It was around 2.00 pm on 27 May 1964. Suddenly, telephones in government offices across Delhi began ringing frantically. Employees at All India Radio rushed toward their studios. Unease spread through the corridors of Parliament House. Something extraordinary — and tragic — had happened. Moments later, a solemn voice broke the silence over radio waves across the country: “Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru is no longer amongst us.”

Earlier that morning, at around 6.20 am, Jawaharlal Nehru had complained of severe back pain to his daughter Indira Gandhi. Soon afterward, in a frail voice, he reportedly whispered, “I think I am finished."

Senior physicians, including Dr B.N. Chugh and Dr Talwar, rushed to Teen Murti Bhavan. Oxygen cylinders were brought in. Emergency injections were administered. Yet despite every effort, at 1.44 pm, Nehru’s heart stopped beating. Indira Gandhi remained by his side.

Gulzarilal Nanda was immediately summoned. Outside Teen Murti Bhavan, anxiety had already begun spreading among staff members who sensed the gravity of the situation.

When confirmation finally came, grief engulfed the residence. Many longtime employees — some who had served Nehru since before Independence — broke down uncontrollably. An elderly gardener reportedly repeated the same sentence over and over again: “Panditji is gone… who will come here now to inspect the garden in the........

© National Herald