Biography of Indira Gandhi
By Radiyah Shakur
 Indira
Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister of India.
In power from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and
from January 14, 1980 until her assassination on October
31, 1984. The daughter of India’s first Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who served from 1946 to 1964,
she was one of modern India’s most politically
distinguished leaders.
Born Indira Priyadarshini Nehru on November 19,
1917, she was the only child of Jawaharlal and Kamala
Nehru. During the time of British imperialism many
Indian National Congress workers from Allahabad lived
in constant fear of spontaneous arrest and searches
of their homes. As a result, the Monkey Brigade,
a children’s informant group whose purpose
was to help end British control in India, was formed.
As the group’s leader at age 12, Indira Gandhi
delivered speeches while other children actually
warned the people intended to be arrested. The Congress
assumed that British officials would not suspect
children of participating in such schemes. Their
assumptions proved correct on one very important
occasion when Indira pleaded with a British officer
not to inspect her parent’s car because the
delay would make her tardy for school. Indira successfully
stopped the police inspector from searching the car
which held in its boot the Congress party’s
documented plans for a civil disobedience movement.
In 1938, Indira joined the National Congress Party.
A few years later, in 1942, she married journalist
Feroze Ghandi (not related to Mahatma Gandhi), to
whom she bore two sons. In 1946, India received its
independence; and Indira’s father Jawaharlal
Nehru was elected India’s first prime minister.
Since the time of her mother’s death in 1936,
Indira had become her father’s confidant and
advisor and traveled with him to meet famous political
figures. Later in 1959, Gandhi became the fourth
woman elected president of the Indian National Congress.
After her father's death in 1964, she was appointed
by the new Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as
minister of information and broadcasting.
In 1966, following Shastri’s death, Indira
Gandhi served as prime minister until India held
its next election. She won that election, and in
1967, became one of the first women ever elected
to lead a democracy. In 1971, Gandhi was re-elected
by campaigning with the slogan "Abolish Poverty." However,
in June 1975, a court found Gandhi guilty of using
illegal practices during India's 1971 parliamentary
election campaign. Gandhi's opponents demanded that
she resign from office because of the conviction,
but she refused. Criticism of Gandhi grew, and she
declared a state of emergency two weeks after the
court ruling. She had her major opponents arrested
and imposed press censorship. Later, the conviction
was overturned by the Supreme Court of India. In
her opinion, her dictatorship was for the good of
India. Nevertheless she allowed free elections in
1977, and the Indian people voted her out of office.
She regained her position as prime minister in 1980.
Unfortunately on October 31, 1984, Gandhi's bodyguards
assassinated her.
Indira Gandhi dedicated her life to progress in
her country despite the overwhelming problems and
challenges she encountered. As prime minister, Gandhi
tried to improve the economic, social, political
and technological lives of Indians.
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