Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti

Today is October 2, and everyone is talking about Mahatma Gandhi. 

There is one more legend, born on this day, Lal Bahadur Shastri - 

India's third prime minister from 1964 to 1966 

Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri left a rich legacy of integrity, honesty, and humility worth emulating.

The people of India remember him for his iconic slogan - 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ that he coined to motivate India's farmers and soldiers when India was at war with Pakistan in 1965. 

Shastri lived a simple and minimalistic life. He and his family also joined the people of India in skipping a meal for weeks in response to the US's threat to cut supplies of wheat during the Indo-Pak war. 

Here are some of the top quotes by Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri.

"Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" (Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer).

"The preservation of freedom is not the task of soldiers alone. 

  The whole nation has to be strong."

"We believe in peace and peaceful development, not only for ourselves but for people all over the world."

"Discipline and united action are the real sources of strength for the nation."

"True democracy or the swaraj of the masses can never come through untruthful and violent means."

"The loyalty to the country comes ahead of all other loyalties. 

And this is an absolute loyalty since one cannot weigh it in terms of what one receives."

"We can win respect in the world only if we are strong internally and can banish poverty and unemployment from our country."

"The basic idea of governance, as I see it, is to hold the society together so that it can develop and march towards certain goals."

"It is most regrettable that nuclear energy is being harnessed for destructive purposes."

"We must fight for peace bravely as we fought in war."

"If I were a dictator, religion and state would be separate. I would banish religion from the political domain."

"We should stress more on the spread of education."

"We must regard agriculture as a matter of national importance."

"The strength of a nation lies in the strength of its economy."

"The rule of law should be respected so that the basic structure of our democracy is maintained."

"I am not ready to be enslaved by any power, and that is the message I want to convey."

"We must get over the hangover of the feudal mentality."

"To develop India is a collective task, not an individual effort."

"Without unity, there is no progress."

"Unity of the nation is the first requirement."

"Self-reliance is the key to true freedom."

"We must work hard and become self-reliant. 

We must build our strength from within."

"A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of the society."

"Peace and development must be the overriding principle of our relations with each other."

"Simplicity is a true form of greatness."

"In the fight for freedom, truth must always prevail."

"We should not lose faith in ourselves."

"The success of democracy depends on the disciplined conduct of its citizens."

"Strength does not come from physical capacity; it comes from an indomitable will."

"To achieve victory, unity and discipline are essential."

                                  (Quotes and Information taken from the Web)