Many of us who know Feroze Gandhi, know him as a husband of late prime minister Indira Gandhi, and father of Rajiv Gandhi. But the legacy of Feroze Gandhi is beyond just this identity. September 8 marks his 60th birth anniversary.
Born on 12 September 1912, Feroze Gandhi was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and journalist.
He was the part of the Indian Independence Movement since 1930. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and thus changed the spelling of his surname from "Ghandy" to "Gandhi" after joining the Independence movement.
While many of know that he was the husband of late PM Indira Gandhi, we might not know that Indira's father Jawaharlal Nehru opposed their marriage. Nehru had approached Mahatma Gandhi to dissuade the young couple. However, Indira and Feroze still decided to get married.
The couple finally got married in March 1942 according to Hindu rituals. They were arrested and jailed in August 1942, during the Quit India Movement less than six months after their marriage.
After being a member of the provincial parliament (1950–1952), Feroze won independent India's first general elections in 1952, from Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh. He continued to be the MP of Rae Bareli till 1960.
Feroze also handled the work of The National Herald, a newspaper founded by Pandit Nehru.
Here are some rare pictures of Feroze Gandhi:
Feroze Gandhi with a young Rajiv and others at New Delhi’s Palam airport. | Roli Books
Feroze Gandhi with Indira Gandhi. | NMML
Feroze with younger son Sanjay. | Roli Books
Feroze and Indira Nehru on their way back to India from Europe. | Roli Books
Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi during their marriage ceremony. | NMML
Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi during their marriage ceremony. | NMML
Feroze Gandhi with his son Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi Sharing Light Moments with Pandit Nehru. | NMML
Feroze Gandhi died in 1960 at the Willingdon Hospital in Delhi, followed by an heart attack.
