Lal Bahadur Shastri, a man of slight stature, took a larger­than­life stand as India's prime minister. A man of few words, his correspondence was to the point, his speeches succinct. His silence, which some understood as willingness to acquiesce, was both a strength and a weakness. But in fact, during his short term of just about eighteen months, he established institutions that brought India on the path of self-sufficiency and helped defend against external aggression.