List of nicknames of prime ministers of India

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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.^[1]

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] It was
• 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]

References

1. "Nation pays tribute to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 124th birth anniversary". DNA India. 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
2. "Remembering "The Man of Peace" – Lal Bahadur Shastri". EducationWorld. 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
3. K, PAVAN RAO (2019-10-29). "Lal Bahadur Shastri: In a time of war, the man of peace". The Asian Age. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
4. "MAN OF PEACE, A | Films Division". filmsdivision.org. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
5. "Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri | Prime Minister of India". www.pmindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
6. Frank, Katherine (2010-07-08). Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi. HarperCollins UK. ISBN 978-0-00-737250-8.
7. "Indira Gandhi | Department of Justice | Ministry of Law & Justice | GoI". doj.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
8. Gupte, Pranay (2012-02-15). Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-306826-6.
9. Sharma, R.A. (1988). Indira Gandhi and Congress Party. Northern Book Centre. p. 190. ISBN 978-81-85119-44-1. Henry A. Kissinger had described her as an "iron lady" and her personality as "charismatic" and tough.
10. Himmat. R. M. Lala. 1979. p. 8. Few cast so low, so ignominiously, have the courage and belief to return. Mrs Gandhi is the real iron lady.
11. "Indira Gandhi: The 'Iron Lady of India', a leading stateswoman, was once a lonely child". gulfnews.com. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
12. Thakur, Janardan (1979). Indira Gandhi and Her Power Game. Vikas. p. 1. ISBN 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.
13. The Calcutta Journal of Political Studies, Volumes 6-7. University of Calcutta. 1987. p. 12. astounding victory of India led even the opposition leaders to compare her to such a mythological 'strong personality' as 'Durga'
14. Mohan, Archis (2018-08-17). "Atal Bihari Vajpayee, more than a rare 'Ajatshatru' in Indian politics". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
15. "Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The 'True Ajatshatru' of Indian Politics is No More; Leaders Pay Tributes". News18. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
16. "Ajatashatru: Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee". The Financial Express. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
17. ""Bhishma Pitamah" should rise above party politics: PM". The Hindu. 2008-03-06. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
18. Poovanna, Sharan (2019-05-24). "Deve Gowda: Karnataka's humbled Goliath". mint. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
19. "Narendra Modi still the man for India: Why despite Covid, country under Modi is on the cusp of positive transformation". Times of India Blog. 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
20. Team, N. L. (14 May 2021). "Watch: Meghnad reacts to Adarniya Modiji". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
21. "Meet Anmol Bakaya, the YouTuber who chanted 'Modiji' for 24 hours on PM's birthday". The Indian Express. 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2021-06-05.