born Feb. 29, 1896, Bhadeli, Gujarat, India
died April 10, 1995, Bombay
Prime minister of India (1977–79).
The son of a village teacher, he joined the provincial civil service of Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1918. He joined Mohandas K. Gandhi 's struggle in 1930 and spent almost 10 years in British jails in the 1930s and '40s. In 1969 he became chairman of the opposition to Indira Gandhi ; he was detained in solitary confinement (1975–77) for his political activities. When elections were held in 1977, he became prime minister; by 1979, however, his coalition had unraveled, and he resigned.