Remembering Lal Bahadur Shastri On His 56th Death Anniversary

Sharing his birthday and ideologies with Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, was born on October 2, 1904, in a small town in India called Mughalsarai, close to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Lal Bahadur Shastri was the 2nd Prime Minister of India, serving between 1964 to 1966 and was preceded by Jawaharlal Nehru.

A visionary man, his contribution to India’s history is unparalleled and throughout his life, he has been actively involved in the country’s progress. He was a simple, humble and people’s man who served his country with utmost dedication until his last breath.

Lal Bahadur Shastri is said to have died of a heart attack on his trip to Tashkent, Uzbekistan (then the Soviet Union). The unfortunate event occurred on 11 January 1966 during the signing of the peace treaty of Tashkent to end the 1965 war with Pakistan. However, several conspiracy theories are surrounding the event and alleged foul play. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death is still one of the biggest mysteries of Indian politics.

On his 56th death anniversary, let us revisit some of his most memorable contributions to our nation:

1) ‘Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan’– a slogan that echoes our hearts even today:
The then Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the slogan, ‘Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan’ (Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer), in his speech at a public gathering at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi in 1965.

After the death of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, India was attacked by Pakistan. That was a time when India was facing scarcity of food, and farmers and soldiers were distressed. The slogan boosted the morale of soldiers and farmers countrywide to reduce the dependency on the export of goods. The emotions towards the slogan are relevant and reflected even in modern times.

2) Lal Bahadur Shastri played a pioneering role in the White Revolution and Green Revolution of India to make India self-reliant and reduce dependency on the export of goods. His efforts led to an increase in the production and supply of milk and food grains especially in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

3) Lal Bahadur Shastri’s contribution to India’ freedom struggle:
Lal Bahadur Shastri was only 11 years when he joined the Non-Cooperation Movement on the call of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a great believer in Gandhi’s ideologies and joined the movement in the blink of an eye. He led many freedom activism campaigns and spent seven years in British jails due to his unwavering spirit.

4) A Leader & a Minister with a golden heart- that’s Lal Bahadur Shastri: While serving his term as Railway Minister, between 1952 and 1956, there were two major railway accidents in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that killed hundreds of people. Both these times, Lal Bahadur Shastri handed over his resignation to the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
He took the loss as his responsibility and resigned on grounds of moral grounds.

Do you find such great souls in politics in the present day?

5) Lal Bahadur Shastri actively worked for the betterment of untouchables (Harijans): He dropped his caste derived surname of “Srivastava” while working for the betterment of people. He enrolled himself as a life member of the Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal), founded by Lala Lajpat Rai.
His famous quote, ‘India will have to hang down her head in shame if even one person is left who is said in any way to be untouchable.’

A gem of a man, Lal Bahadur Shastri, was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. Vijay Ghat in Delhi, India, is the memorial built in his memory and his final resting place.

Want to share what you know about Shastri ji? Feel free to add your comment.