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September - October 2011 Orissa Review

Homage to Bharat Ratna

Siddhartha Dash

Forty-five years ago, the second Prime Minister Uttar Pradesh. He was born into a lower middle of Lal Bahadur Shastri passed away. He class Kayastha family. His father Sharda Prasad held the office of the biggest democracy of the Srivastav was a poor teacher who breathed his world for a brief period of exactly 582 days i.e. last when Lal Bahadur was an infant. His from June 9, 1964 to January 11, 1966. Even uneducated mother Ram Dulari Devi took him to though he assumed power her father’s home where this immediately after the demise of unfortunate baby was brought Pandit who up by his maternal grandfather. governed the country for long Like the mother of almost all 17 years, Lal Bahadur’s tenure great men in history, it was this as Prime Minister continues to pious widow Ram Dulari who interest millions and millions of played a great role in shaping people of this country even the character of Lal Bahadur today. And the reason for this and imbibed in him the strength was not due to the fact that he of determination and honesty was the Prime Minister, but which India and the world because he lived a life of came to admire later. absolute honesty who, when he died, left no house, no land and At first Lal Bahadur no cash. In fact, his honesty was given primary education at has no parallel in world history. Mirzapur. Then he was sent to A Gandhian in the true sense Banaras, the holy city of of the term, Lal Bahadur was antiquity, the city of the holy one of India’s most astute and Ganga, where he was admitted non-offending post-independence leaders, who in the famous Harischandra still rules the hearts of his country men. High School. During his high school career (1917- 21) Lal Bahadur was not at all a brilliant student. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on On the contrary, he was an average student weak ’s birth anniversary – 2nd in arithmetic but good in algebra and geometry. October in 1904 in a small town of Mughal Sarai, Because of his pleasing manners Lal Bahadur soon

45 Orissa Review September - October 2011 became a favourite among his teachers. While at a permanent member of the institution and thereby school he took keen interest in the study of the dedicated himself to the service of the people. In biographies of prominent personalities. In this the meantime, he married to Lalita Devi, got a connection it may be mentioned that Lal Bahadur spinning wheel, that was the only dowry that he by no means a scholar, but he had read the book received from the bride’s party. It was because of life thoroughly well. It was here at Banaras that of the wholehearted cooperation of Lalita Bahadur for the first time saw Mahatma that it became easier for Lal Bahadur to jump Gandhi. The great nationalist leader Lokamanya into the fray of the freedom struggle. As a part of once visited Harischandra work of Lok Sevak Mandala, he very often High School. He left an indelible impact on young visited Allahabad and thereby came in close Lal Bahadur’s mind. He was so much inspired contact with Pandit Nehru. Shastri became a great by the speech of Tilak that he left the school devotee of Pandit Nehru. Nehru was so much although he was required to sit through just impressed by Shastri’s honesty and integrity that another month to complete high school career. he appointed him as the General Secretary of Allahabad Congress. It was here in Allahabad that Lal Bahadur was then admitted in the Shastri began his long public life. At first as a famous Kashi Vidyapitha (now Mahatma Gandhi strong supporter of Jawaharlal Nehru Shastri Kashi Vidyapith) which was established by Pandit opposed the moderate course in Congress Madan Mohan Malavya in a rented building. It politics. But in course of time he played the role was inaugurated by no less than Mahatma Gandhi of a link within the Congress between venerable who declared it to be a national institution. Lal Congress leaders like Purusottamdas Tondon and Bahadur was fortunate enough to have illustrious Jawaharlal Nehru. scholars like Dr. Bhagaban Das (Bharat Ratna, Posthumous) Dr. Sampurnananda and Lal Bahadur participated in all the mass Dr. Gopal Shastri as his teachers. He graduated movements that characterized India’s freedom from Kashi Vidyapith in 1925, securing the first struggle. On one occasion during the non- rank, and thus acquired the suffix – Shastri. The cooperation movement he participated in a protest youth of the present day generation will be curious rally. Though he was around 16 years at that time, to know that when Shastri was studying in Kashi he seemed a young boy of around 11-12 because Vidyapeeth, he used to work part time in a Khadi of his short stature and frail frame. The police shop. Besides working in the shop itself, he used arrested him alongwith other protestors, but let to sell Khadi from door to door and that to him go because they mistook him to be a boy. barefooted. By doing this he not only promoted When Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Khadi, but also saved Rs. 300/- a big amount Movement in 1930, Shastri plunged into it. then, which was sufficient enough to meet the expenses of his sister’s marriage. During 1942, when Gandhi gave the call for “Quit India” and “ Do or Die” Lal Bahadur After completing his education, Shastri came forward to join the movement. He was searched for a job for livelihood. That was the arrested along with other prominent leaders in time when Lala Lajpat Rai, the Lion of , Bombay. Of his life, nine long years were spent in had just established the Lok Sevak Mandal. Young jail. During imprisonment he studied books of Shastri was an admirer of Lala Lajpat. He became several famous personalities such as Harold Laski,

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Bertrand Russel, Marx, Lenin etc. He had started moral courage. Pandit Nehru while accepting the writing Hindi translation of Madam Curie and the resignation of Shastri paid glowing tributes to him history of "." It once so in Parliament by saying “I should like to say that it happened that during imprisonment in the Quit has been not only in Government but in the India Movement he was released on parole to Congress, my good fortune and privilege to have see his ailing daughter stricken with typhoid. He him as a comrade and colleague, and no man can voluntarily returned to jail the day after the death wish for a better comrade and better colleague in of his daughter. In 1937 and 1946, Shastri was undertaking – a man of the highest integrity, loyalty, elected to the Legislature of the United Provinces. devoted to ideals, a man of conscience and a man The second phase of his career from freedom of the hard work…. I have the highest regard for fighter to minister started after independence. him and I am quite sure that in one capacity or Shastriji handled a number of important offices in another we shall be comrades in the future and the Union Cabinet like Home, Railways and work together.” Transport. But it was as Home Minister that this On June 9, 1964 Lal Bahadur succeeded five feet small, frail little man showed his mettle as Nehru as the Prime Minister of India. Although an administrator and ruthless destroyer of his tenure as Prime Minister lasted only nineteen corruption. He wanted clean administration and months, it was a critical period of high excitement honesty among ministers. On 15th September and drama. At home he delicately handled the 1964 he adopted a comprehensive code of strained centre – state relations accommodating conduct for the ministers. A Central Vigilance the demands of State Chief Ministers. He Commission was appointed to deal with the demonstrated remarkable flexibility in agreeing to allegations of corruption in the administrative the indefinite continuation of English along with machinery. In order to streamline the Hindi as the official language of the country, as administrative makeup of the country, he demanded by southern states. He resolved the established an Administrative Reforms linguistic problems in Assam and Punjab through Commission. The sympathy which Shastriji the famous “Shastri Formula”. Shastri was intuitively entertained from India’s ordinary people instrumental in formulating the Green Revolution was evident in his handling of the Railway Ministry. strategy with the purpose of increasing agricultural As the Union Minister of Railways in 1956, he output and achieving self sufficiency in food in the took several beneficial measures. For the first time long run. It was though only later, in ’s third class compartments saw electric fans regime, that this strategy was pursued vigorously. installed, and provision for supplying thali meals Shastri also set up his own Prime Minister’s to the passengers travelling in the third class was Secretariat, as a source of information and advice made. Similarly dining car facilities, Class II air to the Prime Minister on policy matters. The conditioning and adequate passenger – safety Secretariat, which came to be known as PMO arrangements were the other innovations made. (Prime Minister’s Office) started acquiring great He set a rare example by resigning as Railways deal of influence and power in the making and Minister owning moral responsibility for a railway execution of government policies. accident near Ariyalur due to the fault of a But it was in our conflict with in signalman. Our present day politicians lack such 1965 that Shastriji showed how a committed

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Gandhian could also refuse to knuckle under parts of the country observe the “Shastri Vrat” bullying by a war mongering neighbour. He was even today. On October 19, 1965, Shastri gave chiefly responsible for countering Pakistani the seminal ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’ slogan at Urwa inroads into Jammu and Kashmir by opening a in Allahabad that became a national religion. front in the Punjab, which took our armies to the th suburbs of and compelled them to a On 11 January 1966, this great son of settlement at Tashkent. India’s victory over India suddenly passed away at Tashkent. The Pakistan came as a tremendous boost to India entire nation, Parliament, State Legislatures, the after the China debacle three years earlier. During press, leaders of all walks of life and dignitaries the 1965 war, when Shastri went to see soldiers from abroad, mourned the sad demise of this in the Army Hospital, he came across a severely outstanding leader who laid down his life at the wounded Major Bhupinder Singh. As he patted altar of peace. his head, he was surprised to find the soldier in Shastriji translated into real crass political tears. “Major you belong to one of the finest life the biblical phrase “the meek shall inherit the armies in the world. This doesn’t behove you,” earth”. He combined a child’s heart that was easily the Prime Minister told him. The Major replied: moved to tears by human suffering. On the other “I’m pained not because of any injury. I’m hand, he had a granite will in a liliputian frame that anguished that a soldier is not being able to salute once ordered the Indian Army to march across his Prime Minister”. the Indian boarders into West Pakistan to punish Though India emerged victorious in the the later’s perfidious activities. Lal Bahadur Shastri war, he resolved the issue of contention between was not born in a silver spoon in his mouth. He the two countries amicably. This, he felt, was rose to great eminence by dint of sheer merit, hard necessary if both countries were to live in peace work and integrity. After Nehru’s death he tackled and as good neighbours. The war, however, took many baffling problems ably and firmly. “The a huge toll on the state exchequer. Ties with the career of many statesmen in history ended in US, which had taken a hit, meant that wheat was failure for one reason or other. It was not so with in short supply. Shastri hated the idea of going Shastri. His life drama ended in a blaze of glory.” around with a begging bowl. So he hit upon a novel idea. He went on air to appeal to his countrymen to skip a meal a week. The response was overwhelming. Even restaurants and eateries Siddhartha Dash, N-4/205, IRC Village, downed the shutters on Monday evenings. Many Bhubaneswar-751015.

Almost anything you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. – Mahatma Gandhi

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