Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi - Indian politician and leader of the political force "Indian National Congress". Daughter of the first prime minister of the state, Jawaharlal Nehru. She became the only female Prime Minister in Indian history to hold this position from 1966-1977, and then from 1980 until the day of her assassination in 1984.
In this article, we will look at the main events from the biography of Indira Gandhi, along with the most interesting facts from her life.
So, before you is a short biography of Indira Gandhi.
Biography of Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 in the Indian city of Allahabad. The girl grew up and was brought up in a family of prominent politicians. Her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was India's first prime minister, and her grandfather led the Indian National Congress veteran community.
Indira's mother and grandmother were also influential political figures who at one time were subjected to serious repression. In this regard, from an early age she was familiar with the structure of the state.
Childhood and youth
When Indira was barely 2 years old, she met the great Mahatma Gandhi, who was and is the national hero of India.
When the girl grows up, she will manage to be in the community with the Mahatma more than once. An interesting fact is that it was he who advised 8-year-old Indira Gandhi to create her own labor union for the development of home weaving.
Since the future prime minister was the only child of her parents, she received a lot of attention. She was often present among adults, listening to their conversations on various important topics.
When Indira Gandhi's father was arrested and sent to prison, he regularly wrote letters to his daughter.
In them, he shared his concerns, moral principles and views regarding the future of India.
Education
As a child, Gandhi was mainly educated at home. She was able to successfully pass the exams at the people's university, but later was forced to leave school due to her mother's illness. Indira traveled to Europe where her mother was treated in various modern hospitals.
Not missing the opportunity, the girl decided to enroll in Somervel College, Oxford. There she studied history, political science, anthropology and other sciences.
When Gandhi was 18 years old, a tragedy happened in her biography. Doctors never managed to save the life of her mother, who died of tuberculosis. After a bereavement, Indira decided to return to her homeland.
At that time, World War II (1939-1945) broke out, so Gandhi had to travel home through South Africa. Many of her compatriots lived in this region. It is curious that in South Africa the girl managed to make her first political speech.
Political career
In 1947, India gained independence from Great Britain, after which the first national government was founded. It was headed by Indira's father, Jawaharlal Nehru, who became the first prime minister in the country's history.
Gandhi worked as a private secretary for her father. She went everywhere with him on business trips, often giving him valuable advice. Together with him, Indira visited the Soviet Union, which was then led by Nikita Khrushchev.
When Nehru died in 1964, Gandhi was elected a member of the Indian Parliament and later - Minister of Information and Broadcasting. She represented the Indian National Congress (INC), India's largest political force.
Indira was soon elected Prime Minister of the country, making her the 2nd woman in the world to serve as Prime Minister.
Indira Gandhi was the initiator of the nationalization of Indian banks, and also sought to develop relations with the USSR. However, many politicians did not share her views, as a result of which a split occurred in the party. Nevertheless, most of the Indian people supported their prime minister.
In 1971, Gandhi again won the parliamentary elections. In the same year, the Soviet government sided with India in the Indo-Pakistani war.
Characteristic features of government
During Indira Gandhi's rule, industry and agricultural activities began to develop noticeably in the country.
Thanks to this, India was able to get rid of its dependence on the export of various foodstuffs. However, the state could not develop in full force due to the war with Pakistan.
In 1975, the Supreme Court ordered Gandhi's resignation on charges of electoral violations during the last elections. In this regard, the politician, referring to Article 352 of the Indian Constitution, introduced a state of emergency in the country.
This led to both positive and negative consequences. On the one hand, during the state of emergency, the economic recovery began.
In addition, inter-religious conflicts were effectively ended. However, on the other hand, political rights and human freedom were limited, and all opposition publishing houses were banned.
Perhaps the most negative reform of Indira Gandhi was sterilization. The government ruled that every man who already had three children was required to undergo sterilization, and a woman who became pregnant for the 4th time was forced to undergo an abortion.
The super-high birth rate was indeed one of the main causes of poverty in the state, but such steps humiliated the honor and dignity of Indians. The people called Gandhi the "Indian Iron Lady".
Indira often made tough decisions, with a certain degree of ruthlessness. As a result of all this, in 1977 it suffered a crushing fiasco in the parliamentary elections.
Return to the political arena
Over time, positive changes began to occur in the biography of Indira Gandhi. Citizens believed her again, after which in 1980 the woman again managed to take the post of prime minister.
During these years, Gandhi was actively involved in strengthening the state in the world political arena. Soon, India took the lead in the Non-Aligned Movement, an international organization that today unites 120 countries on the principle of non-participation in military blocs.
Personal life
With her future husband, Feroz Gandhi, Indira met in the UK. Young people decided to get married in 1942. An interesting fact is that their union did not correspond to caste and religious traditions of India.
Feroz was a native of Iranian Indians who professed Zoroastrianism. Nevertheless, this did not stop Indira from choosing Feroz Gandhi as her companion. She took her husband's surname despite the fact that he was not a relative of Mahatma Gandhi.
In the Gandhi family, two boys were born - Rajiv and Sanjay. Feroz died in 1960 at the age of 47. 20 years after the loss of her husband, shortly before the murder of Indira herself, her youngest son Sanjay died in a car accident. It is worth noting that it was he who was among the most important advisers to his mother.
Murder
In the 80s of the last century, the Indian authorities came into conflict with the Sikhs, who wanted to gain independence from the central state apparatus. They occupied the "Golden Temple" in Amritsar, which has long been their main shrine. As a result, the government took over the temple by force, killing several hundred believers in the process.
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was killed by her own Sikh bodyguards. At that time she was 66 years old. The assassination of the prime minister was an open revenge of the Sikhs against the supreme power.
In Gandhi, 8 bullets were fired as she made her way to the reception hall for an interview with British writer and film actor Peter Ustinov. Thus ended the era of the "Indian Iron Lady".
Millions of her compatriots came to say goodbye to Indira. In India, mourning was declared, which lasted for 12 days. According to local traditions, the body of the politician was cremated.
In 1999, Gandhi was named "Woman of the Millennium" in a poll conducted by the BBC. In 2011, a documentary about one of India's greatest women premiered in Britain.
