She walked into Parliament in a saree and made the room sit up - Indira Gandhi, turning the tables and setting them too.

Today marks the Iron Lady's birthday - another turn of the calendar, another reminder: leadership never did come with a gender stamp.

If you want a lesson in thick skin, look no further. From "It’s a man’s business" snickers to outright defiance in her own cabinet, Indira Gandhi caught more brickbats than bouquets. She walked straight into policies nobody wanted to touch - abolished privy purses, nationalized banks, signed on a Green Revolution, and, oh yes, ran the show during a war. Not for the faint-hearted, leading the world’s biggest democracy - especially as a woman in the 1960s, 70s, and early ’80s. Still, she did it. Head raised, voice steady, sometimes harsh. Did she fudge it sometimes? Maybe, but politicians are people, not statues.

Decisive - Even When It Hurt

Courageous? For sure. Unpopular, sometimes. After all, she called the Emergency (’75-77), wielded power with an iron fist, and survived the fallout that could’ve knocked out most men in Nehru jackets. What do you learn from that? Tough calls must be made, and they come with a price. Sometimes, it’s your legacy. Sometimes, it’s your peace of mind.

Change the Script, Write Your Own

She didn’t copy European queens or American presidents. Khadi saree, sometimes a rudraksha bead necklace, "be Indian, look Indian, act Indian." Which, in those Cold War years, was almost revolutionary. She made it her thing, never a prop. Got heat for it, too, but stood out in a world of grey suits. I find that oddly comforting - permission to lean into your roots, even if the world is watching.

Indira Gandhi - four times prime minister, first and only woman so far. Was she above contradiction? Hardly. In fact, she contradicted herself, often and in public. "There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit," she said, citing her grandfather. Legacy, for her, wasn’t avoiding mistakes - it was owning up, carrying on, and letting the chips fall where they may. She did it, anyway.

She left behind a country that’s still arguing about her - and a trail of women leaders, journalists, doctors, engineers who saw the doors nudged open. Gender? It was never her excuse, nor her calling card. She simply refused to accept limits, made some, and broke others. Faults? She had plenty. Legends come with shadows.