Kalpana - The Woman... Of Many Parts

Kalpana - The Woman... Of Many Parts

A spiritual person

Kalpana was a person of varied interests. She enjoyed nature in all its glory; she was an avid birdwatcher and was particularly fond of hiking and backpacking. In one of her several interviews addressing a younger audience, she had said (words to these effect): "don't go after the fleeting pleasures of life, go for more permanent things."
She was passionate about music and reading. She would consciously explore and broaden her horizons in her areas of interest. Her husband, Jean-Pierre Harrison who himself was a freelance flying instructor fuelled her interest in different music. Here's an interesting nugget that throws light on the remarkable person that she was. While she was well versed with Indian classical music, her husband introduced her to rock groups like Deep Purple. After the concert, she is supposed to have commented that it was a "spiritual experience".

Child-like wonder

Her sense of wonder remained intact and child-like. She is known to have exclaimed during one of her space odysseys: "Just 90 minutes! Even though I had known that (that the spacecraft takes 90 minutes to circle the earth), it was an overpowering sensation to know how small this place is. How very fragile it is!" In fact, her space odysseys gave her a unique perspective of the earth and its environment and she always stressed on the importance of conserving it. Kalpana Chawla always made interesting observations about her surroundings, which reflected the depth of her personality. She would often look out of the spacecraft window and marvel at the earth. She would rave about how the Great Himalayas and the Ganges looked from out there. In an interview, she had said: "The coolest thing for me is the experience of floating, of not feeling any weight." When the spacecraft would come above India, she would excitedly point out and show them, "I lived there."

Despite her fame, she was truly a down to earth person! She had a great bonding with her classmates from the Tagore school and was highly respectful of her teachers. Even after becoming a famous astronaut, she diligently kept in touch with some of her closest friends... to the end of her life.

Mahatma Gandhi - Life, Work and Philosophy

Mahatma Gandhi - Life, Work and Philosophy

Do you want to know some interesting facts about Mahatma Gandhi's life, work and philosophy? On the occasion of the birth anniversary of the father of our nation, let's open some pages of his life and try to imbibe what he use to preach and practice. Read on to know more about life, work and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.


Mahatma Gandhi is a well known name all over the world. Although he is considered as the spiritual and political leader of India who helped Indians get freedom from the British rule, his philosophies and principles are being admired and followed throughout the world. He avoided any kind of violence all through his life. He dedicated his entire life to the service of humanity and his motherland.
Early life of Gandhiji

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in a Hindu Modh family on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. Gandhiji was a vegetarian and believed fasting as a source of self-purification. He started his school life at the age of seven where he was a regular and punctual student. He accomplished his degree of law from England and was influenced by the teachings of Tolstoy. He could not succeed as a lawyer because he was unable to deal with the false cases. His motto was simple living and high thinking which he maintained throughout his life.

Gandhiji after Independence

After independence of India, Gandhiji withdrew his roles in politics and focused in developing peace and unity between Hindus and Muslims. Gandhiji wanted India to be completely free from violence and free in every possible manner. He wanted every Indian to have the freedom to worship and enjoy his or her heritage and culture as well as express his ideas and views freely.

Gandhiji also wanted to give equal status to women and men and help women live with dignity and enjoy the prospects of their own growth. He was completely against casteism and raised a voice against untouchability in India. He wanted to provide equal opportunities and equal status to all Indians. He traveled from village to village and advised people to work together in harmony and unity for the better development of the nation. Gandhiji was also a creative writer.

Quotes and Teachings of Gandhiji

Although Gandhiji is no more with us, his teachings are with us and there are many people even today who believe and try to follow one or all the teachings of Gandhiji. Some people do have some misconceptions regarding Gandhiji and they feel that he gave preference to Muslims and favoured the community. However, the fact is, he struggled to make them live in unity and dreamt of independent India where all were treated equally no matter whether he belonged to any religion, cast, creed, race or section of society. He wanted India to be a true sovereign nation.

On January 30, 1948, Gandhiji was shot dead by an assailant and his last words were, "Hey Ram". He was going to attend his morning prayers when he was shot. After his death, his followers try to lead a life based on truth and non-violence, which were the two basic principles of Gandhiji's life.

Today, it has become very important that people re-think and consider Gandhiji's teachings. There is lot of violence seen in the world and the principles of Gandhiji are needed throughout the world. It is a difficult path to walk, but gives peace and contentment to all. Gandhiji had said, "whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love". He wanted people to enjoy true happiness of life and so he insisted to help them learn forgiveness. He said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong".

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla

On February 1, 2003, the Columbian space shuttle STS - 107 exploded as it entered the earth's atmosphere, perishing the entire crew of six. Among them was the young Indian-born American astronaut, Kalpana Chawla. A girl who had always dreamt of the moon and the stars had herself become a star. Not only did she achieve her dreams but she also led her life with the highest sense of values and purpose in every respect. Her life history is the greatest inspiration for the youths of today.

Humble beginnings
Kalpana Chawla was born in India's Karnal district of Haryana. Her parents had seen great hardships and were in dire straits during partition but had struggled to pull themselves up. However, they were able to provide good education to Kalpana and her two siblings.

In everything that Kalpana did, she broke stereotypes. She was the only girl at that time to join the aeronautical engineering stream at the Punjab Engineering College. She fought and overcame opposition from her parents and migrated to USA for further studies. Here, she joined the University of Texas to pursue her Masters and later, University of Boulder, Colorado for her doctorate. This was admirable, since few children at such a young age are so clear-minded about their ambitions. Furthermore, even fewer have the will to pursue them with such single-minded dedication that Kalpana did.

Global citizen
Kalpana's sights were so completely focused on her goals that even her small town trappings were no constraint for her. She crossed continents and high seas to an alien culture. She was truly a global citizen, an earth person who wanted to explore her neighbourhood, the outer space!

Making the impossible possible
From a very young age, JRD Tata and his maiden flight had captured her imagination. She too dreamt of flying and reaching out to the stars and planets. Her fondness for flying saw her joining the local flying club. She acquired a certified flight instructor's license and commercial pilot's license for single- and multiple-engine land and seaplanes. She also became skilled in aerobatics. Finally in 1994, her efforts paid when out of 2962 applicants for a space mission, NASA chose 19 and Kalpana's name figured in it.

Kalpana had worked hard towards it. She would say: "If you look up to the top of the mountain, then climbing it may seem an impossible task. But if you focus on the next step and take it one step at a time, then you certainly will be able to do it." That is exactly what she did. She very dedicatedly charted out her course, stuck to the path and took it in stride, one step at a time.

Spacewoman par excellence
In 1994, Chawla began her career as an astronaut with NASA. In 1997, she went on her maiden sortie in the space shuttle STS - 87 Columbia as a mission specialist. She got embroiled in an unfortunate controversy. She was blamed for letting go of a science satellite during an experiment that had to be retrieved later. But upon subsequent investigations, she was honourably absolved of these charges. This was underscored when she was chosen for the second time round, for the next Columbia mission STS- 107 as a flight engineer and mission specialist.

In all she logged 30 days, 14 hours and 54 minutes in space.
For the second mission, she had carried with her CDs of her favourite artistes like Abida Parveen, Pt. Ravi Shankar and Deep Purple, among others. She planned to autograph them in space and gift it as mementoes to these artistes. But that was not to be. Sixteen minutes short of the scheduled landing, Kalpana Chawla became one with the cosmos she so loved.

The ultimate tribute
In her memory, the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. A.B.Vajpayee renamed the weather satellite launched in 2002, Metstat as Kalpana-1. Deep Purple scripted and sang, 'Contact Lost' as a tribute to her. These and many such small gestures round the world have kept her memory alive. But the real tribute, the youngsters can pay her, is to enliven the 'Kalpanas' (imagination) in them.

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri

India's second Prime Minister, he assumed office at a time of turmoil in the country. Pandit Nehru had just expired and Pakistan's hostility towards the Indians led to a war in 1965. The country was under heavy pressure due to drought and other internal problems. Quite a tough task for a new Prime Minister to handle.

But as he had been tempered by the freedom struggle and had served in Nehru's cabinet, he took it all in his stride.
 

His Role In The Freedom Struggle

At the age of 17, he was very impressed with Gandhiji's call for freedom through non - violence and so took part in the Non - co-operation Movement of 1921. He courted arrest but was let off because of his age. But he was not so lucky when he followed Gandhiji in the Satyagraha Movement and spent approximately 8 years in jail over a period of time. Even though he was made to undergo tremendous hardships, he survived with the help of his prayers and physical exercises. He spent this time reading different authors like Hegel, Kant, Marx, Russell and Lenin. He also did some translations and wrote about the Quit India Movement.
 

Post Independence

He served the Congress in various positions before becoming Prime Minister. He was First General Secretary, and then Home-Minister. In U.P. he made some progressive reforms in the police department, and in 1962, Pandit Nehru invited him to join the Union cabinet as a Minister for railways. A post from which he resigned after taking responsibility for a railway mishap, that happened during his tenure.

Lal Bahadur Shastri showed remarkable abilities of oratorship and courage during the Indo - Pakistan War. He inspired his people through his leadership and offered them a slogan that has been passed down the ages - 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'. The Indo - Pak war would have continued, but fortunately, the Russian Government intervened and both India and Pakistan were forced to sign the 'Tashkent Agreement' on January 11, 1966. A day that saw the passing away of this great leader, just a few hours after signing this historic agreement. 

He was awarded the 'Bharat Ratna' posthumously, in light of the services rendered to the country. His memorial 'Vijayghat' in delhi is a constant reminder of a great administrator and a fantastic human being.

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi

Indian history has been witness to only one female Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi. She was the third Prime Minister of India and the daughter of the first - Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru. Her charm, intelligence and charisma made her a powerful statesperson, much loved and admired by her people.
 

A Politically Charged Childhood

Born on 19th November 1917, in Allahabad, she was greatly loved by her parents and her grandfather Motilal Nehru, who was a famous lawyer, and a public figure in his own right.

Her father had joined the freedom struggle, so little Indira, or Priyadarshani as she was lovingly called, was exposed to politics from the age of 3 or 4 years. Her house was the centre of political activity, as all the important leaders stayed there on visiting Allahabad.  Mahatma Gandhi was a frequent visitor to her father's residence and she was greatly affected by his thinking. A visit to the Sabarmati Ashram left an indelible mark on her psyche and she was impressed by the simple, hard life and patriotic feelings that she witnessed there.

She passed her Metric from Pune University and was then sent on to Shantiniketan, formed by Rabindranath Tagore. Here she was made to lead a strict highly disciplined life. From here she went on to study in Switzerland and then to Oxford University in London.
 

Her Father's Daughter

After her return to India she married Feroze Gandhi, in March 1941 much against the wishes of the conservative Hindu community, as he was a Parsee. But Nehru was on her side. When Indira's father was in jail he used to write beautiful, long letters to her about his patriotic feelings and the current political situation. This led her to understand the intricacies of the nation, better than the most. In 1942, she joined the 'Quit India' Movement along with her husband and was arrested and jailed.

After India gained freedom, Pandit Nehru was elected Prime Minister. After his death in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri took over. And then in 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected leader of the Congress.
 

Her Tenure As Prime Minister

Indira will be remembered for her commendable efforts in the development and progress of science, space exploration, irrigation, as well as policies like the nationalisation of banks and the 20-point programme.

But on the other hand, the enormity of the problems she faced was the cause of much heartache. There were problems in Assam, Punjab as well as East Bengal. And in 1971, Pakistan attacked India and forced another smaller partition - the creation of Bangladesh.

On June 26th, 1975, Mrs. Gandhi declared an emergency, due to the turbulent political situation in the country at that time. Janta Party leaders like J.P. Narayan were arrested and jailed. But Mrs. Gandhi lost out to them in the next election in 1977 and was re-elected to power in 1980.  Later, in Punjab there was a demand for a separate state of Khalistan, and the Sardarji's were up in arms. But their demands were not met and this was the cause of her ultimate assassination.
 

The End

On Wednesday, October 31, 1984, when Indira Gandhi was proceeding to her office, she was gunned down by her own bodyguards. This day has gone down in History as national Unity Day, as a tribute to the memory of a Great lady, leader and statesperson.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

India has given birth to a variety of saints and Godmen. People who have achieved salvation through the paths of prayer, action and duty - bhakti, karma and dharma.  Swami Vivekananda, was also a saint. With one major difference. He worked towards the upliftment of his people, and not just towards his own salvation. He was a ' Karmayogi' in the true sense of the word.
 

Birth of A Saint

Born in Calcutta, on January 12th, 1863 to Vishwanatha Datta and Bhuvaneshwari, young Narendranath (which he was originally called) was extremely devoted to God. He was also extremely attached to his mother, who had a profound influence on his life. She used to tell him mythological stories, which he loved to hear. He often said that it was his mother who had been the constant inspiration of his work and life.

He graduated from Christian College, Calcutta. The Principal, Mr. Hastie, was known to have remarked "Narendranath is really a genius. I have traveled far and wide, but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German Universities among philosophical students. He is bound to make his mark in life".  His interests ranged from sports and music to wrestling, philosophy and poetry. He loved reading Shelley, Wordsworth, Herbert Spencer and John Stuart Mill.
 

Meeting With Ramakrishna Parmahansa

Narendra was not interested in worldly pleasures or acquiring possessions. He was looking for something beyond worldly pleasures. His life changed on meeting Sri Ramakrishna, by whose thoughts he was very impressed.

The second meeting was even more stimulating, as when Sri Ramakrishna touched Narendra with his foot, he was blessed with a divine experience that made him renounce the world and become Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna's disciple
 

His Mission and Work

Swami Vivekananda traveled the length and breadth of the country, spreading His master's message. His path did not include religious superstitions and rituals, but strived towards a 'region beyond reason'

In September 1893, Swami Vivekananda participated in 'Parliament of Religions' held in Chicago, U.S.A. He spoke on the Hindu religion and left his audience spellbound. After this, he spread his master's message in Switzerland and England, and had a great following abroad. One of his most famous disciples was Margaret Noble, who later assumed the name of Sister Nivedita.

Swami Vivekananda wrote several letters expressing his social, religious and spiritual views. His book 'Raja Yoga' is famous till today.  This great exponent of the Vedanta strove to uplift the masses out of their misery. He believed that the neglect of the masses led to the downfall of the nation, and so injected his country with his infectious vitality. Swami Vivekananda also established two monasteries in the name of Sri Ramakrishna. One at Baranagar and the other at Belur, near Calcutta. Till today his work is carried out in these Missions.
 

The Sad Demise

Long hours and diabetes won out in the end, and the great Swami passed into the beyond on July 4th, 1902 at his monastery in Belur. But his name and his teachings, as well as that of his master lives on in the hearts and the minds of the masses.

Shivaji

Shivaji

Born in Shivner on April 10, 1627 to Shahji and Jijabai, Shivaji was destined for great things. His father was a nobleman in the court of Bijapur and his mother was a religious Hindu.

One night Shahji had a dream in which he was offered a mango and asked to share it with his wife in order to get a son. This son was to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Shortly after that, a son was born, and so the happy parents named him 'Shivaji' after Lord Shiva.
 

Move From Shivner To Pune

When Shivaji's father took another wife, as was a common occurrence in aristocratic families, his self-respecting mother decided to shift to Pune. She took great pains to educate her son and groom him well, and hired a Brahmin teacher, Dada Kondevji, for this task. Together they made him a courageous young man. He had been brought up on Martial Arts and tales of courage and valour. By the age of 13, he had just one dream - to build a kingdom of his own.
 

Attack On Toran Fort

At the age of 20 years, he launched his first military attack on Toran fort,  a part of Bijapur territory. He was joined by his three best friends and a few soldiers. It was an easy victory, and made him popular amongst the Maratha youth, who joined his army.  The Nawab of Bijapur put pressure on Shahji to convince his son to appear in court. But Shivaji refused to do so until his demands were met. So the Nawab imprisoned his father.

Shivaji then asked the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan to intervene on his behalf. The Emperor, who was waiting for a chance to interfere in Bijapur, at once demanded that Shahji be released. Shivaji had succeeded again. The world was impressed by his physical and mental prowess.

The Nawab, then sent a giant called Afzal Khan to capture Shivaji. Afzal Khan carried with him an iron cage and entered Shivaji's territory from the south, creating turmoil and plunder along the way. He then sent him a fake message of peace to convince Shivaji to meet him. But Shivaji was wise to his ways, and went prepared for a battle. He had fitted a dagger in his sleeve and steel points in his left hand, with which he tore open Afzal Khan's stomach, and stabbed him in his back, as he was attacked. The army fled in fright and Shivaji went home with trained animals and lots of money.
 

Auranzeb's Attacks

Observing Shivaji's reach, Emperor Aurangzeb wanted to protect his territory and so sent his maternal uncle Shayista Khan to teach Shivaji a lesson. The Khan was camping at Pune Fort when, Shivaji's army, dressed as a wedding procession entered and sprung a surprise attack. The Khan fled, but not before losing a thumb.

The second time Aurangzeb sent two battle-hardened veterans Diler Khan and Raja Jaswant Singh to capture Shivaji. This time Shivaji had to send them a message of peace and was presented in the Mughal Court, where he was insulted and detained.

While under capture, Shivaji feigned illness and then asked to distribute sweets to celebrate his recovery. Permission was granted. He took this opportunity to hide in a basket of sweets and fruits, and escaped to his own territory, disguised as a sadhu.
 

Coronation

Shivaji was crowned King, in the ancient Kshatriya tradition, at his capital Rajgarh. He was given a sacred thread and weighed in coins, which were distributed to the poor. His mother's dreams were fulfilled and she passed away peacefully 2 weeks later.

Shivaji ruled his kingdom well and after a prosperous few years, fell ill and died on April 3, 1680. He was the first real Maratha leader, and his name has gone down in the annals of history.

Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak is founder of the Sikh religion. His goal was to unify the Hindus and Muslims. So he studied both religions and created Sikhism, which combined the best of both. 'Sikh' means 'disciple' and Guru Nanak believed that one can evolve or achieve salvation only through direct contact with a true master or a 'sadguru'. His religion has spread not only in North India but also in America, Singapore and Africa.
 

Childhood

Guru Nanak was born on April 15, 1469, at Talwandi, 40 miles from Lahore. As a tribute to him, this place is now called 'Nankana Sahib' and is in present Pakistan. His father Kaluchand was a Patwari and his mother's name was Tripta Devi.  An astrologer had predicted that Nanak was a born devotee of God and would achieve spiritual heights and be acknowledged by both Hindus and Muslims alike.

At the tender age of 5, Nanak began speaking about God, much to everyone's surprise. He began to study Hindi, Persian, Punjabi and Sanskrit and was adept at all these by the age of 15 years. But most marked was his love for God.
 

A Charitable Disposition

Nanak's father worried about his future, as he did not seem interested in earning money. He once gave him Rs. 20.00 and sent him to Lahore to start a business. Nanak was accompanied by his constant companion Bhai Bala. En route, they came across some hungry sadhus, who were meditating. Nanak spent all the money he had to feed them. And then returned home. Next, his father sent him to stay with his sister Nanki, in Sultanpur. He started working at a grain shop there, but whatever he earned, he spent on the poor. He did not keep a penny for himself.

At 18 years, he was married to Sulakshana Devi, daughter of Moolchand. His sister convinced him to take care of his domestic life. The couple had two sons. But domestic life was not for Nanak. He had a higher calling and left home in search of the truth. He believed that his true family consisted of loyalty to truth, mercy, happiness, devotion, compassion, peace and adventure. He was accompanied on his search by Bhai Bala and Mardana, a professional singer.
 

Practical Insights from Guru Nanak

Nanak preferred to eat with the poor than the rich. When asked why, he took two slices of bread, one belonging to a rich man and one to a poor man. When he squeezed the poor man's bread, it oozed milk. And the rich man's bread oozed blood. In this manner he taught that people should make an honest living.

Once, while at Mecca - Medina, Nanak was taking a nap with his feet pointing to the 'Kaba'. An angry moulvi, shifted his feet. And in whichever direction Nanak's feet were shifted the 'Kaba' also shifted. In this way the omnipresence of God was explained.

At Haridwar, Nanak observed people offering water to the Sun. He started throwing water in the opposite direction. On being asked why he was doing that, he explained, that as others were offering water to their forefather's he was offering water to his fields. And if the water could reach the forefathers who had already passed on, it could certainly reach his fields too. In this manner, he explained the futility of rituals.
 

Guru Nanak's Teachings

Nanak did not subscribe to blind ritualism or mindless superstitions. He believed that there was just one God, who was almighty omnipresent and all encompassing. The chanting of whose name, and a life of purity and charity would lead to freedom from the cycle of birth and death. He believed in the theory of Karma and Rebirth.  He spread Sikhism to Burma, Iraq, Tibet and Sri Lanka as a message of love.

The 'Japji Sahib':  'Japji' means morning prayer. He has composed a set of poems that form the first chapter of the Sikh scripture and holy book - the Guru Granth Sahib. These poems talk about meditations and thoughts from his teachings, and serve to inspire many - a - Sikh to live a good life, following the basic principles of prayer, right living and thinking and the Unity of God and our fellow beings.
 

The End

Guru Nanak passed on in 1538 AD. at the age of 70. His own son did not succeed him. Instead he chose Lelna and renamed him Angad, which means 'my own limb' to be his successor and guide the Sikhs into a new awakening.

Ashoka The Great

Ashoka The Great

One of the greatest emperors known to Indian history, Ashoka, was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya and the son of Bindusar. The land he ruled stretched from the Himalayas, Nepal and Kashmir to Mysore in the South. From Afghanistan in the N.E. to the banks of the River Brahmaputra in the East. In the West his territory covered Saurashtra and Junagarh.
 

Ashoka's Reign

Born in 294 BC as second son to Bindusar, the King of Patliputra, Ashoka was not heir apparent. After his father died, his elder brother Suman was to take over the reins of the Kingdom. But as most of the ministers found Ashoka more efficient, they helped him attain power.

Ashoka was a good administrator and at first set about restoring peace in his kingdom. This took about 3 years, after which he formally accepted the throne and was crowned King in 273 BC.  During his reign, the country made progress in terms of science and technology as well as advanced in medicine and surgery. Religion was emphasized and so the people were honest and straightforward and truthful. Stealing was unheard of.

Ashoka, himself was a great philanthropist and worked day and night for the welfare of his people. He knew exactly what was going on in each part of his vast territory. He would not partake any of his meals until and unless he had fed a thousand Brahmins.
 

The Kalinga War

This was the first and last battle that Ashoka ever fought and serves as a watermark in his life as it changed his course forever. It was during this war that he earned the title Ashoka the Great.

Kalinga was a prosperous little kingdom lying between the river Godavari and Mahanadi, close to the Bay of Bengal. It had an infantry of 60,000 men, 10,000 horsemen and 600 elephants. Ashoka wanted to capture this fertile land, and so had it surrounded. But the brave and loyal people of Kalinga did not want to lose their independence.

A fierce battle followed, in which there were too many casualties. There were more than a lakh prisoners of war. In the midst of the battlefield, Ashoka stood with the wounded, crippled and the dead all around him. This was the consequence of his greed. A new light dawned on him, and he swore that he would never wage war again.
 

Ashoka's Conversion

Ashoka was initiated into Buddhism, after which his life was completely transformed. He religiously followed the principles of Buddhism - that of truth, charity, kindness, purity and goodness.

He did his bit towards the propagation of this religion by engraving it's principles on pillars throughout his kingdom. The Ashoka pillars, as they are now called, were over 40 feet high and extremely heavy. He also attempted to spread this religion to Syria, Egypt and Macedonia, and sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sangamitra to Sri Lanka for this purpose.

Ashoka opened charitable hospitals and dispensaries for the welfare of the poor. He planted trees to provide shade and opened inns for the shelter of travelers and laid out green parks and gardens to beautify his kingdom. Wells and tanks were also constructed for the benefit of his people.  He believed in non-violence and so he banned the sacrifice of animals. Besides this he opened clinics for birds and animals too. His good works earned him the name of Devanamapriya Priyadarshi.
 

Ashoka Chakra

He died in 232 BC. After doing a great deal of good for his kingdom and the world at large. His fame has spread far and wide. To commemorate his rule and its implications the Government of India has adopted the Ashoka Chakra as its national symbol, which can be seen till today on the national flag.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru is famous for a number of reasons. He was the first Prime Minister of India, as well as the father of the most famous Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi. He was a patriot, a freedom fighter as well as a highly regarded statesman.
 

Early Influences 

Born on 14th November 1889, to a famous lawyer of high nobility, Motilal Nehru and his wife Swaroop Rani, Jawaharlal had a good start in life. His father wanted to give him the best education possible and so sent him to Harrow, a boarding school in England, in 1905. Harrow was famous for educating most of the to be Prime ministers of England.

Nehru then went on to get his M.A. degree from Cambridge University and returned to India as a barrister.  In 1916, he married Kamala Kaul, who supported his patriotism and was a devoted wife in all respects.
 

Fate Had Other Things In Store

 Even though he had a brilliant academic record, the legal profession did not attract him. Instead, he wanted to join the freedom struggle under the influence of Gandhiji. For a while he was the Chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Committee as a member of the Congress and then he joined the Home Rule League established by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant.

During the freedom struggle, he courted arrest many a times, and had been jailed 14 years in all. He was elected Congress President 5 times, and it was under his influence in Lahore, that the Congress adopted complete freedom as its goal. In 1947, after India gained its independence, he was automatically elected first Prime Minister.
 

As India's First Prime Minister

He headed the Indian government for 17 long and brilliant years. He wanted India to develop into a world - recognised nation. He supported technological and scientific progress and encouraged art and literature. He wanted to eliminate discrimination from the face of the world and encouraged peaceful co-existence.  Nehru did not believe in aligning himself with the military political blocks and wanted to end the cold war. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955.
 

Nehru as a Personality

Not only was he a brilliant orator, a charming, warm and noble thinker and philosopher, but also a fantastic writer. He has written a few wonderful books 'Discovery of India', 'Glimpses of World History' and ' Letters from a father to a daughter''.

On May 27, 1964, India lost a great influence. In the words of Dr. Radhakrishnan "As a fighter for freedom he was illustrious as a maker of a modern India, his services were unparalleled. His life and works have had a profound influence on our mental make-up, social structure and intellectual development."

Mahavir

Mahavir

Mahavir is the exponent of one of the popular religions in India - Jainism.  Born in 599 BC in a village called Kunda in Bihar, his father Siddhartha was an important nobleman from the Kshatriya dynasty. His mother's name was Trishala. Mahavir was named Vardhaman by his parents, and showed signs of spiritualism from his early days.  At the age of 5, he was sent to a Gurukul to study Sanskrit and became a great scholar.
 

A Spiritual Search

As an obedient son he married the girl of his parent's choice - Yashodhara who consequently gave birth to a daughter. But marital ties could not bind him, as he thirsted for something more. His search compelled him to leave home, with his elder brother's permission, to understand the true purpose and meaning of life.

He traveled far and wide, expanding his knowledge and subsequently his perceptions of the world at large. And then, one day he attained 'Kaivalya' or enlightenment while sitting under a tree on the banks of a river. Henceforth he was to be known as Mahavir, as he was freed from the boundaries of sadness and joy, pain and pleasure.
 

Preachings

His teachings were greatly appreciated in North India for 30 years, and had in its following, the King of Magadha.  He preached that truth and clean living were the priorities in life, as was non-violence. Till today, Jains do not even harm a fly or a mosquito. True Jains tie a cloth around their nose, so as not to breathe in or destroy living organisms in the atmosphere.

He died in 527 BC at Parapuri in Bihar, and left behind a legacy of thought and some beautiful temples like the Dilwara in Mt. Abu, Rajasthan and Shravanbelagola in Karnataka. These temples are popular today, not only as famous pilgrim spots, but also as works of great architecture

Gautam Buddha

Gautam Buddha

Buddha, means 'the enlightened one'. And Gautam Buddha was one of the greatest religious teachers that the world has seen. His teachings expounded in Buddhism, are immensely popular in Burma, China, Japan and other South Eastern Countries.
 

Early Life

The Buddha was born in 563 B.C. as Siddhartha to Shuddhodana the king of Kapilavastu in Nepal. His mother Mayadevi expired when he was just 7 days old and he was brought up by his stepmother Gautami. Siddhartha was made to lead a very sheltered life as the astrologers had predicted that he would give up worldly pleasures to follow a different path. The King wanted to avoid this at all costs and so did not let him out of the palace.  He hoped that Siddhartha would one day become king.
 

Life Changing Experiences

When Siddhartha had grown into an intelligent young man, he ventured out of his palace one day, and chanced on a few sights that changed the course of his life. He first saw a very old man who could barely walk, a sick man who was in a great deal of pain, and lastly a corpse. He had never been exposed to pain before, and so these sights had a deep effect on him. His servant explained that pain and death were inevitable.

This made Siddhartha very sad and he started to rethink his life and began to try to fathom the reason of existence. Seeing him so thoughtful, his father decided to get him married and get his mind off such serious topics.  He was married to a beautiful princess called Yashodhara, who soon gave birth to a son who they called Rahul.
 

A Search for Light

Despite this, Siddhartha found no happiness in materialistic pleasures and so left the palace in search of salvation - ' Moksh'. He was only 29 years old. He roamed the country, meeting various sadhus and saints in his search for inner peace. He lived the life of a hermit and underwent rigorous ' tapasya' to achieve his purpose, but still could not understand the meaning of or reason for life and death.

Finally, one day he reached Bodh Gaya. He was very tired and so sat under the shade of a tree. He shut his eyes and was blessed with a divine light. This was the turning point, as he realized the truth is within every human being. The search outside was pointless. After this he was known as ' Buddha' or the enlightened one.
 

The Right Path and Immortality

For 45 years, Buddha spread his message of a spiritual life. He did not believe in rituals but pointed to an 8 - fold path towards salvation - that of right speech, understanding, determination, deeds, efforts, awareness, thinking and living.  According to Buddhism, by following this path one could overcome desires, which were the root cause of grief and misery.

The Buddha died in 483 BC at the ripe age of 80 years, after successfully spreading his message to the world. Buddhism still lives and has a strong following in various Asian countries.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is a pure symbol of hard work, dedication, commitment, love and humanity. He is a father of Indian constitution and dynamic character of India's history. Read on to know more about his life and struggle against social evils.


Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is the most dynamic character in India's struggle for freedom. Struggle of India's people was not only against the British rule. At that time the people also needed to be freed from the rude customs and traditions which led to exploitation. Also they need to be freed form the customs and traditions which led to the raise in concepts like untouchability.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar played an important role in the welfare of the downtrodden in India. He showed them a path which not only led to their development but also the development of India. Read on to know more about some facts of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's life.

Birth of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891 to Bimabai and Ramji. He was the fourteenth and last child of his parents. He was born in Mhow which was a British founded town and military cantonment in Madhya Pradesh. He was named as Bhimrao by his parents. His family actually belonged to Ambavade town located in Maharashtra. However his family had to migrate towards Madhya Pradesh as his father was serving Indian Army at Mhow.

Studies of Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had to face lots of hardships to complete his education. However his strong will and dedication helped him to remove all the obstacles and complete his studies. He had to go through various social and financial obstacles. He faced lot of humiliation at his school as social discrimination was highly prevalent in India at that time. However, he did not give up his desire to learn and work hard. His father was a great source of inspiration for him to love learning and working hard.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar studied in the prestigious Columbia University in New York in 1913. The experience of studying in USA was very amazing and refreshing for him as he was away from the social discrimination and hardships resulting due to it. However, He did not get carried away with all these things. He studied for eighteen hours a day. He completed his M.A in two years and his main subjects were Economics and Sociology. The very next year of completion of his M.A, he completed his PhD thesis too.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's struggle against untouchability

After completing his studies he came back to India and got a job in Baroda Civil Service. Once again he had to face this worst Hindu system of humiliating untouchables. He decided to give a strong answer to this treatment given to untouchables.

His weekly publication Mooknayak was one of tools which he used to struggle against untouchability. He used this tool for criticizing traditional Hindu political leaders and practices of cast discrimination. He delivered various speeches to encourage the untouchables to fight against social discrimination.

He also started takings meetings known as Bahiskrit Hitakarani Sabha for the encouraging the welfare, education and social development of lower class. He also undertook massive movements to give rights to untouchables to share common source of drinking water with others and enter the temples.

Sculptor of Indian constitution

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar prepared the constitution of India which is world's largest democratic country. He prepared it with the help of his extensive knowledge about Economics, Law, Politics, Indian society and detailed study of constitutions of other countries.

Through his superior work he wanted to appeal Indians to become such a nation where caste does not create barrier to live a happier social life. All the Indians owe a lot to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for receiving such a precious gift in the form of constitution. Today we can see a picture of India as a super power country. India is running successfully on the basis of this excellent constitution and the whole credit goes to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism

After Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar returned from a Buddhist conference in Sri Lanka in 1950, he addressed people in Bombay. He appealed all his people to follow Buddhism to put end to all their sufferings. He also decided to spend rest of his life in learning more about Buddhism and encouraging people to follow Buddhism. Therefore on 14th October 1956 he organised a ceremony where lakhs of people came and accepted Buddhism as their religion along with him.

One of the features of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's multidimensional character was that he had great love for books. His interest in reading was so deep that he could concentrate on reading even in crowded or very noisy places. He could read books even during having a normal discussion with his friends, family or colleagues. He was successful to put end to the sufferings of millions. He is a pure example and inspiration of hard work, dedication, commitment, love and humanity.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

About 20 years before India gained its freedom, Christian missionaries from Yugoslavia came to India to render humanitarian services. They were extremely affected by the conditions of poverty rampant in India and so invited people from their country to serve here. Amongst these was a special girl called Agnes Goxa Bojaxiu, who is today known as Mother Teresa.
 

Arrival In India

Agnes was born on August 27, 1910 and was just 19 years when she came to Calcutta on January 6, 1929. And she never left this country. Her aim in life was to serve the sick and the poor and she dedicated her full life towards this purpose. She would roam the dangerous dark and dirty streets of Calcutta at night, covering the cold and offering food and shelter to the poor.  When she first arrived in Calcutta, she had just Rs. 5.00, and was helped by a priest. She lived in a small room for 9 years, where she nursed the ill back to health. Compassion, dignity and sympathy marked her every action.
 

Mission Of Charity

Through her efforts she managed to open several institutions to help the downtrodden e.g. 'Missionaries of Charity', ' Nirmal Hriday', and 'Shishu Bhavan' whish houses the mentally and physically challenged children.  Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna in 1980. Besides these she also received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Peace  (1972), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1962) and the Templeton Foundation Award (1973).  As the Mother- General of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa has a thousand Missionary institutions working under her.

Despite all the public acclaim, national and international honours, mother Teresa remained humble, kind and generous till the end. The Florence Nightingale of India passed away in September 1997.

Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo

Known as a revolutionary - ascetic, patriot, philosopher and yogi, Sri Aurobindo was a many faceted brilliant personality. Born in Calcutta on 15th August 1872, he tried to assimilate both Indian and Western philosophical thoughts and find the paths of divine communion and spiritual realization.
 

Early Influences

His father, Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose, was an Anglophile, and so sent little Aurobindo to England to study at St. Paul's school in London and then at King's College, Cambridge. In 1890, he passed the I.C.S examination with flying colours, but as he did not want to serve the British, he disqualified himself. Instead, he returned to India and served in Baroda as a civil servant, a professor, and finally as Vice-Principal of Baroda College.
 

Nationalistic Fervour

In 1905, Aurobindo Ghose joined the freedom struggle of India. He was the revolutionary who encouraged direct political action against the British instead of moderate reformism. He began writing essays, poetry, dramas and fiery articles on nationalism that stirred India's political consciousness. In this phase, he was appointed editor of the controversial "Bande Mataram" and was prosecuted in 1908 and jailed in Alipur for a year.
 

The Aurobindo Ashram

It was during this time that he had a divine spiritual experience in the form of a vision of the all-pervading reality. This changed his life, and in 1909, when he was acquitted, he did not return to politics, but retired to Pondicherry to pursue yoga in order to realise the mysteries of consciousness. He established an ashram there in 1910 and spent his time in seclusion, writing eminent books and poetry like ' Life Divine', 'Essays on Gita', 'Basis of Yoga', 'Love and death' and 'Savitri'. 

The Aurobindo Ashram attracts hordes of people from all around the world to come to Pondicherry, study, meditate and discover themselves and the true meaning of existence. In India, Sri Aurobindo is admired not only for his nationalistic fervour but also as an ascetic and philosopher with a divine vision to guide us into a new awakening.

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Even though, he was most famous as a poet, he was also an artist, novelist, playwright, philosopher and freedom fighter. Or simply, the writer of songs filled with love. His poetry covered a vast range of topics from nature to patriotism.
 

Early Life

Born on 8th May 1861 in Calcutta to Maharishi Devendranath, who himself came from a family of nobility, he was the youngest of 14 children. The family was addressed by the honourable title 'Thakur' which was later changed to Tagore.

His mother Sharadadevi expired when he was still young, and his father rarely spent much quality time with him. As a result he grew up extremely sensitive and non - conventional. He could not tolerate any kind of authority, and so, his schooling suffered. But he made up for all this, with the beautiful, mystical poems that he wrote, right from childhood.
 

His Life's Work

Tagore wrote numerous stories, songs, dramas, letters, diaries and essays on a variety of subjects ranging from religion to science, music to politics, education and social reform. Whatever he attempted had a distinctive style of its own. Even his works of art are nothing short of masterpieces. 

He received the Nobel Prize in Literature on Nov. 13, 1913, for his most famous work - 'Gitanjali'. This is a collection of poems that talk about life and death, love and its connection to the spirit. His well known novels written in Bengali are Gora, Vibha Raja aur Rani, Nauka Dubi and Binodini. Two of his short stories - Kabuliwallah and Kshudita Pashan have been immortalised.
 

His Contribution

With the money he received from the Nobel Prize, Tagore had established an international institution of learning called Shantiniketan in 1901. Today this goes under the name of Vishwabharati University and serves as a memorial to his name.

Tagore had also been conferred the title of 'Sir' by the British Government but he returned that honour after the Jallianwallah Baug tragedy (Amritsar) in 1919.

He expired on August 8, 1941, but is immortalised by his work and the love in the hearts of the people of India.

Subhash Chandra Bose

Subhash Chandra Bose

There were many great heroes born at the time of the freedom movement. Each with his own method of attaining one goal - Independence for India. Some believed in non-violent means, whereas others did not. One such hero was Subhash Chandra Bose, popularly known as 'Netaji'.

Netaji's Background
Born on January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa, to a successful lawyer Jankinath Bose and his wife Prabhavati, Netaji was of a unique temperament. His father was also chairman of the Municipal Committee and encouraged education in his province. His mother was a follower of Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa and so inculcated spiritual values in her son. Netaji was also influenced by Swami Vivekananda.
To please his father, Netaji went to England to appear for the Indian Civil Service (I.C.S.) Examination, and achieved fourth place on the Merit list. But he had no intention of serving the British. Instead he wanted to participate in the Nationalist Movement and liberate his Motherland.

Birth of a Revolutionary
Netaji was influenced more by Lokmanya Tilak and Sri Aurobindo. He did not agree with Gandhiji's methods of achieving Independence through non-violence. Rana Pratap and Shivaji were Netaji's heroes and he believed that the only way to liberate his people was by shedding blood.
At first, Netaji joined the Congress Party and was even elected President. But because he did not agree with their views, he broke off to form the Forward Bloc. He was imprisoned for his revolutionary activities on various occasions.

Meeting with Hitler
At the time of World War II, the British were in a tight spot due to the pressure from Hitler. Netaji was under detention in Calcutta at that time, and decided to take advantage of the situation. Dressed as a Pathan, he escaped to Peshawar and then moved on to Kabul and Moscow. Next was Germany. Here he approached Hitler with his cause. Hitler was impressed and promised to help him. He then organized all the Indian Prisoners of War to form the Liberation Army and the Free Indian Army.

The Indian National Army (I.N.A.)
In 1941, Netaji went to Japan and formed the I.N.A. in 1943. 1945 witnessed the I.N.A. waging a war from the North - West of our country. He inspired his army with the battle cry 'Delhi Chalo'. Even though he did not succeed in this battle, he had driven home his message. The Britishers realised that the Indians were serious about gaining independence, and would assume any means towards that end.
On August 17, 1945, Bose died in a plane crash while flying from Bangkok to Tokyo. He did not live to see the Indian Independence, but his spirit still lives through his words - JAI HIND.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Thinker, statesman and nationalist leader, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi not only led his own country to independence but also influenced political activists of many persuasions throughout the world with his methods and philosophy of nonviolent confrontation, or civil disobedience.

Born in Porbandar in Gujarat on October 2, 1869, his actions inspired the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore to call him "Mahatma" ("great soul"). For him, the universe was regulated by a Supreme Intelligence or Principle, which he preferred to call satya (Truth) and, as a concession to convention, God.
Since all human beings partook of the divine essence, they were "ultimately one". They were not merely equal but "identical". As such, love was the only proper form of relation between them; it was "the law of our being", of "our species". Positively, love implied care and concern for others and total dedication to the cause of "wiping away every tear from every eye." Negatively it implied ahimsa or ‘non violence’. Gandhi’s entire social and political thought, including his theory of Satyagraha, was an attempt to work out the implications of the principle of love in all areas of life.Gandhi himself felt that he was most influenced by his mother whose life was an "endless chain of fasts and vows" as a devout adherent of Jainism, a religion in which ideas of nonviolence and vegetarianism are paramount.
Married by arrangement at 13, Gandhi went to London to study law when he was 18. He was admitted to the bar in 1891 and for a while practiced law in Bombay. From 1893 to 1914 he worked for an Indian firm in South Africa. During these years Gandhi's humiliating experiences of overt racial discrimination propelled him into agitation on behalf of the Indian community of South Africa. He assumed leadership of protest campaigns and gradually developed his techniques and tenets of nonviolent resistance known as Satyagraha (literally, "steadfastness in truth").
Returning to India in January 1915, Gandhi soon became involved in labor organizing. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Amritsar (1919), in which troops fired on and killed hundreds of nationalist demonstrators, turned him to direct political protest. Within a year he was the dominant figure in the Indian National Congress, which he launched on a policy of noncooperation with the British in 1920-22. Although total noncooperation was abandoned, Gandhi continued civil disobedience, organizing protest marches against unpopular British measures, such as the salt tax (1930), and boycotts of British goods.
Gandhi was repeatedly imprisoned by the British and resorted to hunger strikes as part of his civil disobedience. His final imprisonment came in 1942-44, after he had demanded total withdrawal of the British (the "Quit India" movement) during World War II.
Gandhi also fought to improve the status of the lowest classes of society, the ‘Untouchables’, whom he called harijans ("children of God"). He believed in manual labor and simple living; he spun thread and wove cloth for his own garments and insisted that his followers do so, too. He disagreed with those who wanted India to industrialize.
Gandhi was also tireless in trying to forge closer bonds between the Hindu majority and the numerous minorities of India, particularly the Muslims. His greatest failure, in fact, was his inability to dissuade Indian Muslims, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, from creating a separate state, Pakistan. When India gained independence in 1947, after negotiations in which he was a principal participant, Gandhi opposed the partition of the subcontinent with such intensity that he launched a mass movement against it. Ironically, he was assassinated in Delhi on January 30, 1948, by a Hindu fanatic who mistakenly thought Gandhi's anti-partition sentiment were both pro-Muslim and pro-Pakistan.
Gandhi’s intellectual influence on Indians has been considerable. Some were attracted by his emphasis on political and economic decentralisation, others by his insistence on individual freedom, moral integrity, unity of means and ends, and social service; still others by his satyagraha and political activism. For some students of India, Gandhi’s influence is responsible for its failure to throw up any genuinely radical political movement. For others, it cultivated a spirit of non-violence, encouraged the habits of collective self-help, and helped lay the foundations of a stable, morally committed and democratic government. Gandhi’s ideas have also had a profound influence outside India, where they inspired non-violent activism and movements in favour of small-scale, self-sufficient communities living closer to nature and with greater sensitivity to their environment. Prominent among these are Martin Luther King in the United States and, more recently Nelson Mandela in South Africa.