Sunday, January 13, 2008

A beautiful politician

This tribune article by AJ Philip is worth sharing with others.

He writes about TARKESHWARI SINHA who was elected as MP at the age of 26 years. She was named “Baby of the House” and “Glamour Girl of Indian Politics” by media.

She was from Nalanda and quite active in politics till 1969. She had been a Union Miinister twice.

It is sad that no one in media wrote about her death.

Mr Philip is right when he writes this:
It is a pity that when this stormy petrel of Indian politics died after a prolonged illness in New Delhi last week, few newspapers cared even to report her death.

Since, tribune does not link to story directly, I am copying whole article here....

A beautiful politician
by A.J. Philip

Tarkeshwari Sinha
Tarkeshwari Sinha

TARKESHWARI SINHA stepped out of college to step into the portals of Parliament House where for 19 years she spread radiance of a kind the august institution had seldom been accustomed to. Hardly 26 when she was sworn in as a member of the first Lok Sabha in 1952, the two sobriquets she earned instantaneously and which stuck to her indelibly were “Baby of the House” and “Glamour Girl of Indian Politics”.

Her face might not have “launched a thousand ships” like Helen of Troy but it certainly turned fellow members’ heads every time she strode into the House or stood up to make an intervention. When girls of her age were reading Mills and Boons by the dozen, she plunged into the 1942 movement as a student of Bankipore Girls College, renamed Magadh Mahila College in Patna.

Her family thought her honeymoon with politics was over when she tied the nuptial knot with the scion of an aristocratic zamindar family of Chapra, whose tenant was once the first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. Married life in Kolkata did not keep her off from politics for long.

The INA trial in Delhi rekindled her passion for politics and soon she found herself elected President of the Bihar Students Congress, which broke away from the All India Students Federation. She was among those who received Mahatma Gandhi when he arrived at Nagar Nausa in Nalanda district to quell the anti-Muslim riots in the aftermath of Partition. The Mahatma also had a taste of the people’s fury when he was “manhandled” there.

Within a few months, Tarkeshwari was at the London School of Economics doing her M.Sc in economics. “Harold Laski had just left LSE when I joined there”, she had told me in an interview. However, she had to cut short her research on Indian taxation and return to India when her father died.

By then India had become a Republic and the first general elections had been ordered. She won from Barh defeating veteran freedom fighter Sheel Bhadra Yajee. The “Beauty Queen” took such an active part in the debates in the Lok Sabha that Jawaharlal Nehru immediately noticed her debating skills.

However, it was only in 1958 that Nehru chose her for a ministerial assignment. She became deputy to Finance Minister Morarji Desai. They became so close that tongues began to wag. And, when the Congress split in 1969, she sided with Morarji Desai and it marked the end of her political career.

Indira Gandhi disliked her so much that when greenhorn Dharambir Sinha defeated her in 1971, she rewarded him with information and broadcasting portfolio. Tarkeshwari returned to the Congress and contested on its ticket in 1977 when every Congress candidate in Bihar was routed.

Eventually, she quit politics and took up social work. It was in that capacity that she once came to invite me to Tulsigarh, her native village in Nalanda district.

Tarkeshwari wanted to show me a hospital she had set up in memory of her brother Capt Girish Nandan Singh, an Air India pilot who died in an air crash in New Delhi. During the journey to Tulsigarh, she told me how she had raised nearly Rs 25 lakh, a big sum those days, to construct the two-storeyed hospital where treatment was almost free.

She also prided herself in taking the initiative to construct a road to link the village with Chandi and Harnaut in Nalanda. During the return journey, I summoned up courage to ask her about her insinuated closeness to Morarji Desai.

“We became Central ministers on the same day. He trusted me and I trusted him. When Lal Bahadur Shastri died, I felt that he should have been elected Prime Minister. There was nothing more to our relationship”, she replied in a matter of fact manner.

Caste also cemented their relationship. Bhumihars of Bihar, of whom she was one, trace their ancestry to Lord Parasuram. They believe that Morarji Desai, too, was a Bhumihar.

It is a pity that when this stormy petrel of Indian politics died after a prolonged illness in New Delhi last week, few newspapers cared even to report her death.

12 comments:

Pradip kumar said...

Being from the same land of glorious history it was very touching story and as well as very pathetic for us i appreciate you your effort to carry out such legendery people from our land keep it up god bless you
with best compliment
pradip kumar
Amsari, Buxar
Bihar

Anonymous said...

I was really touched to read the article...this article has a special importance for me because i had personally met tarkeshwari nani at her delhi residence....my grandparents were very close to her and so even i used to call her nani...her death went unnoticed by the media which shows how materialistic they have become....they never fail to show or mention abt corruption,rape or murder;nor do they ever fail to flatter the ministers and politicians...but when it came to giving a tribute to this gr8 freedom fighter,a great politician,a community leader such as her....the media failed miserably...india has lost one of the most capale leaders perhaps...a loss immeasurable indeed...
at last i would like to say that i m really pleased to c that ppl like you even after going abroad dont forget their roots and keep the states spirit alive...looking forward to more of your article...
harshita

sudhir kumar said...

I AM TOO SURPRISED WITH HAPPINESS THAT SHE WAS BELONGS TO MY DISTRICT ! OH WHAT A DEBATER SHE WAS . AFTER A LONG TIME I KNOW ABOUT HIM ! WOULD
YOU WRITE ABOUT HER CHILDREN .

SATYENDRA

NALANDA

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post..a wonderful person I have very fond memories of her..she was my neighbour at 14 Rajendra prasad road we lived together..as neighbours..as my family too was from Bihar and had political background do you have any information about her children..as they were my childhood friends..n

pranay said...

she was my grandmother's sister in law (nanad).

Devki Nandan Gupta said...

Yes, no doubt she was not only beautiful but also elegant lady. I am reminded of hilarious comments by none other than Late Shri Pilloo Mody. It goes something like this.

"I was invited by Tarkeshwari for tea. She inquired if I take one spoonful or two of sugar in my cup. I told her that her mere putting a finger in the cup would do"

Devki Nandaan Gupta
Delhi

saucy said...

Great write up. Since Mrs Indira Gandhi did not like her, how and why her death should have been covered by press. No surprise.

help said...

https://www.facebook.com/tarakeshwarisinha/
I am her younger doughter in law, can contact me for more information about her and children. Thanks a lot for remembering her. We as her children really really feel great and proud of her ������

funjokes said...

I am shekhar sharma i proud her, she was a bold personality women. her nanihaal is in my village bali belchi, thana chandi post bali belchi, this village is also born an MLA Ex DHANRAJ SHARMA elected from chandi vidhan sabha in 1952, and MANORAMA DEVI elected from pali VIDHAN SHABHA in 1952.MY VILLAGE PROUD OF THEM.
I PROUD OF HER ACHIEVEMENT AS A FIRST LADY FINANCE MINISTER OF INDIA AND FIRST LADY MP OF INDIA.

THANKS A LOT FOR REMENBRING HER.

K Singh said...

really would like to know where her son Udyaan is

help said...

Mrs. Tarakeshwari Sinha

Sima Sinha said...

Washington DC