Indira Gandhi Essay
Indira Gandhi is one of the greatest leaders India has produced. She would always be remembered for her courage, determination and amazing leadership qualities. She is a source of inspiration for all, especially women. She was a woman of vision and foresight and guided Indian politics for about 15 years. She was the first Women Prime Minister of India and second woman Head of Government in the world.
Indira Gandhi was born on 19 November, 1917 to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamla Nehru in Allahabad. As she was born in a politically influential family with active participation in the Indian freedom movement, she too joined it. Indira’s school and college life was often disturbed. She studied at a number of different schools in India and abroad. She also studied in Somerville College, Oxford University but dropped out due to personal reasons. She was however later conferred with honorary degree from Oxford University. She learnt fine lessons in politics from her father and Mahatma Gandhi. Even Rabindranath Tagore was impressed with her when she studied under him at Shantiniketan.
In the 1950s, she served her father unofficially as his personal assistant during his tenure as the Prime Minister of India. She also served as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting in 1964. She was appointed as the member of Rajya Sabha in 1964. After the sudden demise of then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira became the first woman Prime Minister of India. She showed great signs as a political leader due to her far-sightedness and ability to outsmart her competitors. She took a number of unprecedented decisions which had unparalleled impact on India.
Indira Gandhi helped India to tackle its food shortage by seeking special agricultural innovation programmes known as Green Revolution. At the same time, she helped in initiating the White Revolution, thereby solving India’s milk needs as well. She also showed extraordinary boldness under the circumstances when Pakistan attacked India. It was due to her heroic courage and valour that India won the Indo-Pak war. She was the one who signed the historic Shimla pact with Pakistan. She was the motivating force behind ‘Operation Blue Star’ which was conducted at the famous Golden Temple in Amritsar. It was under her tenure that India started developing its own nuclear weapons in 1967. She also nationalised fourteen major Indian banks to encourage economic development of India. This contributed chiefly to the regional development as well as the expansion of agricultural and industrial base of India. It was she who abolished the privy purse system by which the erstwhile princes and kings got hefty pensions.
Indira Gandhi died a tragic death when she was shot at by her personal guards on 31 October, 1984. She is no more with us, yet she will always be remembered as a determined lady with sincere and utmost dedication to her work as well as mother India. Her contribution in the progress of India can never be forgotten.