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#LalBahadurShastriJayanti #LalBahadurShastri A thread. I wrote in 2008
The Late Lal Bahadur Shastri, was also born on Oct. 2, in the year 1904 ( does anyone remember any centenery celebrations ??). However, he seems to have been given one of the shortest shrifts.
The Late Lal Bahadur Shastri, was also born on Oct. 2, in the year 1904 ( does anyone remember any centenery celebrations ??). However, he seems to have been given one of the shortest shrifts.
Born in the year 1904 in Mughalsarai, United Provinces, British India as Lal Bahadur Srivastava.
His father Sharada Prasad was a poor school teacher, who later became a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad.
His father Sharada Prasad was a poor school teacher, who later became a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad.
When Lal Bahadur was three months old, he slipped out of his mother's arms into a cowherd's basket at the ghats of the Ganges.
The cowherd, who had no children, took the child as a gift from God and took him home.
The cowherd, who had no children, took the child as a gift from God and took him home.
Lal Bahadur's parents lodged a complaint with the police, who traced the child, and returned him to his parents.
Lal Bahadur's father died when he was only a year and a half old. His mother Ramdulari Devi took him and his two sisters to her father's house and settled down there.
Lal Bahadur stayed at his grandfather Hazari Lal's house till he was ten. Since there was no high school in their town, he was sent to Varanasi where he stayed with his maternal uncle.
There he joined the Harischandra High School. Later on, he was awarded the title of 'Shastri' by Kashi Vidyapeeth, which later stuck to him.
Apparently, when he got married, he refused to take any dowry as well...and at the insistence of his father in law took 5 yards of Khadi.
He is (deliberately am using the present tense) one of the few Ministers who owned up moral responsibility. This has to be viewed against the fact that word 'Moral' and 'Morality' do not exist anymore in the dictionary of the Indian political leadership.
I would think during his time he stewarded the 'green revolution' and also gave the slogan, 'Jai Jawan, Jai KIsan' which in a nutshell galvanized the nation when it was passing through some of the tightest times and the era of shortages.
Old timers will recall that those were the days of ration, long lines for everything - be it kersone, be it for ration, be it for coal (for cooking - no gas stoves then). The war of 1965 brought together the nation like nothing before.
When he passed away, the number of genuine middle class mourners who turned into pay their last respects - was a huge mass numbering very easily in hundred thousands - that was a huge testimony to this little giant of a man.
(I attended as a kid).
(I attended as a kid).
To me, if the nation saw two major natural interventions that saw India changing its tracks irreversibly - that was the death of Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The mystery of his death is still unresolved. Government owes it to the people if India an explanation as to the cause of his death..
In my view, these were very unfortunate events which had they not happened, probably would have put India on a better ground than what it is today especially in terms of having moral values.
The nation might have forgotten you, Shastriji - but there are growing number of people who still remember you. It is heartwarming to see #LalBahadurShastri trending .
Tagging few handles: @mayfair1958 @wataboutery @RajiIndustani @srikanthbjp_ @srikanthbjp_ @1967Vandana @pardhu_leo @HelloNNewman @monisha_yadav @mauna_adiga @deshmata @GarvPe @raaga31280 @GunduHuDuGa @PialiGupta @juiphool @Sheshapatangi
