Sanjay Gandhi had a penchant for car pinching; 4 lesser-known facts about the leader on his birth anniversary

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• Sanjay Gandhi died at the young age of 33 - when his political career was on a steady rise.
• From an alleged kleptomaniac during his younger days to a licensed pilot - there\'s more to this leader than meets the eye.
• On his 69th birth anniversary, here is some some lesser known trivia about one of the most controversial members of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

Sanjay Gandhi - one of the most controversial personalities from the Emergency days of 1975-77 - would have turned 69 today. He died at the young age of 33 on 23 June 1980, while his political graph was on the rise and he was touted to take forward his mother and former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's legacy.

On his birthday, we take you through some of the lesser-known facts about the controversial man.

'A bit of a kleptomaniac'

The late Vinod Mehta authored The Sanjay Story - a biography about Indira's elder son. Considering his political influence and prowess at the time of Emergency, no one could have thought that Mehta's inquiries at the Doon School would reveal the young Gandhi as "outstandingly mediocre".

According to a report in the Hindu about the book, Sanjay was a "loner" and largely "uncommunicative" keeping to himself most of the time. Mehta attributes him as "a bit of a kleptomaniac" too! The political scion reportedly had a penchant towards breaking into cars, taking them for a drive and returning them before anyone noticed.

Young Sanjay with his father Feroze Gandhi. File photo

Another report highlights how his reputation caused constant comparisons in the school between "Rajiv's Doons and Sanjay's Goons."

Hot wheels

His zeal for wheels led him to set up an enterprise of his own after returning to India in 1968. He set out to design a prototype that year. In 1971, he was assigned the post of Managing Director in Maruti Motors Limited.

Photo courtesy: www.motoroids.com

Yep you read that right. Maruti Suzuki (although Suzuki hadn't tied up with Maruti at that point) was an initiative by Sanjay Gandhi to produce an indigenous "people's car". Sadly however, the company did not produce en masse automobiles as it does today until after his death.

While the origin of the car project is embroiled in alleged controversy of land grabbing and excesses, Sanjay Gandhi remains the pioneer in India's first car manufacturing project.

Also read: As Sonia Gandhi turns 69, here are 7 lesser known facts about the Congress supremo

Three times lucky

Sanjay Gandhi most often comes into conversation for his draconian policies during the 1975 Emergency.

According to a report, a Wikileaks cable from September 1976 states that three assassination attempts were made on his life.

File photo

In the third such attempt, he was shot thrice between August 30 and 31, 1976. While the assailant remains unidentified, the nature of Sanjay's injuries, if at all, is not known.

It is believed that in order to throw the attacker off the trail, his mother Indira Gandhi made a statement on 27 December 1976, saying that Sanjay was a "small fry" and he would never make it to prime minister or president. "So I think the attack is definitely meant on me," she added.

Also read: Indira Gandhi; the hyper-nationalist even RSS can't claim to beat

He flew to his death, literally

Sanjay Gandhi's death was an unprecedented event for the Congress. Sanjay loved to fly and while later reports say that he held a pilot's license, the report which announced his death said it was unclear if he had permission to fly. Ironically, it was this hobby which lead to his death at 33-years of age.

On 23 June 1980, Sanjay Gandhi was trying his hand at a new aircraft at Delhi's Safdarjung Airport. He lost control while attempting an aerobatic loop and the craft plummeted.

Indira Gandhi pays her last respects to son Sanjay. Getty Images

The devastating crash killed Gandhi and it apparently took eight hours for the surgeons to stitch together his mutilated body. The only other person on board - Captain Subash Saxena - also died in the crash.

-- Compiled by Geetika Mantri