INDIRA GANDHI

Born as Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi in 1917, Indira Gandhi was the only child of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his wife, Kamla Nehru. Belonging from one of the most famous political dynasties of India, her familiarity with the political scene since an early age was inevitable. Although not an active member of the freedom struggle, her father’s role and popularity in the same made her a known personality in the households of various contemporary political leaders.

Indira’s early years were spent partly in India and partly in Switzerland, where her mother recuperated from intermittent illness until finally passing away in 1936. After that, Indira stood by her father’s side while he swore the formal oath as Prime Minister in 1947. In 1942, she married Feroz Gandhi against her father’s wishes. After the demise of her husband in 1960 and her father in 1964, Indira joined the cabinet as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the cabinet of the next Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. He too, however, died unexpectedly of a heart attack less than two years in office.

Following his demise, Indira Gandhi was elected as Prime Minister purely on grounds of compromise. However, where the popular leaders thought her to be easily manipulable, Indira manifested a remarkable strength and independence that quickly made her a favorite. She was praised for her efforts in the Indo-Pak War of 1971, and the detonation of India’s first nuclear weapon in 1974 ensconced her as a strong figure on the political front.

Her downfall began in the year 1973, when economic deficiency and corruption-plagued the country, following which she was found guilty of various illegal practices. In response to demands that she resigns, Indira declared a national emergency and went on to incarcerate her protestors and suspend most rights entitled to the media and the people. In 1977, she was confident of having eliminated all her opposition, and ordered a second round of elections to be held. Ironically, she lost by a drastic margin.

Three years later, however, she was reinstated as Prime Minister. Her attempt to curb the political conflicts in the state of Punjab led her to order an attack on the holiest Sikh Shrine in India, the Golden Temple. Although the operation was successful, it left the temple damaged, which earned her the bitter hatred of the Sikh community. In 1984, she was assassinated by her bodyguard, a member of the Sikh community who claimed to avenge the attacks on his people.

Although her actions in her later years left her reputation damaged, it is no doubt that Indira Gandhi was an independent, strong woman. Her actions, conviction, and elegance, was ahead of her time. She led the country forward both in turmoil and of turbulence, and proved her worth to all who doubted her.