In our Unit 8 readings about empire, (and the end of an era of imperialism and colonialism) we learned a little about British India and the independence of India. Nehru was the first prime minister of India and the longest-serving one. Having 14 prime ministers in 62 years means an average term has been over 4 years, but some prime ministers have served longer and others much shorter terms. Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, and Nehru's grandson, Rajiv Gandhi, were also prime ministers. Both were killed on-the-job. Aside from these members of the Nehru-Gandhi family (no relation to Mohandas Gandhi), other long-serving prime ministers were Rao, Vajpayee, and Singh. The heir to the Nehru political dynasty, Rajiv Gandhi's widow, Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, has remained behind-the-scenes as the National Congress Party leader and has not sought to become prime minister herself. Nehru's speech alludes to the conflicts arising from the partition of India. Relations with Pakistan are often tense, and war has broken out many times. India's takeover of Goa from the Portuguese in 1961 and the Indo-China War in 1962 were two events that show how different Nehru was from independence leader Gandhi.
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