I was all of 9 years old when the then prime minister of India was gunned down by her own body guards! I still remember a deep sense of sympathy i felt for the first time towards a third person's family. I stayed glued to the television watching her entire funeral procession and the sober faces of the family members.
As I grew up , I have learned a little bit more than I knew at that age. All of them hear say and read from magazines, I must admit. It appears to me that she is an enigma of a woman.
Bold, daring and courageous to some, ruthless , conniving and autocratic to others. The bias has always been extreme.
Recently we observed her 25th death anniversary with a mark of reverence and media going on a full blitz to sing her laurels.
I happened to chance across a local congress veteran's( Mr.Peter Alphonse ) interview to the state run channel. He gave some very insightful answers to Indira's life that we would have never otherwise understood. I have tried to reproduce here what I have gathered from the interviews.
-The humility of Indira Gandhi
The local congress had a new chief who had been vested with the responsibility of preparing for the election campaign launch in the south in a village near Tirunelveli. He had ensured that the stage was set and all the arrangements were made for her security and the electronics were working and the press duly in attendance.
Mrs.Gandhi arrived with her entourage by road from Madurai and took the stage. As soon as she sat down, she gestured to the local congress leader and said,
"Mr.Peter, Can I have a cup of Coffee Please"
Peter was aghast! he had thought of everything for the meeting, but the refreshments for the guest. To his dismay he realized that he had nowhere to go and get a cuppa for the whole village had shut down its business to see Mrs.Gandhi.
He then saw a cycle born vendor who was selling tea and coffee to the crowd seated below. He runs to the vendor and manages to get a cuppa in a soiled glass. He was terrified to think that he was going to give the dirty cup to the great leader.
He goes and gives this to Mrs.Gandhi who looks at the cup and then at Mr.Peter and with a smile she says, "Thank you Mr.Peter" and just quietly sips it.
He was humbled to think that not even a murmur or a sigh had escaped her mouth! To think that small town leaders fuss and throw a ruckus at even the hint of anything less than the grandest, he admired that he had such a humble leader! She had in turn won over the life time membership of a local leader.
He is no more the local congress leader, but to this day, he remains a staunch Congress worker working at the grass roots level.
-Operation Blue star.
This one operation proved to be her nemesis. In the earlier days after the military marched into the most revered Sikh complex and carried out a flush operation to evict the terrorists who had made the temple their bastion, she received a note from her security advisor that said.
"Madam, in the recent review of your security arrangements we have noted that most of your personal body guards are from the Sikh community. 'm afraid that there is an element of higher risk due to this fact given the current public resentment against operation Blue Star. We request your approval to a change of your body guards....." it said.
Mrs.Gandhi wrote in the note
"..thank you for your note. I have taken an oath to be up-hold the secular thread of this great nation and I choose to live as an example. I have the utmost trust in my personal guards and I have no desire for them to be replaced. Doing so will be the worst act of disrespect to the Sikh community..."
Her trust proved to be in vain, however, her principles were something to behold in the highest honor.
-Where did she get her grit
Indira Gandhi was born into a family of freedom fighters. Her father, mother, grandfather and grandmother were all leaders of the great Gandhian movement for freedom and as a consequence spent several years in prison.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru through the nine years he spent in prison, wrote her letters to ensure that she did not miss her father. The letters are now available as a book as 'Brief glimpses of world history'
Indira Gandhi grew up with none of her parents by her side and managed her own affairs and attained tremendous levels of political shrewdness even at a young age. She grew up watching and learning from her fathers decisions and mistakes on the world stage and strengthened her understanding of world politics much before she held any post of authority.
China's betrayal only furthered her steeliness and resolve to be an iron woman of India. This reflected on her strategic thinking and can be seen in her moves to free Bangladesh which today is a peaceful nation.
One would shudder to imagine the scenario had it still been a part of Pakistan and suffered the same evils of what Pakistan today is undergoing. Her far sightedness has today saved us of at least the east of India being relatively terrorist free.
-The era of nationalization
1969 was a year that marked nationalization of banks. Many a financial expert verbally crucified Mrs.Gandhi citing collapse of public confidence in banking infrastructure followed up with predictions of mass economic collapse.
Today, nationalized banks are the financial arteries and capillaries of this nation. Even small villages have access to a nationalized bank thereby allowing for small savings sector to hugely benefit from the services of the country's financial infrastructure. In addition to this, nationalized banks have also proved to be a powerful instrument in government machinery when it comes to doling out monetary relief, stimulus packages and other such government mooted aid measures to the poor and downtrodden. Today, these very banks help the city bound sons and daughters send money to their parents and relatives is the nook and corner of the country through simple network transfers.
One cannot refute the far reaching connotations Indira Gandhi's action in 1969.
-The family's that gave it all to the nation
Jawaharlal Nehru was in Prison when Rajiv Gandhi was born to Indira. He longed to see his grandson. He wrote to Indira that
" I would love to have a look at my grandson soon. I would be taken to court for renewing my remand to prison tonight. On the way back, the van will stop for a moment before the gates of the prison for the doors to open. You bring Rajiv to the gates and stand next to the lamp by the doors of the prison. I will try and catch a glimpse before the van rolls into the gates."
True to what he said Indira was there by the road lamp by the prison gates waiting for him to return. Night weather in Delhi at that time was cold and foggy. In a turn of events, Nehru was not brought back to the prison until early next morning. However, when Nehru arrived at 4am that morning, he checked to see if his daughter was still around with the infant. To his surprise there she was under the lamp shade as he had instructed with just a shawl to protect the infant from the biting cold of the morning. She uncovers the baby and in an instant the van is gone.
Nehru later writes to Indira saying .. "I could not catch much as a glance at the baby, the mist played truant. However, I could make out that he has inherited our pinkish skin tone and the nose..."
If we stop for a moment and think that they gave even the simplest of pleasures of life that we enjoy so much today, and all of that they gave up for the cause of the nation. We must be thankful today that we are able to enjoy the pleasures of our normal lives thanks to the sacrifices made by our leaders.
In an age when misdeeds get more publicity thanks to selfish politiciking, I wrote this piece share what I heard so that we also revitalize our beliefs in our great leaders by learning the good things they have done, but also to remind myself that I'm truly blessed to have live in the land of mahatmas.
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