January 11 marks the death anniversary of Lal BahadurShastri, the second prime minister of India. Shastri ji, who worked with fulldedication for many decades for the country, is remembered for his tremendousefficiency, integrity, and humble nature.
Shastri was born to Sharada Prasad Srivastava and RamdulariDevi in Mughalsarai on 2 October 1904. He studied in East CentralRailway Inter college and Harish Chandra High School, which he left to jointhe non-cooperation movement.
His slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" became verypopular during the war.
He promoted the White Revolution – a nationalcampaign to increase the production and supply of milk – by supportingthe Amul milk co-operative of Anand, Gujarat and creatingthe National Dairy Development Board.
Shastri also promoted the Green Revolution in India in1965. This led to an increase in food grain production, especially in Punjab,Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Shastri took a deep interest in the freedom struggle andbegan to study its history and the works of several of its noted personalities,including those of Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Annie Besant.
Inspired by the Mahatma's call for students to withdraw fromgovernment schools and join the non-cooperation movement, Shastri withdrew fromHarish Chandra High School the next day and joined the local branch of theCongress Party as a volunteer.
After participating in the Quit India Movement of MahatmaGandhi in 1942, he had to remain in jail till 1946. Shastri ji spent nineyears in jail for the freedom struggle.
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After independence, he moved to New Delhi in 1951 and tookcharge of several departments of the Union Cabinet.
He was also Minister of Railways, Minister of Transport andCommunication, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Minister of Home Affairs andMinister.
The mystery behind his death is still not solved. After thewar between India and Pakistan ended in 1965, Shastri had gone to Tashkent fora peace agreement. He met President Ayub Khan, but after his meeting, he suddenlydied within a few hours. The reason behind his death was stated as cardiacarrest. When his body was brought to India, many eyewitnesses saw unnaturalblue and white spots on his face and body, so the actual reason is still not known.
Lal Bahadur Shastri played an integral role in theIndependence of India.