Indira Gandhi was always destined for greatness. As the first female leader of the world's largest democracy, she inherited a country plagued by poverty, famine and social injustice. Yet Indira triumphed over her critics, transformed India into a confident independent democracy, and rose to dominate India's political stage for nearly 20 years. To the poor, Indira Ghandi was 'Mother India'. To others, Durgar, the goddess of war. Yet Indira was a woman of extreme contradictions. She was the democrat who became a dictator. She was the wife and mother who placed politics and power before her family. And eventually, she paid the price for her very public flaws. Loved and loathed in equal measure, Indira's life was an epic saga of feuds, flaws and betrayal - a life in service of her country, abruptly ended by those she'd trusted to protect her. Yet the confidence she gave India on the world stage has endured - India has become one of the most prosperous developing countries in the world. Even if the opinion of Indira Gandhi's personal legacy remains divided. Indira Ghandi is part of the BBC history series Extraordinary Woman which examines the life of this famous and sometimes controversial politician.