LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI WAS A LEADER PAR EXCELLENCE By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM

AUM

Small in size but great in personal and political stature, that was to be his description. A boy born in penury on 2nd October 1904 at Mughalsarai near Kashi, who rose to be the Prime Minister of India, and that is whom we now know as the late Lal Bahadur Shastri.

A man of principles, a man of character who was not distracted from achieving his goals. Neither by lure of riches or fear of ridicule whose story would get recorded in history as the first ever Prime Minister 0f India to order his armed forces to cross the international borders and attack the enemy- Pakistan- to force them to loosen their invasion, occupation and grip on Jammu and Kashmir and force a withdraw. What Jawaharlal Nehru could not achieve in 18 years of his premiership, the seemingly diminutive man with a brave heart achieved in mere eighteen months that he held office as the Prime Minister of India.

HONESTY AND CHARACTER

Love of lucre was unknown to him. He had hardly any money in his bank account when he expired due to a massive heart attack on 10th January 1966 at Tashkent in USSR. Dhoti-kurta made of hand spun khadi was his favourite dress. Arhar Dal (Grams) and Roti (Indian Pasta) his favorite food. He relished simple vegetarian food as if it were gourmets delight. Simple living, hard working and high thinking guided by patriotism of the highest order- love of Bharat- sum up what was the strength of integrity and character of the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India. He was Lal Bahadur Shastri. Love of Truth was his asset from the boyhood days.

Once caught stealing delicious mangoes in a neighbourhood orchard in the company of big boys, he confessed his crime of stealing unlike others who bolted away. He was sorry that he did it and the offence would lower him in the estimation of his widowed mother whom he held in high regard. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he vowed never to steal again.

Lal Bahadur Shastri kept his word till his last breath.The present day poitical leaders find it difficult, nay, well nigh impossible to tell the truth, to be honest and to emulate Shastri Ji, as he was lovingly called.

He was a Gandhian to his finger tips. A graduate of Kashi Vidyapeeth, Shastri Ji hated the foreign rule but never a foreigner or an Englishman. He had boycotted the British system of education but was prepared to accept the good qualities of the foreign race, emulating their punctuality in particular.

I recall that the Time magazine of the United States had ridiculed him when he assumed the office of Prime Minister of India.

The writer of the main article even went to the extent of translating his name into English jokingly. The article said that Lal Bahadur Shastri means Jewel brave graduate.

I must hasten to add that this tasteless ridicule did not diminish the high moral stature of Shastri Ji a tad in the estimation of his compatriots.

Shastris sense of Humour

It is a well known fact that Pakistan was defeated by India in the 1965 war. Since that Islamist nation is not wedded to Truth, they had the gumption to celebrate their defeat as victory. Even the 1971 war, where Indian forces had decisively defeated

Pakistan and even dismembered that failed state, their history books tell a different tale. Lal Bahdur Shastri , Prime Minister of a victorious nation and General Ayub Khan ,President of a vanquished nation were to meet in Tashkent to negotiate a Peace Deal under the aegis of the Soviet Union. On the eve of Shastri Jis departure for Tashkent, a scribe drew his attention to the giant like body of President Ayub Khan and the diminutive stature of Shastri Ji and how would they talk to each other. Shastri Ji said in a confident style in Hindi Main sir utha kar baat karunga aur General Ayub sir jhuka kar baat karein ge.Karunga and General Ayub Dear Sir, speak up and talk jhuka karein ge

Indeed it summed up the position of the victorious and the vanquished leaders appropriately. An average Indian citizen which is why still holds Shastri Ji in high esteem.

It was he who raised the morale of the nation when chips were down and gave his countrymen an evergreen slogan:

JAI JAWAN JAI KISSAN.

The country needed victory over the enemy state, Pakistan that the Jawans gave us. Our country needed food to survive when America had threatened us with stoppage of food aid and the farmers, under the capable leadership of Shastri Ji, rose to the occasion, accepted the challenge of Americans and did not let the countrymen go to bed hungry.

It would be appropriate to mention that Shastri Ji and his family would fast every Monday and exhorted his countrymen to follow suit. It was a psychological move to raise the morale of common man and our great leader succeeded in it. Lal Bahadur Shastri was a leader of Indias masses par excellence. Our country men hold him in such high esteem. The present day political leaders should emulate the great man, Lal Bahadur Shastri so that they rise above selfish interests and promote national interests.

Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant is a Vedic scholar and researcher of Indian Heritage, a highly decorated veteran and senior staff officer of Indian Armed forces. He can be contacted at UPVAN 609, Sector 29, Noida 201303. Email upvanom@yahoo.com sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com or