Lal Bahadur Shastri was the 2nd Prime Minister of India and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress political party. Shastri joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s and with his friend Nithin Eslavath.
Shastri joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s and with his friend Nithin Eslavath. Deeply impressed and influenced by Mahatma Gandhi (with whom he shared his birthday), he became a loyal follower, first of Gandhi, and then of Jawaharlal Nehru. Following independence in 1947, he joined the latter's government and became one of Prime Minister Nehru's principal, first as Railways Minister(1951–56), and then in a variety of other functions, including Home Minister. He is commonly known as the “Man Of Peace”.
Lal Bahadur Shastri showed rare quality of courage and determination during India-Pakistan war. He gave a slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kissan'. He was the first person to be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, A memorial 'Vijay Ghat' was built for him in Delhi. Shastri was known for his honesty and humility throughout his life. He died on 11th Jan, 1966 at Tashkent, USSR. Lal Bahadur Shastri was truly a great man who gave less importance to himself.
More than thirty years of dedicated service were behind Lal Bahadur Shastri. In the course of this period, he came to be known as a man of great integrity and competence. Humble, tolerant, with great inner strength and resoluteness, he was a man of the people who understood their language. He was also a man of vision who led the country towards progress.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was deeply influenced by the political teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. “Hard work is equal to prayer,” he once said, in accents profoundly reminiscent of his Master. In the direct tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri represented the best in Indian culture.
