List of nicknames of prime ministers of India explained

This is a list of nicknames or public names of prime ministers of India that were or are in common usage.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Full name: Jawaharlal Nehru

• Pandit, for his Kashmiri Pandit ancestry.^[1]
• Chacha (Hindi: uncle), as he was better known among children.

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Full name: Lal Bahadur Shastri

• Man of Peace^{[2] [3] [4]}
• Nanhe (Hindi: little) was his childhood nickname.^[5]

Indira Gandhi

Full name: Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi

• Priyadarshini (Sanskrit: dear to the sight)^{[6] [7]}
• Mother India, a biographical book written on her by Pranay Gupte.^[8]
• Iron Lady, Henry Kissinger described her as an "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her tough personality since her lifetime.^{[9] [10] [11]}
• Durga, given by the opposition leaders after she led victory against Pakistan in 1971 war.^{[12] [13]}

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Full name: Atal Bihari Vajpayee

• Ajatashatru (Sanskrit: having no enemy), for having a perpetual good-man aura and no enemies even from the opposing sides.^{[14] [15] [16]}
• Bhishma Pitamaha, a nickname that is given to him by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.^[17]

H. D. Deve Gowda

Full name: Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda

• Mannina Maga (Kannada: son of the soil), for iterating that he is down-to-earth and cares for the poor.^[18]
• Dodda Gowdaru (Kannada: Senior Gowda), for disambiguating him from his children or anybody else with the Gowda title.

Narendra Modi

Full name: Narendra Damodardas Modi

• NaMo, a portmanteau derived from his first and last names.^[19]
• Modiji, a heavily used colloquial term to refer to him ("-ji" suffix is added in Hindi as a mark of respect to elders, and hence, Modi-ji).^{[20] [21]}
• Feku, a term used often by members of the opposition to criticise his outlandish promises, u-turns and lies in campaign. ^{[22] [23] [24] [25]}

See also

• List of nicknames of prime ministers of Australia
• List of nicknames of prime ministers of Italy
• List of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
• List of nicknames of presidents of the United States

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2013-11-14. Nation pays tribute to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 124th birth anniversary. 2021-06-05. DNA India. en.
2. Web site: 2019-01-11. Remembering "The Man of Peace" – Lal Bahadur Shastri. 2021-07-05. EducationWorld. en-US.
3. Web site: K. PAVAN RAO. 2019-10-29. Lal Bahadur Shastri: In a time of war, the man of peace. 2021-07-05. The Asian Age.
4. Web site: MAN OF PEACE, A Films Division. 2021-07-05. filmsdivision.org.
5. Web site: Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Prime Minister of India. 2021-06-05. www.pmindia.gov.in.
6. Book: Frank, Katherine. Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi. 2010-07-08. HarperCollins UK. 978-0-00-737250-8. en.
7. Web site: Indira Gandhi Department of Justice Ministry of Law & Justice GoI. 2021-06-05. doj.gov.in.
8. Book: Gupte, Pranay. Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi. 2012-02-15. Penguin Books India. 978-0-14-306826-6. en.
9. Book: Sharma, R.A. . Indira Gandhi and Congress Party . Northern Book Centre . 1988 . 978-81-85119-44-1 . Henry A. Kissinger had described her as an "iron lady" and her personality as "charismatic" and tough. . 190.
10. Book: Himmat . . v. 16 . 1979 . 8. Few cast so low, so ignominiously, have the courage and belief to return. Mrs Gandhi is the real iron lady..
11. Web site: Indira Gandhi: The 'Iron Lady of India', a leading stateswoman, was once a lonely child. 2021-06-05. gulfnews.com. 19 November 2019 . en.
12. Book: Thakur, Janardan . Indira Gandhi and Her Power Game . Vikas . 1979 . 978-0-7069-0985-2 . Wild cheers went up with every hated name that fell by the wayside, reminiscent of that other night in December 1971 when the Lahore skies had belonged to India. Those were the days when so many had hailed Indira Gandhi as Durga. . 1.
13. Book: The Calcutta Journal of Political Studies, Volumes 6-7. astounding victory of India led even the opposition leaders to compare her to such a mythological 'strong personality' as 'Durga'. 12. University of Calcutta. 1987.
14. News: Mohan. Archis. 2018-08-17. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, more than a rare 'Ajatshatru' in Indian politics. Business Standard India. 2021-07-05.
15. Web site: 2018-08-16. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The 'True Ajatshatru' of Indian Politics is No More; Leaders Pay Tributes. 2021-07-05. News18. en.
16. Web site: 2018-08-17. Ajatashatru: Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 2021-07-05. The Financial Express. en-US.
17. News: 2008-03-06. "Bhishma Pitamah" should rise above party politics: PM. en-IN. The Hindu. 2021-07-05. 0971-751X.
18. Web site: Poovanna. Sharan. 2019-05-24. Deve Gowda: Karnataka's humbled Goliath. 2021-06-05. mint. en.
19. Web site: 2021-06-03. Narendra Modi still the man for India: Why despite Covid, country under Modi is on the cusp of positive transformation. 2021-06-05. Times of India Blog. en-US.
20. Web site: Team. N. L.. Watch: Meghnad reacts to Adarniya Modiji. 2021-06-05. Newslaundry. 14 May 2021 .
21. Web site: 2020-09-19. Meet Anmol Bakaya, the YouTuber who chanted 'Modiji' for 24 hours on PM's birthday. 2021-06-05. The Indian Express. en.
22. Web site: Team. N. L.. 'Feku Modi' talks about inclusive politics, but can a leopard change its spots: Digvijaya. IndiaToday. 13 Sep 2013 .
23. Web site: Team. N. L.. Modi is 'Feku No. 1', didn't fulfil promises: Sidhu. DeccanHerald. 16 May 2016 .
24. Web site: Team. N. L.. PM Modi another Hitler, he is known as feku, says Raj Thackeray. IndiaToday. 7 Apr 2019 .
25. Web site: Team. N. L.. PM Narendra Modi a 'feku', has insulted India's poor with demonetisation move: Rahul Gandhi at Goa rally. TheEconomicTimes. 16 Dec 2016 .