May 21 is the death anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Born on 20 August 1944, Rajiv served as the seventh Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. Rajiv Gandhi was the last member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to hold the post of Prime Minister of India. He was assassinated on 21 May 1991, in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur where he had arrived to campaign for the parliamentary candidate of the Congress party. On his 30th death anniversary, let's take a look at some interesting facts related to his life and political journey:
1. He was christened as Rajiv to pay homage to his maternal grandfather Kamala Nehru. The word 'Kamala' refers to goddess Lakshmi and 'Rajiv' is another term for lotus, which is used to worship the deity.
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2. Rajiv Gandhi went to Welham Boys' School in Dehradun for some time but soon he was sent to the elite Doon School located in the foothills of the Himalayas. (In pic: Rajiv with mother Indira and younger brother Sanjay)
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3. He loved computers and gadgets. As the prime minister, he stressed the advancement of digitisation within the country. (In pic: Rajiv Gandhi with his daughter Priyanka Gandhi)
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4. He was a member of the Flying Club, where he received training in civil aviation. He joined Air India in 1970 and worked there till he got into politics in 1980. (In pic: Rajiv Gandhi in an aeroplane cockpit)
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5. Rajiv Gandhi was also a keen photographer. After his death, his wife, Sonia Gandhi came out with the book "Rajiv's World: Photographs by Rajiv Gandhi". The book has photographs clicked by Rajiv over four decades. (In pic: Rajiv Gandhi poses with actor Kamal Haasan, his former wife and actress Sarika and their daughter Sruthi Haasan)
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6. He became the Prime Minister of India when he was 40. He became the youngest Prime Minister of the country and was sworn in on October 31, 1984, the same day his mother was assassinated by her own bodyguards. (In Pic: Rajiv Gandhi with his mother Indira Gandhi)
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7. He was perhaps the only Prime Minister of India who frequently drove himself around. He is known to have driven himself around even during his election campaigns. (In pic: Rajiv Gandhi at a political rally)
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8. Rajiv met Antonia Maino during his college days in the UK. The two would later marry and she would become Sonia Gandhi. (In Pic: Rajiv Gandhi with his wife Sonia Gandhi)
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9. It was under his leadership that Congress won its largest majority in the Lok Sabha, with a record 411 seats out of the 542. (In Pic: Rajiv Gandhi with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during an official visit to Britain)
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10.On 21 May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi arrived at Sriperumbudur to address a public meeting in support of the local Congress candidate for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. After reaching the venue, he left his car and began walking towards the dais where he was to deliver a speech. He was garlanded by many well-wishers, Congress party workers and school children along the way. An LTTE assassin, Dhanu (Thenmozhi Rajaratnam), approached and greeted him. She then bent down to touch his feet and detonated an RDX explosive-laden belt tucked below her dress at exactly 10:10 PM. Apart from Rajiv and Dhanu, 14 other people were killed in the explosion. (In Pic: Rajiv Gandhi's last rites)
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