Gulzarilal Nanda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gulzarilal Nanda
Portrait of Nanda on a 1999 stamp of India
Prime Minister of India (acting)
In office 11 January 1966 – 24 January 1966
President	Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Vice President	Zakir Hussain
Preceded by	Lal Bahadur Shastri
Succeeded by	Indira Gandhi
In office 27 May 1964 – 9 June 1964
President	Sarvevalli Radhakrishnan
Vice President	Zakir Hussain
Preceded by	Jawaharlal Nehru
Succeeded by	Lal Bahadur Shastri
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 29 August 1963 – 14 November 1966
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru Lal Bahadur Shastri Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	Lal Bahadur Shastri
Succeeded by	Yashwantrao Chavan
Minister of External Affairs
In office 27 May 1964 – 7 June 1964
Prime Minister	Himself (Interim)
Preceded by	Jawaharlal Nehru
Succeeded by	Lal Bahadur Shastri
Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission
In office 17 February 1953 - 21 September 1963
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	V. T. Krishnamachari
2nd Leader of the House in Lok Sabha
In office 11 January 1966 - 24 January 1966
Preceded by	Jawaharlal Nehru
Succeeded by	Lal Bahadur Shastri
In office 27 May 1964- 9 June 1964
Preceded by	Lal Bahadur Shastri
Succeeded by	Satya Narayan Sinha
Personal details
Born	(1898-07-04)4 July 1898 Sialkot, Punjab Province, British India
Died	15 January 1998(1998-01-15) (aged 99) Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Lakshmi
Children	2 sons and 1 daughter
Alma mater	Allahabad University

Gulzarilal Nanda was an important Indian politician and economist. He was born on July 4, 1898, and passed away on January 15, 1998. He was known for his work on issues related to workers and jobs.

Nanda served as the acting Prime Minister of India two times. Each time, he held the position for 13 days. This happened after the deaths of Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. His terms ended when the ruling Indian National Congress party chose a new prime minister. In 1997, he received the Bharat Ratna, which is India's highest award for civilians.

Early Life and Education

Birth and Background

Gulzarilal Nanda was born in Sialkot, a city in the Punjab region of British India. This area later became part of Pakistan in 1947. He came from a Punjabi Hindu family.

Nanda studied in several cities, including Lahore, Amritsar, Agra, and Allahabad. In 1921, he met Mahatma Gandhi and, at Gandhi's request, settled in Gujarat.

Work and Activism

From 1920 to 1921, Nanda worked as a researcher at Allahabad University. He studied problems faced by workers. In 1921, he became an economics professor at National College in Bombay.

That same year, he joined the Non-Cooperation Movement. This movement was a peaceful protest against British rule in India. In 1922, he became the secretary of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association. He worked there until 1946. He was put in jail twice for his peaceful protests (called Satyagraha), first in 1932 and again from 1942 to 1944.

Nanda was recognized as a "Proud Past Alumni" by the Allahabad University Alumni Association. He was married to Lakshmi, and they had two sons and one daughter.

Political Career

Serving in Lok Sabha

Gulzarilal Nanda was elected to the Lok Sabha (India's lower house of Parliament) in 1957. He was appointed as the Union Minister for Labour, Employment, and Planning. Later, he became the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. In 1959, he visited countries like Germany, Yugoslavia, and Austria.

He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1962 from the Sabarkantha area in Gujarat. In 1962, he started the Congress Forum for Socialist Action. He served as the Union Minister for Labour and Employment from 1962 to 1963. From 1963 to 1966, he was the Minister for Home Affairs.

Nanda was re-elected to the Lok Sabha again in 1967 and 1971 from the Kaithal (Lok Sabha Constituency) in Haryana. He was a man of strong principles. In 1971, he resigned from the Congress party because he did not agree with the politics of that time.

Interim Prime Minister of India

Nanda served as the Interim Prime Minister of India twice. Each time, he held the position for thirteen days. The first time was in 1964, after the death of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The second time was in 1966, after the death of the second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.

During both these periods, Nanda was the Home Minister of India. This is why he was chosen to be the acting Prime Minister. The Indian Constitution does not have a specific role called "Acting Prime Minister." His time as Prime Minister was short and peaceful. However, these were important times for India. Nehru's death came after a war with China in 1962. Shastri's death happened after a war with Pakistan in 1965.

Nanda passed away on January 15, 1998, at the age of 99. For a short time before his death, he was the oldest living former head of a country. He was also the last surviving member of the second and third cabinets of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was the last living state leader born in the 1800s.

A Simple Life

Gulzarilal Nanda lived a very simple life. When he died, he did not own any personal property. He made sure that politics did not affect his family life. He always made time for his family. For example, he once used his government-provided driver for a car that his family used, but he never allowed his family to use his official government vehicle.

He once became upset with his staff when he found out his grandson, Tejas, had used office paper to draw a picture. Nanda immediately bought paper from the market for his grandson to draw on.

He was also worried about increasing corruption in India. He suggested that officials and people should reduce wasteful spending. He also spoke out against Indira Gandhi's Emergency rule. He felt it made the sacrifices made for India's democracy meaningless.