18th death anniversary
India today paid tribute to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his 18th death anniversary, being observed throughout the country as anti-terrorism day. President Pratibha Patil, PM Manmohan Singh and the departed leader's widow and UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, were among the first to pay floral tributes at 'Veer Bhumi', his memorial. The remembrance ceremony began with the entry of 18 children signifying the 18th year of martyrdom of Rajiv Gandhi.
Photo: AFP photo by Prakash Singh.
Family pays tribute
Besides wife Sonia Gandhi, Congress MP Rahul and Priyanka along with her husband Robert Vadra, were also present at the remembrance ceremony at the memorial, which was decorated with hundreds of white lotuses for the occasion. Although it has been 18 years since Rajiv was killed by the LTTE suicide bomber, the pictures of teary eyed Priyanka and Rahul, comforting their mother Sonia at their father's funeral, are still fresh in memories of most.
PTI photo by Kamal Kishore
Justice at last
The man held responsible for the death of Rajiv Gandhi did not live to see the 18th death anniversary of the assassinated Indian prime minister. In a twist of fate, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, blamed for the assassination of Gandhi on May 21, 1991, was himself killed by Colombo troops in the north of Sri Lanka on Monday. Rajiv Gandhi, then 54, was killed by a woman LTTE cadre in Sriperumbudur.
Photo: AFP Photo by Raveendran
End of an era
It was 18 years ago on the 21st of May, that Rajiv Gandhi had met his tragic demise in Sriperumbudur. It was one of the first uses of suicide bombing for the purposes of political terror. At least 14 others were also killed. The assassination was caught on film through the lens of a local photographer, whose camera and film was found at the site. The Rajiv Gandhi Memorial was built at the site and is one of the major tourist attractions to the small industrial town.
Photo: AFP
The man that was
The eldest son of Feroze and Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, was born in 1944 and served as the the youngest Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. Rajiv attended Cambridge University, where he met and married Sonia at 24. Rajiv Gandhi was immensely popular among the youth. During his tenure as PM of India, he brought a certain dynamism to the premiership, which had always been occupied by older people. He is credited with promoting the introduction of computers in India.
Photo: TOI
Source: http://www.indiatimes.com/photostory/4559357.cms