Indira Gandhi: Education, Academic Achievements, and Shaping a Nation

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) was a pivotal figure in Indian politics, serving as the first and only female prime minister of India for three consecutive terms (1966-77) and a fourth term from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. This article delves into the formative years of Indira Gandhi, exploring her education, academic achievements, and the influences that shaped her into a prominent stateswoman.

Early Life and Educational Foundation

Indira Nehru was born on November 19, 1917, in Allahabad, India, to Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru. Jawaharlal Nehru was a key figure in India’s independence movement and the first prime minister of independent India (1947-64). Her grandfather, Motilal Nehru, was also a pioneer of the independence movement and a close associate of Mohandas (“Mahatma”) Gandhi.

Indira's early education was primarily at home, with tutors providing instruction. She attended the Modern School in Delhi, St. Cecilia's, and St. Mary's School in Allahabad. Matriculating in 1934, she demonstrated an early commitment to learning and personal development.

Higher Education and International Exposure

After completing her initial schooling, Indira Gandhi pursued higher education, attending Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan (now in Bolpur, West Bengal state) for one year. Subsequently, she attended the University of Oxford in England for a year. Her time in Europe was marked by health challenges, requiring frequent trips to Switzerland for recovery, which disrupted her studies.

During her time in Britain, Nehru frequently met her future husband Feroze Gandhi (no relation to Mahatma Gandhi). In September 1942, Indira Gandhi was arrested over her role in the Quit India Movement. She was released from jail in April 1943. "Mud entered our souls in the drabness of prison," she later recalled her time in the jail. Despite these challenges, she demonstrated resilience and a commitment to her education.

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In 1940, while in Europe, Indira faced further disruptions as Germany rapidly conquered the continent. She was stranded for nearly two months while attempting to return to England through Portugal. Eventually, she managed to enter England in early 1941 and returned to India without completing her studies at Oxford.

Honorary Recognition and Legacy

Despite not completing her degree at Oxford, the university later awarded her an honorary degree, recognizing her contributions and achievements. In 2010, Oxford further honored her by selecting her as one of the ten Oxasians, illustrious Asian graduates from the University of Oxford.

Role as Hostess and Political Involvement

Indira Gandhi’s mother, Kamala Nehru, died in the mid-1930s. Thereafter, Indira often acted as her father’s hostess for events and accompanied him on his travels. The Congress Party came to power when her father took office in 1947, and Gandhi became a member of its working committee in 1955. In 1959, she was elected to the largely honorary post of party president.

During her father Jawaharlal Nehru's premiership from 1947 to 1964, Gandhi was his hostess and accompanied him on his numerous foreign trips. In 1959, she played a part in the dissolution of the communist-led Kerala state government as then-president of the Indian National Congress, otherwise a ceremonial position to which she was elected earlier that year.

Early Career and Ministerial Role

In 1964, Indira Gandhi was made a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper chamber of the Indian parliament). That same year, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who had succeeded Nehru as prime minister, named her minister of information and broadcasting in his government. This role provided her with valuable experience in governance and media management.

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Rise to Prime Minister

Following Shastri’s sudden death in January 1966, Gandhi was named leader of the Congress Party. Thus, she became prime minister in a compromise between the party’s right and left wings. Her leadership, however, came under continual challenge from the right wing of the party, led by former minister of finance Morarji Desai.

Congress party veteran K. Kamaraj was instrumental in Gandhi achieving victory.[43] Because she was a woman, other political leaders in India saw Gandhi as weak and hoped to use her as a puppet once elected: Congress President Kamaraj orchestrated Mrs. Gandhi's selection as prime minister because he perceived her to be weak enough that he and the other regional party bosses could control her, and yet strong enough to beat Desai [her political opponent] in a party election because of the high regard for her father…

Political Strategies and Policies

Indira Gandhi’s political career was marked by significant policy decisions and strategic maneuvers. In the 1960s, she gradually began to move towards socialist policies. In 1969, she fell out with senior Congress party leaders over several issues. Chief among them was her decision to support V. V. Giri, the independent candidate rather than the official Congress party candidate Neelam Sanjiva Reddy for the vacant position of president of India. The other was the announcement by the prime minister of Bank nationalisation without consulting the finance minister, Morarji Desai. These steps culminated in party president S. Nijalingappa expelling her from the party for indiscipline. Gandhi, in turn, floated her own faction of the Congress party and managed to retain most of the Congress MPs on her side with only 65 on the side of the Congress (O) faction.

The Emergency Period

One of the most controversial periods of Indira Gandhi’s premiership was the Emergency, which lasted from June 1975 to March 1977. On June 25, 1975, Indian Pres. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared a state of emergency throughout the country on Gandhi’s advice. During this time, Gandhi imprisoned her political opponents and assumed emergency powers. Many new laws were enacted that limited personal freedoms.

Preventive detention laws were used to jail political figures such as Desai and Raj Narain and leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan and George Fernandes, who had organized student movements and labor strikes. During that period, Gandhi also implemented several unpopular policies, including large-scale sterilization as a form of birth control. There was a widespread government crackdown on trade unions and workers’ rights, and a demolition drive in Delhi displaced thousands.

The period was characterized by severe censorship of the press, which was largely critical of Gandhi’s assumption of emergency powers and the policies she implemented. Censorship extended to cultural depictions of the Emergency, and many films on the subject made at the time were banned by the government.

Return to Power and Subsequent Challenges

After being ousted from power in 1977, Indira Gandhi made a remarkable comeback in 1980. In early 1978, Gandhi and her supporters completed the split from the Congress Party by forming the Congress (I) Party-the “I” signifying Indira. She was briefly imprisoned (October 1977 and December 1978) on charges of official corruption. Despite those setbacks, she won a new seat in the Lok Sabha in November 1978, and her Congress (I) Party began to gather strength.

When new elections for the Lok Sabha were held in January 1980, Gandhi and Congress (I) were swept back into power in a landslide victory. Her son Sanjay Gandhi, who had become her chief political adviser, also won a seat in the Lok Sabha. Sanjay Gandhi’s death in an airplane crash in June 1980 eliminated Indira Gandhi’s chosen successor from the political leadership of India. After his death, Indira Gandhi groomed her other son, Rajiv Gandhi, for the leadership of her party.

Addressing Separatist Movements

During the early 1980s, Indira Gandhi faced threats to the political integrity of India. Several states sought a larger measure of independence from the central government, and Sikh separatists in Punjab state used violence to assert their demands for an autonomous state. In 1982, a large number of Sikhs, led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, occupied and fortified the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex at Amritsar, the Sikhs’ holiest shrine.

Tensions between the government and the Sikhs escalated, and in June 1984, Gandhi ordered Operation Blue Star. In this operation, the Indian army attacked and ousted the separatists from the complex. Some buildings in the shrine were badly damaged in the fighting, and many soldiers and pilgrims died.

Assassination and Legacy

Five months after Operation Blue Star, Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, in her garden in New Delhi. She was killed by two of her own Sikh bodyguards in revenge for the attack in Amritsar. She was succeeded as prime minister by her son Rajiv Gandhi, who served until 1989.

Gandhi was cremated at the site now known as Shakti Sthal (transl. 'Place of strength'). The site is marked by a large monolithic rock of iron ore commemorating her as the "Iron Lady of India."

Indira Gandhi's Views on Women's Education

Indira Gandhi emphasized the importance of women's education for societal development. She believed that a well-educated woman could contribute significantly to building a harmonious and prosperous nation.

An ancient Sanskrit saying says, woman is the home and the home is the basis of society. It is as we build our homes that we can build our country. If the home is inadequate -- either inadequate in material goods and necessities or inadequate in the sort of friendly, loving atmosphere that every child needs to grow and develop -- then that country cannot have harmony and no country which does not have harmony can grow in any direction at all. That is why women's education is almost more important than the education of boys and men.

She noted that the neglect of women's education was a global issue and that empowering women through education was essential for progress. Gandhi advocated for a thorough overhauling of the education system to meet the needs of society and young people, believing that education should enable individuals to extract the good and make use of their surroundings.

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