Remembering Indira Gandhi on her 28th death anniversary today.
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi better known as Indira Gandhi (19th Nov 1917 – 31st Oct 1984) was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth term (1980–84). Indira Gandhi was the second female head of government in the world after Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, and she remains as the world’s second longest serving female Prime Minister as of 2012. She was the first woman to become prime minister of the world’s largest democracy, India.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum is set up in the same bungalow which once served as her residence. It was in this house where she was assassinated by her own bodyguards on 31st October 1984. The house was converted into a museum after her assassination. The Bungalow No.1 is situated on Safdarjung Road, in which Mrs. Indira Gandhi lived as Prime Minister, has been converted into a memorial.
Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum preserves her personal belongings very well, and in such a manner, that they are rendered alive by merely their presentation. The museum conserves belongings of Indira Gandhi, including the sari she was wearing when she was assassinated. There is a collection of photographs, which record the Nationalist movement and the Nehru-Gandhi family.
The museum also contains burnt clothes of Indira Gandhi’s son Rajeev Gandhi, which he was wearing at the time of his assassination. He was also one of the former Prime Ministers of India. One can also see some of the rare photographs clicked by him, depicting the happy times of his life.
A modest bungalow, it is furnished simply and displays photographs which narrate Indira Gandhi’s life from childhood days with the Mahatma to later off-duty relaxation with her grandchildren Rahul, Priyanka and Varun. It is surrounded by a charming garden where you can hear Mrs Gandhi’s speeches from megaphones hidden in the bushes. It was in this garden that she was assassinated.
The spot where Indira Gandhi was assassinated is enclosed in a glass frame. One can still see the dried blood spots. The museum is very popular among the tourists especially the domestic visitors who in a way pay tribute to the leaders who sacrificed their life for their country. Here one can find the visitors watching the newspaper cuttings and photographs of Indira Gandhi displayed in the museum. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum remains closed on Mondays.
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