When Robert Clive was a clerk in East India Company twice he tried to commit suicide. Both times pistol got jammed. Later he founded the British Empire in India. After some years he tried again to commit suicide and he succeeded.
There are many who do not die a natural death. Why they die unnatural deaths? Is there destiny?
Speculation about what could have happened regarding Indian Prime Ministers brings out some interesting observations.
Morarji Desai wanted to be the Prime Minister in 1964 and 1966 when Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri died. Kamaraj Nadar, the then Congress President, opposed him. Morarji Desai became Prime Minister in 1977.
Indira Gandhi opposed N. Sanjeeva Reddy’s candidacy for Presidency in 1969. N. Sanjeeva Reddy became President in 1977.
In 1964 and 1966 when Prime Ministers died Gulzarilal Nanda, who was Home Minister, was made Acting Prime Minister. In 1984 when Indira Gandhi died P. V. Narasimha Rao, who was Home Minister, was not made Acting Prime Minister. He became Prime Minister in 1991.
There are some people who believe in destiny, some do not.
Below given is the list of Indian Prime Ministers in the order in which they became Prime Ministers and their dates of birth.
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 14/11/1889 |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 02/10/1904 |
| Indira Gandhi | 19/11/1917 |
| Morarji Desai | 29/02/1896 |
| Charan Singh | 23/12/1902 |
| Rajiv Gandhi | 20/08/1944 |
| V. P. Singh | 25/06/1931 |
| Chandrashekhar | 09/07/1922 |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | 28/06/1921 |
| Atal Behari Vajpayee | 25/12/1924 |
| Deve Gowda | 18/05/1933 |
| I. K. Gujral | 04/12/1919 |
| Manmohan Singh | 26/09/1932 |
I wonder what would have happened if those who became Prime Ministers had become Prime Ministers as per their date of birth.   The order would have been as below:
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 14/11/1889 |
| Morarji Desai | 29/02/1896 |
| Charan Singh | 23/12/1902 |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 02/10/1904 |
| Indira Gandhi | 19/11/1917 |
| I. K. Gujral | 04/12/1919 |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | 28/06/1921 |
| Chandrashekhar | 09/07/1922 |
| Atal Behari Vajpayee | 25/12/1924 |
| V. P. Singh | 25/06/1931 |
| Manmohan Singh | 26/09/1932 |
| Deve Gowda | 18/05/1933 |
| Rajiv Gandhi | 20/08/1944 |
Let us presume that number of days as Prime Minister would have been the same.
If Morarji Desai had become Prime Minister in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri and Charan Singh had followed him, India Gandhi would have become Prime Minister in 1968 and would have had uninterrupted tenure till 31/10/1984.
In both orders Charan Singh succeeds Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi succeeds Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The order changes after Indira Gandhi. There would have been seven Prime Ministers between India Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. It could be more since someone born before 20/08/1944 can become the Prime Minister.
Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were assassinated. In the second order Indira Gandhi might have stepped down from Prime Ministership and lived longer. Rajiv Gandhi would have lived longer.
It is all in the realm of speculation.