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GANDHI, SHRIMATI INDIRA [Congress (I)—Andhra Pradesh, Medak,1980] d. of Shri Jawaharlal Nehru; b. in Allahabad, November 19, 1917; ed. at Ecole Nouvelle, Bex, switzerland, Ecole Internationale, Geneva, Pupils’ Own School, Poona and Bombay, Badminton School, Bristol, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan and Somerville College, Oxford; Honorary Doctoral degrees conferred by following Universities : Andhra, Agra, Bangalore; Vikram, Punjab, Gurukul, Nagpur, Jamia Millia, Poona, EI Salvador of Buenos Aires, Waseda of Tokyo, Moscow State, Oxford Charles of Prague, Mauritius, Baghdad, and the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences; Citation of Distinction from Columbia University; m. Shri Feroze Gandhi, March 26, 1942; 2 s.; Actively involved in the struggle for freedom: in early childhood founded Bal Charkha Sangh and in 1930, Vanar Sena’ of children to help Congress party during No-cooperation movement; imprisoned September, 1942; worked in riot-affected, areas of Delhi under Gandhijis direction, 1947. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 1964-66; prime Minister of India, January 1966—March 1977 and again from January 14, 1980; concurrently Minister for Atomic Energy, Septembtr 1967—March 1977; and Space, June 1972—March 1977, and again from January 1980; Chairman, Planning Commission 1966-77; President of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research; and Chairman, Hindi Salahkar Samiti; held additional charge of Ministry of External Affairs from September 5, 1967 to February 14, 1969; Ministry of Finance from July 16, 1969 to June 26, 1970; Ministry of Home Affairs from June 1970 to November 1973; Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from March 1971 for a while and Ministry of Defence from January 1980; Member, Congress Working Committee and Central Election Committee of the party, 1955; Member, Central Parliamentary Board of Congress 1958; Chairman, National Integration Council of A.I.C.C; President, (i) All India Youth Congress, 1956, and (ii) Women’s Deptt. A.I.C.C.; President, (i) Indian National Congress, 1959-60 and (ii) Indian National Congress (I) since January 1978. Has been associated with a large number of organisations and institutions, some of which are listed below; President, Board of Trustees of Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital; Trustee (i) Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and (ii) Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust; Chairman, Swaraj Bhavan Trust; Founder and Chairman, Bal Sahyog, New Delhi from Chairman, Bal Bhavan Board and Children’s National Museum, Delhi, from 1955; Founder and President, Kamala “Nehru Vidyalaya, Allahabad; Vice-Chairman, Central Social Welfare Board, 1953-57; Life-Patron, Indian Council for Child Welfare; Vice-President, International Council of Child Welfare; Patron-in-Chief, Indian Council for Africa, 1960; Patron, Foreign Students Association in India; Chancellor (i) Visva Bharati University, (ii) Jawaharlal Nehru University and (iii) North-Eastern university 1966-77; Member, Delhi University Court; Indian Delegation to UNESCO, 1960-64; Member, Executive Board of UNESCO, 1960-64; Member; National Defence Council, 1962; Executive Committee of National Defence Fund, 1962; Chairman (i) Citizen’s Central Council 1962, and (ii) Sangeet Natak Akademi 1965-74; Member, National Integration Council; President, (i) Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, (ii) Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, (iii) Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society and (iv) Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial fund; Patron, Indian Society of International Law. Member, Rajya Sabha, August, 1964-February, 1967; Member, (i) Fourth Lok Sabha, 1967-70, (ii) Fifth Lok Sabha, 1971-77 and (iii) Sixth Lok Sabha, November-December, 1978; Leader, Congress Parliamentary Party, 1967-77, and of the Congress (I) Parliamentary party since January 1980.
Favourite pastime and recreation: Finds recreation in whatever she is doing and equal relaxation in being close to nature and in different forms of art; also, in activity—physical, such as hiking in the mountains, or mental, such as reading about an unfamiliar subject.
Special interests: Interested in a Wide variety of subjects; Views life as an integrated process, where activities and interests are different facets of the whole, not separated into compartments or labelled under deferent heads.
Accomplishments in letters, art and science / other achievements: Recipient of Bharat Ratna, 1972; Mexican Academy Award for Liberation of Bangla Desh, 1972; 2nd Annual Medal, FAO, 1973; Sahitya Vachaspati (Hindi) by Nagari Pracharani Sabha, 1976; also recipient of Mothers’ Award: U.S.A.. 1953; Islbella d’Este Award Italy for outstanding work in diplomacy, Yale University’s Howland Memorial Prize; For two consecutive years in 1967 and 1968 was the woman most admired by the French according to a poll by the French Institute of Public Opinion; In 1971, was the most admired person of the world, according to a special Gallup Poll Survey in U.S.A.; Diploma of Honour conferred by the Argentine Society in 1971, for the Protection of animals.
Publications: The Years of Challenge 1966-69; The Years of Endeavour 1969-72; India (London) 1975; Inde (Lausanne) 1979, Numerous other collections of speeches and writings.
Travels abroad: Has travelled widely in India and all over the world; has paid official visits to the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Canada, Chile, China, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Federal Republic of Germany, France, German Democratic Republic, Guyana, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia. Mauritius, Mexic, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Poland, Rumania, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobugo, U.A.R,. the United Kingdom, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Uruguay, Venezuela Yugoslavia, Zambia and United Nations Headquarters.
Permanent address: Donated her ancestral home ‘Anand Bhavan’ to the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund.
Official address: 1, Safdarjang Road, New Delhi-1IO0O1.
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