Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of independent India, was born in which year?

Introduction / Context:
Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of independent India and is remembered for his simple lifestyle, integrity, and the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”. His birth year is a direct factual question that helps place him in the timeline between the generation of national movement leaders and the first decades after independence. Such questions ensure that students know the approximate era in which key political leaders lived and worked.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks for the birth year of Lal Bahadur Shastri.
• Options are 1844, 1864, 1884, and 1904.
• We know he was Prime Minister in the 1960s.
• We assume he was an adult leader by the time of independence in 1947.

Concept / Approach:
Shastri served as Prime Minister from 1964 until his death in 1966. To be in a senior leadership position at this time, his birth year must be in the early twentieth century, making him around sixty when he became Prime Minister. Among the provided options, 1904 fits this pattern perfectly. Years like 1844, 1864, or even 1884 would make him far too old for his tenure or place him in a much earlier generation than known historical records indicate.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Shastri became Prime Minister in 1964 after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru. Step 2: Estimate that he would likely have been in his late fifties or early sixties at that time. Step 3: Check which option gives an age around 60 in 1964. The year 1904 would make him about 60, which fits. Step 4: Note that 1844 or 1864 would make him unrealistically old, and 1884 would still make him almost 80 by the mid 1960s. Step 5: Select 1904 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard biographical information in textbooks and reference works confirms that Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2 October 1904. This date is sometimes mentioned alongside Gandhi's birthday, which is 2 October 1869, as a useful comparative fact. Remembering this pairing is another way to confirm the year 1904 for Shastri.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1844: Would place his birth in the mid nineteenth century, much too early.
1864: Still far too early, making him about 100 when he became Prime Minister, which is unrealistic.
1884: This would make him about 80 in the mid 1960s, which does not match historical reality.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent confusion is between Gandhi's birth year (1869) and Shastri's birth year (1904), because both share the same birth date, 2 October. Students may incorrectly shift Gandhi's year onto Shastri. To avoid this, remember that Gandhi belongs to the nineteenth century generation of freedom struggle leaders, while Shastri belongs to the early twentieth century generation that led India after independence.

Final Answer:
Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in the year 1904.