|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Few men have wielded so much undisputed power for so long and won such adulation as did Jawaharlal Nehru, free India's first Prime Minister for 17 long and formative years. A legacy of humanism, a visionary he stood for scientific temper, dialectical approach, philosophical understanding and global vision. He was not a conventional patriot for he did not love India as a mere abstraction. He loved his country with a passion and in action. He did not recourse to the outside but lived intensely within. Many believe Nehru belonged to that species of seers who had a holistic vision of humanity and the universe. The most fascinating facet of his personality was that of 'chacha Nehru' -- his overwhelming love for children.
Feroze Gandhi, is one of the most illustrious parliamentarians that the country has produced after Independence. This fearless freedom fighter was also the son-in-law of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, husband of Indira Gandhi, and father of Rajiv Gandhi.
Feroze's saga is brief - cut short at the cruel hands of death when he was hardly 48. But he left an indelible mark on the memory of the people, and his campriots remember him not only as an ardent freedom-fighter but also as a champion of the poor and needy. He emerged as a great parliamentarian when he exposed the misdoings of those controlling the private sector that stirred the nation's conscience. Many reminisce him as a socialist, secularist and a great democrat with a mind of his own.
Rajiv Gandhi lived a short life, long. His entered the political arena after the death of his brother Sanjay and the assassination of his mother Indira casted him into the Prime Minister's mould. With an eye for craftsmanship and a well-developed and pragmatic design sense his tastes were eclectic and universal. India's opposition parties and intellectuals may not have rated him high, but he won lot of admiration abroad. In the year 1988 then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi alongwith his Pakistani counterpart, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, were counted amongst the 22 most elegant people in the world at the 13th annual "Best Of World" ceremony held in Paris.
One of the most controversial political figures of his times, Sanjay Gandhi, grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru and son of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, he made an unceasing impact on the country in his brief political career. His war-like spirit and defiance were welcomed by many. He had no angularities in his style of living; no flamboyance in appearance; no exclusiveness in everyday living and no extraordinary habits even though he belonged to an extraordinary family. Sanjay who refused to accept inheritance of the family greatness had by the age of 33 become the symbol of the rising generation with his courage and daring. Even though his extremely promising career had been cruelly cut short by his untimely death in an air crash in 1980, he created history and left a legacy for generations to come.