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Thank you. It's the evening of December 16th, 1971, in New Delhi, the capital of India.

A rickshaw operator peddles hard to get his passenger to his destination as quickly as possible.

But as he cycles down a street near Parliament House, he finds his way blocked by a large crowd. The Rikshaw operator's heart sinks.

His hope of gaining a few extra rupee's tip is in jeopardy. It's going to take a while to

weave his way through all this chaos. So the operator stands on his pedals, trying to see what's

going on. There's no pushing or shoving. In fact, everyone seems to be happy and rejoicing.

When he hears a voice from the crowd shout, victory to Bengal, a smile washes over his face.

He knows exactly why these people are celebrating. The war must finally be over.

For months, the Bengali people of East Pakistan have been fighting for their independence from the rest of the country.

Thirteen days ago, Indian troops joined the conflict in support of the Bengalis.

Now, Pakistan, India's geopolitical rival, has surrendered.

Soon, a black car slowly makes its way into the throng, forcing the people in the crown to party.

The rickshaw operator spots a woman in the car with a distinctive gray streak in her black hair,

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The rickshaw operator voted for her in the recent election because she appealed directly to poor workers like him with promises to end poverty. He joins the rest of the crowd

in a chorus of cheers in her honor. As Prime Minister Gandhi's car moves down the street and the

crowd disperses, the rickshaw operator begins to pedal again with pride in his heart.

With Gandhi at the helm, India will no doubt remain the most prosperous and powerful nation in South Asia.

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