India and continued to serve the same until 1977. As the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi showed exceptional political skills and resolve and drove out many senior Congressmen out of the party and power. This led to internal dissent in the party, leading to a split in the Indian National Congress in 1969.

During her term as Prime Minister, Gandhi brought about a radical change in the country’s economic, political, international and national policies. She oversaw the implementation of over three Five-year plans - two of which were successful in meeting the targeted growth.

One of her crucial economic decisions included the nationalization of fourteen major commercial banks. The move proved to be fruitful as it improved the geographical coverage of banks with the number of branches rising from 8200 to 62000. Furthermore, the nationalization of banks increased household savings and saw investment in small and medium-sized enterprises and agricultural sector.

She then nationalized the coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles, and insurance industries. The main aim of this move was to protect employment and secure the interest of the organised labor. As for the private sector industries, she brought them under strict regulatory control.

Gandhi even nationalized the oil companies after the 1971 war against Pakistan when India faced oil crises. With this, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and the Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) were formed. The oil companies had to keep a minimum stock level of oil, to be supplied to the military at the time of need

It was during Gandhi’s premiership that Green Revolution brought remarkable change in the agricultural production in India. She changed the course of the nation - from an import dependent country, India could now manage a decent portion of its demands from domestic production. She mainly targeted at growth with stability and progressive achievement of self-reliance.