Indira gandhi brief biography of siren

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Open Library American Libraries. A number of military divisions were deployed in Punjab to tackle the situation and get control of the place. This resulted in a number of innocent lives and heavy damage to the Golden Temple. She was later assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards for the same. Indian National Congress. She was unforgiving and retreated into devastating, formidable silences.

Indira was initiated into discovering inner silences and began to appreciate creative expression in the form of art, drama and poetry. She revered Rabindranath Tagore and was in harmony with nature in the company of aesthetically inclined individuals. Around the same time, Feroze Gandhia young Parsee youth who volunteered to assist Kamala in her political pursuits as a representative of the Congress Party at Allahabad, proposed marriage to Indira.

However, she declined it as too frivolous a concern in view of the grave and challenging political situation in India. A distraught Indira linked the ominous thunderstorms accompanied by lightning to the arms of death furiously closing in on her stricken and defenseless mother. This led to a lifelong fear of violent storms which left her feeling terrorized and drained out.

Jawaharlal Nehru was released from prison at Almora in September and boarded the first flight to meet his critically ill wife. This union between the father and daughter gave succor to the anguished Indira and lifted some of her burdens. Feroze Gandhiwho considered Kamala to be his mentor, visited her en route the London School of Economics.

The traumatic and tragic death of Kamala Nehru inflicted a searing wound on Indira which even time could not heal. Indira had inherited a hard core and an indomitable spirit from her mother, yet, she felt hopeless and rootless with an uncertain bleak future. Jawaharlal Nehru was overwhelmed with a sense of obligation towards his motherland and took over the Presidentship of the Congress Party.

He returned to India immediately, even if it meant leaving his daughter alone in moments of grief to fight her own battles. During this time, Indira was drawn towards Feroze who offered attentive companionship and shared warm memories of Kamala Nehru with her. Indira returned to India to find her father distant and emotionally entangled in a relationship with Padmaja Naiduthe attractive daughter of freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu.

Indira, who was extremely proud and possessive of her legendary father felt disillusioned and dejected and decided to return to Paris. It was in the romantic setting of Paris that the young Indira finally accepted the marriage proposal of Feroze. Not surprisingly, she remained furtive about her intimacy with Feroze in letters to her father.

Indira returned to India in Novemberin view of the strengthening of the Fascist forces and to recover, as she was diagnosed with Pleurisy, even before completing her course due to failure in the Latin examination. She made a second futile attempt to complete her education and returned to Oxford University a year later, but suffered with a relapse of the Pleurisy.

One can relate to the emotional turmoil she experienced as an adolescent struggling to recuperate in a gloomy sanatorium traversing the same path and reliving the memories of her mother who eventually succumbed to her illness. Indira faced the tribulation with the resilience of a weed whose struggle for survival enables it to bend with every storm in order to live.

Jawaharlal Nehru extolled her steadfastness and fortitude as he advocated that diseases of the body have to be fought with a strong mind. Indira along with Feroze undertook an arduous journey back to India, a voyage fraught with danger and turbulence due to the escalation of World War 2. Indira met Jawaharlal at the Dehradun Jail and revealed her ardent desire to marry Feroze, citing the need for companionship and to raise her children in a stable home.

The marriage was solemnized on Ram navami a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of the Hindu God Lord Rama on 16 th March,followed by festive celebrations with the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi, relatives and friends. The Quit India Movement was launched on 8 th August,and Indians were determined to seize control of their destiny and nation. Enraged by the brutality of the British and infused with patriotic fervor to defy the authoritative British rule, Indira addressed a mammoth public rally where she was attacked by the police and subsequently arrested.

This marked the transformation of a shy, self- conscious Indira who swore never to speak in public, to an emphatic leader passionately connecting with the crowd and arousing them from slumber. Indira spent eight months in captivity, which served as a lesson in endurance and a voyage of self-discovery where she finally encountered her inner calling cajoling her indira gandhi brief biography of siren a higher destiny.

Indira was overwhelmed with joy to embark into motherhood when she discovered her pregnancy. An equally elated Feroze ensured that she received the best medical facilities in India and brought her to Mumbai, where their first child Rajeev Ratna was born on 20 th August, Jawaharlal Nehru was released from Ahmednagar Jail in June and met his grandson at an emotional family re-union at Srinagar.

ByJawaharlal Nehru was the interim prime minister. Indira took a momentous step forward to occupy the niche created for her by resolving to leave Allahabad and living with her father in Delhi. As the gracious official hostess to Presidents, philosophers and stalwarts of the Indian freedom struggle, an observant Indira mastered the nuances of protocol, diplomacy and political manipulation.

The initial euphoria of companionship and marital intimacy wore off and gave way to ripples of tension, perhaps due to the infidelity of Feroze Gandhi. Feroze, a meticulous and accomplished journalist was working in Lucknow with National Herald, a news magazine founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, and during this period he got involved in an intimate relationship with a lady while staying away from Indira, who continued to live in Delhi.

They grew to love animals as they had pandas, tiger cubs, horses and even a crocodile as pets!!! Indira however, ensured that they were not spoilt by materialistic possessions like expensive toys and other fringe benefits, and sent them to a private school run by Elizabeth Gauba. Rajeev was soft-spoken, docile and suave which was a complete contrast to the rebellious, out-spoken and adamantly demanding Sanjay.

The children basked in the adulation of the Indian masses whenever they accompanied their mother and grandfather at official functions like the fascinating and pompous Republic Day celebrations. At midnight, on 14 th August,when the indira gandhi brief biography of siren was in a slumber, India awoke, ready for its tryst with destiny.

Indians rejoiced ecstatically when their motherland was liberated from the British rule. Almost numb with excitement, Indira stood in the background as Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the national flag from the historic Red Fort. The dark side of the celebration of freedom, so intensely yearned for, was the partition of India that brought with it massacres, communal riots and looting.

Indira was returning from Missouri to Delhi by train along with her two kids, when the train was stopped by miscreants and a man presumed to be a Muslim was attacked. In a stunning move, a fearless Indira jumped out of the train and rescued this man from the fury of the hysterical crowd to the safety of her compartment. Indira served selflessly in Muslim refugee camps waking up at 5.

She rescued hapless victims of senseless violence, completely disregarding numerous threats to her life. The year brought with it the shocking assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, whom she had always considered to be an elder of the family. It served as a stark reminder of the price that the liberators of India paid for the sake of a better tomorrow.

A deeply anguished Indira mourned along with the entire nation that was engulfed in the darkness of despair. However, he soon felt claustrophobic in the formal structure of Teen Murti Bhawan where the grimness of protocol had to be maintained. He eventually moved into an official residence and his sons looked forward to staying over with their enthusiastic father who spent qualitative time doting over them while they bonded over gardening and building cars in a relaxed environment, with laughter and mirth flowing uninhibited.

The wall of conflict between Indira and Feroze created an insurmountable rift in their marriage. Feroze eventually sought solace in extra marital affairs and was at the brink of a divorce from Indira. The children continued their education at a boarding school. Rajeev excelled in his studies while Sanjay, being disinterested in the conventional academic structure, eventually dropped out of the prestigious Doon School in Dehradun.

The boys continued with their higher education in England following the footsteps of their mother and grand-father. As the children were away from her now, Indira Gandhi worked ceaselessly, electioneering for her father as a member of the Central Election Committee of the Congress. She was a part of the Indian delegation as the prime minister travelled to U.

Child welfare was her forte and she established Bal Bhawan. Tribal dancers and rural artisans received patronage from Indira and Jawaharlal, as creative expression enlivened their spirit. Indira was abreast of international trends and orchestrated the establishment of the prestigious National Institute of Design at the serene banks of Sabarmati, Ahmedabad.

You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away. Feroze Gandhi had revitalized the youth and was a formidable parliamentarian as his eye for detail and the thoroughness of a journalist gave him an in-depth understanding of national affairs.

Indira gandhi brief biography of siren: Indira Priyadarshini—dear to behold—was born at

Jawaharlal Nehru interacted with Feroze with a tinge of conceitedness which led to a failure in building a close rapport with his son-in-law. Krishnamachari and M. Mathaithe P. Though her mind resembled a labyrinth, her indira gandhi brief biography of siren demeanor exuded grace and poise. Feroze suffered a heart attack and Indira lovingly nursed him while they worked towards reconciliation and took their sons for a vacation in Srinagar.

Indira was elected to the highest post of Congress President in February at the young age of 41, an achievement which speaks volumes of her political acumen. However, the tragic and untimely death of Feroze Gandhi who suffered a fatal heart attack at 48 was devastating for Indira, as the couple shared a deep bond of commitment which anchored them together, irrespective of the grave misunderstandings.

Indira immersed herself in working with UNESCO and with an unfathomable spirit she overcame self-pity and crushed every impediment to her meteoric rise. The Chinese army was stationed within thirty miles of Tezpur, Assam which led to hysteria as the entire administrative machinery, including the district commissioner abandoned their posts being crippled with fear.

Indira, enraged by such cowardice, completely discarding all threats of her being taken hostage, defied her father and flew to Tezpur in order to provide solace and pacify the Assamese, who felt betrayed by the Indian Government. A unilateral ceasefire was announced the same day but Nehru withered away due to the scathing criticism by the media and suffered a massive paralytic stroke at the 68th session of the Congress held at Bhubaneswar.

Indira was his lifeline and she served him whole-heartedly and channelized all his official work. Gandhi set out to remove every Congress chief minister who had an independent base and to replace each of them with ministers personally loyal to her Even so, stability could not be maintained in the states President Ahmed issued ordinances that did not require debate in the Parliament, allowing Gandhi to rule by decree.

During the emergency Gandhi's younger son, Sanjay Gandhientered into Indian politics. He wielded tremendous power during the emergency without holding any government office. According to Mark Tully"His inexperience did not stop him from using the Draconian powers his mother, Indira Gandhi, had taken to terrorise the administration, setting up what was in effect a police state.

Inafter extending the state of emergency twice, Indira Gandhi called elections to give the electorate a chance to vindicate her rule. She may have grossly misjudged her popularity by reading what the heavily censored press wrote about her. The Janata alliance, with Jai Prakash Narayan as its spiritual guide, claimed the elections were the last chance for India to choose between "democracy and dictatorship".

The Congress Party split during the election campaign of ; veteran Gandhi supporters like Jagjivan RamHemvati Nandan Bahugunaand Nandini Satpathy were compelled to part ways and form a new political entity, the CFD Congress for Democracy due primarily to intra-party politicking and the circumstances created by Sanjay Gandhi. The prevailing rumour was that he intended to dislodge Indira Gandhi, and the trio stood to prevent that.

The Gandhi's Congress party was soundly crushed in the elections. The Janata Party's democracy or dictatorship claim seemed to resonate with the indira gandhi brief biography of siren. Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi lost their seats, and Congress was reduced to seats compared with in the previous Lok Sabha92 of which were in the South.

The Janata alliance, under the leadership of Morarji Desai, came to power after the State of Emergency was lifted. The alliance parties later merged to form the Janata Party under the guidance of Gandhian leader, Jayaprakash Narayan. After the humiliating defeat in the election, the king of Nepalthrough an intermediatory offered to move her and her family to Nepal.

She refused to shift herself, but was open to move her two sons Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. However, after consulting with Kaoshe declined the offer altogether keeping in view of her future political career. Since Indira Gandhi had lost her seat in the election, the defeated Congress party appointed Yashwantrao Chavan as their parliamentary party leader.

Soon afterwards, the Congress party split again with Gandhi floating her own Congress faction called Congress I where I stood for Indira. She won a by-election in the Chikmagalur Constituency and took a seat in the Lok Sabha in November [ 92 ] [ 93 ] after the Janata Party's attempts to have Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar run against her failed when he refused to contest the election saying he wanted to remain apolitical.

The arrest meant that Gandhi was automatically expelled from Parliament. The allegations included that she "had planned or thought of killing all opposition leaders in jail during the Emergency". In response to her arrest, Gandhi's supporters hijacked an Indian Airlines jet and demanded her immediate release. The Janata coalition was only united by its hatred of Gandhi or "that woman" as some called her.

The party included right wing Hindu Nationalists, Socialists, and former Congress party members. With so little in common, the Morarji Desai government was bogged down by infighting. Inthe government began to unravel over the issue of the dual loyalties of some members to Janata and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS —the Hindu nationalist[ 97 ] [ 98 ] paramilitary [ 99 ] organisation.

The ambitious Union finance minister, Charan Singh, who as the Union home minister during the previous year had ordered the Gandhi's' arrests, took advantage of this and started courting Indira and Sanjay. After a significant exodus from the party to Singh's faction, Desai resigned in July Singh was appointed prime minister, by President Reddy, after Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi promised Singh that Congress I would support his government from outside on certain conditions.

Before the elections Indira Gandhi approached the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid at the time, Syed Abdullah Bukhari and entered into an agreement with him on the basis of point programme to secure the support of the Muslim votes. The Congress Party under Gandhi swept back into power in January Suzuki of Japan was selected as the partner. The company launched its first Indian-manufactured car in By the time of Sanjay's death, Indira Gandhi trusted only family members, and indira gandhi brief biography of siren persuaded her reluctant son, Rajiv, to enter politics.

Sharada Prasad as her information adviser and speechwriter. After the elections, a coalition led by the Sikh -majority Akali Dal came to power in the northern Indian state of Punjab. In an effort to split the Akali Dal and gain popular support among the Sikhs, Gandhi's Congress Party helped to bring the orthodox religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to prominence in Punjab politics.

Meanwhile, a small group of Sikhs, including some of Bhindranwale's followers, turned to militancy after being targeted by government officials and police for supporting the Anandpur Resolution. Bythe Temple complex had become a fort for many militants. Atwal was shot dead as he left the Temple compound. The next day, Harchand Singh Longowal then president of Akali Dal confirmed the involvement of Bhindranwale in the murder.

The army used heavy artillery, including tanks, in the action code-named Operation Blue Star. The operation badly damaged or destroyed parts of the Temple complex, including the Akal Takht shrine and the Sikh library. It led to the deaths of many Sikh fighters and innocent pilgrims. The number of casualties remains disputed, with estimates ranging from many hundreds to many thousands.

Gandhi was accused of using the attack for political ends. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer stated that she attacked the temple complex to present herself as a great hero in order to win the general elections planned towards the end of I shall continue to serve until my last breath and when I die, I can say, that every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it Even if I died in the service of the nation, I would be proud of it.

Every drop of my blood She was to be interviewed by the British filmmaker Peter Ustinovwho was filming a documentary for Irish television. Afterwards, they were taken away by other guards into a closed room where Beant was shot dead. Kehar Singh was later arrested for being part of the conspiracy in the attack. Satwant and Kehar were sentenced to death and hanged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.

She was declared dead at PM. The post-mortem examination was conducted by a team of doctors headed by Tirath Das Dogra. Dogra said that Gandhi had sustained as many as 30 bullet wounds from two sources: a Sten submachine gun [ ] [ ] and a. The assailants had fired 31 bullets at her, of which 30 hit her; 23 had passed through her body while seven remained inside her.

Dogra extracted bullets to establish the make of the weapons used and to match each weapon with the bullets recovered by ballistic examination. Subsequently, Dogra appeared in Shri Mahesh Chandra's court as an expert witness PW-5 ; he gave his testimony in several sessions. The cross examination was conducted by Shri Pran Nath Lekhithe defence counsel.

Gandhi was cremated in accordance with Hindu tradition on 3 November near Raj Ghat. Thousands of followers strained for a glimpse of the cremation. Gandhi's assassination dramatically changed the political landscape. Rajiv succeeded his mother as prime minister within hours of her murder and anti-Sikh riots erupted, lasting for several days and killing more than 3, Sikhs in New Delhi and an estimated 8, across India.

Many Congress leaders were believed to be behind the anti-Sikh massacre. Gandhi's death was mourned worldwide. World leaders condemned the assassination and said her death would leave a 'big emptiness' in international affairs. In MoscowSoviet President Konstantin Chernenko sent condolences, "The Soviet people learned with pain and sorrow about the untimely death in a villainous assassination of the glorious daughter of the great Indian people, a fiery fighter for peace and security of peoples and a great friend of the Soviet Union".

President Ronald Reaganalong with Secretary of State George Shultzvisited the Indian Embassy to sign a book of condolences and expressed his 'shock, revulsion, and grief' over the assassination. Asian, African, and European leaders mourned Gandhi as a great champion of democracy and leader of the Non-Aligned Movement expressed its 'deepest grief' and called the killing a 'terrorist' act.

South Korean President Chun Doo-hwansaid Gandhi's death meant the 'loss of a great leader to the whole world. At the United Nationsthe General Assembly paused during its work as shocked delegates mourned the death. Assembly President Paul Lusaka of Zambia postponed a scheduled debate and hastily organized a memorial meeting. Gandhi is remembered for her ability to effectively promote Indian foreign policy measures.

In earlydisputed elections in Pakistan led then East Pakistan to declare independence as Bangladesh. Repression and violence by the Pakistani army led to 10 million refugees crossing the border into India over the following months. India emerged victorious following the war with Pakistan to become the dominant power of South Asia.

President Richard Nixon disliked Gandhi personally, referring to her as a " bitch " [ ] and a "clever fox" in his private communication with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Suckered us The latter grew to become India's largest trading partner and its biggest arms supplier for much of Gandhi's premiership. India maintained close ties with neighbouring Bangladesh formerly East Pakistan following the Liberation War.

However, Mujibur Rahman's pro-India policies antagonised many in Bangladeshi politics and the military, which feared that Bangladesh had become a client state of India. Gandhi's approach to dealing with Sri Lanka's ethnic problems was initially accommodating. She enjoyed cordial relations with Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

InIndia ceded the tiny islet of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka to save Bandaranaike's socialist government from a political disaster. Jayewardenewhom Gandhi despised as a "western puppet". India's relationship with Pakistan remained strained after the Shimla Accord in Gandhi's authorisation of the detonation of a nuclear device at Pokhran in was viewed by Pakistani leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as an attempt to intimidate Pakistan into accepting India's hegemony in the subcontinent.

However, in Mayshe and Bhutto both agreed to reopen diplomatic establishments and normalise relations. Gandhi accused General Zia of supporting Khalistani militants in Punjab. Gandhi remained a staunch supporter of the Palestinians in the Arab—Israeli conflict and was critical of the Middle East diplomacy sponsored by the United States. Indian diplomats hoped to win Arab support in countering Pakistan in Kashmir.

Nevertheless, Gandhi authorised the development of a secret channel of contact and security assistance with Israel in the late s. Her lieutenant, P. Narasimha Raolater became prime minister and approved full diplomatic ties with Israel in India's pro-Arab policy had mixed success. Establishment of close ties with the socialist and secular Baathist regimes to some extent neutralised Pakistani propaganda against India.

Egypt's stance was met with dismay by the Indians, who had come to expect close co-operation with the Baathist regimes. The war became a temporary stumbling block in growing Indo-Iranian ties. Furthermore, they were also apprehensions in the region about Gandhi's plans, particularly after India played a big role in breaking up Pakistan and facilitating the emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign country in India's entry into the nuclear weapons club in also contributed to tensions in Southeast Asia.

Nevertheless, Gandhi's close relations with reunified Vietnam and her decision to recognize the Vietnam-installed Government of Cambodia in meant that India and ASEAN were unable to develop a viable partnership. Although independent India was initially viewed as a champion of various African independence movements, its cordial relationship with the Commonwealth of Nations and its liberal views of British policies in East Africa had harmed its image as a staunch supporter of various independence movements in the third world.

The Indian government also started considering the possibility of bringing Indians settled in Africa within the framework of its policy goals to help recover its declining geo-strategic influence. Gandhi declared the people of Indian origin settled in Africa as "Ambassadors of India". Foreign and domestic policy successes in the s enabled Gandhi to rebuild India's image in the eyes of African states.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of mainly former British colonies. India maintained cordial relations with most of the members during Gandhi's time in power. Gandhi used the meetings as a forum to put pressure on member countries to cut economic, sports, and cultural ties with apartheid South Africa. In the early s under Gandhi, India attempted to reassert its prominent role in the Non-Aligned Movement by focusing on the relationship between disarmament and economic development.

By appealing to the economic grievances of developing countriesGandhi and her successors exercised a moderating influence on the Non-aligned movement, diverting it from some of the Cold War issues that marred the controversial Havana meeting where Cuban leader Fidel Castro attempted to steer the movement towards the Soviet Union. Gandhi spent a number of years in Europe during her youth and had formed many friendships there.

During her premiership she formed friendships with many leaders including West German chancellor, Willy Brandt [ ] and Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky. The relationship between India and the Soviet Union deepened during Gandhi's rule. The support of the Soviets with arms supplies and the casting of a veto at the United Nations helped in winning and consolidating the victory over Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war.

Before the war, Gandhi signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviets. They were unhappy with the nuclear test conducted by India but did not support further action because of the ensuing Cold War with the United States. Gandhi was unhappy with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistanbut once again calculations involving relations with Pakistan and China kept her from criticising the Soviet Union harshly.

The Soviets became the main arms supplier during the Gandhi years by offering cheap credit and transactions in rupees rather than in dollars. The easy trade deals also applied to non-military goods. Under Gandhi, by the early s, the Soviets had become India's largest trading partner.

Indira gandhi brief biography of siren: INDIRA PRIYADARSHINI (the sec

Soviet intelligence was involved in India during Indira Gandhi's administration, sometimes at Gandhi's expense. In the prelude to Operation Blue Starbythe Soviets had launched Operation Kontaktwhich was based on a forged document purporting to contain details of the weapons and money indira gandhi brief biography of siren by the ISI to Sikh militants who wanted to create an independent country.

According to the Mitrokhin Archivethe Soviets used a new recruit in the New Delhi residency named "Agent S" who was close to Indira Gandhi as a major channel for providing her disinformation. A report following the Mitrokhin archive also caused some historiographical controversy about Indira Gandhi. Advanirequested of the Government a white paper on the role of foreign intelligence agencies and a judicial enquiry on the allegations.

Former Syndicate member S. Patil is reported to have said that Mrs. Gandhi did not even return the suitcases". During the KGB claimed to have planted 3, articles in Indian newspapers—probably more than in any other country in the non-Communist world. Mitrokhin estimated that in some major NATO countries, despite active-measures campaigns, the KGB was able to plant a little more than 1 per cent of the articles which it placed in the Indian press.

At the time, India was reliant on the US for food aid. Gandhi resented the US policy of food aid being used as a tool to force India to adopt policies favoured by the US. Relations with the US were strained badly under President Richard Nixon and his favouring of Pakistan during the Bangladesh liberation war. Nixon despised Gandhi politically and personally.

She had been described to him as an 'Ogre', but he found her charming and easy to work with and they formed a close working relationship during her premiership in the s. Gandhi presided over three Five-Year Plans as prime minister, two of which succeeded in meeting their targeted growth. There is considerable debate whether Gandhi was a socialist on principle or out of political expediency.

Datta-Ray described her as "a master of rhetoric Gandhi was known for her anti-communist stance in the s, with Meghnad Desai even describing her as "the scourge of [India's] Communist Party. In this context, Gandhi was accused of formulating populist policies to suit her political needs. She was seemingly against the rich and big business while preserving the status quo to manipulate the support of the left in times of political insecurity, such as the late s.

As early ascritics had begun accusing her of insincerity and machiavellianism. The Indian Libertarian wrote, "it would be difficult to find a more machiavellian leftist than Mrs Indira Gandhi Barkley Rosser Jr. Pankaj Vohra noted that "even the late prime minister's critics would concede that the maximum number of legislations of social significance was brought about during her tenure In summarising the biographical works on Gandhi, Blema S.

Steinberg concludes she was decidedly non-ideological. She had only a general and traditional commitment to the ideology by way of her political and family ties. In one of the early interviews she gave as prime minister, Gandhi ruminated, "I suppose you could call me a socialist, but you have understand what we mean by that term You can call it socialism; but if by using that word we arouse controversy, I don't see why we should use it.

I don't believe in words at all. She has been described by Hindustan Times columnist, Pankaj Vohra, as "arguably the greatest mass leader of the last century. Gandhi inherited a weak and troubled economy. Fiscal problems associated with the war with Pakistan inalong with a drought-induced food crisis that spawned famines, had plunged India into the sharpest recession since independence.

At the same time, Indo-US relations were strained because of Gandhi's criticism of the American bombing campaign in Vietnam. While it was thought at the time, and for decades after, that President Johnson's policy of withholding food grain shipments was to coerce Indian support for the war, in fact, it was to offer India rainmaking technology that he wanted to use as a counterweight to China's possession of the atomic bomb.

After the bitter experience with Johnson, Gandhi decided not to request food aid in the future. Moreover, her government resolved never again to become "so vulnerably dependent" on aid, and painstakingly began building up substantial foreign exchange reserves. The period of —75 was characterised by socialist ascendency in India, which culminated in with the official declaration of state socialism.

Gandhi not only abandoned the short-lived liberalisation programme but also aggressively expanded the public sector with new licensing requirements and other restrictions for industry. She began a new course by launching the Fourth Five-Year Plan in The government targeted growth at 5. This had been her first economic policy formulation, six months after coming to office.

The programme emphasised greater state control of the economy with the understanding that government control assured greater welfare than private control. To deal with India's food problems, Gandhi expanded the emphasis on production of inputs to agriculture that had already been initiated by her father, Jawaharlal Nehru. It transformed the country from a nation heavily reliant on imported grains, and prone to famine, to one largely able to feed itself, and becoming successful in achieving its goal of food security.

Gandhi had a personal motive in pursuing agricultural self-sufficiency, having found India's dependency on the U. The economic period of — became significant for its major wave of nationalisation amidst increased regulation of the private sector. Nevertheless, the success of the overall economic plan was tempered by the fact that annual growth at 3.

In addition, the government targeted an annual growth rate of 4. The measures of the emergency regime was able to halt the economic trouble of the early to mids, which had been marred by harvest failures, fiscal contraction, and the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchanged rates. The resulting turbulence in the foreign exchange markets was accentuated further by the oil shock of Gandhi inherited a weak economy when she became prime minister again in Her government targeted an average growth rate of 5.

Although Gandhi continued professing socialist beliefs, the Sixth Five-Year Plan was markedly different from the years of Garibi Hatao. Populist programmes and policies were replaced by pragmatism. During Lal Bahadur Shastri's last full year in officeinflation averaged 7. Gandhi inherited a tattered economy in her second term; harvest failures and a second oil shock in the late s had caused inflation to rise again.

Despite the provisions, control and regulations of the Reserve Bank of Indiamost banks in India had continued to be owned and operated by private persons. Furthermore, there was a great resentment against class banking in India, which had left the poor the majority of the population unbanked. After this, public sector bank branch deposits increased by approximately percent; advances took a huge jump by 11, percent.

The nationalisation drive not only helped to increase household savings, but it also provided considerable investments in the informal sector, in small- and medium-sized enterprises, and in agriculture, and contributed significantly to regional development and to the expansion of India's industrial and agricultural base. Having been re-elected in on a nationalisation platform, Gandhi proceeded to nationalise the coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles, and insurance industries.

In response, Gandhi nationalised some oil companies in InGandhi accepted the demands of the Akalis to reorganise Punjab on linguistic lines. The Hindi -speaking indira gandhi brief biography of siren half of Punjab became a separate state, Haryanawhile the Pahari speaking hilly areas in the northeast were joined to Himachal Pradesh.

Victory over Pakistan in consolidated Indian power in Kashmir. Gandhi indicated that she would make no major concessions on Kashmir. The most prominent of the Kashmiri separatists, Sheikh Abdullahhad to recognise India's control over Kashmir in light of the new order in South Asia. The situation was normalised in the years following the war after Abdullah agreed to an accord with Gandhi, by giving up the demand for a plebiscite in return for a special autonomous status for Kashmir.

InGandhi declared the state of Jammu and Kashmir as a constituent unit of India. The Kashmir conflict remained largely peaceful if frozen under Gandhi's premiership. The transition to statehood for the territories was successfully overseen by her administration [ ] and it was followed by the annexation of Sikkim in The principle of equal pay for equal work for both men and women was enshrined in the Indian Constitution under the Gandhi administration.

Gandhi questioned the continued existence of a privy purse for former rulers of princely states. She argued the case for abolition based on equal rights for all citizens and the need to reduce the government's revenue deficit. The nobility responded by rallying around the Jana Sangh and other right-wing parties that stood in opposition to Gandhi's attempts to abolish royal privileges.

It was passed in the Lok Sabha but fell short of the two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha by a single vote. Gandhi claimed that only "clear vision, iron will and the strictest discipline" can remove poverty. Millions of hectares of land were acquired and redistributed. The political economist, Jyotindra Das Gupta, cryptically questioned "whether or not the real supporters of land-holders were in jail or in power?

Indira gandhi brief biography of siren: Indira Gandhi served fifteen

Under the Constitution of India, Hindi was to be the official national language by That was unacceptable to many non-Hindi-speaking states which wanted the continued use of English in government. InGandhi introduced a constitutional amendment that guaranteed the de facto use of both Hindi and English as official languages. It established the official government policy of bilingualism in India and satisfied the non-Hindi-speaking Indian states.

In the late s and s, Gandhi had the Indian army crush militant Communist uprisings in the Indian state of West Bengal. Gandhi considered the north-eastern region important, because of its strategic situation. She ordered the Indian Army to launch massive retaliatory strikes in response. The rebellion was suppressed with the Indian Air Force carrying out airstrikes in Aizawl ; it remains the only instance of India carrying out airstrikes in its own territory.

Inafter the less extremist Mizo leaders came to the negotiating table, Gandhi upgraded Mizoram to the status of a union territory. A small-scale insurgency by some militants continued into the late s, but it was successfully dealt with by the government. Today, Mizoram is considered one of the most peaceful states in the north-east. Responding to the insurgency in NagalandIndira Gandhi "unleashed a powerful military offensive" in the s.

The insurgents soon agreed to surrender and signed the Shillong Accord in Gandhi contributed to and carried out further, the vision of Jawaharlal Nehruthe former premier of India, to develop its nuclear program. Gandhi saw the test as Chinese nuclear intimidation and promoted Nehru's views to establish India's stability and security interests independent from those of the nuclear superpowers.

The programme became fully mature inwhen Raja Ramanna reported to Gandhi that India had the ability to test its first nuclear weapon. Gandhi gave verbal authorisation for the testand preparations were made in the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range. Bhutto asked the nation to unite and slogans such as "hum ghaas aur pattay kha lay gay magar nuclear power ban k rhe gay" "We will eat grass or leaves or even go hungry, but we will get nuclear power" were employed.

Gandhi directed a letter to Bhutto, and later to the world, claiming the test was for peaceful purposes and part of India's commitment to develop its programme for industrial and scientific use.

Indira gandhi brief biography of siren: Indira Nehru Gandhi, who last fortnight

In spite of intense international criticism and steady decline in foreign investment and trade, the nuclear test was popular domestically. The test caused an immediate revival of Gandhi's popularity, which had flagged considerably from its heights after the war. The overall popularity and image of the Congress Party was enhanced and the Congress Party was well received in the Indian Parliament.

She married Feroze Gandhi at the age of 25, in Their marriage lasted 18 years until he died of a heart attack in Initially, her younger son Sanjay had been her chosen heir, but after his death in a flying accident in JuneIndira Gandhi persuaded her reluctant elder son Rajiv to quit his job as a pilot and enter politics in February Rajiv took office as prime minister following his mother's assassination in ; he served until December In in a letter to her American friend Dorothy Norman, Gandhi wrote: "I am in no sense a feminist, but I believe in women being able to do everything Given the opportunity to develop, capable Indian women have come to the top at once.

Gandhi did not often discuss her gender but she involved herself in women's issues before becoming the prime minister. Before her election as prime minister, she became active in the organisational wing of the Congress party, working in part in the Women's Department. As an only child, Gandhi naturally stepped into the political light. And, as a woman, she naturally helped head the Women's section of the Congress Party.

She often tried to organise women to involve themselves in politics. The political parties in India paid substantial attention to Gandhi's gender before she became prime minister, hoping to use her for political gain. Several books on Gandhi reference her interest in Joan of Arc. In Gandhi's own accounts through her letters, she wrote to her friend Dorothy Norman, in she wrote: "At about eight or nine I was taken to France ; Jeanne d'Arc became a great heroine of mine.

She was one of the first people I read about with enthusiasm. As one writer said: "The Indian people were her children; members of her family were the only people capable of leading them. Gandhi had been swept up in the call for Indian independence since she was born in I have to do a great deal of touring in order to set up the Congress Party Women's Section, and am on numerous important committees.

She wrote to Norman inirritable that women had organised around the communist cause but had not mobilised for the Indian cause: "The women, whom I have been trying to organize for years, had always refused to come into politics. Now they are out in the field. Gandhi did not see the purpose of feminism. She saw her own success as a woman, and also noted that: "Given the opportunity to develop, capable Indian women have come to the top at once.