When former PM Indira Gandhi donated her gold jewellery

Amid the ongoing political debate over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal urging citizens to reduce gold purchases in order to conserve foreign exchange, an old photograph of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi donating her jewellery has resurfaced online and gone viral once again.

The image dates back to one of the most difficult periods in independent India’s history — the 1962 India-China war.

Why Indira Gandhi Donated Her Jewellery

In October and November 1962, India faced a massive military challenge when Chinese troops launched attacks across several border regions, including Ladakh and the North-East Frontier Agency (now Arunachal Pradesh). The country was militarily underprepared, and the government urgently needed public support for the war effort.




At the time, the government led by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru launched a nationwide campaign asking citizens to contribute money, woollens and gold to strengthen the country’s defence preparedness. Public messages and radio appeals especially encouraged Indian women to donate jewellery for the national cause.

Responding to the appeal, Indira Gandhi — Nehru’s daughter at the time and later Prime Minister herself — donated her personal jewellery to the national relief effort. Her contribution later became one of the most remembered symbols of sacrifice during the war.

Reportedly, Indira Gandhi donated around 367 grams of gold jewellery to the national relief fund during the 1962 war.

Notably, Indira Gandhi later went on to introduce the Gold Control Act during her tenure as Prime Minister, bringing in sweeping curbs on gold ownership and trade in the country. Under the policy, banks were directed to withdraw gold loans, while forward trading in gold was completely prohibited. By 1963, manufacturing jewellery above 14-carat purity had also been made a punishable offence.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has hit back at opposition parties for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent austerity appeal amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, accusing them of fearmongering and indulging in negative politics.

The ruling party’s response came after opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, attacked Modi’s remarks and described them as “evidence of failure”.

On Sunday, Modi urged citizens to use fuel judiciously and consider postponing non-essential spending such as gold purchases and foreign travel. He said the government was taking steps to protect people from the economic fallout of the continuing conflict in West Asia.