City Hangout – Prime Minister Shastri’s Home, 1, Motilal Nehru Palace Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - April 16, 20183 A homage to simple living. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Imagine spotting an earthen chulha (stove) in a modern kitchen, atop a gleaming counter, in the home of a former prime minister. This is 1, Motilal Nehru Palace where Lal Bahadur Shastri lived as prime minister, and which was later turned into both a memorial and museum, just like Indira Gandhi’s more popular book-filled home some roads away. Mr Shastri, who was PM from 1964 to 66, embodied good taste in his living arrangements, but with a lingering sense of village life, as the chulha suggests. His bedroom is shockingly austere, and includes a single iron bed. The thin mattress lies covered with white khadi bordered in green. The adjoining bedroom for his wife, Lalita, at least has a large wooden wardrobe and TV. A handsome set of knives and forks on the fireplace mantle in the dining room was probably marshalled into service when entertaining foreign visitors; while an old white refrigerator in the corner is the sort of domestic item that makes this charming museum so relatable. Other fascinating items include a vessel for sacred Ganga water, scissors to clip the prime ministerial moustache and a badminton racket enclosed in a case. Also here is a jacket that Jawaharlal Nehru presented to Shastri, who evidently had no warm clothing he could call his own while going on a trip to Kashmir. The final exhibit is nothing less than a blue Fiat car. Shastri bought it after borrowing ~5,000 from Punjab National Bank. His wife paid it back following his death. Where Shastri-ji lived 1a. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. 16. 17. FacebookX Related Related posts: City Landmark – Pahari Wali Mata ka Mandir, Near Prime Minister’s Residence Netherfield Ball – Power Couple Ananya Vajpeyi and Basharat Peer & Former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, India International Center City Landmark – Nehru’s Red Rose, Teen Murti Bhawan City Hangout – Frangipani Yard, Nehru Park & Elsewhere City Library – Jawaharlal Nehru’s Book Collection, Teen Murti House