Indira Gandhi – India’s first and only woman Prime Minister – was a leader who combined delicate charm with ruthless political instinct. Often called the “Iron Lady of India,” she dominated the country’s politics for nearly two decades. Yet, behind the towering public image lie several astonishing and lesser-known stories that reveal the real person.
Named ‘Priyadarshini’ by Rabindranath Tagore himself
When Indira was a little girl, the Nobel laureate poet met her at Shantiniketan and was so impressed that he gave her the middle name ‘Priyadarshini’– meaning “one who looks at the world with kindness” – a name she carried all her life.
Grew up in a lonely and painful childhood
With Jawaharlal Nehru repeatedly jailed during the freedom movement and mother Kamala Nehru battling tuberculosis for years, young Indira spent most of her early life in boarding schools or the huge empty rooms of Anand Bhawan, often feeling isolated and neglected.
Oxford student who left without a degree
She joined the prestigious Somerville College, Oxford in 1937 to study history, but recurring health problems (including pleurisy) forced her to return to India in 1941 without completing her graduation though Oxford later honoured her with a doctorate.
First arrest came at the age of just 25
During the 1942 Quit India Movement, Indira and her husband Feroze Gandhi were both arrested and she spent 13 months in Naini Central Jail – emerging even more committed to the independence struggle.
Served as India’s unofficial “First Lady” long before becoming PM
After her mother’s death in 1936, teenage Indira became Jawaharlal Nehru’s official hostess, managed his appointments, accompanied him on foreign tours and quietly learnt the art of politics at the highest level.
Engineered the fall of India’s first elected communist government
In 1959, as Congress president, she convinced her father to impose President’s Rule and dismiss the popular EMS Namboodiripad-led communist government in Kerala – a controversial decision that changed Indian federal politics forever.
Was mocked as “Goongi Gudiya” – and turned the insult into legend
When she became Prime Minister in 1966, senior leaders dismissed her as a “dumb doll”; within months she proved them spectacularly wrong with decisive actions that earned her the nickname “Goddess Durga” after the 1971 war.
Personally blocked a hijacked plane to gain strategic advantage
In January 1971, when Kashmiri separatists hijacked an Indian plane to Lahore, Indira refused permission to land anywhere in India, forcing Pakistan to accept the aircraft – a clever move that gave India pretext to ban Pakistani overflights before the Bangladesh war.
Mother of India’s Green Revolution
She gave unwavering support to scientists like M.S. Swaminathan, imported dwarf wheat varieties and pushed massive irrigation projects, turning India from a ‘ship-to-mouth’ food beggar nation into a self-sufficient giant.
Personally green-lit ‘Smiling Buddha’ nuclear test
On 18 May 1974, she authorised India’s first underground nuclear explosion in Pokhran, declaring it a ‘peaceful nuclear explosion’ – making India the sixth nuclear power in the world.
Created Maruti as a national tribute to Sanjay
After Sanjay died in a 1980 plane crash, Indira nationalised his tiny garage project and personally oversaw the joint venture with Suzuki, giving India its first ‘people’s car’.
Politely refused royal asylum after the 1977 defeat
When the King of Nepal offered her refuge after her shocking electoral loss, she declined, saying she would fight her battle on Indian soil – and returned to power within three years.
Operation Blue Star influenced by Soviet disinformation
Declassified Mitrokhin Archives reveal that KGB planted false intelligence about American weapons inside the Golden Temple, which influenced her fateful decision for the 1984 military operation.
Assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards On 31 October 1984, she was shot dead in her garden by Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in revenge for Operation Blue Star – triggering tragic anti-Sikh violence across the country.
BBC’s ‘Woman of the Millennium’
In a 1999 global online poll conducted by BBC, Indira Gandhi was voted the greatest woman of the past 1,000 years, beating even Queen Elizabeth I and Marie Curie.
Subscribe Deshwale on YouTube
