Shastri's life and legacy of simplicity, humility, intelligibility and utmost service to the Nation has always been an inspiration to the youth.
The dynamic leader was born in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi to Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari Devi on 2 October 1904. He was the first person to be honored with Bharat Ratna posthumously.
Here are five interesting facts about him:
Jai Jawaan Jai Kisan
To tackle the crises of food in the country, he had urged people to hold fast for a day and also gave the historic slogan "Jai Jawaan Jai Kisan" to give respect to farmers and soldiers of the nation.
Title of 'Shastri'
He was awarded the title of 'Shastri' in 1917 after he graduated with a first-class degree in philosophy and ethics from Kashi Vidyapeeth. He was among few students who graduated with first class.
Use of Jets to disperse crowd
He became the Minister of Police and Transport on August 15, 1947. It was during his tenure, first women conductors were appointed. It is interesting to know that it was Shastri's mind behind the use of jets of water to disperse the crowd rather than lathi-charge during any protest.
White and Green Revolution
To boost India's supply and production of milk he promoted White Revolution, which was a big success. To tackle the problem of acute food shortage and to increase India's food production he encouraged Green Revolution.
1965 Indo-Pak war and his mysterious death
His image of a soft Prime Minister took a u-turn when he took certain bold steps during 1965 Indo-Pak war and ordered the Indian army to take strong action. The War formally ended with the Tashkent Agreement of January 10, 1966. The next day, he died mysteriously in Tashkent.
Twitter users also paid tributes to the former Prime Minister