When India found a leader, but lost a statesman

September 26, 2015

Reading through the archives of The Hindu from September 23, 1965, you get a sense of the relief and euphoria of a nation, now united around a leader who braved immense criticism and led from the front in its time of crises. An excerpt reads: “Tributes to Shastri’s leadership: The Prime Minister’s announcement in Parliament today of a cease-fire in the fighting between India and Pakistan had an electrifying effect on the Members of Parliament and on the people.(…) (…) Members belonging to all political parties (…) praised the PM for the firm, determined and able manner in which he handled the worsening India-Pakistan relations, which finally erupted in an undeclared war.”…..

This article was originally published in the The Hindu