Indira Gandhi

Hello. My name is Indira Priyadarshini. I was born a long, long time ago, on November 19th, 1917, in a big, busy house in a country called India. My father's name was Jawaharlal Nehru, and he was very kind. Our house was always full of people who were talking and working together. They were planning how to help everyone in our country. I would watch them and listen to their big ideas. They cared so much about making India a better and happier place for everyone. Seeing them work so hard made my heart feel full. Right then, I knew that I wanted to be a helper, too. I wanted to help my country and all the people in it, just like them.

When I was a little girl, I loved to play games with my friends. But I also wanted to do big, important things like the grown-ups. So, I had a very fun idea. I gathered all my friends and said, “Let’s start a monkey brigade.” We all pretended we were speedy little monkeys. We would climb and jump and run as fast as we could. Our job was very special. We carried secret messages in our pockets to help the grown-ups who were working for India's freedom. We would run from one house to another, delivering our secret notes. It felt like a very important game. We were small, but we were big helpers, and it made me so happy to know that even our games could make a difference.

When I grew up, my wish to help came true in a very big way. I got a very important job. I became the Prime Minister of India. That means I was the main leader, like a team captain for the whole country. I worked hard every single day to help all the people. I wanted everyone to be safe, to have enough food, and to be happy. I always remembered being that little girl in the monkey brigade. And I want you to remember that you can be a helper, too. It doesn't matter how small you are. A kind heart and helping hands can bring so much good to the world.