Rajiv Gandhi

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IMPORTANT MILESTONES OF RAJIV’S LIFE

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CHILDHOOD

Rajiv Gandhi was born in Mumbai on 20 August 1944. At that time, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was in prison at Ahmedabad. He was informed immediately about Rajiv’s birth. When Rajiv was in his mother’s womb, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said to Indira Gandhi that when the child was born, she should note the exact time of his birth so that his correct horoscope could be made. This was done. Rajiv’s name was kept after his maternal grandmother’s name. Although the meaning of ‘Kamala’ is ‘Goddess Lakshmi’ and the meaning of ‘Rajiv’ is ‘lotus’, at that time it was thought that the child’s name was kept after his maternal grandmother’s name.

Indira Gandhi did whatever she could for her child. She knew that a child needs a mother’s love and care most of all. A mother is a child’s first teacher. Some time after Rajiv’s birth, Indira Gandhi came from Bombay to Prayag. A little while after coming there, Mrs. Gandhi got to know that her father was being taken to the Naini prison. He was going in a police car. Indira Ji wanted to show her son to her father once. So, she took her son and stood on the road in that route from where Jawaharlal Nehru was going to be brought by car. Indira Ji had to wait a long time. At last, she saw the car coming. Indira Ji took her son in her hands and thrust him forward so that Nehru Ji could see him. When the car moved past them slowly, Indira Ji thought that Nehru Ji had seen the child. He was sitting on that side only and looking outside where Indira Ji was standing.

After some time, in 1945, Jawaharlal Nehru was released and Indira Ji came with her husband Feroze Gandhi and son to stay in Anand Bhavan. The same year, in the winter season, Feroze Gandhi had to go to Lucknow to take over the responsibility of running ‘National Herald’ which was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s own newspaper. After a few days, Indira took Rajiv and went to Lucknow. On 14 December 1946, Rajiv’s younger brother, Sanjay Gandhi, was born. At that time, she had started living in Delhi.

On 15 August 1947, India became independent, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed as the first Prime Minister of independent India. At that time, Pandit Nehru felt the need of his daughter. Thus, Indira started looking after her father. At that time, Gandhiji was also staying in Delhi. Indira Ji used to go to meet him and sometimes she took Rajiv with her. Rajiv used to play with Gandhiji in the same way in which once his mother, Indira, used to play with Gandhiji in Sabarmati when she was 4 years old. One day, Rajiv plucked some flowers and kept them at Gandhiji’s feet. Gandhiji laughed and said - Rajiv! Don’t you know that flowers are not kept at the feet of a person who is alive?

This incident happened on 29th January 1948. The next day, on 30 January 1948, Gandhiji was assassinated.

Teen Murti Bhavan, where Indira Ji used to stay with her father and her children, was very big. Rajiv and Sanjay took advantage of this. They liked the big lawn and the grounds of Teen Murti Bhavan a lot. They used to climb trees, pluck flowers, and play with birds and animals. Not only this, they had made a small zoo over there also where different types of birds and animals were kept. There were pandas, dogs, lion cubs, parrots, starlings, pigeons etc. Sanjay had even kept a small crocodile as a pet. The crocodile used to bite everyone. One day, it even bit Indira Ji. Everyone, including Indira Ji, was afraid of it. Indira Ji wanted that crocodile to be released from there.

When they were a little older, Rajiv and Sanjay were admitted to Shiv Niketan. Shiv Niketan was being run by a lady who was a German by birth but had married an Indian national. In Shiv Niketan, Rajiv was in the charge of a teacher named Usha Bhagat. When Indira Ji took her children to be admitted to the school, Miss Bhagat was busy in her class. Indira Ji had to wait, but she waited patiently. When Miss Bhagat heard about this, she was very surprised. She used to think that due to being the Prime Minister’s daughter Indira Ji would be very proud, but she found a quiet, sober, and patient woman instead. Afterwards Miss Usha Bhagat became the Social Secretary of Indira Gandhi.

Rajiv’s father, Feroze Gandhi, wanted to discharge a father’s duty fully. When he was in Lucknow and Indira Ji was in Prayag or Delhi with her children, Feroze Gandhi used to keep coming to Prayag and Delhi very frequently. During the children’s holidays, he tried to stay with them as long as possible. He used to play with them, teach them, and build cars, rails, and engines with the building blocks.

When they were a little older, Rajiv and Sanjay were admitted to a boarding school. From time to time, their parents would come to visit them and in the holidays they would come to stay with their parents.

At the age of 12 years, Rajiv had tonsillitis. An operation was performed for this. Rajiv showed no signs of fear at that time.

Once, Jawaharlal Ji invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Panchan Lama for a dinner. Indira Ji welcomed them both and served them refreshments etc. She got up to do some work for a few minutes. When she came back, she saw that the Dalai Lama was not there. She was very surprised at this. They searched everywhere. In the end, they saw that he was playing with Rajiv and Sanjay in the garden. That day, the Dalai Lama said to Indira Gandhi - Since I have come here from my country, I have not spent a nicer day than this.

In this way, though he did not do anything special in his childhood, Rajiv also did not do any such things which would give anyone a reason for complaint. Since his childhood, he was of a gentle and peaceful nature.

We have mentioned about Rajiv Gandhi’s admission to Shiv Niketan in the previous pages. After doing kindergarten from there, Rajiv took admission in ‘Welhams School’ in Dehradun. At that time, this school was considered an excellent centre of education. Pandit Nehru also wanted that Rajiv and Sanjay should study in the Doon School. By then, Rajiv’s father, Feroze Gandhi, had passed away.

Rajiv took admission in Doon School in 1954. Two years after that, in 1956, Sanjay was also sent to this school for studies.

Rajiv Gandhi passed the I.S.C. examination from Doon School. He was then sent to England for further studies. There he took admission in Cambridge University.

When Rajiv Gandhi went to England, Sanjay was left alone at Doon. When he couldn’t adjust there without Rajiv, he was called back and was admitted to St. Columba’s School in Delhi. A few years after that, he also went to London, but this is just a part of Sanjay’s life story, which has very little connection with Rajiv’s life.

Rajiv was not a child any more. He was a fully grown up adult and now his activities were also those of an adult. In England, he met Sonia Miano of Italy. This friendship grew and then turned into love. This has been mentioned in detail in the following pages.

So, this is the story of Rajiv’s childhood.

Youth

In January 1966, when Indira Gandhi took over the responsibility as the Prime Minister of India, Rajiv was studying in Cambridge. At that time, Sanjay Gandhi was also in England. There he was learning car engineering as a trainee in the famous company which manufactures Rolls Royce cars.

After returning from London, Rajiv did not enter politics according to his family’s tradition. He came to Delhi and became a member of the Flying Club and there he was trained as a pilot. He completed his training as a pilot and became an expert pilot. In 1970, he got a job as a pilot in Air India. He became busy in his work, his family, and friends. He did not have any interest in politics.

The days passed like this. In 1975, emergency was declared in India. This was criticised not only in India but also in the whole world. However, Rajiv Gandhi was untouched by all this. During this time, her younger son, Sanjay, was working with Indira Gandhi. He used to help his mother wherever possible, and in his young age, he had not only made a place for himself in politics, but he had also reached the position of the Chief Political Adviser to his mother.

After lifting the emergency, Indira Gandhi announced elections to the Lok Sabha. In March 1977, the Lok Sabha elections were held. In this, the opposition parties, which had to suffer due to the emergency, made a collective party called the Janata Party. In this election, the Congress did not get the majority. Even, Mrs. Indira Gandhi lost the elections from her constituency.

The Janata Party came into power. Indira Ji’s party became the opposition party. During the Janata Party’s rule, many charges were made on the Gandhi family. Rajiv Gandhi became very sad due to this. A close friend of their family advised Rajiv to suggest to his family members to go out of India. But, Sanjay Gandhi did not accept this, the result of which was that Sanjay Gandhi remained active in politics. Due to his efforts, the Janata Party was split. Morarji Bhai was now left with a minority. With Sanjay Gandhi and Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s help, Chaudhri Charan Singh became the Prime Minister of India. But, his position also was not strong. He feared that if he went to Parliament, then a no-confidence motion would be passed against him and he would be removed from his post. So, without calling the Parliament into session, he suggested to the President that the Parliament should be dissolved and fresh elections be held.

Chaudhri Charan Singh had become the Prime Minister in August 1979 and in the first week of January 1980, mid-term elections were held. The split up Janata Party was not a strong party. As a result, the Congress Party once again came into power. Sanjay Gandhi and many of his colleagues, friends etc. were victorious in these elections and reached Parliament.

Indira Ji became the Prime Minister again.

Sanjay was her right-hand man.

But fate was moving in another direction.

Only six months had passed since Mrs. Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister and Sanjay Gandhi a Member of Parliament, when a great calamity befell Mrs. Gandhi’s family. On 23 June 1980, when the sun had just arisen in the sky, darkness fell on this family. Sanjay Gandhi was killed in a plane accident.

Separation from brother

On 23 June 1980 at 10 o’clock, the advertisement service of All India Radio was stopped midway and this news was broadcast - We give this news with deep regret that today morning Member of Parliament, Shri Sanjay Gandhi, was killed in an aeroplane accident.

Those who heard this news could not believe their ears.

It was not easy for either Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi to bear this calamity. For Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Sanjay was not only her son but also her colleague and helper. He was like her right-hand man. At the age of 33 years, he had also become the General Secretary of the Congress (I) Party.

On 23 June 1980, at 7:58 in the morning, Sanjay Gandhi set off on a flight with his friend Subhash Saxena in a Pitts aeroplane and within minutes his aeroplane fell into a ditch behind Ashok Hotel near the World Youth Centre. Mrs. Indira Gandhi was given the news of this accident at 8:20 a.m.

Mrs. Gandhi immediately reached the place of the accident. Before her reaching there, many fire engines, ambulances, and other people had reached there. Both the pilots had received serious wounds on the whole of their bodies. Their bodies were badly mutilated. It was difficult to even recognise them. A portion of the aeroplane was cut and their dead bodies were removed. At Lohia Hospital, they were examined. The doctors