She was hailed as the strong willed Prime Minister whose leadership ability was comparable only with Winston Churchil's. In the midst of the gloomy days of cold war , decolonization of British Empire ( the sun had finally set by then ), loss of resources both materially and manpower wise due the policy of decolonization ( which was eminent after wwii), crumbling economy and civil right movement, Falklands war, terror of Irish Republican Army and what not.... in the middle of all these turbulent times She managed lead United Kingdom go forward. In the process she earned her nickname "The Iron Lady" as she held a firm grip on the political nerve of UK with uncompromising politics and policies. She ruled from 1979 to 1990 as leader of the Conservative Party.

And today at the age of 87 she died. Yes...We are talking about Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the first and only woman Prime Minister of United Kingdom. Her son, Sir Mark, and daughter Carol confirmed that she died this morning. Lord Bell, her spokesman, said: "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning. A further statement will be made later."We'll never see the like of her again. She was one of the great prime ministers of all time and transformed people's lives." he added.

It is worth mentioning that back then often the lines from her speeches became catchphrases ( eg: There is no such thing called society..!) which clearly shows her popularity and now when she died of a stroke the whole Britain is mourning as well as the whole world because the world today has lost one of the finest stateswoman of post WWII era. Her life and role in shaping Britain’s future have been portrayed on Television and movies for several times. Most recently her Biopic “ The Iron Lady” was released where Maryl Streep played the lead role and earned acclaim globally.

May her soul rest in peace. Amen...!

(aw-jyotishman)