Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary is celebrated on 19 November. This year, it’s the 108th birthday for the former prime minister. Here are 10 little-known facts about the Iron Lady of India.
Indira Gandhi showed her early nationalism in a striking way. She came to know that her favourite dolls had come from Britain. She built a small bonfire and burned them. The act upset her deeply, yet she remained firm because she wanted to protest the import of foreign goods.
At just 12, Indira Gandhi formed a youth resistance group called the Vaanar Sena. It was inspired by the mythological army that helped Shree Ram. The group included thousands of children. They supported the freedom movement by carrying messages, putting up posters and running errands. They also secretly moved important documents past British police, who rarely suspected kids.
Indira Gandhi spent a year studying at Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan. During this time, Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel-winning poet who founded the institution, is believed to have given her the name Priyadarshini, meaning “beautiful to behold”.
Indira Gandhi was mocked as “Gungi Gudiya” or “dumb doll” by political opponents like Ram Manohar Lohia. It was when she first became Prime Minister and was expected to be a puppet. She later proved them wrong by asserting strong leadership and building her own political authority.
Indira Gandhi, despite her public secular image, was personally devoted to Shiva. She is believed to have chanted the Gayatri Mantra and practised yoga every morning. Spirituality was once an integral part of her daily routine.
Indira Gandhi secretly approved India’s first nuclear test, called Smiling Buddha, in 1974. Only a few close advisers were aware of the plan. Even the Defence Minister was reportedly informed later. The successful test marked India’s entry into the group of nuclear-armed nations.
Indira Gandhi reportedly believed that the CIA wanted to assassinate her after India’s 1971 war victory against Pakistan. Some close associates said this fear affected her thinking and made her more cautious about the United States. The Soviet Union is believed to have used this fear to strengthen its ties with India during the Cold War.
Indira Gandhi spent some of her early years studying in Switzerland and became fluent in French. This proved useful in diplomacy because she could understand conversations without relying fully on translators.
Indira Gandhi’s government faced several corruption accusations. It drew global media attention in the 1970s. In Turkey, her name has even become a slang term for cheating and corruption. Those controversies strongly influenced her international reputation during that period.
Indira Gandhi was expelled from the Congress party in 1969 after a clash with the powerful Syndicate leaders. She refused to follow their decisions, which led to a split. She then formed her own group, the Congress (R), and remained as Prime Minister with outside support. Congress (R) later became Congress (I).
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