Remembering India's ' Iron Lady' On Her 104th Birth Anniversary

November 19 is the birth anniversary of the first female prime minister of India, Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi. Also known as the Iron Lady of the country. she was the daughter of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and was born on November 19, 1917.

She became Prime minister not once but twice. While the first term was from 1966 to 1977, the second term was from 1981 to 1984. In 1999, she was dubbed as "Woman of the Millennium" via an online BBC poll. Most recently (2020) she was named as one of the world's 100 powerful women who defined the last century by Time magazine.Throughout her long career, she had many ups and downs.

Foreign Policy

Under India Gandhi's reign, India established itself in South Asia as a regional power. She was instrumental in the creation of Bangladesh after the India-Pakistan war in 1971. After this war, to normalise relations with Pakistan, the Shimla agreement was also signed in her regime.

She established a close relationship with the Soviet Union and under this India was also added to the Soviet Space program Under which Rakesh Kumar became the first person from India to go into space.

Operation Blue Star

At the height of militancy in Punjab, Operation Blue Star was launched in order to remove Sikh preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed band supporters from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. The military action was ordered by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The operation that was carried out between June 1 and June 8, 1984, claimed several lives and left the shrine damaged.

The Sikh community was enraged by what it felt was desecration of the revered shrine. It prompted writer Khushwant Singh to return his Padma Bhushan. Later that year, Gandhi was shot dead by her own Sikh bodyguards. . Her assassination led to attacks on Sikhs in several parts of the country.

Green Revolution

India's economy is largely based upon agriculture. Under the leadership of Gandhi, the Green Revolution within India commenced in 1968, leading to an increase in food grain production, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. It was introduced to eradicate the problem of mass hunger by increasing the production of food grains in order to counter the problem of poverty and unemployment in the nation.

Nationalising 14 Private Banks Across India

On July 19, 1969, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's governance, by the means of ordinance, 14 private banks were nationalised. Under this ordinance, these banks deposits were transferred to the Centre.

Operation Smiling Buddha

The first testing carried out by India for the very first nuclear bomb was coded Operation Smiling Buddha. It was tested May 8, 1974. This operation was started after Indira Gandhi's visit to Bhabha Atomic Research Facility, Mumbai.

Also Read: Guru Nanak Jayanti: Remembering The First Guru Who Laid Foundation Of Sikhism