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'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan': Facts to Know About Former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri on His 113th Birth Anniversary

 Lal Bahadur Shastri


As the nation remembers India’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 113th death anniversary. Shastri entered the political arena for the first time when he became part of the Indian national movement as a younger teenager.


After being a satyagrahi for a long time he joined independent India’s government under Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru and succeeded him as Prime Minister on June 9, 1964. Reputed for his soft-spoken nature and clean image, Shastri is said to have practised severe austerity measures at home before applying them for India’s benefit.


As we celebrate the birth anniversary of Shastri, here are some of the interesting facts of the man of a great courage and will.

  • Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on October 2, 1904, to Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari Devi. His father was a clerk in the Revenue Office of Allahabad but died due to bubonic plague when Shastri was only one-year-old. He was raised along with his two sisters by his mother.
  Lal Bahadur Shastri's Paternal HouseLal Bahadur Shastri's Paternal House
 
  • By birth, his name was Lal Bahadur Shrivastava. At the age of 12, he decided to drop his surname due to growing caste issues in the country.
Lal Bahadur Shastri 

 
  • As a schoolboy, Shastri would swim across the Ganga river twice a day with his books tied on top of his head. He did not have enough money to take a ferry to school.
 
  • He completed his college studies from East Central Railway Inter College in Varanasi and later graduated from Kashi Vidyapeeth in 1926 where he was given the title of Shastri (scholar). 
 
  • In 1928, Shastri married Lalita Devi from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. He had six children with her – Kusum, Hari Krishna, Anil, Sunil, Suman and Ashok.
 
  Lal Bahadur Shastri with his wife Lalita Devi
 
  • In 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri was elected as the second Prime Minister of India. Under his tenure as the Prime Minister, Shastri lead the country during India-Pakistan was in 1965 and it was during this war he coined the slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’. In few days it became the national slogan.
 
 ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ ;  Lal Bahadur Shastri
 
  • During his tenure, Shastri dealt with many basic problems in various ministries – food shortage, poverty and unemployment.
 
  • The National Dairy Development Board was formed in 1965 during Shastri reign as Prime Minister.
 
  • He died in Tashkent due to heart attack, on the day after signing the Tashkent Declaration. His death is surrounded by a number of controversies where a large fraction of people allege a conspiracy.
 
 lal bahadur Shastri' death
 
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri was the first person to be posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.



Source:India.com
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