Former PM Shastri's house converted into a memorial

A house where former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri moved into in 1952 as railway minister and lived in for the rest of his life has been converted into a memorial.

Put together by National Museum official A.K. Das, the house in Motilal Nehru Place includes furniture, photographs and other belongings of the late Prime Minister.

"The family moved into these premises in 1952 when Shastri became the railway minister. However they vacated the premises after his death. But in 1968, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi allotted the house to Lalita Shastri, the wife of Lal Bahadur Shastri, and she lived there till her death in 1993," said Das.

Later, several Members of Parliament wrote to the government to construct a memorial at the house.

The museum managed by the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Trust has a section for Shastri's personal memorabilia. His pen, shaving kit, scissors, torch, cap, trousers, shoes and the overcoat that he wore in Tashkent hold a proud place in the museum.

Other memorabilia include several mementos and more than a dozen portraits of the Prime Minister presented to him by people from various sections of the society.

Lending a glimpse into the simple life that Shastri led, a part of the house, including his bedroom, which opened into a backyard porch, an office consisting of very basic furniture and a radio, and lawns where he used to take a stroll, have been reconstructed and given an original look with the help of photographs.

"Furniture, photographs and other personal belongings have been arranged as they were on January 11, 1966, the night when he died in Tashkent hours after signing a peace agreement with Pakistan," Das said.

The ceiling fans, bookshelves, room heater, bed, dining table, armchairs, photographs and paintings are all intact.

The 1964 model Fiat car DLE 6 that he bought on loan is parked in the garage. The vehicle best proves Shastri's values and integrity. He was the Prime Minister when he purchased the car.

"It cost Rs12,000 [Dh1,000] and he took a Rs5,000 loan to buy it," said Anil Shastri, one of the trustees of the museum and son of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

"My two brothers and I used to go to school in a tonga [horse cart]. But when our father became prime minister we felt embarrassed to travel in a tonga and requested him to buy a car. For our happiness and probably with a thought that it was needed he bought a car," he added.