Indira Gandhi (birth name:
Indira Nehru) was born on 19th November 1917, in Allahabad. She became the
fourth Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and then in 1980 until her
death. Till date, she is the only woman to hold the Prime Ministerial position
of India. She even imposed the state of
emergency in some states of India from 1975 to 1977.
Childhood
Indira Gandhi was born in a
Kashmiri Pandit family to Jawaharlal Nehru, who led the struggle for
Independence of India and became India’s first Prime Minister, and Kamla Nehru.
Being the only child she led to her childhood being lonely and unhappy. Her
father was busy in India’s fight for freedom and usually was away. Her mother
remained almost ill and was bed ridden, who suffered an early demise.
Education
Indira Gandhi attended
school intermittently and was taught at home by tutors. She attended school
till matriculation. After that she went to Viswa Bharati University in
Shantiniketan. After a year of joining the university, she had to leave to
attend her ill mother counting her last breath in Europe. After her mother
died, she attended Somerville College to study history, political science, Latin
and economics. In 1941, she left England to return to India without completing
her studies. The university later honored her with doctoral degree.
Career
Indira Gandhi started her
career as assistance to her father, from 1947 to 1964, when he became the first
Prime Minister of Independent India. After her father’s death, she became the
Prime Minister of India in 1964. Before that she was elected president of the
Indian National Congress in 1960. She got another opportunity to be appointed
as minister of information and broadcasting. She was taken as the lady with
strong attitude, who even went on to war with Pakistan in 1971 that resulted in
Indian victory and formation of Bangladesh.
She brought great change in
various segments of India whether it is agrarian segment or industrial. She was
really and actually authoritative and hailed as a hero. In 1977, the high
court’ found her guilty of infraction during the year’s elections and called
for her resignation. Gandhi lost the next election and was later imprisoned.
At the end
Operation Blues Star was
launched in in June 1984, by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to establish control
over the captured Golden Temple by Sikh militants. She ordered Indian army to
attack the premises. Few months later on 31st October, 1984, two of her trusted
body guards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh shot her point blank.
