Today, I searched and searched but could not find any mention of his name in 40 pages of Times of India. His name is Lal Bahadur Shastri and he was the third Prime Minister of independent India and a significant figure in the Indian Independence Movement. After seeing no mention of his name, I thought that I should write a blogpost in his memory and express my gratitude on his role in my nation's destiny. Lal Bahadur was born in the year 1904 in Ramnagar, Varanasi, UP as Lal Bahadur Srivastava. His father Sharada Prasad was a poor school teacher, who later became a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad. His father died when he was 18 months old. His mother raised him. A poor, simple anf honest person joined Ganghi's movement and was imprisoned. After independence, he became Prime Minister of India after Nehru died. On his becming PM he stated - "There comes a time in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross-roads of history and must choose which way to go. But for us there need be no difficulty or hesitation, no looking to right or left. Our way is straight and clear – the building up of a socialist democracy at home with freedom and prosperity for all, and the maintenance of world peace and friendship with all nations". On the confrontation in Kutch with Pakistan, Shastri stated in Parliament - "In the utilization of our limited resources, we have always given primacy to plans and projects for economic development. It would, therefore, be obvious for anyone who is prepared to look at things objectively that India can have no possible interest in provoking border incidents or in building up an atmosphere of strife... In these circumstances, the duty of Government is quite clear and this duty will be discharged fully and effectively... We would prefer to live in poverty for as long as necessary but we shall not allow our freedom to be subverted". In a broadcast to the nation on the day the of ceasefire with Pakistan, Shastri stated - "While the conflict between the armed forces of the two countries has come to an end, the more important thing for the United Nations and all those who stand for peace is to bring to an end the deeper conflict... How can this be brought about? In our view, the only answer lies in peaceful coexistence. India has stood for the principle of coexistence and championed it all over the world. Peaceful coexistence is possible among nations no matter how deep the differences between them, how far apart they are in their political and economic systems, no matter how intense the issues that divide them". After the declaration of ceasefire, Shastri and Pakistani President attended a summit in Tashkent (former USSR, now in modern Uzbekistan). On January 10, 1966, Shastri and Khan signed the Tashkent Declaration. The next day Shastri died of a heart attack. He is the only Indian Prime Minister, and indeed probably one of the few heads of governmemt, to have died in office overseas. Some conspiracy theories allege his death to be of unnatural causes. All his lifetime, Shastri was known for honesty and humility. His quotes: - Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" ("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer")
- "If one person gives up one meal in a day, some other person gets his only meal of the day", spoken during the food crisis to encourage people to evenly distribute food.
- "Perhaps due to my being small in size and soft of tongue, people are apt to believe that I am not able to be very firm. Though not physically strong, I think I am internally not so weak.
Is that why Indian nation has forgetten him, even on his birthday. | 
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