Feroze Gandhi, an Indian journalist and politician, is best known as the husband of Indira Gandhi, the first female prime minister of India. Born into a Parsi family in Bombay, he had a successful career as a member of the provincial parliament and Lok Sabha. Feroze Gandhi was also renowned for his contributions to journalism, having published the newspapers ‘The Navjivan’ and ‘The National Herald.’ Despite his untimely death at the age of 47, his legacy lives on through his two sons, Sanjay and Rajiv, who both made significant contributions to Indian politics.
Quick Facts
- Indian Celebrities Born In September Also Known As: Feroze Jehangir Gandhy
- Died At Age: 47
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Indira Gandhi (m. 1942)
- Father: Faredoon Jehangir Ghandy
- Mother: Ratimai Commissariat
- Siblings: Aloo Dastur, Dorab, Faridun Jehangir, Tehmina Kershashp
- Children: Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi
- Born Country: India
- Political Leaders
- Indian Men
- Died on: September 8, 1960
- Place of death: New Delhi
- Cause of Death: Heart Attack
- City: Mumbai, India
- More Facts
- Education: London School of Economics, Ewing Christian College
Feroze Gandhi’s Career
Feroze Gandhi joined the Indian independence movement in 1930. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, he changed his surname from “Ghandy” to “Gandhi”. During this time, he spent nineteen months in Faizabad jail and supported the agrarian no-rent campaign in the United Province. As a result, he was imprisoned twice.
After India gained independence, Gandhi became the managing director of the newspaper ‘The National Herald’. This was also the period when his father-in-law, Jawaharlal Nehru, became the prime minister of India. In 1952, Feroze Gandhi won independent India’s first general elections from Rae Bareli as a part of the provincial parliament.
Gandhi soon gained power of his own and began criticizing his father-in-law’s government in various ways. In December 1955, he exposed Ram Kishan Dalmia, the chairman of a bank, for his illegal ways of making money from publicly-held agencies for personal benefit. Two years later, he won the general elections again from the Rae Bareli constituency. In 1958, he raised the Haridas Mundhra scandal involving the Life Insurance Corporation. He also proposed nationalization drives and suggested the nationalization of companies like Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO), claiming that they were selling railway engines for nearly double the original price.
Family and Personal Life
Feroze Gandhi was born as Feroze Jehangir Ghandy on September 12, 1912, in Bombay, British India. His parents were Ratimai and Jehangir Faredoon Ghandy. He had two brothers, Faridun and Dorab, and two sisters, Aloo Dastur and Tehmina Kershashp.
After the death of his father, Feroze and his mother moved to Allahabad in the early 1920s. He attended Vidya Mandir High School and later Ewing Christian College.
In 1933, Feroze Gandhi proposed to Indira, the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala. However, the proposal was rejected as Indira was only 16 at the time. Over the years, Gandhi developed a close relationship with the Nehru family, especially with Kamala Nehru. He was by her deathbed in 1936. In March 1942, he married Indira according to Hindu rituals, despite her father’s disapproval.
During the Quit India Movement in August 1942, Feroze and Indira were arrested. They later led a comfortable domestic life and had two sons, Rajiv and Sanjay. However, their relationship suffered due to Feroze’s continuous criticism of Jawaharlal Nehru’s government.
Feroze Gandhi passed away in 1960 in Delhi after suffering a heart attack.