Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri was India’s third Prime Minister and possibly the most underrated one as well. He belonged to a very humble background. He lost his father when he was only a year and a half old. He was forced to assume responsibility from a very early age. Since his childhood he was fond of reading books and liked to read Guru Nanak’s verses.  In 1915, after hearing a speech of Mahatma Gandhi at Varanasi, he decided to dedicate his life for the nation. He was someone who was very much against caste system and had in fact given up his surname which indicated his caste. He was an active participant in Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement in 1921. He was arrested for taking part in processions in defiance of the prohibitory order.

However, being a minor, he was released. Later on he enrolled in the nationalist ‘Kashi Vidyapeeth’ from where he pursued his Bachelors in Philosophy. Upon completion of his course there in 1926, he was given the title Shastri ("Scholar"). The title was the bachelor's degree awarded by the Vidya Peeth, but it stuck as part of his name.

He was also a part of the ‘Servants of the Poeple Society’ which worked for the upliftment of Harijans at Muzaffarpur. In 1930, he joined Mahatma Gandhi in his Salt Satyagraha and was imprisoned for two and a half years. He was arrested many a times during the struggle for independence. However, with his stop@nothing attitude, he never lost his determination and played a very important role in India’s freedom struggle.

Not many people know that this humble and down to earth man spent his says working at a khadi shop and studied fir his graduation during the evening. After independence, he was appointed Secretary General of the All India Congress Committee 1951 with Jawaharlal Nehru as the Prime Minister. After Jawaharlal Nehru’s sudden death in 1964, he was the prime contender for the Prime Minister’s post. He was appointed to the chair in June the same year. He is someone who was loved by all and made a place in the common man’s heart with his slogan, “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”.