15 August, !950
Shiv Gopal Mishra life journey
On 15 August, 1950
Shiv Gopal MishraLife journey
Birth and Early Life (1950)
Shiv Gopal Mishra’s life journey in his own words. I was born in the village of Durgaganj, in the Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh. I spent a lot of my childhood at my maternal grandparents’ house. My village, Nayagaon, is about 20-25 kilometers away from my maternal home. But later, I moved back to my own village.
In my childhood, my two aunts (bua), my mother, and I all lived together in the same family. My father was mostly involved in Satyagraha and farmers’ movements. He was a leader of the Communist Party, so he spent most of his time in jail.
Golden Memories of the Village of
An Educational Journey
I really enjoyed living in the village. We had mahua trees in our yard, and the mahua flowers would fall early in the morning. That was a time of farming and harvesting, and we grew sugarcane in our fields.
When I remember those days, my heart finds great peace.
Primary Education (1950–1962)
My primary education took place at the government primary school in my village. In those days, we used to write on a wooden slate with an inkpot. We would sit on the floor on a rug. I still remember our teacher, Shri Motilal ji, who taught us. He was very fond of me. Every day, I was the first to go and touch his feet, and he would also show me great affection. There was a local physician in our village who would lend me books to read and take them back after 15 days. I passed the fifth-grade board exam with good marks at a very young age. Our school was excellent. All the children from the surrounding villages studied there. One student from that same village, R.K. Singh, later became a GM in the railway and went on to reach the Railway Board.
Junior high
I passed my eighth-grade board exam from Junior High School Bansa. After that, I was admitted to Bhagwant Nagar Inter College High School in the nearby town of Mallawan, where I studied for three years. We had several great teachers there. I will never forget Shivkumar ji, Guru Prasad ji, and Mahadev ji.
Inter College (1962–1965)
I studied up to the tenth grade at Bhagwant Nagar Inter College, which was near my village, and I passed high school in 1962. After that, I went to Sanatan Dharma Inter College to complete my Intermediate education. I studied there for two years. For one year, I lived at the house of my father's lawyer friend, Raj Bahadur Singh Chandel, and Dharmagaj Singh (the then-MP). At that time, his wife, Asha, was about to become an MLA, but she was like a mother to me and took care of me like her own son. I completed my studies there. In 1965, I passed the 12th grade.
College (1966–1969)
For my college education, I came to Lucknow to pursue a B.Sc. I got admission to Bappa Shri Narayan Vocational College. Before that, I had enrolled in a polytechnic in Chinhat, but a dispute arose due to ragging, so I decided to change my college. During my college years, application forms for an apprenticeship in the railway for the post of J.E. (Junior Engineer) were released. At that time, a junior engineer was called a "Borgeman". The form came from the Railway Service Commission, Allahabad. When I reached the second year of my B.Sc., I filled out the apprenticeship form. The call letter for the written test came in 1967, and the interview was in 1968. After this, I got admission to an M.Sc. in Kanpur. On one hand, the railway apprenticeship was ongoing, and on the other, I had the desire to complete my M.Sc. and teach children at my college in Bhagwant Nagar.
Childhood Memories
A father Lesson A life long Promise
the turning Point of honesty
I still remember an incident from my childhood.
One day, all the students decided they wouldn’t go to school. I decided to join them. We spent the whole day playing under mango trees. One of our games was called “Loi Labba,” where we would grab a mango branch and run.
During this game, I fell from a mango tree and injured my leg. When I got home, my mother and aunts took great care of me, applying a bandage to help the wound heal quickly.
At the same time, my father had gone to a meeting in a nearby village. There, he met my teacher, Guru Prasad, who was also a good friend of his. The teacher told him that not a single child from Nayagaon had come to school that day.
When my father returned home and saw how well I was being cared for, he started to laugh.
The next day, my father asked me, “What happened at school yesterday?”
I replied, “Nothing.” He then asked, “Did you go to school yesterday?”
I lied and said, “Yes, I did.”
Hearing this, my father gave me a tight slap.
That day, I decided I would never lie again—and since then, I never have.
Who Support Every Phase
Mishra's Family
Personal Life (1973–2019)
I got married on July 9, 1973. My wife had done her post-graduation from Lucknow University, and her final exams were held shortly after our wedding. At this crucial point in my life, she gave me immense support, which allowed me to work actively in the field of trade unions. Although she later joined a job, she always boosted my morale while managing both family responsibilities and work. If I had not received her companionship and support, I would not have been able to contribute so much to the union.
Children
We were blessed with a daughter and a son. Our son was very bright in his studies. He completed his B.Com from Lucknow University and then finished his MBA. After that, he also did an MBA from Sydney University in Australia.
A Great Tragedy
hardest part of Shiv Gopal Mishra life journey.
On 11th June 2019, my family travelled from Sakal Devi Mandir, Sakalpur, to Bhopal. There were seven people in the vehicle. Mrs Prabhawati Mishra (wife), Gaurav Mishra (son), Garima Mishra (daughter), Deepti Mishra (daughter-in-law), Anuja Mishra (granddaughter), Irisha Mishra (granddaughter), Shreyansh Mishra (grandson – daughter’s son)
In this tragic accident, three members of the family were seriously injured. My wife, Mrs Prabhawati Mishra, died on the spot. My granddaughter and son were rushed to Bansal Hospital, both in critical condition. My granddaughter passed away on the way to the hospital.
My son, Gaurav, was later airlifted for treatment, but unfortunately, we couldn’t save him either.
At that moment, it felt as if a mountain of sorrow had collapsed upon us. Life, which had been moving smoothly and normally just moments ago, changed entirely. It felt like nothing was left anymore.
After about 2–3 months, I was taken to Delhi. Dr. Dinesh Sharma, Contempory serving as the Deputy Chief Minister, tried to console me.
Gaurav had been his student during his time at Lucknow University. He said —
“This is fate. Perhaps it is the result of actions from a past life, or simply destiny at play. No one can stand against fate.”
His words, along with the support of others, helped me gather myself. I stood up again with the thought that I have to live and work for the lakhs of sons and daughters of this nation. Holding onto that feeling, I returned to my duties.
Memories That Still Touch My Heart
Family – My Pillar of Strength
I can never forget my family.
Had my wife not supported and stood by me, I would never have reached where I am today.
My son and granddaughter have always made me proud.
My son was no less than Shravan Kumar
he understood that his father was deeply engaged in social service, and therefore, he never made demands or complaints. Instead, he progressed in life through his own efforts.
I am grateful to all those who chose me and placed their trust in me. Especially to the young sons and daughters of the Railways who shower me with so much love — it is because of them that I am alive today. And as long as I live, I will continue to serve with complete sincerity and dedication.
Serving Millions, Sacrificing My Own
The biggest sacrifice I have made for the union has been my family. I could not give them the time they deserved — because only then was I able to serve others.
Another truth is that had I not been in the unions, I might have held a high-ranking official post somewhere. But today, I lead 1.2 million employees, and at present, I represent 3.6 million employees.
