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Families are complicated. Seldom does one come across instances when one's family members take the unconventional route and challenge the carefully crafted image of the dynasty. Feroze Gandhi became one of the most prominent parliamentarians who will always be remembered for hitting the parliamentary proceeding with the hard facts when there was no virtual opposition.
Born on 12th September 1912
Born in a Parsi family to Jehangir Faredoon Ghandy and Ratimai, Feroze Jehangir Ghandy was born on 12th September 1912. He had 5 siblings, and he was the youngest of them all. After his father's death, Feroze's family moved to Allahabad. He graduated from Ewing Christian College.
He met Kamala Nehru and Indira Gandhi in 1930 when a group of Congress Freedom fighters- the Vanar Sena, were demonstrating outside the Ewing Christian College. When Kamala Nehru fainted during the picketing, Feroze rushed to her aid. The next day, he abandoned his studies and joined the Indian freedom struggle.
Around this time, Feroze became so inspired by Mahatma Gandhi that he changed his surname to "Gandhi" from "Ghandy".
Once he got involved in the Indian Freedom struggle, he did not stop. He was imprisoned for 19 months, and soon after his release, he got involved with the Agrarian no-rent movement in U.P. He worked closely with Nehru, and even looked after Kamala Nehru. He accompanied her to Lausanne in Switzerland when she was recuperating from tuberculosis.
Feroze married Indira in March 1942 despite the stiff opposition they faced from Jawaharlal Nehru. Both Feroze and Indira were imprisoned during the Quit India Movement.
In 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of an Independent India, and Feroze became the Managing Director of The National Herald.
After successfully winning the 1952 Elections from the Rae Bareilly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, he went on to challenge the government by making observant remarks. Since he had worked in the media, he understood the relevance of the press and the importance of its autonomy.
To bring more clarity to the parliamentary proceedings and make them accessible to people, he reasoned that the media should be allowed to cover the proceedings effectively. He introduced a bill that came to be known as the Parliamentary Proceedings (Protection of Publication) Act 1956.
Feroze Gandhi was perhaps one of the most unpopular political figures at that time because he made the exception of criticizing his government (very vital for democracy). He would often take up troubling issues and successfully played the role of opposition that was virtually missing back then.
The government faced a tough time during the parliamentary session on 16 December 1957, when Feroze Gandhi brought up the LIC scandal. Even though he belonged to the Congress Party, and his father law was the head of that party, and they were in power, he had no hesitations when it came to asking tough questions.
Feroze Gandhi was a charismatic, fearless, and determined man who stood up for the people of this nation. He was an advocate of freedom and transparency and was respected by parliamentarians from both sides. He died due to a heart attack in 1960, and his ashes were interred at the Parsi cemetery in Allahabad.
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