Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri was India's second Prime Minister. He was appointed to this position on June 9, 1964, after Nehru died during his period. His ranking was second, but his norms were 'special.' In 1966, the country's highest title, the 'Bharat Ratna,' was granted to this modest and civilized personality. He was a renowned independence warrior who walked in Jawaharlal Nehru's and Mahatma Gandhi's footsteps. During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan conflict, he brought the country together and gave the troops appropriate orders.

Birth, Caste, Family

On October 2, 1904, Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh, and at that time, India was in British control. He was born into a Kayastha family. Munshi Sharda Prasad Srivastava was his father's name, and he was a primary school teacher referred to as 'Munshi Ji.' Ramdulari was his mother's name. However, Lal Bahadur's father was a school teacher who afterward worked as an assistant in Allahabad's Revenue Office. Despite his poverty, Sharada Prasad led a life of honor and fairness. Lal Bahadur's father died while he was still a child. Ramdulari Devi nurtured Lal Bahadur and her two children at her father's home.

Early Life

During his infancy, Shastri was referred to as 'Nanhe' by his relatives as Shastri's father passed away while he was young. He was then taken to his Nanaji's (mother's father) residence in Mirzapur by his mother himself. His maternal grandfather died after a while as well.

Lal Bahadur Shastri's upbringing includes a well-known event when he was six years old. One day, Lal Bahadur and his classmates stopped by an orchard on their way to school. Lal Bahadur Shastri stood below while his classmates climbed the trees to gather mangoes. Meanwhile, Lalbahadur Shastri was caught by the gardener. He insulted Lal Bahadur Shastri and began thrashing him. Lal Bahadur Shastri requested the gardener to leave him because he was an orphan. "Because you are an orphan, it is even more crucial to learn appropriate manners," the gardener replied to Lal Bahadur.

Lal Bahadur Shastri earned his bachelor's degree in Sanskrit. His basic schooling did take place at Mirzapur, and he went on to Harishchandra High School and Kashi-Vidyapeeth for his secondary education. In Kashi-Vidyapeeth, he was given the title of 'Shastri.'

He changed his name to 'Shastri' from this moment onward. Following this, he was nicknamed Shastri. In 1928, he wedded Lalita Shastri. They were the parents of six children. Anil Shastri, one of his sons, was a representative of the Congress Party.

Life As A Freedom Fighter

In the war for independence, Shastri popularized the motto "Don't Die, But Kill," which sparked the fire of liberty across the countrymen. Shastri became involved in the independence fight in 1920, joining the 'Bharat Sevak Sangh'. This was a 'Gandhi-vadi' leader who dedicated his entire life to serving the underprivileged and the people of the country. Shastri Ji used to participate in all kinds of activities and initiatives, which led to his spending a lot of time in prison.

During the 2nd World War, India's revolutionary struggle became even more fierce. He was a leading person in the 'Non-cooperation movement' of 1921, the 'Dandi-March' of 1930, and the Quit India campaign of 1942. Also, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose founded the 'Azad Hind Fauj' and gave it the motto "Delhi-Chalo," and at the same time, Gandhi's 'Quit India Movement' received pace.

Political Career

Shastri was appointed as the General Secretary of the 'All-India-National-Congress' in 1951. He became the President of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in the post-independence era and was assigned the task of police and transportation under the guidance of Govind Vallabh Pant's government. During this time, Shastri designated the first woman as a conductor, and he declared it a norm in the police dept to use water cannons rather than rods to manage crowds.

Lal Bahadur Shastri was committed to the party at all times. In the elections of 1952, 1957, and 1962, he campaigned extensively for the party and earned a large majority. After the unfortunate loss of Jawaharlal Nehru, Shastri Ji became the Prime Minister, although his term was challenging. The developed and opposing countries together made governance extremely difficult for him.

Pakistan conducted an airstrike on India in 1965. Seeing the urgency, an urgent meeting was called. President Sarvepalli Radha Krishnan, the chiefs of all three defense sectors, and Shastri Ji were present at the meeting. During the meeting, the chiefs informed Lal Bahadur Shastri of the scenario and waited for an order, to which Shastri Ji answered, "You defend the country and tell me what we will have to do?" As a result, during the Indo-Pak war, Shastri Ji provided outstanding governance and came up with the term "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan," which got the nation together and saw India's victory over Pakistan, which Pakistan had not anticipated since China had badly defeated India in the war three years ago.

Memorials

1. Shastri Ji received the Bharat Ratna posthumously.
2. In his honor, Vijay Ghat was built.
3. In Mussorie, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration is named after him.
4. In 1995, the 'Lal Bahadur Shastri Educational Trust' founded the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, now considered one of India's premier business schools.
5. Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Warangal, Lucknow, Puducherry, and Allahabad have significant highways named after him.

Few Other Facts

1. Under the PL-480 arrangement, the nation relied on North America to obtain food grains.Food was supplied from overseas when Lal Bahadur Shastri became Prime Minister of the nation in 1964. However, during the 1965 Indo - Pakistan war, the nation faced a substantial drought. To get out of these circumstances, Shastri asked his people to starve for a day and gave us the motto "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan."
2. During the country's war for independence, Lal Bahadur Shastri was arrested for the first time as an adult at the age of 17 as part of the cooperative movement. Still, because he was a teenager, he was forced to release. He was jailed for around two years as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930. He spent the full nine years in prison in this context.
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri was very truthful and patriotic. His wife brought two mangoes for him in jail during the independence movement. He showed his dissatisfaction and opposed his wife due to all this. According to Shastri, if individuals in jail consume anything from outside, they break the law. As a result, he stood against his wife. Not only that, but he was granted 15 days of release from the jail to see his sick daughter, but his daughter passed away before the end of his probation time, and he was returned to prison even before time ended.
4. After graduating from Kashi Vidyapeeth, he was given the title of Shastri.
   As Shastri Ji was against casteism, so he dropped his surname "Shrivastava". Apart from that, he declined to accept a dowry at the wedding, and, at his father-in-law's request, he took a few meters of Khadi just to honor him.
5. When Shastri Ji traveled to Tashkent in 1966 to complete the Agreement with Pakistan, reports of his heart attack arrived the next day, i.e., on January 11, 1966, and he said his final goodbye to the world. However, there were various questions concerning his death, and thus his relatives asked the government to provide all the documents relating to his death.
6. Lal Bahadur Shastri also tried desperately to help women acquire jobs. During his tenure as a Transportation Minister, he was the first to bring women to the transportation industry and made an effort to hire them as conductors. Aside from that, instead of using lathi-charge, he advised sprinkling water on the protestors.
7. Although his father died when he was a kid, Ramdulari, his mother, had to carry that burden. After taking a loan, his mother paid for Shastri's schooling. Neerja Madhav, a writer, has authored several volumes on Shastri's life. Moreover, Shastri ji is known for advocating the idea that Nuclear weapons should never be left in the ocean. He said thousands of living animals suffer and die in the water, disrupting the environment's equilibrium due to this.
8. When Shastri Ji was younger, he used to go to school by swimming across the Ganges river daily. With a big bag and a towel on his head, Shastri would swim and cross the Ganga river, which was many kilometers long. He even received a three-rupee award when he was a student in school.
9. Even after becoming the prime minister of the country, Shastri Ji won't ever forget the guy who punched him. During his time at Harishchandra Inter College, he broke the experimental biker. Devilal, a school peon, noticed it and gave Shastriji a hard smack and kicked him out of the lab.
10. When he became the Railway Minister in 1954 and arrived to attend a programme, Devi Lal turned away on seeing him, but Shastri remembered him and greeted him on stage.
11. When Shastri Ji became PM, his kid Sunil Shastri once used a government vehicle to reach college. Shastri Ji scolded the driver and his son, reminding them that the Government of India gave the vehicle, and thus it was not the house's property. He then filled 4 1/2 rupees of fuel.
12. When Shastri Ji traveled by rail, his compartment had an air conditioning facility. He asked his PA to stop the air conditioning since he wanted to understand the suffering of passengers on public transportation. He was the first to put a fan in the general bogies.
13. Shastri Ji started the third class in Railways. They had made a big distinction between First and Third Class prices. This was a huge comfort for the folks who belonged to the weaker sections of society. After a rail line accident in 1956, he resigned. This demonstrated his compassion.
14. As he departed the Madagin, one of his colleagues pointed out, saying that your cloth was torn from the back. Shastri Ji respectfully answered, "I am the poor's son." I will remain like this; then, only I can understand the suffering of the poor.
15. Lal Bahadur Shastri supported the White Revolution/Milk Revolution throughout his reign. In partnership with Gujarat's Amul Milk Company, Anand founded the National Dairy Development Board.

Death

Under Russian and American persuasion, Shastri Ji met with Pakistani President Ayub Khan in Tashkent, Russia's capital, to sign the political settlement. It was believed the agreement was signed under extreme stress. On the night of the agreement, January 11, 1966, he died unexpectedly. Shastri Ji was claimed to have died of a heart attack, but his post-mortem was never carried out since he was killed in a well-planned strategy still preserved in Tashkent's air. To date, it remains a secret. Shastri Ji remained the PM for 18 months. Gulzari Lal Nanda was re-appointed as the Prime Minister following his demise. His cremation was held on the banks of the Yamuna River, which is now known as 'Vijay Ghat.'

Lessons To Learn From His Life

The life of India's succeeding Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, provides a few examples of dependability, dignity, and ease for both children and adults. Here are a few illustrations of his everyday routine that exemplify his received norms.

1. Enthusiastic Since Young Age: He was inspired as a youngster by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the the Non-Cooperation Campaign at 16. "I ask our children to establish self-control in themselves and struggle for the cohesion and progress of the nation," Shastri said in his maiden Independence Day speech in 1964.
2. Basic Living, High Thinking: He only took a khadi fabric and spinning wheel when he married in 1928 when his in-laws requested to accept dowry. He supposedly had no property in his name when he died and left just a few books and a dhoti-kurta after his death.

Conclusion

Lal Bahadur Shastri was also known for his truthfulness, modesty, and enthusiasm. India has suffered the loss of a great leader. He had enriched India with brilliance and dignity. His demise remains a secret. Lal Bahadur Shastri was a member of the Indian National Congress and held patriotic, liberal, and right-wing political ideologies. Hinduism is the religion of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Self-sufficiency and self-reliance were always the foundations on which he built a powerful nation.