Lal Bahadur Shastri is fondly remembered for his integrity, simplicity and grit. His son Anil Shastri has fond memories of his father and explains the relevance of Shastriji's vision of education in modern times to Ankita Saxena
Despite his short tenure of 19 months as India's second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri's towering personality is firmly etched in the memory of the nation even after half a decade of his untimely demise. He earned the nation's respect with his tough decisions taken during the Indo-Pak war in 1965. His teachings and ideas about higher education are being carried forward by his son and the former Union Minister Anil Shastri, who is the Chairman of Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi. Excerpts:
Please share some of your memories about your father. How was he like?
Shastriji was affectionately called ‘nanhe’ when he was young. I remember a story about him when he was once canned by his teacher for not bringing an english reader to class. Sharp in studies, he had copied the textbook after borrowing it from a friend since he could not afford it. Shastriji’s education was financially supported by one of his mentors, Nishkameshwar Prasad Mishra. A man of principles, Shastriji did not accept this help for free and as compensation, tutored Mishraji’s children. He enrolled in Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi and graduated with a degree in philosophy and ethics. He was an eminent scholar and could speak, read and write in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Persian and Urdu. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, he joined the freedom struggle movement. Though he went through a lot of difficulties and was jailed on several occasions, he never spoke to us about his hardships and never complained. He believed that the past has already taught its lessons and there is no point brooding over it.
He taught us to be honest and morally responsible for our actions. Lala Lajpat Rai, a prominent leader of the Congress party had formed the Servants of the People Society, which provided financial aid to the poor freedom fighters. Shastriji used to get Rs 50 as a monthly allowance. Once he asked my mother if she was receiving the money on time, to which my mother responded in the affirmative and added that she was able to manage the household expenses within Rs 40. Shahstriji wrote to the society asking them to reduce his allowance to Rs 40 and give the balance to some other needy person. This allowance was a charity and not earned by him and thus he never kept the money with him. These incidences have defined his character and many have learnt from him over the years.
What aspects of your father inspire you the most?
Of the many things about Shastriji, there are three prominent characteristics that have inspired me and I believe that the youth today can learn from him. His simplicity was an important part of his personality. He was never attracted to the worldly items and materialistic things and remained a common man, rooted to the ground. When he became the Prime Minister, he continued to wear his simple clothes and would walk to his office rather than use cars. After he joined the office as the PM, he got a good house to live in and I asked him to get the bedroom carpeted. He refused to the request and retorted, saying, “I am a Prime Minister of a country where many don't even have a roof over their heads.”
His integrity and honesty is remembered by many. He bought a car for the family by taking a loan of Rs 5000 from the Punjab National Bank, which was later repaid by my mother from her pension after his demise. Despite his short stature, Shastriji was a man of determination and grit. He felt no inferiority and dealt with complex issues with a firm hand. It is important for a good leader to have a high-risk taking ability and Shastriji took tough decisions during his role in the Indo-Pak war which has earned him respect over the years.
What were Shastriji's ideas on education and how has the spectrum changed today?
Shastriji’s concept of education was very clear. He felt that every student must have the basic knowledge of science and laid emphasis on the importance of higher education. This can be related to today’s need of modern technology. He also felt that parents should only guide their children towards possible professional pursuits and not force their line of thought on them. He also advocated that since jobs were limited in proportion to the population of the country, it is important that students are trained in accordance with employability. Shastriji also emphasised that the government should not be the only responsible party to impart education. He encouraged the private players in education to reach a larger number of young people and reduce the burden on the government education institutes. He gave the example of the Harvard University which though was a private player, but ranked the best in the world. It is unfortunate that today education has become a commercial arm. My appeal to all such institutes is that education is a philanthropic work and institutions should restrict themselves to promoting higher education. A suggestion to the government is to make a percent of the income of the institute taxable and allow the stakeholders to share the dividend.
How is the Lal bahadur Shastri Institute of Management in Delhi different from the rest?
We have not deviated from the practices of Shastriji. We are grounded in ethics and do not compromise on the teaching or the quality of courses. We have surrendered management quota since we do not believe in making money from education. Today, many institutes are siphoning off money from government grants, earning money through admissions which I believe is against the philanthropic nature of educational institutes. I feel that the money received by the institute should be ploughed back into the betterment of its facilities. In terms of quality, every faculty needs to be a Ph.D to teach at the Delhi institute. We are always updated with the latest trends in the corporate world and revise the syllabus every year to accommodate new learning modules in accordance with the needs of the industry. We also introduce new courses as per the requirement of the market. The institute emphasises on imparting entrepreneurial skills. Students who do not want to relocate to cities according to jobs or have family business are trained to set up their own ventures. Apart from the management education, we run the Lal Bahadur Shastri Polytechnic institute in Manda, a small village in Allahabad. This is a very different concept and not a ‘me too’ product as it aims to offer higher education in the remotest area. We have made sure that the students are provided with state-of-the-art infrastructure and modern facilities.
There is an increasing sense of cynicism in the country and instances of intolerance have lately turned violent. How do you respond to that?
Violent activities are on the rise all across the world and it is important to understand that regional aspirations are increasing globally. Our history is testimony to the fact that despite many invasions, India has retained its identity. This is because we have been a civilised society for centuries. We had structured living, governance, currency, defense protocols in various forms and thus have retained our essence. However, the governing bodies over the years have not been sensitive or have failed to comprehend the regional aspirations of the people. The cynicism is a knee-jerk reaction now. Political parties unfortunately tried to understand the people of this country while sitting in AC rooms through feedback from specialists and data collected from remote assets. This had led to a disconnect between the government and the people whereas earlier times the leaders were born from the grassroots and they understood the pulse of the nation. The leaders have to empathise with the difficulties of the people to gauge the gravity of the situation
What is your idea of nationalism? How do you think it can be promoted?
It is important to note that the increasing regional aspirations are not clashing with the integrity of India as a nation. Different regions may demand separate states, but they are proud to be Indian. Nationalism has to be understood in the right perspective. It is a concept where one is dedicated and devoted to the cause of the nation. Small, day-to-day activities like dirtying the roads or surroundings are against the well-being of the country. I believe that someone who is singing the national anthem and unfurling the national flag, but is also siphoning off money, is not a nationalist. I feel nationalism is practiced everyday.