Feroze Gandhi: Age, Biography, and Wiki
- Born: September 12, 1912
- Died: September 8, 1960
- Feroze Gandhi was a key figure in India's struggle for independence and later became a notable politician and journalist. He was the husband of Indira Gandhi and father of Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.
| Occupation | Prime Ministers |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 12 September 1912 |
| Age | 112 Years |
| Birth Place | Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Country | India |
| Date of death | 8 September, 1960 |
| Died Place | New Delhi, India |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: Not publicly documented
- Weight: Not publicly documented
- These physical attributes are not well-documented in public sources.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
- Marriage: Feroze Gandhi married Indira Nehru, the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1942. Their marriage was marked by both personal and political challenges, and they eventually drifted apart.
Feroze Jehangir Gandhi (12 September 1912 – 8 September 1960) was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and journalist. He served as a member of the provincial parliament between 1950 and 1952, and later a member of the Lok Sabha, the Lower house of Indian parliament. He published The National Herald and The Navjivan newspapers. His wife, Indira Gandhi (daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India), and their elder son Rajiv Gandhi were both prime ministers of India. He was a member of Indian National Congress.
Feroze was the youngest of the five children with two brothers Dorab and Faridun Jehangir, and two sisters, Tehmina Kershasp and Aloo Dastur. The family had migrated to Bombay from Bharuch (now in South Gujarat) where their ancestral home, which belonged to his grandfather, still exists in Kotpariwad. In the early 1920s, after the death of his father, Feroze and his mother moved to Allahabad to live with his unmarried maternal aunt, Shirin Commissariat, a surgeon at the city's Lady Dufferin Hospital.
Feroze first proposed to Indira in 1933, but she and her mother rejected it, as she was still sixteen. Feroze grew close to the Nehru family, especially to Indira's mother Kamala Nehru, accompanying her to the TB sanatorium at Bhowali in 1934, helping arrange her trip to Europe when her condition worsened in April 1935, and visiting her at the sanatorium at Badenweiler and finally at Lausanne, where he was at her bedside when she died on 28 February 1936. In the following years in England, Indira and Feroze grew closer. They married in March 1942 according to Adi Dharam Hindu rituals.
After independence, Jawaharlal became the first Prime Minister of India. Feroze and Indira settled in Allahabad with their two young children, and Feroze became managing director of The National Herald, a newspaper founded by his father-in-law, Jawaharlal Nehru.
After being a member of the provincial parliament (1950–1952), Feroze won a seat in independent India's first general elections in 1952, for the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Indira travelled from Delhi and worked as his campaign organizer. Feroze soon became a prominent force in his own right, criticizing the government of his father-in-law and beginning a fight against corruption.
Feroze suffered a heart attack in 1958. Indira, who stayed with her father at Teen Murti House, the official residence of the prime minister, was at that time away on a state visit to Bhutan. She returned to look after him in Kashmir. Feroze died in 1960 at the Willingdon Hospital in Delhi, after suffering a second heart attack. He was cremated and his ashes interred at the Parsi cemetery in Allahabad.
His Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency seat was held by his wife, Indira Gandhi from 1967 to 1976 and his future daughter-in-law, and wife of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Indira Gandhi (m. 26 March 1942) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
- Feroze Gandhi's net worth is not publicly disclosed. His contributions to Indian politics and journalism are valued more for their societal impact than any financial legacy. As a politician and member of a prominent family, his focus was on public service rather than accumulating wealth.
Career, Business, and Investments
- Politics: Feroze Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1952 and 1957 from Rae Bareli. He was known for his fearless approach to politics, often challenging his own party when he disagreed with its policies.
- Journalism: He started his career as a journalist, writing for newspapers like The Bombay Chronicle. His work in journalism reflected his strong beliefs in freedom and democracy.
- Investigative Work: Feroze Gandhi exposed several scandals, including the Mundhra scandal, which led to the resignation of the Finance Minister T.T. Krishnamachari.
In the years after independence, many Indian business houses had become close to the political leaders, and some of them resulted in various financial irregularities. In a case exposed by Feroze in December 1955, he revealed how Ram Kishan Dalmia, as chairman of a bank and an insurance company, used these companies to fund his takeover of Bennett and Coleman and started laundering money from publicly held companies for personal benefit.
In 1957, he was re-elected from Rae Bareli. In the parliament in 1958, he raised the Haridas Mundhra scandal involving the government controlled Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). This revelation eventually led to the resignation of the Finance Minister T. T. Krishnamachari.
Feroze also initiated a number of nationalization drives, starting with LIC. At one point he also suggested that TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) be nationalized since they were charging nearly double the price of a Japanese railway engine. This raised a stir in the Parsi community since the Tatas were Parsi. He continued challenging the government on a number of other issues, and emerged as a parliamentarian well-respected on both sides of the bench.
Social Network
- Feroze Gandhi's social network was primarily composed of political figures and journalists. His connection with Jawaharlal Nehru and later his marriage to Indira Gandhi placed him at the center of Indian politics.
Education
- Early Life and Education: Feroze Gandhi was educated in India and later moved to England for further studies. However, detailed information about his educational institutions is not widely available.
Feroze Gandhi's legacy extends far beyond financial wealth. His contributions to Indian politics, journalism, and the fight for freedom have left an indelible mark on the country's history. His efforts to expose corruption and advocate for press freedom continue to inspire future generations of politicians and journalists.
Feroze attended the Vidya Mandir High School, and then the British-staffed Ewing Christian College, Prayagraj. Later, in 1935, he went to London to complete his education at the London School of Economics and obtained a B.Sc. degree.
Feroze Jehangir Gandhi, originally named Feroze Jehangir Ghandy, left his studies at a British-run college to join the freedom movement. Then he became closely involved with the Nehru family, spending significant time at Anand Bhawan, their residence and a key hub for political activity. During this period, he adopted the surname Gandhi as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, altering it from its original form, Ghandy.
In 1930, the wing of Congress Freedom fighters, the Vanar Sena was formed. Feroze met Kamala Nehru and Indira among the women demonstrators picketing outside Ewing Christian College. Kamala fainted from the sun's heat and Feroze went to look after her. The next day, he abandoned his studies to join the Indian independence movement.
A school of higher education that he helped found was named after him in Rae Bareli. NTPC Limited renamed their Unchahar Thermal Power Station in Uttar Pradesh to Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Plant.
