The bell rang, as the car reached the level crossing and the gate came down. The men in the car had to wait till the train passed. One of them spotted a sugarcane vendor.
“Come, let’s have a juice,” he said. It looked tempting; the others did not need a second invitation. He bought everyone a tall glass of the refreshing juice and then they drove off.
“Do you know who that was?” asked a passer-by.
The sugarcane vendor shook his head.
“That was the Union Home Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.”
The man’s trademark was humility. His leadership style was simple. He chose the right people to do the work.
- Born: October 2, 1904
- 1920s: He joined the Indian Independence Movement.
- 1926: Graduation from Kashi Vidyapeeth and was given the title Shastri meaning Scholar.
- Post 1947: He held several offices: Parliamentary Secretary in U.P; Minister of Police and Transport; General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee; Railway Minister; Minister for Transport and Communications; Minister of Commerce and Industry; Home Minister.
- 1964: Prime Minister of India
- Died: January 11, 1966
Seeding revolutions
“Amul: The Taste of India” is now a familiar slogan. But, let’s rewind. Shastri, continuing with Jawaharlal Nehru’s socialist economic policies and central planning, promoted the White Revolution. He instituted the The National Dairy Development Board, a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk. India moved from being an importer of milk to an exporter.
In the mid-1960s India was in the throes of a major agricultural crisis. Annual imports of wheat from the U.S. amounted to three to four million tonnes. Shastri brought agriculture to the attention of the Planning Commission. This change in direction spearheaded the Green Revolution.
The Shastri Formula established that three languages would be in use, with Hindi and English being the official languages.
Did you know?
* He was the first person to be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.
* He had to swim across the Ganges with his books tied to his head to attend school, as he had no money to pay for a boat ride.
* He introduced the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”.
* As Transport Minister, he introduced a provision for woman drivers and conductors in public transport.
* As Home Minister, he introduced the committee on Prevention of Corruption.
* He signed the Tashkent Declaration on January 10, 1966 with Pakistan’s President, Muhammad Ayub Khan, to end the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War.
