Puran Chand Sharma
We the people of Bharat always feel indebted to the immense contributions, sacrifices, guidance and versatile leadership of our towering and iconic personalities, leaders and brave hearts in various fields. We also consider it to be our bounden duty to remember them on their special occasions such as Birth Anniversary. As per will of the providence Lal Bahadur Shastri took birth in a very ordinary family of Sharada Prasad Srivastav (Father) and Ram Dulari Devi (Mother) on 2.10. 1904 in Mughal Sarai, a small town about seven miles from Varanasi. The parents had meagre resources to cope up with the bare minimum needs of life. The real tribute on the occasion of 119th Birth Anniversary of this great son of the soil shall be to highlight and enlighten our youths and the citizens about his indomitable courage, steadfastness, loyalty and commitment towards the nation and the Indian masses as a whole during his short tenure as 2 second P.M. of the country after the abrupt departure of Pt. Nehru to his heavenly abode in 1964. Prior to his elevation as Prime Minister he brilliantly rendered his services as 6th Home Minister of the country from 1961 to 1963. Let us take this opportunity to briefly glance through his chequered life history replete with marvellous achievements in the following paragraphs:–
*In early childhood little Lal Bahadur had to navigate through extremely difficult circumstances and insurmountable hardships. On a fateful day when he was just 03 months old her mother was taking bath in Ganga holding the kid in her hands, the tender baby slipped from her hands and lost in the waters. Subsequently the family lodged First Information Report and thereafter a childless cowherd unwillingly returned the baby to his parents. It was a providential and a miraculous escape in real sense of the term.
*In school days tiny Lal Bahadur had to swim across fast flowing Ganga with books tied on his head twice a day for studies because the family had no money to afford boat expenses. This kind of initial hardships in childhood helped transforming the child into a man of iron will and rock solid determination.
*He completed his graduation from Kashi Vidyapeeth University in the year 1925 and earned the title of SHASTRI in the year 1926 in recognition of his calibre and success.
*Shastri ji entered into GRISTHA-SHRAM by tying a nuptial knot to Lalita Shastri and was blessed with four sons and two daughters namely Anil Shastri, Sunil Shastri, Hari Krishan Shastri, Ashok Shastri, Kusum Shastri and Suman Shastri.
* He is also prominently known for outstanding honesty and humility throughout his life. The obliged Nation also remembers him as a man of peace. Revered Shastri ji actively participated in the freedom struggle with feverish energy and valiantly led many defiant campaigns against the British Rulers and jailed for7 years in aggregate.
Lal Bahadur Shastri became Prime Minister after Nehru died of heart failure in 1964. Subsequently Pakistan wilfully waged a war against us in the year 1965. Pakistan thought that Indian Prime Minister SHASTRI was too weak kneed to lead India in the war and attempted to capture entire Kashmir by dint of Military misadventure. But the diminutive Indian P.M. demonstrated exemplary leadership skill coupled with counter powerful Military Action. He immediately called ARMY, AIRFORCE and NAVAL CHIEF and asked them about their war strategy. They laid out their plan in detail and being satisfied, he passed clear orders saying that you are the war strategists and the top commanders, you have to win this significant war for the country. It is said that they asked permission for launching all out assault from the western front which the P.M. granted without mincing words. A difficult war was won by the by the Army and the people of India under the powerful leadership of extraordinarily simplistic leader. Arrogant General Ayyub Khan was completely shattered and flattened. Ultimately Russia intervened and fixed a summit wherein a prominent Tashkent Agreement was churned out with both sides agreeing to return to their original positions. To our misfortune we lost an outstanding Prime Minister dying of cardiac arrest on foreign soil under suspicious circumstances. The stupendous victory over Pakistan under his leadership successfully resurrected and restored Nation’s broken self confidence after defeat at the hands of China in 1962.
* Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award was posthumously bestowed upon him in the year 1966 . He coined a slogan ” JAI JAWAN JAI KISAN” during the course of 1965 war which is still very popular across the Nation. Further when the country was confronted with acute shortage of food grains, P.M. Lal Bahadur Shastri gave a clarion call to the common masses to start observing Monday fast to overcome the paucity of food grains. The people overwhelmingly responded to his call and started keeping the fast every Monday and the practice is still in vogue amongst the old generation in the country .
* Mr Shastri is also credited with the scintillating achievement of generating Green revolution and White revolution which made Bharat a food surplus country from a food deficit country. People loved him for his dynamic and proactive approach in service of the common masses.
* He was strictly a man of principles and exceptional character, took only a khadi cloth and a Charkha as part of the dowry in marriage. Whilst in jail , ‘servants of people society’ used to pay Rs.50 per month to his wife for family expenses. Once Lalita shastri, his consort told him about saving a sum of 1o/- rupees out of 50/- paid to her on monthly basis. Revered Shastri immediately asked the Society to give Rs. 10/- to some needy person and pay her only Rs. 40/- instead.
* Bharat Ratna Shastri was dead against the practice of untouchability amongst the Indian society as evident in his prominent quote ” India will have to hang down her head in shame if even one person is left who is said in any way to be untouchable.” The most appropriate homage to the outstanding luminary shall be to follow his foot steps in the service of the Nation.
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