Shri Rajiv Gandhi (1944-91) was the youngest prime minister of India. Of two sons of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv was the elder one. He became a commercial pilot after passing the entrance examination to the Delhi Flying Club. His younger brother, Sanjay passed away in a deadly air- crash in 1981 which led to his formal induction into politics. Eventually, he ascended the political scene when his mother was assassinated by her Sikh Bodyguards in 1984. Rajiv Gandhi was a great statesman of Indian History born on 20 th August 1944 in a house full of illustrious political personalities. Rajiv was the offspring of Indira and Feroze Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest person to become the prime minister of India. At the age of 40, he led his party, Indian National congress to an astounding victory winning 80 percent of the parliamentary seats. Rajiv Gandhi had a passion for Science and Technology. He played a key role in the introduction of computers in India. His parents lived separately therefore he was raised at his grandfather’s house where her mother lived. He briefly went to school at Welham Prep in Dehra Dun but soon moved to the residential Doon School in the Himalayan foothills. There he made many lifelong friendships and was also joined by his younger brother, Sanjay. After leaving school, Shri Gandhi went to Trinity College, Cambridge, but soon shifted to the Imperial College (London). He did a course in mechanical engineering. While at Cambridge, he had met Sonia Maino, an Italian who was studying English. They were married in New Delhi in 1968. They stayed in Smt. Indira Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi with their two children, Rahul and Priyanka. Theirs was a very private life despite the surrounding din and bustle of political activity. Rajiv began working for Indian Airlines as a professional pilot, while his mother became prime minister in 1966.He exhibited no interest in politics and did not live regularly with his mother in Delhi. As Rajiv Gandhi remained aloof from politics, his younger brother Sanjay became a close adviser to their mother. Rajiv Gandhi was in West Bengal when his mother was assassinated on 31st October, 1984 by her bodyguards. Top Congress leadership as well as the President – Gyani Zail Singh put pressure on Rajiv to become the country’s next Prime Minister. All this happened within a few hours of the death of his mother. Commenting on the Anti- Sikh massacre which took place in Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi said, “when a big tree falls, the earth shakes “. Rajiv Gandhi was heavily criticised for this lousy statement which was understood as his support for the massacres. Several Congress politicians were accused of orchestrating the violence. Soon after assuming office, Rajiv Gandhi asked President Gyani Zail Singh to dissolve the parliament and conduct fresh elections, as the Lok Sabha completed its’ five-year term. During the month-long election campaign, Shri Gandhi travelled tirelessly from one part of the country to the other, covering a distance equal to one and a half times the earth’s circumference, speaking at 250 meetings in as many places and meeting millions face to face. For no one could have ascended to power – becoming both Prime Minister and Congress President – in more tragic and tormenting circumstances than Shri Gandhi did in the wake of his mother’s brutal assassination on 31 October, 1984. But he bore the awesome burden of personal grief and national responsibility with remarkable poise, dignity and restraint. A modern-minded, decisive but undemonstrative man, Shri Gandhi was at home in the world of high technology. And, as he repeatedly said, one of his main objectives, besides preserving India’s unity, was to propel it into the twenty-first century.