New Delhi, September 12 (IANS) The year was 1930… when the freedom movement was gaining momentum in the country, another story was being written at that time. This story was about the love of two people. On one end of the thread of love was Feroze Gandhi and on the other end was Indira Gandhi, who belonged to the most powerful political family of the country.
Indira was just 16 years old when Feroze proposed marriage to her. But Indira and her mother rejected it saying that she was too young. However, later their love reached the stage of marriage, but this marriage was against the wishes of Indira’s father Jawaharlal Nehru. Today we will tell you about Indira Gandhi’s husband Feroze Gandhi, who not only played an important role in the country’s freedom struggle but his love story was also very famous.
Freedom fighter, politician and journalist Feroze Jahangir Gandhi, born on 12 September 1912, belonged to a Parsi family. He lost his father in the early 1920s. After this, he came to Allahabad with his mother. By the year 1930, Feroze met Kamala Nehru and Indira among the protesters sitting outside Ewing Christian College. During this time, closeness grew between him and Indira Gandhi. Bertil Falk’s book “Feroze the Forgotten Gandhi” mentions the untouched aspects of the love story.
It is said that the two met several times. But, Feroze first proposed marriage to Indira in 1933. Initially, Indira and her mother rejected his proposal. But Feroze became close to the Nehru family, especially Indira’s mother Kamala Nehru. During this time, Indira and Feroze grew closer to each other while living in England. Their love reached the stage of seven rounds and Indira married Feroze in 1942 against the wishes of her father Jawaharlal Nehru. It is said that after the marriage of Feroze and Indira, Mahatma Gandhi himself gave her his surname.
During the Quit India Movement, Indira and Feroze went to jail together. However, there were differences between the two during their marriage. But, in the meantime, their two sons Rajiv and Sanjay were born. After the independence of the country, Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India and in the first general election held in 1952, Feroze represented the Rae Bareli constituency. Feroze criticized his father-in-law’s government and also launched a campaign against corruption.
In 1957, he was re-elected from Rae Bareli. In 1958, he raised the issue of Haridas Mundhra scam in Parliament. This revelation led to the resignation of the then Finance Minister TT Krishnamachari. In 1958, Feroze suffered a heart attack. On 8 September 1960, Feroze died at Wellington Hospital in Delhi, just four days before his 48th birthday. Later, his ashes were buried in the Parsi cemetery in Allahabad.
–IANS
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