India, Oct. 11 -- While the 1965 war defined Shastri's leadership through a security lens, food security defined his domestic vision.

Often, history and public discourse measure political leaders by their tenure or the time they spend in a particular office. Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's place in India's political memory challenges that predisposition. He was Prime Minister for merely 19 months, yet those months were marked by decisions that shaped India's understanding of security, self-reliance, and public responsibility. Inheriting a country facing uncertainty on all fronts, he navigated a crucial and challenging period in India's journey. And by the time he left office, Shastri had strengthened India's confidence in its...