Feroze Gandhi Death Anniversary: life history, career, and interesting lesser-known facts about the leader

Here are some interesting lesser-known facts about Feroze Gandhi on his death anniversary.

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New Delhi: Feroze Gandhi, born in Mumbai on 12 September 1912m, was the husband of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the father of Rajeev and Sanjay Gandhi. He was a freedom fighter, politician and journalist. After getting into the field of journalism, he understood the freedom of the press.

He was a backbencher who would prefer listening to talking, but when he spoke he made relevant observations. After six months of their marriage, Feroze Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned for a year in Allahabad`s Naini Central prison for his active participation in the Quit India movement. On his release, he became the editor of a newspaper.

Here is the life history, career, and interesting lesser-known facts, about Feroze Gandhi :

Life history- According to the available facts related to his life, Feroze Jahangir Gandhi was born on Sept 12, 1912. His father was Jehangir Faredoon Ghandy, who lived in Nauroji Natakwala Bhawan in Khetwadi Mohalla in Bombay, he was a marine engineer who was later promoted to a warrant engineer.

Feroze was the youngest of five children with two brothers and two sisters. After his father's death, Feroze and his mother moved to Allahabad, where he attended the Vidya Mandir High School and then graduated from the British-staffed Ewing Christian College. In 1935, he went to England to complete his education at the London School of Economics and obtained a BSc degree.

In 1933, Feroze had proposed to Indira, but she and her mother declined, claiming that she was too young—only 16—to accept. He became close with the Nehru family, particularly with Kamala Nehru, the mother of Indira. While in England, Indira and Feroze became more familiar with one another.

They wed in March 1942 in accordance with Hindu customs. Less than six months after getting married, the couple was arrested and imprisoned during the Quit India movement in August 1942. 

Career- Feroze Gandhi had won the first general elections of independent India in 1952 and was an MP in the House. He became the Managing Director of The National Herald, a daily paper, established by his father-in-law there he served as a publisher of The Navjivan, a daily newspaper from Lucknow.

Feroze became a member of the provincial legislative assembly (1950-1952), and later a member of the Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Parliament, where he continued to challenge the government on a number of issues, and emerged as a parliamentarian well-respected on both sides of the bench. He kept testing the administration on different issues. 

Lesser-Known facts about Feroze Gandhi-

1. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and changed his surname spelling from "Gandhy" to "Gandhi" after joining the freedom struggle.
2. He was imprisoned for 19 months with Lal Bahadur Shastri. 
3. Feroze Gandhi initiated the Private Member's Bill for the protection of Freedom of the Press. 
4. Feroze won independent India's first Election in 1952 from the Rae Bareli constituency in UP.
5. Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was against his daughter Indira marrying Feroze Gandhi.
6. Feroze also initiated a number of nationalization drives, starting with the Life Insurance Corporation.
7. His wife Indira Nehru and elder son Rajiv were Prime Ministers of India.
8. Mahatma Gandhi adopted Feroze Khan and gave him his last name (family name/caste name) and the name of Feroze Khan was changed to Feroz Gandhi.
9. Feroze Gandhi died at the age of 47 on Sept 8, 1960, at the Willingdon Hospital after suffering a second heart attack. 
10. In 1957, Feroze was re-elected from Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency.