Who Is Indira Gandhi, The First Woman Prime Minister Of India: Biography

Indira Gandhi

Who is Indira Gandhi?

Indira Gandhi was an Indian politician and India’s first and only female Prime Minister to date. She was also an important figure of the Indian National Congress, one of the oldest political parties in the country. Daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister and a central figure of the Indian freedom struggle, she was the second longest-serving Indian prime minister after him. Gandhi served as India’s prime minister for almost 14 years throughout her career along with holding the position of Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the 1964’s cabinet.

Gandhi was not only a notable figure in India’s political history, owing to her decision-making prowess but was also a strong symbol of the rise of the feminist movement in the Indian subcontinent.

Early Life And Rise To Prominence

Born Indira Nehru, on November 19, 1917, in Allahabad to Jawaharlal and Kamala Nehru, both important figures in India’s freedom movement, it’s safe to say Gandhi tasted the political life very early on. Her grandfather, Motilal Nehru, a lawyer and one of the dominant figures in India even post-independence, was also well-acquainted with Mahatma Gandhi.

While Gandhi’s early education took place at Modern School in Delhi, St Cecilia’s and St Mary’s Convent in Allahabad, she also attended the International School of Geneva, the Ecole Nouvelle in Bex, and the Pupil’s Own School in Pune and Mumbai. She also studied at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal and attended England’s Oxford University for a year each. She later married politician and journalist Feroze Gandhi in 1942 and the couple had two children- Rajiv and Sanjay.

Starting in the early 1950s, she started unofficially assisting her father and India’s then prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and served as the chief of staff for his administration. After his death in May 1964, she was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Parliament of India) and also served as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting under the government led by her father’s successor and the then prime minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri. This marked the official debut of her Indian political career.

Indira Gandhi, The Prime Minister

After the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Gandhi was appointed the first female prime minister of India in January 1966. Her election was a topic of discussion globally and several international publications covered the news as well. ‘Probably no woman in history has assumed a heavier burden of responsibility and certainly, no country of India’s importance has ever before entrusted so much power to a woman’, wrote journalist John Grigg wrote in the Guardian. She was also featured on the cover of Time magazine in the same year with the headline: ‘’Troubled India in a Woman’s Hands.’

Dubbed ‘gungi gudiya’ or a dumb doll by several political personalities, Indira Gandhi’s period as prime minister was proof that she never let critics pull her down. In 1969 she split away from the original Congress party to make her own party, popularly known as the New Congress Party. A radical, yet unexpected move, it led to great success and Indira Gandhi won the 1971 elections which led to another term for her as Prime Minister. Her campaign, which would go on to echo throughout the country, ‘Garibi Hatao’ earned her mass adulation amongst various less-privileged parts of society.

Under Gandhi’s leadership, India won the 1971 War with Pakistan which led to the Liberation of Bangladesh. Despite geopolitical complications and an already experienced influx of refugees from pre-war Bangladesh of almost 10 million, she always stood by her decision to support Bangladesh’s cause as an attempt to save millions of innocent victims from genocide.

As a part of her role as India’s Prime Minister, Gandhi was responsible for various game-changing policies that brought about a change in India on many fronts. In 1969, the Indian Government nationalised 14 of the largest commercial banks in the country which led to increased credit being channelized to small and medium-sized industries as well as agriculture, leading to a general increase in household savings.

Her ‘Green Revolution’ also played a major role in making India more self-reliant when it came to food. This introduced the use of high yielding types of seeds, especially for wheat and rice, as well as state subsidies, power, water and other provisions to farmers, leading to higher production in agricultural states like Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi also increased the country’s self-reliance on access to oil and fuel by nationalising major oil companies. She is known to have encouraged developments in India’s nuclear strength, science and technology sector and also in India’s Space Program.

Gandhi served as prime minister from 1966-to 1977 as well as from 1980 to 1984 until her assassination. Apart from her role as Prime Minister, she also took on the roles of Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance, Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Defence during her tenure.

The Fall And Return Of Indira Gandhi

Following a controversial case of electoral malpractice against her in the Allahabad High Court, and mass national unrest, Gandhi’s government declared Emergency in India in 1975. During the emergency phase, various opposition leaders involved in protests were arrested and several highly criticised moves like increased regulation of the press and new media, ban on trade unions and wage freezes as well as forced sterilisations amongst the male population.

In 1977, Gandhi announced fresh elections, which she lost to the Janata Party’s landslide victory. By this time, her popularity had hit an all-time low due to recent events. However, before it was time for another round of general elections in January 1980, Gandhi won over many Indians again with her charisma and overall popularity amongst several parts of the population. She spent this time travelling and met almost 90 million people. She was also arrested numerous times and spent some time in jail over conflicts with the opposition. In 1980, the Congress party won by a large margin and Gandhi was sworn in as Prime Minister once again in January 1980.

Assassination And Legacy

In the years leading up to her assassination on October 31, 1984, which was carried out outside her home by her two bodyguards, Gandhi was dealing with large unrest amongst parts of the Sikh community in Punjab. As a result of unrest and failed negotiations, by 1983 the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, has become a fort taken over by militants. In June 1984, the Indian Army was ordered by Gandhi to carry out Operation Blue Star in order to take back control of the Golden Temple. The result, however, was a heavy loss of human life and grave damage to the religious shrine.

After her death, the late prime minister’s son, Rajiv Gandhi went on to become Prime Minister. Indira Gandhi’s legacy lives on, not just through the numerous sites and structures named after her but also through her work and contribution to India’s progress as an economy, military power and as a country. Gandhi was named "Woman of the Millennium" in an online poll by BBC in 1999 and was named among the world’s 100 most powerful women in the last century in 2020. In the event of her death anniversary, the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, an annual award ceremony was held by the Congress Party in 1985.

Why Indira Gandhi Is An Inspiration

When Indira Gandhi entered Indian politics, she was underestimated by many who surrounded her, by those in the opposition as well as those a part of her own party. While this is something women struggle with even today, Gandhi, even then, emerged slowly but steadily as a political underdog and came to her own. Her individualistic yet dynamic style of leadership took many by surprise and won her adulation from the masses. From standing up to external forces like the then US-backed Pakistan as well as gaining external relationships like that of the Soviet Union that ended up standing by India’s side during the 1971 war, Gandhi’s leadership left many in awe of what she was capable of. On the flip side, when it came to India internally, she wasn’t afraid to do her bit and get to know the lesser-privileged population.