Lal Bahadur Shastri (Past Forward)

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Lal Bhhadur Shastri: Past Forward is an English version of Sunil’s earlier book in Hindi, Lal Bhadur Shastri-Mere Babuji. The book is a son’s grateful tribute to his father who had instilled in him not only the virtues of honesty, integrity and commitment, but also love and concern for the millions of poor of poor people of Indian. It rewinds four decades of Indian history when Shastriji was an active participant in the national and brings it forward to 25 years after his demise. This book, epitomizing the life of Lal Bhadur Shastri, is addressed to young and old as it captures the essence of a wholesome relationship between father, mother and their son. It is a must-read book for readers of all ages-for the modern youth it reveals the beauty and elegance of simple living; for the adult it provides an insight into honesty and ethicality in political so bankrupt in contemporary times while for the older persons it is a nostalgic return to that era when all these Gandhian values were lived through by great leaders like Shasriji.

Sunil Shastri was born on 13th February 1950 and is the third son of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri (Babuji) and Smt Lalita Shastri (Ammaji). He is married to Meera Shastri of Jaipur and has three sons Vinamra, Vaibhav and Vibhor, named after the three notable qualities of his father, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastriji.

He did his schooling from St Columbas, New Delhi and graduation from Delhi University. Before joining the main stream politics he worked for the Bank of India in the Management cadre.

He joined active politics in 1980 and was a Cabinet Minister in UP besides holding several important portfolios in UP Ministry. He continues to be an active member of the Indian National Congress.

Since his early years he has devoted his life to the social causes to promote the well being of humanity especially the poor and the marginalized groups. A man of integrity, honesty and values, Sunil Shastri has been contributing to philanthropic, social and academic pursuits all through his life.

Shri Shastri is also a poet and has special interest in composition of music. He has written for children and also on various socio-economic issues. His book “Lal Bhadur Shastri-Mere Babuji” in Hindi received wide acclaim. This book is in the process of being translated into Tamil, Bangla and Marathi Languages. He has edited “Sradhanjali”, Souvenir on Shastriji detailing various aspects of his and other journals on socio-economic changes in India.

I got to Know Lal Bahadur Sastri when he became the Prime Minister in 1964 but I learnt much about him just before and during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1965. He and the then Raksha Mantri, Y.B. Chavan, made an effective team to take political decisions. They often discussed the military capabilities with us to carry out the political decisions. I met him a few times in his house where only he and I discussed the Air Force Broad plans in case ultimately our country had to go to war with Pakistan.

I found him to be very clear headed in his arguments and listened to me patiently without much interruption a very friendly manner. He lived most simply and was often bare feet sitting near a small office table. He was really polite and came tohis porch to see me off and times apologized for keeping me late. During the 1965 war he met the Chief of Army Staff and myself every day. At times the discussion took place at Defence Committee of the Cabinet.

1965 war was the real test for his leadership in peace and war and, in my opinion, he passes with flying colours. He laid down specific parameters within which the Armed Forces could operate. As far as the Air Force was concerned, he said that it should avoid attacking civilian population but hit any military targets. Thereafter, he did not interfere with any operations unless I wanted some clarifications.

Sunil Shastri narrates Lal Bahadur Shastriji’s biography through anecdotes from his own life story, making this book a two-in-one kind; a biography within a biography. The story of Sunil’s growth from a lad of sixteen to a mature politician is closely intertwined with the story of his father, who personified Gandhian values. Inturn, the book offers glimpses of Shastriji’s growth from his early years as a freedom fighter to his later years as Prime Minister. Shastriji’s life story chronicles Indian history from the Indian Freedom Movement to Independent India’s war with Pakistan in 1965 with its underlying focus on Gandhian values of honesty, simplicity and truth.