Introduction
"Whether we stay or not, this flag and our country must stand." I
hope this flag remains the same. We may or may not be there, but India's head
will stand proudly." These are the words of former Indian Prime Minister
Lal Bahadur Shastri, who addressed the nation on Independence Day from the Red
Fort.
Who is Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 in
Mughalsarai (Varanasi) in an ordinary family. His father's name is Sharada
Prasad Shrivastava and mother's name is Ramdulari Devi. He gained reputation in
the society for his many virtues.
Lal Bahadur Shastri’s mother hardships
During his one and a half years old, his father died. After
the death of his father, the entire family’s burden fell on his mother, but Lal
Bahadur Shastri’s mother did not lose her hope. Then Lal Bahadur Shastri’s
mother relocated and started living in their ancestral home Ramnagar with her
son and two daughters. Children were the center of all the mother's hopes.
Facing many hardships and difficulties, he brought up her three children.
Education and Characteristics
After completing his primary education, Lal Bahadur came to
Varanasi. He had a special interest in reading and writing. He is very simple,
calm and gentle mannered. He always lived in harmony with his companions. It is
not in his nature to fight over petty issues instead of that he loved and
respected everyone. This is the reason why he is a favorite of all teachers and
classmates.
Embarkment towards freedom struggle
Lal Bahadur Shastri studied at Harichandra High School in
Banaras. Then Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak's speech "Swaraj
is my birthright and I shall have it" echoed across the country.
This gave him a sense of patriotism. At Banaras, he got the opportunity to
meet Gandhiji for the first time. He was very impressed by the speech. That
speech became a mantra for him to love the country and serve the country. Now
along with his studies he also started participating in the Swarajya movement
from time to time.
Gandhiji's non-cooperation movement
Gandhiji's non-cooperation movement began. People left their
government jobs, schools, courts etc. and started participating in the
movement. Farmers and laborers from villages started joining this movement. Lal
Bahadur Shastri also left his studies and jumped into the movement. In this
freedom struggle, he had to face prison torture many times. But he did not divert
from his goal.
In 1921, Kashi Vidyapeedam was established at Banaras to
spread indigenous and national education. He started his education at Kashi Vidyapeedam. And then Lal Bahadur Shastri passed the annual
'Shastri' examination. After completing the exam, he changed his name from Lal
Bahadur to 'Lal Bahadur Shastri'. After completing his studies in 1926, Shastri
became active in national service. He first became a state Congress minister.
Then he was elected as the members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. In
between, he went to prison many times. Whatever work was given to him, he did
it with utmost honesty, duty and hard work. Impressed by these qualities,
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru invited him to Anand Bhavan.
Quit India Movement
In 1942 he had to go to jail again in the 'Quit India
Movement'. The financial condition of Shastriji's family was greatly weakened
by his confinement, but he was undaunted by that and always remained steadfast
in his duty.
Lal Bahadur Shastri's Resignation
India became independent. Independent India established its
own government. Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru appoint Lal Bahadur
Shastri as Railway Minister. He made many reforms in this sector. It was during
his time that a terrible train accident took place near Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu.
The accident took place on 23 November 1956. The accident took place in the Thoothukudi
Express train departing from Egmore, Chennai. More than 200 people died. This
accident shook India. Saddened by the accident, Shastri ji resigned from his
ministerial post. Later he was given the charge of other ministry. He served in
all positions with utmost loyalty, readiness and integrity.
Lal Bahadur Shastri as Prime Minister of India
After the demise of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Shastriji
became the Prime Minister of India. Shastriji's simple personality was full of
wonderful determination. Pakistan attacked India shortly after becoming Prime
Minister. In those days the country was facing many problems. Food was so
scarce that wheat had to be imported from America. At such a time, Shastri
raised the self-esteem of the people by giving the slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai
Kisan'. He said, tie a rope around the stomach, eat more greens and vegetables, fast
once a week in the evening, if we want to live, we will live by principles,
otherwise we will die of starvation with dignity. Then the green revolution began and India became self-sufficient.
Tashkent agreement and Death of Lal Bahadur Shastri
India won the India-Pakistan war. This win made India proud.
At the end of the war, the Tashkent Agreement was signed between India and
Pakistan in Russia. On that same night as he signed the Tashkent agreement on
January 10, 1966 and on the next day January 11, 1966, he died in Tashkent due to heart failure. The world was
plunged into sorrow. India had lost its great people's leader forever. Poet Sohan Lal Dwivedi has written a poetry for Lal Bahadur Shastri "He went to seek peace, fell asleep in
the lap of peace. While dying, he sowed the seeds of world peace”.
Read Also : Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya - A Brief Overview
Reference : Rashtrabhasha Pathya Pustak
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