Omkar Dattatray
We have celebrated the birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri on 2rd October 2023 along with the celebration of Gandhi Jayanti. But the celebrations of the birth anniversary get eclipsed due to the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations .Lal Bahadur was the third prime minister of independent India .Shastri was the man of humble beginning and he came from a poor family background .His simplicity and high thinking has no match as he lived a life of a poor man despite being the prime minister of India .It is very unfortunate that this great national leader is seldom remembered and his contribution to the country goes unnoticed ,with the result that Shastri is the unsung and unwept prime minister and leader of India .He had profound love for science and the armed forces and the farmers who are the backbone of Indian economy and that is the reason that Shastri had given the slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kissan .Shastri was a cabinet minister in the government of Nehru and Nehru used to refer to Shastri as the scientist in the cabinet because he was holding a bachelors degree in science .After the death of the first prime minister J L Nehru ,Shastri became the second prime minister of India. The contribution of Shastri is great in the freedom movement of India. Lal Bahadur was an exemplary leader and one of the greatest reformers of India. His life and work is a great inspiration to the people but still he is not given the proper place which he deserved in the national life. Shastri was a epitome of simplicity and pragmatism .He was of the scientific bent of mind and had great regard for scientist fraternity .He was really a practical leader who worked the upliftment of the poor ,farmers and the backwards sections of the society.
Shastri was a down to earth leader and was more connected with the roots and he was a great nationalist and patriot par excellence. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2nd October 1904 and he passed away on January 11 1966.Shastri was a great Indian politician and statesman who served as the second prime minister of India from 1964 to 1966.He was also the sixth home minister of India from 1961 to 1963.Shastri was born to Sharada Prasad Srivastava and Ramdulari Devi in Mughalsarai on 2,October 1904 .Shastri’s thoughts were influenced by readings about Swami Vivekananda ,Mahatama Gandhi and Annie Besant. Deeply influenced and impressed by Gandhi ,he joined the Indian independence movement in 1920,s.He held prominent positions in the Indian National Congress .Following the independence in 1947,he joined Indian government and became one of the key ministers in Nehru’s cabinet ,first as Railways minister (1951-56) and then got numerous other prominent positions ,including the home minister .Shastri was the pioneer of white and green revolution in India .His green revolution of 1965 led to the increase in the food production ,especially in the states of Punjab ,Haryana and UP .He led the country in second India-Pakistan war .His slogan ”Jai Jawan,Jai Kissan” became very popular during the war .The war formally ended with the Tashkent Declaration on 10th July 1966 and unfortunately this great man of masses died on 11th July 1966 and whole India mourned on the untimely and sudden death of Shartri in Russia .He will be remembered for his service to the nation for generations .In April 1906 ,when Shastri was hardly 18 months old ,his father ,who had only recently been promoted to the post of deputy tehsildar ,died in an epidemic of bubonic plague .His mother went to her father’s house and Shastri and his sister grew up at Mughalsarai .Later Shastri took a great interest in freedom struggle and study its history and works of its noted personalities ,including those of Swami Vivekananda ,Mahatma Gandhi and Annie Besant .Inspired by Gandhi’s call for students to withdraw from government schools ,Shastri withdrew from Harish Chandra High school, jumped in the freedom movement .He was soon arrested and jailed ,but was then released as being still a minor .Shastri graduated in Benares with a first class degree in philosophy and ethics in 1925.He was given the title shastri and later it became his surname .Shastri took active part in the freedom movement and he was deeply impressed by the life and teachings of Gandhi. As prime minister Shastri promoted white revolution -a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk-by supporting the Amul milk cooperative of Anand ,Gujarat and creating the national dairy development board .Underlining the need to boost India’s food production ,Shastri also promoted the Green Revolution in India in 1965.J.L.Nehru died in harness on 27th May 1964 .Then congress party president K.Kamaraj was instrumental in making Shastri prime minister on 9,June 1964.Shastri though mild-mannered and soft-spoken ,was a Nehruvian socialist and thus held appeal to those wishing to prevent the ascent of conservative right-winger Morarji Desai .In his first broadcast as PM ,on June 11,1964,Shastri stated, ”There comes a time in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross roads of history and must choose which way to go .But for us ,there need to be no difficulty or hesitation ,no looking to right or left .Our way is straight and clear-the building up of a socialist democracy at home with freedom and prosperity for all ,and maintenance of world peace and friendship with all nations. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s tenure witnessed the Madrass anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 .To calm the situation ,Shastri gave assurance that English would continue to be used as the official language as long the non -Hindi speaking states wanted .Shastri continued Nehru’s socialistic economic policies with central planning .While speaking on the chronic food shortages across the country ,Shastri urged people to voluntarily give up one meal so that food saved could be distributed to the affected populace .However he ensured that he first implemented the system in his own family .He went on air to appeal to his countrymen to skip a meal a week. The response to his appeal was overwhelming. Many parts of the country observed Shastri vrat, and even the restaurants and hotels downed their shutters on Monday evenings .Though he was a socialist ,Shastri stated that India cannot have a regimented type of economy .His government passed the National Agricultural Products Board Act and was responsible for setting up the Food Corporation of India under the Food Corporation Act 1964.The former PM Lal Bahadur shastri was one of those great Indian’s who had left an indelible impression on our collective life .Shastri’s contribution to our public life was unique in that they were made in the closest proximity to life of the common man in India .Shastri was looked upon Indian’s as one of their own ,one who shared their ideals ,hopes and aspirations. Under Shastri’s leadership India faced and repulsed the Pakistani invasion of 1965.It was not only a matter of pride for the Indian army but also for every citizen of the country .His slogan of Jai Jawan ,Jai Kissan ! reverberates even today throughout the length and breadth of the country .Unfortunately this great leader and the PM died in Tashkent ,Uzbekistan -Sovit Union on 11 January 1966 ,one day after signing a peace treaty to end the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war .He was eulogized as a national hero and the Vijay Ghat memorial established to his memory. The stature and status as well as the contribution of this great man was big ,but alas he is not given the due respect and reverence which he deserved .Shastri stands tall despite being unsung and unwept .May Shastri continue to inspire the Indians for many years to come.
(The author is a columnist,
social and KP activist).