Lal Bahadur Shastri, a great freedom fighter, a legendary statesman and above all an excellent human being. His rise from the humble background to becoming the PM of the country is remarkably inspirational. There are several anecdotes from his life that speaks volumes about his simplicity, high moral values and leading by example. Decades after his death in Tashkent in 1966, he remains a stalwart of clean politics and high moral standards aimed towards the welfare of all countrymen. Here are a few inspirational anecdotes worth sharing…
Shastriji was the first Minister of Railways and Transport in the Cabinet of Pandit Nehru. When there was a train accident in 1956, he resigned taking the ground of moral accountability. Initially the then PM did not accept his resignation, but Shastriji wanted to uphold the highest ideals of constitutional propriety and took responsibility for the death of fellow countrymen. Replying to the long debate on the Railway accident, Lal Bahadur Shastri said; “Perhaps due to my being small in size and soft of tongue, people are apt to believe that I am not able to be very firm. Though not physically strong, I think I am internally not so weak.” Contrast this with the current times, the talk of moral accountability is missing from the public discourse.
When, he became the Prime Minister of India, the country faced severe food crisis in 1960s. Realizing the importance of conserving food resources and ensuring that poor people also get food to eat, he himself started fasting once a week. When his family started observing this, then only he appealed to the citizens to observe weekly fast or sacrifice one meal per week. What an amazing story of leading by example! Also, he used a part of the area of his official residence for growing food crops. Sitting in the high office, and yet acting like a common man was his hallmark of “simple living and high thinking”.
Early in his tenure, he faced another major threat due to war of 1965 with Pakistan. Not only he motivated forces to fight valiantly, but he also championed the cause of peaceful coexistence. Later, he gave the famous slogan of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”, as a recognition of the great role of the soldiers and the farmers in the security and economic prosperity of the nation.
Once, he decided to buy a personal car for his family. One may think that why the PM needed to buy a personal car when he has a lot of official ones! But, that’s what made him cut above the rest! The brand new Fiat car cost Rs. 12,000. His bank account only had Rs. 7000, so instead of using his position, he decided to take the loan of Rs. 5000 to buy the car. After his sudden death in Tashkent, the family continued to repay the loan amount from the pension they received. The family of a former PM repaying loan like a common citizen without using undue influence, speaks volumes about their financial propriety and high moral standards.
His simplicity was not just in the lifestyle that he carried, but also in the clothes he wore, and his modesty that he imbibed in public and personal life. There may be haters for many former public figures in India, but it is difficult to find any hater of Shastriji. And that to me, is the highest form of legacy that he left behind for his countrymen. A true son of the soil and an amazing human being, who embodied the best India had to offer to the world!
Tributes on his birth anniversary 🙏
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