Jai jawan, jai kisan, Shastriji ki jai!

I was a high-school student at a village in Andhra Pradesh in 1965 when the news of Lal Bahadur Shastriji’s visit to Rajah­mundry, a coastal town, reached our village.

Shastriji was visiting the state after the country’s victory in the Indo-Pak war and a grand meeting was scheduled to be held at Arts’college in Rajahmundry. Those were the days when all Indians from Kashmir to Kanyakumari looked upon Shas­triji, the Prime Minister of India, as the true hero of the na­tion and his slogan “Jai jawan, jai kishan” electrified the whole nation.

I was elated about the visit and was seized with the intense excitement to meet Shastriji in Rajahmundry. With much dif­ficulty, I persuaded my reluctant parents to give into my wish of attending Shastriji’s meeting in Rajahmundry along with my classmates and teachers.

By the time we reached the venue of the meeting in the morning, the sprawling college-ground was filled with thou­sands of people. With the help of our teachers, we managed to squeeze into the crowds. Though several leaders spoke at length, all eyes were on Lal Bahadur Shastriji. When he rose to speak, the crowd broke into a thundering ap­plause and shouted Shastriji ki jai! There was tremendous excitement around me, but being a small boy then, I could barely see over the crowd. What I heard was a very soft voice flowing so smoothly, laden with patriotic spirit and surging emotions. “Sir, is that Shastriji?” I asked my teacher. “Yes, he’s speaking now,” confirmed my teacher. “Sir, I am not able to see Shastriji. I long to see him. Will you lift me up so that I can catch a glimpse of our leader?” I requested my teacher, who complied.

My eyes sparkled with infinite joy when they caught Shas­triji on the stage -- a fair-complexioned man of a diminutive stature with a khaddar cap on his head, standing so gently and speaking slowly and clearly in Hindi.

I listened with rapt attention to Shastriji and his interpreter. Throughout his speech, he praised the valour our soldiers who displayed great courage in the face of danger. He described vividly how an Andhra soldier named Raju fought courageous­ly and laid down his life for the nation. He eulogised the hero­ism and exemplary valour of Raju.

He ended the speech with the slogan “Jai jawan, jai kisan”, which reverberated through the crowd. On October 2, the birthday of Shastriji, the image of the leader at Rajamudry flashes in my mind and the slogan rings in my ears.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com