Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India famous for his slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” which means “Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer."Lal Bahadur Shastri died on 11 January 1966 and is remembered on 11th January on the occasion of his death anniversary every year.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904, at Mughalsarai. Lal Bahadur Shastri worked for more than 30 years for the country and is remembered for his integrity, competence, down to earth and humble nature.
Lal Bahadur Shastri studied at East Central Railway Inter College in Mughalsarai and Varanasi. He completed his graduation from the Kashi Vidyapeeth in 1926. The title “Shastri” meaning “Scholar” was associated with him when he won a bachelor’s degree award named 'Shastri'. He was known by the same title for his life and even after death.
He became a member of the Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal), founded by Lala Lajpat Rai. He worked for the backward classes, and also became the President of the same Society.
He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Lokmanya Tilak. In 1920, he joined the Indian Independence Movement. He actively participated in Mahatma Gandhiji's non-cooperation movement and also had to go to jail for the same.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Biography
In 1930, he participated in Gandhiji's Salt Satyagraha and had jailed for more than two years. In 1937, he joined as the Organising Secretary of the Parliamentary Board of U.P. In 1942, after participating in Mahatma Gandhiji's Quit India movement he was imprisoned until 1946. He spent nine years in jail.
After the sudden death of Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri became second Prime Minister of India on 9th June 1964. During his regime, he ran a national campaign to increase milk production, which was known as the 'White Revolution'. He also helped in the Green Revolution of India by increasing food production in India.
In 1965 India had an intrusion from Pakistan. He stood by the Indian military and raised the slogan "Force will be met with Force" which became famous in history. Under his regime, India won the Indo-Pak war.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Death Mystery
After several years the mystery of Lal Bahadur Shastri is still unsolved. Some reports claim that he died due to a heart attack on 11 January 1966 during his official visit to Russia.
To end the 1965 war with Pakistan Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Tashkent. He was supposed to sign the Tashkent MoU pact over there. On the night of 11 January 1966, there was sudden news that the Prime minister died of a heart attack. There was a movie made on his death and about the mystery, but nothing is yet proven about any theories.
Some unknown facts about Lal Bahadur Shastri
- India's 2nd Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri shares his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi that is on 2nd October.
- 'Shastri' was a title given to him in 1926 by Kashi Vidyapeeth as a scholar and it was not his surname.
- In his childhood, he used to swim the Ganges twice a day to attend school and with books tied on the top of his head. he had to struggle a lot to complete his education.
- He introduced the slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" which is still very famous in the country.
- He was awarded the Bharat Ratna India's highest civilian award posthumously in 1966.
