Bharat Ratna award winners in 1971

Bharat Ratna award winners in 1971

Indira Gandhi – ( 1917 -1984)

Indira Gandhi was an Indian politician and former leader of Indian National Congress. She was the third Prime Minister of India and was there in the position for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984 until she was assassinated. She was the first female prime minister of India and was the world’s longest serving female Prime Minister.

Indira Gandhi was born as Indira Priyadarshini on 19th November 1917 in Nehru family. Her father was the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru and her mother was Kamala Nehru. She is the only daughter of her father. She married Feroze Gandhi and got the surname Gandhi. She joined Shantiniketan and then went to England to study. She studied at Badminton School in Bristol and enrolled at Somerville College, Oxford. Here is where she met her husband Feroze Gandhi who was studying at the London School of Economics. They got married in 1943.

Indira Gandhi was appointed as the member of Rajya Sabha after the death of her father in 1964. She was made as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Lal Bahadur Shastri’s cabinet. After the death of Shastri, she became the Prime Minister of India. She imposed emergency in 1975. She lost in 1977 election and won again in 1980 elections. During her tenure she had to meet war with Pakistan in 1971 in which India won.

She had two sons, Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Sanjay Gandhi was her chosen heir and he died in the flying accident in June 1980. Then Rajiv Gandhi quit his job of pilot and entered politics. He was also assassinated later in May 1991. Her grand children, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Varun Gandhi are all involved in active politics.