Lal Bahadur Shastri Death Anniversary 2024: Remembering India's Second Prime Minister

Lal Bahadur Shastri Death Anniversary: His tenure as Prime Minister was only for 19 months. He died in Tashkent on January 11, 1966.

India remembers its second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, on his 58th death anniversary today. His iconic slogan, "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan," uniting soldier and farmer, continues to resonate across generations. Mr Shastri's legacy goes beyond mere leadership. He connected with the masses with his humility and gentle demeanor, masking a resolute spirit. In 1964, after Jawaharlal Nehru's death, Mr Shastri took the reins, having already served in crucial roles like Home Minister and Railway Minister in India's first independent government. In just two years, Shastri's impact on the nation remains etched in its history.

Formative Years:

Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904, in Mughalsarai, a small railway town seven miles from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. His father was a school teacher who died when Lal Bahadur Shastri was only a year and a half old. He was sent to live with an uncle in Varanasi so that he could go to high school. Nanhe, or 'little one, as he was called at home, walked many miles to school without shoes, even when the streets burned in the summer's heat.