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The life of Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904-66), India's second prime minister and successor to Jawaharlal Nehru, is the absorbing saga of a little man who, while suffering the rigours of poverty in early life, rose to political eminence on the strength of moral principle. When Shastri died, he left no house, no land, no money. But he did leave behind an example which is morally inspiring. In an age riddled with political corruption, his career of exemplary integrity possesses a very special relevance for readers in contemporary India as well as abroad. Although Shastri's tenure as prime minister lasted only nineteen months, it was a period of high excitement and drama. The war with Pakistan, Tashkent Conference, and the Hazratbal episode of the stolen religious relic are recounted with vivid detail in this biography, which also unearths and sets many facts straight for the first time.