swami vivekanand
Born: January 12, 1863
Died: July 4, 1902
Achievements: Played a major role in spiritual enlightenment of Indian
masses; Spread Vedanta philosophy in the West; established Ramakrishna
Mission for the service of the poor.
Swami Vivekananda was one of the most influential spiritual leaders of
Vedanta philosophy. He was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahansa
and was the founder of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Swami
Vivekananda was the living embodiment of sacrifice and dedicated his
life to the country and yearned for the progress of the poor, the
helpless and the downtrodden. He showed a beacon of light to a nation
that had lost faith in its ability under British rule and inspired
self-confidence among Indians that they are second to none. His ringing
words and masterful oratory galvanized the slumbering nation.
Swami Vivekananda real name was Narendranath Dutta. He was born on
January12, 1863 in Calcutta. His father's name was Vishwanath Dutta and
his mother's name Bhuvaneswari Devi. Narendranath acquired the name of
Swami Vivekananda when he became a monk.
As a child Narendra was very lively and naughty. He was good in studies
as well as in games. He studied instrumental and vocal music and also
practiced meditation from a very early age. Even when Narendra was young
he questioned the validity of superstitious customs and discrimination
based on caste and religion. As a child Narendra had great respect for
sanyasis (ascetics). He would give away anything to anybody if asked
for. Whenever a beggar asked for alms, he would give him anything he
had. Thus from childhood Narendra had the spirit of sacrifice and
renunciation.
In 1879, Narendra passed matriculation and entered Presidency College,
Calcutta. After one year, he joined the Scottish Church College,
Calcutta and studied philosophy. He studied western logic, western
philosophy and history of European nations. As he advanced in his
studies, his thinking faculty developed. Doubts regarding existence of
God started to arise in Narendra's mind. This made him associate with
the Brahmo Samaj, an important religious movement of the time, led by
Keshab Chandra Sen. But the Samaj's congregational prayers and
devotional songs could not satisfy Narendra's zeal to realise God.
During this time Narendra came to know of Sri Ramakrishna Pramahans of
Dakshineswar. Sri Ramakrishna was a priest in the temple of Goddess
Kali. He was not a scholar. But he was a great devotee. It was being
said of him that he had realized God. Once, Narendra went to
Dakshineswar to with his friends see him. He asked Ramakrishna, whether
he had seen God. The instantaneous answer from Ramakrishna was, "Yes, I
have seen God, just as I see you here, only in a more clear sense."
Narendra was astounded and puzzled. He could feel the man's words were
honest and uttered from depths of experience. He started visiting
Ramakrishna frequently.
It was in Narendra's nature to test something thoroughly before he could
accept it. He would not accept Ramakrishna as his guru without a test.
Ramakrishna used to say that, in order to realize God, one should give
up the desire for money and women. One day Narendra hid a rupee under
his pillow. Sri Ramakrishna, who had gone out, came into the room and
stretched himself on the cot. At once he jumped up as if bitten by a
scorpion. When he shook the mattress, the rupee coin fell down. Later he
came to know that it was the doing of Narendra. Narendra accepted Sri
Ramakrishna as his guru and took training under him for five years in
the Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy of non-dualism. Sri Ramakrishna
passed away in 1886 and nominated Narendra as his successor. After his
death Narendra and a core group of Ramakrishna's disciples took vows to
become monks and renounce everything, and started living in a supposedly
haunted house in Baranagore.
In 1890, Narendra set out on a long journey. He covered the length and
breadth of the country. He visited Varanasi, Ayodhya, Agra, Vrindavan,
Alwar etc. Narendra acquired the name of Swami Vivekananda during the
journey. It is said that he was given the name Vivekananda by Maharaja
of Khetri for his discrimination of things, good and bad. During his
journey, Vivekananda stayed at king's palaces, as well as at the huts of
the poor. He came in close contact with the cultures of different
regions of India and various classes of people in India. Vivekananda
observed the imbalance in society and tyranny in the name of caste. He
realised the need for a national rejuvenation if India was to survive at
all.
Swami Vivekananda reached Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the
Indian subcontinent on December24, 1892. He swam across the sea and
started meditating on a lone rock. He meditated for three days and said
later that he meditated about the past, present and future of India. The
rock is presently popular as Vivekananda memorial and is a major
tourist destination.
In 1893, Swami Vivekananda went to America to attend the Conference of
World Religions in Chicago. He earned wild applause for beginning his
address with the famous words, "Sisters and brothers of America."
Swamiji mesmerized everyone in America with his masterful oratory.
Wherever he went, he dwelt at length on the greatness of Indian Culture.
He spoke with spontaneous ease on every topic, be it History,
Sociology, Philosophy or Literature. He deplored the malicious
propaganda that had been unleashed by the Christian missionaries in
India. Swami Vivekananda also went to England. Many people became his
disciples. Most famous among them was Margaret Nivedita'. She came to
India and settled here.
Swami Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 after four years of touring
in the West. He started disseminating the message of spiritual
development among Indians. He realized that social service was possible
only through the concerted efforts on an organized mission. To achieve
this objective, Swami Vivekananda started Sri Ramakrishna Mission in
1897 and formulated its ideology and goal. During the next two years he
bought a site at Belur on the banks of the Ganga, constructed the
buildings and established the Ramakrishna Mutt. He once again toured the
West from January 1899 to December 1900.
Swami Vivekananda died on July4, 1902 at Belur Mutt near Calcutta.
Madame Cama
Madame Cama
Madame Camawas the
fiery patriot who first unfurled India’s flag at an international
assembly. She turned away from a life of luxury and lived an exile – to
serve her country. And the mighty British Government grew afraid of her.
Madame Cama, Veer
Savarkar and some other patriots met and designed that tricolor flag in
1905. It was flown first in 1905 in Berlin and next in 1907 in Bengal.
The tricolor flag
contained green, saffron and red stripes. In the green stripe at the top
there were eight blooming lotuses. India was then divided into eight
provinces and the flowers represented these provinces. The words ‘Vande
Mataram’ in Devanagari script across the central saffron strip of the
flag were a salutation to Mother India. In the red stripe at thebottom
there was a half-moon on the right and the rising sun on the left. Red
represents strength, saffron represents victory; and boldness and
enthusiasm are represented by green. “This flag was designed by a
distinguished selfless young Indian patriot” said Madame Cama. She was
referring to Veer Savarkar.
In August 1907, she
learnt that the International Socialist Conference would be held in
Stuttgart ‘in Germany. Madame Cama got a golden opportunity to expose
to worldview the conditions in enslaved India. A thousand
representatives from several countries of the world attended the
Conference. When India’s turn came, Madame Cama ascended the rostrum.
She was wearing a colorful saree. She had an attractive personality.
Dignity shone in the face. The representative’s thought: ‘She is an
Indian princess.’
Madame Cama spoke about the sorrows and the poverty of lakes of Indians who were suffering silently. ‘One-fifth
of mankind lives in India. All lovers of freedom should cooperate to
free these people from subjection.’ This was the gist of the resolution,
she boldly placed before the conference. She condemned the British
Government which was looting from India thirty-five million pounds every
year. She explained how the Indian economy was growing weaker day by
day because of the lawless imperialists sucking the blood of India. At
the end of her speech she unfurled the Indian flag and said:.
“This
flag is of Indian Independence. Behold it is born! It has been made
sacred by the blood of young Indians who sacrificed their lives.I call
upon you, gentle men, to rise and salute this flag of Indian
Independence. In the name of this flag I appeal to lovers of freedom all
over the world to cooperate with this flag.”
As if held by magic, the
whole assembly stood up and honored the flag. Madame Cama was the lady
who first unfurled the Indian flag, in a foreign land, in the presence
of representatives of many countries! “It is my practice to speak under
the flag of my country” – she would say and unfurl the flag before she
spoke at any function.
After the conference in
Germany concluded she came to America. To gain the support of the people
there for the sacred cause in which she was engaged she had to start a
campaign. In New York she explained her objects to press reporters who
met her and they were full of praise for her. She told the reporters
that lakes and lakes of people in India,although illiterate and
suffering from hunger, loved their country. There was confidence and
hope in the voice of Madame Cama when she said that Indians would attain
independence within a few years and live in liberty, equality and
brotherhood.
It was 28th October
1907. The Minerva Club had organized a meeting at the Waldorf Astoria
Hotel. The speaker was Madame Cama. In her speech she said that Indians
should be given the political right to vote.
“People here may know of
Russia. But they may not know much about conditions in India. The
British Government is adopting the practice of destroying people who are
educated and can think, or of sending them to jail. They are torturing
the people and driving them to hospitals in jails. We desire a peaceful
atmosphere and not bloody revolution. By proceeding in a non-violent
manner as far as possible we have to overthrow despotic rule” said
Madame Cama. Also Madame Cama spoke at several places. She may be called
Mother India’s representative to the United States of America.
In 1914, when the First
World War began, Madame Cama’s activities to gain the country’s freedom
became intense. The leading articles in the press condemning the
autocratic rule of the British grew sharper.
To the Indian soldiers
fighting for the British, she gave a warning in the following words:
“Children of Mother India, you are being deceived. Do not take part in
this war. You are going to fight and die, not for India, but for the
British.The British have put shackles on Mother India’s hands; think how
they can be removed. If you help the British, you will tighten the
shackles.”
She herself would visit
army camps in Marseilles. There she would meet Indian soldiers and ask
them to keep away from the war. Questioned she: “Are you going to fight
for those who have imprisoned your mother?” Return the arms, she would
preach.
The French were allies
of the British. Therefore the French Government must have been
dissatisfied with the propa- ganda carried on by Madame Cama. The French
Government warned Madame Cama that she was carrying on false propaganda
against the British.
Madame Cama passed away
on 13th August 1936. She had fought for India’s freedom. That freedom
dawned eleven years after her death.
In a sense Madame Cama’s
life abroad where she fought for India’s freedom was like living in
obscurity. She sacrificed her life for the motherland. Even during the
last moments of her life she urged repeatedly: “To gain freedom from
subjection stand up against all difficulties.” “He who loses freedom
will lose virtue. Opposition of tyranny is obedience to God’s command”
said Madame Cama; she practiced what she preached.
Kasturba Gandhi
Kasturba Gandhi was born to a prosperous businessman Gokuladas Makharji
of Porbandar on April 11, 1869. She got married to Mohandas
Gandhi, when she was just thirteen years old. At the time of her
marriage, Kasturba was an absolute illiterate. Gandhi taught
her how to read and write. When her husband left for London for
pursuing further studies, she remained in India for upbringing
their newly born son Harilal. The couple had three more sons.
Well, in this article, we will present you with the biography of
Kasturba Gandhi.
In the year 1906, Mohandas Gandhi made up his mind to practice
Brahmacharya. Like a good wife, Kasturba always stood by the
side of her husband, even if she didn't approve of some of his
ideas. Kasturba was very religious minded. She broke the
barriers that created caste distinction and lived in ashrams.
She always supported her husband in the political protests. She
went along with her husband to South Africa in the year 1897. To
know the complete life history of Kasturba Gandhi, read on.
From the period between 1904 and 1914, she was actively involved
in the Phoenix Settlement near Durban. In the year 1913, she
raised her voice against the inhuman working conditions of
Indians in South Africa. Infact, she was imprisoned for three
months and that too in the jail, where the prisoners were made
to do hard labor. In 1915, she accompanied her husband and
supported the Indigo planters. There, she taught women and
children about basic concepts like personal hygiene, discipline etc.
Kasturba Gandhi suffered from the problem of chronic
Bronchitis. To top it, the stress level caused during the Quit
India Movement's arrests aggravated her illness. Her health
began to decline. The situation got worse, when she got
victimized by pneumonia. Her husband disagreed with her idea to
go in for penicillin. On February 22, 1944, she had a major
heart attack and she died.
Veer savarkar
May 28, 1883 to February 26, 1966
Founded the Abhinav Bharat Society and Free India Society; brought out
an authentic informative researched work on The Great Indian Revolt of
1857 called "The Indian War of Independence 1857"; founded Hindu
Mahasabha.
Veer Savarkar occupies a unique place in the history of Indian freedom
struggle. His name evokes controversy. While some consider him as one of
the greatest revolutionaries in the Indian freedom struggle, others
consider him a communalist and Machiavellian manipulator. Vir Savarkar
was also a great orator, prolific writer, historian, poet, philosopher
and social worker. He was an extraordinary Hindu scholar. He coined
Indian words for telephone, photography, the parliament, among others.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, lovingly known as `Veer Savarkar`,
matriculated in 1901. He received further education in Fergusson
College, Pune and graduated from Bombay University. As early as 1899,
V.D. Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Savarkar established a
revolutionary society `Mitra Mela` for teaching of drill and physical
exercises to its members. Savarkar was greatly influenced by Mahatama
Sri Agamay Guru Paramhansa who was preaching revolution by force. On 9th
June 1906, Savarkar left for London where he reached in July 1906. In
January 1910 he had gone to Paris and returned to London on 13th March
1910 when he was arrested on the Victoria Railway Station in pursuance
of the arrest warrants issued by the Bow Street Court London on 22nd
February 1910 for the offence of "waging war against the King Emperor".
The court orders for Savarkar`s return to India were issued on 12th May
1910 and he was finally put in the ship S.S. Morea on 1st July 1910 for
journey to India. Each day, rather each minute spent by V.D. Savarkar in
London was devoted by him for revolutionising the minds of Indian
youth, as has justly been described by Harindra Srivastava in his
appreciable book Five Stormy Years, Savarkar in London (1983).
In 1907, Savarkar celebrated the golden jubilee of the Indian War of
Independence (1857) with the aim to honour the martyrs. Savarkar
gathered a multitude of Indian youth and injected in them the intensity
to fight for freedom. He also commemorated the Indian national uprising
of 1857 in India House in London on 10th May 1908 and released a
two-leaf pamphlet titled, "O` Martyrs!" which was considered as "a blast
in London that set the Thames on fire"."
The birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, a great
poet and a great warrior was also celebrated on 29th December 1908 in
Caxton Hall, Westminster. Savarkar himself invited all Indians to attend
the celebrations. Gifted with the ability to make a moving speech,
immaculate sincerity and blazing heart, Savarkar thrilled his audience.
`Vande Mataram` (Hail Motherland) was popularised by him as a national
hymn.
After one year of exhausting research in the India Office Library,
Savarkar wrote The Indian War of Independence of 1857. The book was
proscribed even before publication. It was originally written in 1908 in
Marathi. The manuscript was smuggled into India by the revolutionaries.
The British authorities failed to lay its hands on it even in India and
the manuscript reached Paris. It was translated into English under the
supervision of V.V.S. Aiyar and the English manuscript was also sent to
Paris. It was printed in Holland and the books were smuggled into India
under fake fine-looking title covers. This book not only corrected the
British version of the national uprising of 1857, but also became a
bible for the revolutionaries.
While in Europe, V.D. Sarvarkar maintained his relations with a
revolutionary society known as `Abhinav Bharat Samaj` in Maharashtra.
Twenty Browning automatic pistols with ammunition were sent by him
through one Chaturbhuj Amin, a cook in India House in London who reached
Bombay on 6th March 1909, about a week after the arrest of Ganesh
Savarkar. One of these pistols was used on 21st December 1909 by A.L.
Kanhare for shooting down Jackson, district magistrate of Nasik. During
the investigation a conspiracy was came to light. Savarkar`s residence
was searched and some incriminatory books and documents were seized. It
led to the framing of the Nasik Conspiracy Case. An arrest warrant for
V.D. Savarkar was also issued in this case. He was arrested on 13th
March 1910 and lodged in Brixton prison. He was put on board the liner
Morea on 1st July 1910. The vessel touched at Marseilles on 6th July
1910. Savarkar went to the water closet of the ship on 8th July.
Stripping himself practically of all his clothes, he escaped through the
port-hole into the sea, swam ashore and ran three meters into the
French territory. The English guards ran after him, shouting, "Thief,
Thief". Then two French marine gendarmes (French for policeman) ran
after him and caught hold of him. They handed him over to the British
guards. Savarkar could not speak French and so could not reveal his
identity as a political refugee. His recapture created a sort of
celebrated question in international law. Savarkar was brought to Bombay
on 22nd July 1910.
A special tribunal was set up for his trial under the Special Tribunal
Act which had no jury and which had no provision for appeal. It
consisted of the chief justice of Bombay high court, Sir Basil Scoth,
Sir N.G. Chandravarkar and justice Heaton. VD. Savarkar was defended by
Govindrao Gadgil and Rangneker. The case involved thirty-eight persons
including VD. Savarkar. The trial opened on 15th September 1910.
Since V.D. Savarkar had challenged his extradition to British India in
the international forum, he declined to surrender to the jurisdiction of
Indian courts and refused to make any statement or bring any evidence
in defence. The tribunal, however, proceeded with the trial regardless
of his plea and without waiting for the verdict of the international
forum. The trial lasted for sixty-eight days. The judgement was
announced on 23rd December 1910. Apart from Keshab Chandra, twenty-eight
others were also convicted and eight were acquitted. Savarkar was
convicted and sentenced to transportation for life and his property was
confiscated.
In the second Nasik Conspiracy Case, Savarkar was charged with abetment
in the murder of Jackson, collector of Nasik. He was convicted and
sentenced to another deportation for life on 30th January 1911. The
Hague Tribunal announced the judgement in the extradition case on 24th
February 1911. He was sent to the Andamans in July 1911. The first poem
Savarkar composed was on Guru Gobind Singh, the sire of martyrdom.
In 1920, many
prominent freedom fighters including Vithalbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi
and Bal Gangadhar Tilak demanded the release of Savarkar. On May 2,
1921, Savarkar was moved to Ratnagiri jail, and from there to the
Yeravada jail. In Ratnagiri jail Savarkar wrote the book 'Hindutva'. On
January 6, 1924 he was h freed under the condition that he would not
leave Ratnagiri district and abstain from political activity for the
next five years. On his release, Veer Savarkar founded the Ratnagiri
Hindu Sabha on January 23, 1924 that aimed to preserve India's ancient
culture and work for social welfare.
Later Savarkar joined Tilak's Swaraj Party and founded the Hindu
Mahasabha as a separate political party. He was elected President of the
Mahasabha and toiled for building Hindu Nationalism and later joined
the Quit India movement.
The Hindu Mahasabha opposed creation of Pakistan, and took exception to
Gandhi's continued Muslim appeasement stances. Nathuram Godse, a
volunteer of the Hindu Mahasabha, assassinated Gandhi in 1948 and upheld
his actions till his hanging. Veer Savarkar was arrested and indicted
by the Government of India in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case. But
he was acquitted by the Supreme Court of India, for reasons of lack of
evidence.
Veer Savarkar died on February 26, 1966 at the age of 83.
Subhas Chandra Bose
Born: January 23, 1897
Died: August 18, 1945
Achievements: Passed Indian Civil Services Exam; elected Congress
President in 1938 and 1939; formed a new party All India Forward block;
organized Azad Hind Fauj to overthrow British Empire from India.
Subhas Chandra Bose, affectionately called as Netaji, was one of the
most prominent leaders of Indian freedom struggle. Though Mahatma Gandhi
and Jawaharlal Nehru have garnered much of the credit for successful
culmination of Indian freedom struggle, the contribution of Subash
Chandra Bose is no less. He has been denied his rightful place in the
annals of Indian history. He founded Indian National Army (Azad Hind
Fauj) to overthrow British Empire from India and came to acquire
legendary status among Indian masses.
Subhas Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa. His
father Janaki Nath Bose was a famous lawyer and his mother Prabhavati
Devi was a pious and religious lady. Subhas Chandra Bose was the ninth
child among fourteen siblings. Subhas Chandra Bose was a brilliant
student right from the childhood. He topped the matriculation
examination of Calcutta province and graduated with a First Class in
Philosophy from the Scottish Churches College in Calcutta. He was
strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda's teachings and was known for
his patriotic zeal as a student. To fulfill his parents wishes he went
to England in 1919 to compete for Indian Civil Services. In England he
appeared for the Indian Civil Service competitive examination in 1920,
and came out fourth in order of merit. However, Subhas Chandra Bose was
deeply disturbed by the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, and left his Civil
Services apprenticeship midway to return to India in 1921
After returning to India Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose came under the
influence of Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Indian National Congress. On
Gandhiji's instructions, he started working under Deshbandhu
Chittaranjan Das, whom he later acknowledged his political guru. Soon he
showed his leadership mettle and gained his way up in the Congress'
hierarchy. In 1928 the Motilal Nehru Committee appointed by the Congress
declared in favour of Domination Status, but Subhas Chandra Bose along
with Jawaharlal Nehru opposed it, and both asserted that they would be
satisfied with nothing short of complete independence for India. Subhas
also announced the formation of the Independence League. Subhas Chandra
Bose was jailed during Civil Disobedience movement in 1930. He was
released in 1931 after Gandhi-Irwin pact was signed. He protested
against the Gandhi-Irwin pact and opposed the suspension of Civil
Disobedience movement specially when Bhagat Singh and his associates
were hanged.
Subash Chandra Bose was soon arrested again under the infamous Bengal
Regulation. After an year he was released on medical grounds and was
banished from India to Europe. He took steps to establish centres in
different European capitals with a view to promoting politico-cultural
contacts between India and Europe. Defying the ban on his entry to
India, Subash Chandra Bose returned to India and was again arrested and
jailed for a year. After the General Elections of 1937, Congress came to
power in seven states and Subash Chandra Bose was released. Shortly
afterwards he was elected President of the Haripura Congress Session in
1938. During his term as Congress President, he talked of planning in
concrete terms, and set up a National planning Committee in October that
year. At the end of his first term, the presidential election to the
Tripuri Congress session took place early 1939. Subhas Chandra Bose was
re-elected, defeating Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya who had been backed by
Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee. Clouds of World War
II were on the horizon and he brought a resolution to give the British
six months to hand India over to the Indians, failing which there would
be a revolt. There was much opposition to his rigid stand, and he
resigned from the post of president and formed a progressive group known
as the Forward Block.
Subhas Chandra Bose now started a mass movement against utilizing Indian
resources and men for the great war. There was a tremendous response to
his call and he was put under house arrest in Calcutta. In January
1941, Subhas Chandra Bose disappeared from his home in Calcutta and
reached Germany via Afghanistan. Working on the maxim that "an enemy's
enemy is a friend", he sought cooperation of Germany and Japan against
British Empire. In January 1942, he began his regular broadcasts from
Radio Berlin, which aroused tremendous enthusiasm in India. In July
1943, he arrived in Singapore from Germany. In Singapore he took over
the reins of the Indian Independence Movement in East Asia from Rash
Behari Bose and organised the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army)
comprising mainly of Indian prisoners of war. He was hailed as Netaji by
the Army as well as by the Indian civilian population in East Asia.
Azad Hind Fauj proceeded towards India to liberate it from British rule.
Enroute it lliberated Andeman and Nicobar Islands. The I.N.A. Head
quarters was shifted to Rangoon in January 1944. Azad Hind Fauj crossed
the Burma Border, and stood on Indian soil on March 18 ,1944.
However, defeat of Japan and Germany in the Second World War forced INA
to retreat and it could not achieve its objective. Subhas Chandra Bose
was reportedly killed in an air crash over Taipeh, Taiwan (Formosa) on
August 18, 1945. Though it is widely believed that he was still alive
after the air crash not much information could be found about him.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
born: September 5, 1888
Died: April 17, 1975
Achievements: First Vice President and second President of India. Placed Indian philosophy on world map.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was first Vice President of India and second
President of India. He was also a philosopher and introduced the
thinking of western idealist philosophers into Indian thought. He was a
famous teacher and his birthday is celebrated as Teacher's Day in India.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888 at Tirutani,
Madras in a poor Brahmin family. As his father was poor Radhakrishnan
supported most of his education through scholarships. Dr. Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan had his early education at Gowdie School, Tiruvallur and
then went to the Lutheran Mission School in Tirupati for his high
school. He joined the Voorhee's College in Vellore and later switched to
the Madras Christian College. He chose Philosophy as his major subject
and did his B.A. and M.A. in it.
After completing his M.A., Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, accepted an
Assistant Lectureship at the Madras Presidency College in 1909. In
college, he mastered the classics of Hindu philosophy, namely the
Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita, Brahmasutra, and commentaries of Sankara,
Ramunuja and Madhava. He also acquainted himself with Buddhist and Jain
philosophy and philosophies of Western thinkers such as Plato, Plotinus,
Kant, Bradley, and Bergson.
In 1918, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was selected as Professor of
Philosophy by the University of Mysore. In 1921, Radhakrishnan was
nominated as Professor of Philosophy at the Calcutta University, 1921.
In 1923, Dr. Radhakrishnan's book "Indian Philosophy" was published. The
book was hailed as a "philosophical classic and a literary
masterpiece."
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was called to Oxford University, to deliver
lectures on Hindu philosophy. He used his lectures as a platform to
further India's cause for freedom. He also argued that Western
philosophers, despite all claims to objectivity, were biased by
theological influences from their wider culture. He showed that Indian
philosophy, once translated into standard academic jargon, is worthy of
being called philosophy by Western standards. He thus placed Indian
Philosophy on world map.
In 1931, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was elected Vice Chancellor of the
Andhra University. In 1939, Radhakrishnan became the Vice Chancellor of
the Benaras Hindu University. In 1946, he was appointed as Ambassador
to UNESCO. After Independence Dr. Radhakrishnan was requested to Chair
the University Education Commission in 1948. The Radhakrishnan
Committee's suggestions helped mould the education system for India's
needs.
In 1949, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed ambassador to the
Soviet Union. He helped laid the foundation for a strong relationship
with Soviet Union. Radhakrishnan was elected first Vice-President of
India in 1952. He was honored with the Bharat Ratna in 1954. After
serving two terms as Vice-President, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was
elected President of India in 1962. During his tenure as President India
fought wars with China and Pakistan. As President he helped see India
through those trying years safely. He retired as President in 1967 and
settled in Madras.
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan died on April 17, 1975.
SAROJINI NAIDU
Born: February 13, 1879
Died: March 2, 1949
Achievements: She was the first Indian woman to become the President of
the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the governor
of a state in India.
Sarojini Naidu was a distinguished poet, renowned freedom fighter and
one of the great orators of her time. She was famously known as
Bharatiya Kokila (The Nightingale of India). Sarojini Naidu was the
first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National
Congress and the first woman to become the governor of a state in India.
Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879. Her father Aghoranath
Chattopadhyaya was a scientist and philosopher. He was the founder of
the Nizam College, Hyderabad. Sarojini Naidu's mother Barada Sundari
Devi was a poetess and used to write poetry in Bengali. Sarojini Naidu
was the eldest among the eight siblings. One of her brothers
Birendranath was a revolutionary and her other brother Harindranath was a
poet, dramatist, and actor.
Sarojini Naidu was a brilliant student. She was proficient in Urdu,
Telugu, English, Bengali, and Persian. At the age of twelve, Sarojini
Naidu attained national fame when she topped the matriculation
examination at Madras University. Her father wanted her to become a
mathematician or scientist but Sarojini Naidu was interested in poetry.
She started writing poems in English. Impressed by her poetry, Nizam of
Hyderabad, gave her scholarship to study abroad. At the age of 16, she
traveled to England to study first at King's College London and later at
Girton College, Cambridge. There she met famous laureates of her time
such as Arthur Simon and Edmond Gausse. It was Gausse who convinced
Sarojini to stick to Indian themes-India's great mountains, rivers,
temples, social milieu, to express her poetry. She depicted contemporary
Indian life and events. Her collections "The golden threshold (1905)",
"The bird of time (1912)", and "The broken wing (1912)" attracted huge
Indian and English readership.
At the age of 15, she met Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu and fell in love with
him. a non-brahmin, and a doctor by profession. After finishing her
studies at the age of 19, she married him during the time when
inter-caste marriages were not allowed. It was a revolutionary step but
Sarojini's father fully supported her in her endeavour. Sarojini Naidu
had a happy married life and had four children: Jayasurya, Padmaj,
Randheer, and Leilamani.
Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian national movement in the wake of
partition of Bengal in 1905. She came into contact with Gopal Krishna
Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant,
C.P.Rama Swami Iyer, Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru. She awakened the
women of India. She brought them out of the kitchen. She traveled from
state to state, city after city and asked for the rights of the women.
She re-established self-esteem within the women of India.
In 1925, Sarojini Naidu presided over the annual session of Indian
National Congress at Kanpur. Sarojini Naidu played a leading role during
the Civil Disobedience Movement and was jailed along with Gandhiji and
other leaders. In 1942, Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the "Quit
India" movement and was jailed for 21 months with Gandhiji. She shared a
very warm relationship with Gandhiji and used to call him "Mickey
Mouse".
After Independence, Sarojini Naidu became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.
She was India's first woman governor. Sarojini Naidu died in office on
March 2 ,1949.
SARDAR PATEL
Born: October 31, 1875
Died: December 15, 1950
Achievements: Successfully led Kheda Satyagraha and Bardoli revolt
against British government; elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in
1922, 1924 and 1927; elected Congress President in 1931; was independent
India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister; played a key
role in political integration of India; conferred Bharat Ratna in 1991.
Sardar Patel was popularly known as Iron Man of India. His full name was
Vallabhbhai Patel. He played a leading role in the Indian freedom
struggle and became the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of
India. He is credited with achieving political integration of India.
Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875 in Nadiad, a small
village in Gujarat. His father Jhaverbhai was a farmer and mother Laad
Bai was a simple lady. Sardar Vallabhai's early education took place in
Karamsad. Then he joined a school in Petlad. After two years he joined a
high school in a town called Nadiad. He passed his high school
examination in 1896. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a brilliant student
throughout his schooling.
Vallabhbhai wanted to become a barrister. To realize this ambition he
had to go to England. But he did not have the financial means to even
join a college India. In those days a candidate could study in private
and sit for an examination in Law. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel borrowed
books from a lawyer of his acquaintance and studied at home.
Occasionally he attended courts of law and listened attentively to the
arguments of lawyer. Vallabhbhai passed the Law examination with flying
colours.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel started his Law practice in Godhra. Soon his
practice flourished. He got married to Jhaberaba. In 1904, he got a baby
daughter Maniben, and in 1905 his son Dahyabhai was born. Vallabhbhai
sent his elder brother Vitthalbhai, who himself was a lawyer, to England
for higher studies in Law. Patel was only thirty-three years old when
his wife died. He did not wish to marry again. After his brother's
return, Vallabhbhai went to England. He studied with single-minded
devotion and stood first in the Barrister-at-Law Examination.
Sardar Patel returned to India in 1913 and started his practice in
Ahmedabad. Soon he became popular. At the urging of his friends, Patel
contested and won elections to become the sanitation commissioner of
Ahmedabad in 1917. Sardar Patel was deeply impressed by Gandhiji's
success in Champaran Satyagraha. In 1918, there was a drought in the
Kheda division of Gujarat. Peasants asked for relief from the high rate
of taxes but the British government refused. Gandhiji took up peasants
cause but could not devote his full time in Kheda. He was looking for
someone who could lead the struggle in his absence. At this point Sardar
Patel volunteered to come forward and lead the struggle. He gave up his
lucrative legal practice and entered public life.
Vallabhbhai successfully led peasants revolt in Kheda and the revolt
ended in 1919 when the British government agreed to suspend collection
of revenue and roll back the rates. Kheda Satyagraha turned Vallabhbhai
Patel into a national hero. Vallabhbhai supported Gandhi's
Non-Cooperation Movement, and as president of the Gujarat Congress,
helped in organizing bonfires of British goods in Ahmedabad. He gave up
his English clothes and started wearing Khadi. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
was elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922, 1924 and 1927.
During his terms, Ahmedabad was extended a major supply of electricity
and underwent major education reforms. Drainage and sanitation systems
were extended over all the city.
In 1928, Bardoli Taluka in Gujarat suffered from floods and famine. In
this hour of distress the British government raised the revenue taxes by
thirty percent. Sardar Patel took up cudgels on behalf of the farmers
and appealed to the Governor to reduce the taxes. The Governor refused
and the government even announced the date of the collection of the
taxes. Sardar Patel organized the farmers and told them not to pay even a
single pie of tax. The government tried to repress the revolt but
ultimately bowed before Vallabhbhai Patel. It was during the struggle
and after the victory in Bardoli that caused intense excitement across
India, that Patel was increasingly addressed by his colleagues and
followers as Sardar.
Disobedience Movement in 1930. After the signing of Gandhi-Irwin pact in
1931, Sardar Patel was released and he was elected Congress president
for its 1931 session in Karachi. Upon the failure of the Round Table
Conference in London, Gandhiji and Sardar Patel were arrested in January
1932 and imprisoned in the Yeravada Central Jail. During this term of
imprisonment, Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi grew close to one another,
and the two developed a close bond of affection, trust, and frankness
without reserve. Sardar Patel was finally released in July 1934.
In August 1942, the Congress launched the Quit India Movement. The
government jailed all the important leaders of the Congress, including
Vallabhai Patel. All the leaders were released after three years. After
achieving independence on 15th of August 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
became the first Prime Minister of independent India and Sardar Patel
became the Deputy Prime Minister. He was in charge of Home Affairs,
Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of States.
There were 565 princely states in India at that time. Some of the
Maharajas and Nawabs who ruled over these were sensible and patriotic.
But most of them were drunk with wealth and power. They were dreaming of
becoming independent rulers once the British quit India. They argued
that the government of free India should treat them as equals. Some of
them went to the extent of planning to send their representatives to the
United Nations Organization. Patel invoked the patriotism of India's
monarchs, asking them to join in the freedom of their nation and act as
responsible rulers who cared about the future of their people. He
persuaded the princes of 565 states of the impossibility of independence
from the Indian republic, especially in the presence of growing
opposition from their subjects. With great wisdom and political
foresight, he consolidated the small kingdoms. The public was with him.
He tackled the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Junagarh who
initially did not want to join India. Sardar Patel's untiring efforts
towards the unity of the country brought success. He united a scattered
nation without much bloodshed. Due to the achievement of this massive
task, Sardar Patel got the title of 'Iron Man'. Sardar Patel died of
cardiac arrest on December 15, 1950. For his services to the nation
Sardar Patel was conferred with Bharat Ratna in 1991.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
April 14, 1891 to December 6, 1956
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was elected as the chairman of
the drafting committee that was constituted by the Constituent Assembly
to draft a constitution for the independent India; he was the first Law
Minister of India; conferred Bharat Ratna in 1990.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is viewed as messiah of dalits and downtrodden in
India. He was the chairman of the drafting committee that was
constituted by the Constituent Assembly in 1947 to draft a constitution
for the independent India. He played a seminal role in the framing of
the constitution. Bhimrao Ambedkar was also the first Law Minister of
India. For his yeoman service to the nation, B.R. Ambedkar was bestowed
with Bharat Ratna in 1990.
Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 in
Mhow (presently in Madhya Pradesh). He was the fourteenth child of
Ramji and Bhimabai Sakpal Ambavedkar. B.R. Ambedkar belonged to the
"untouchable" Mahar Caste. His father and grandfather served in the
British Army. In those days, the government ensured that all the army
personnel and their children were educated and ran special schools for
this purpose. This ensured good education for Bhimrao Ambedkar, which
would have otherwise been denied to him by the virtue of his caste.
Bhimrao Ambedkar experienced caste discrimination right from the
childhood. After his retirement, Bhimrao's father settled in Satara
Maharashtra. Bhimrao was enrolled in the local school. Here, he had to
sit on the floor in one corner in the classroom and teachers would not
touch his notebooks. In spite of these hardships, Bhimrao continued his
studies and passed his Matriculation examination from Bombay University
with flying colours in 1908. Bhim Rao Ambedkar joined the Elphinstone
College for further education. In 1912, he graduated in Political
Science and Economics from Bombay University and got a job in Baroda.
In 1913, Bhimrao Ambedkar lost his father. In the
same year Maharaja of Baroda awarded scholarship to Bhim Rao Ambedkar
and sent him to America for further studies. Bhimrao reached New York in
July 1913. For the first time in his life, Bhim Rao was not demeaned
for being a Mahar. He immersed himself in the studies and attained a
degree in Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Columbia
University in 1916 for his thesis "National Dividend for India: A
Historical and Analytical Study." From America, Dr.Ambedkar proceeded to
London to study economics and political science. But the Baroda
government terminated his scholarship and recalled him back.
The Maharaja of Baroda appointed Dr. Ambedkar as his political
secretary. But no one would take orders from him because he was a Mahar.
Bhimrao Ambedkar returned to Bombay in November 1917. With the help of
Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, a sympathizer of the cause for the upliftment
of the depressed classes, he started a fortnightly newspaper, the
"Mooknayak" (Dumb Hero) on January 31, 1920. The Maharaja also convened
many meetings and conferences of the "untouchables" which Bhimrao
addressed. In September 1920, after accumulating sufficient funds,
Ambedkar went back to London to complete his studies. He became a
barrister and got a Doctorate in science.
After completing his studies in London, Ambedkar
returned to India. In July 1924, he founded the Bahishkrit Hitkaraini
Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association). The aim of the Sabha was to
uplift the downtrodden socially and politically and bring them to the
level of the others in the Indian society. In 1927, he led the Mahad
March at the Chowdar Tank at Colaba, near Bombay, to give the
untouchables the right to draw water from the public tank where he burnt
copies of the 'Manusmriti' publicly.
In 1929, Ambedkar made the controversial decision to co-operate with
the all-British Simon Commission which was to look into setting up a
responsible Indian Government in India. The Congress decided to boycott
the Commission and drafted its own version of a constitution for free
India. The Congress version had no provisions for the depressed classes.
Ambedkar became more skeptical of the Congress's commitment to
safeguard the rights of the depressed classes.
When a separate electorate was announced for the
depressed classes under Ramsay McDonald 'Communal Award', Gandhiji went
on a fast unto death against this decision. Leaders rushed to Dr.
Ambedkar to drop his demand. On September 24, 1932, Dr. Ambedkar and
Gandhiji reached an understanding, which became the famous Poona Pact.
According to the pact the separate electorate demand was replaced with
special concessions like reserved seats in the regional legislative
assemblies and Central Council of States.
Dr. Ambedkar attended all the three Round Table Conferences in London
and forcefully argued for the welfare of the "untouchables". Meanwhile,
British Government decided to hold provincial elections in 1937. Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar set up the "Independent Labor Party" in August 1936 to
contest the elections in the Bombay province. He and many candidates of
his party were elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly.
In 1937, Dr. Ambedkar introduced a Bill to
abolish the "khoti" system of land tenure in the Konkan region, the
serfdom of agricultural tenants and the Mahar "watan" system of working
for the Government as slaves. A clause of an agrarian bill referred to
the depressed classes as "Harijans," or people of God. Bhimrao was
strongly opposed to this title for the untouchables. He argued that if
the "untouchables" were people of God then all others would be people of
monsters. He was against any such reference. But the Indian National
Congress succeeded in introducing the term Harijan. Ambedkar felt bitter
that they could not have any say in what they were called.
In 1947, when India became independent, the first Prime Minister Pt.
Jawaharlal Nehru, invited Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who had been elected as a
Member of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, to join his Cabinet as a
Law Minister. The Constituent Assembly entrusted the job of drafting
the Constitution to a committee and Dr. Ambedkar was elected as Chairman
of this Drafting Committee. In February 1948, Dr. Ambedkar presented
the Draft Constitution before the people of India; it was adopted on
November 26, 1949.
In October 1948, Dr. Ambedkar submitted the Hindu
Code Bill to the Constituent Assembly in an attempt to codify the Hindu
law. The Bill caused great divisions even in the Congress party.
Consideration for the bill was postponed to September 1951. When the
Bill was taken up it was truncated. A dejected Ambedkar relinquished his
position as Law Minister.
On May 24, 1956, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, he declared in
Bombay, that he would adopt Buddhism in October. On 0ctober 14, 1956 he
embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers. On December 6, 1956,
Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar died peacefully in his sleep.
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh
September 27, 1907 to March 23, 1931
Gave a new direction to revolutionary movement in India, formed
'Naujavan Bharat Sabha' to spread the message of revolution in Punjab,
formed 'Hindustan Samajvadi Prajatantra Sangha' along with Chandrasekhar
Azad to establish a republic in India, assassinated police official
Saunders to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, dropped bomb in Central
Legislative Assembly along with Batukeshwar Dutt.
Bhagat
Singh was one of the most prominent faces of Indian freedom struggle.
He was a revolutionary ahead of his times. By Revolution he meant that
the present order of things, which is based on manifest injustice must
change. Bhagat Singh studied the European revolutionary movement and was
greatly attracted towards socialism. He realised that the overthrow of
British rule should be accompanied by the socialist reconstruction of
Indian society and for this political power must be seized by the
workers.
Though portrayed as a terrorist by the British, Sardar Bhagat Singh was
critical of the individual terrorism which was prevalent among the
revolutionary youth of his time and called for mass mobilization. Bhagat
Singh gave a new direction to the revolutionary movement in India. He
differed from his predecessors on two counts. Firstly, he accepted the
logic of atheism and publicly proclaimed it. Secondly, until then
revolutionaries had no conception of post-independence society. Their
immediate goal was destruction of the British Empire and they had no
inclination to work out a political alternative. Bhagat Singh, because
of his interest in studying and his keen sense of history gave
revolutionary movement a goal beyond the elimination of the British. A
clarity of vision and determination of purpose distinguished Bhagat
Singh from other leaders of the National Movement. He emerged as the
only alternative to Gandhi and the Indian National Congress, especially
for the youth.
Bhagat
Singh was born in a Sikh family in village Banga in Layalpur district
of Punjab (now in Pakistan). He was the third son of Sardar Kishan Singh
and Vidyavati. Bhagat Singh's family was actively involved in freedom
struggle. His father Kishan Singh and uncle Ajit Singh were members of
Ghadr Party founded in the U.S to oust British rule from India. Family
atmosphere had a great effect on the mind of young Bhagat Singh and
patriotism flowed in his veins from childhood.
While studying at the local D.A.V. School in Lahore, in 1916, young
Bhagat Singh came into contact with some well-known political leaders
like Lala Lajpat Rai and Ras Bihari Bose. Punjab was politically very
charged in those days. In 1919, when Jalianwala Bagh massacre took
place, Bhagat Singh was only 12 years old. The massacre deeply disturbed
him. On the next day of massacre Bhagat Singh went to Jalianwala Bagh
and collected soil from the spot and kept it as a memento for the rest
of his life. The massacre strengthened his resolve to drive British out
from India.
In
response to Mahatma Gandhi's call for non-cooperation against British
rule in 1921, Bhagat Singh left his school and actively participated in
the movement. In 1922, when Mahatma Gandhi suspended Non-cooperation
movement against violence at Chauri-chaura in Gorakhpur, Bhagat was
greatly disappointed. His faith in non violence weakened and he came to
the conclusion that armed revolution was the only practical way of
winning freedom. To continue his studies, Bhagat Singh joined the
National College in Lahore, founded by Lala Lajpat Rai. At this college,
which was a centre of revolutionary activities, he came into contact
with revolutionaries such as Bhagwati Charan, Sukhdev and others.
To avoid early marriage, Bhagat Singh ran away from home and went to
Kanpur. Here, he came into contact with a revolutionary named Ganesh
Shankar Vidyarthi, and learnt his first lessons as revolutionary. On
hearing that his grandmother was ill, Bhagat Singh returned home. He
continued his revolutionary activities from his village. He went to
Lahore and formed a union of revolutionaries by name 'Naujavan Bharat
Sabha'. He started spreading the message of revolution in Punjab. In
1928 he attended a meeting of revolutionaries in Delhi and came into
contact with Chandrasekhar Azad. The two formed 'Hindustan Samajvadi
Prajatantra Sangha'. Its aim was to establish a republic in India by
means of an armed revolution.
In
February 1928, a committee from England, called Simon Commission
visited India. The purpose of its visit was to decide how much freedom
and responsibility could be given to the people of India. But there was
no Indian on the committee. This angered Indians and they decided to
boycott Simon Commission. While protesting against Simon Commission in
Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was brutally Lathicharged and later on succumbed
to injuries. Bhagat Singh was determined to avenge Lajpat Rai's death
by shooting the British official responsible for the killing, Deputy
Inspector General Scott. He shot down Assistant Superintendent Saunders
instead, mistaking him for Scott. Bhagat Singh had to flee from Lahore
to escape death punishment.
Instead of finding the root cause of discontent of Indians, the British
government took to more repressive measures. Under the Defense of India
Act, it gave more power to the police to arrest persons to stop
processions with suspicious movements and actions. The Act brought in
the Central Legislative Assembly was defeated by one vote. Even then it
was to be passed in the form of an ordinance in the "interest of the
public." Bhagat Singh who was in hiding all this while, volunteered to
throw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly where the meeting to
pass the ordinance was being held. It was a carefully laid out plot, not
to cause death or injury but to draw the attention of the government,
that the modes of its suppression could no more be tolerated. It was
decided that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt would court arrest after
throwing the bomb.
On April 8, 1929 Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs in the
Central Assembly Hall while the Assembly was in session. The bombs did
not hurt anyone. After throwing the bombs, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar
Dutt, deliberately courted arrest by refusing to run away from the
scene. During his trial, Bhagat Singh refused to employ any defence
counsel. In jail, he went on hunger strike to protest the inhuman
treatment of fellow-political prisoners by jail authorities. On October
7, 1930 Bhagat Singh, Sukh Dev and Raj Guru were awarded death sentence
by a special tribunal. Despite great popular pressure and numerous
appeals by political leaders of India, Bhagat Singh and his associates
were hanged in the early hours of March 23, 1931.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
July 23, 1856 to August 1, 1920
Considered as Father of Indian National Movement; Founded “Deccan
Education Society” to impart quality education to India's youth; was a
member of the Municipal Council of Pune, Bombay Legislature, and an
elected 'Fellow' of the Bombay University; formed Home Rule League in
1916 to attain the goal of Swaraj.
Bal
Gangadhar Tilak is considered as Father of Indian National Movement.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a multifaceted personality. He was a social
reformer, freedom fighter, national leader, and a scholar of Indian
history, sanskrit, hinduism, mathematics and astronomy. Bal Gangadhar
Tilak was popularly called as Lokmanya (Beloved of the people). During
freedom struggle, his slogan “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have
it” inspired millions of Indians.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on July 23, 1856 in Ratnagiri,
Maharashtra. He was a Chitpavan Brahmin by caste. His father Gangadhar
Ramachandra Tilak was a Sanskrit scholar and a famous teacher. Tilak was
a brilliant student and he was very good in mathematics. Since
childhood Tilak had an intolerant attitude towards injustice and he was
truthful and straightforward in nature. He was among India's first
generation of youth to receive a modern, college education.
When
Tilak was ten his father was transferred to Pune from Ratnagiri. This
brought sea change in Tilak’s life. He joined the Anglo-Vernacular
School in Pune and got education from some of the well known teachers.
Soon after coming to Pune Tilak lost his mother and by the time he was
sixteen he lost his father too. While Tilak was studying in
Matriculation he was married to a 10-year-old girl called Satyabhama.
After passing the Matriculation Examination Tilak joined the Deccan
College. In 1877, Bal Gangadhar Tilak got his B.A. degree with a first
class in mathematics. He continued his studies and got the LL.B. degree
too.
After graduation, Tilak began teaching mathematics in a private school
in Pune and later became a journalist. He became a strong critic of the
Western education system, feeling it demeaning to Indian students and
disrespectful to India's heritage. He came to the conclusion that good
citizens can be moulded only through good education. He believed that
every Indian had to be taught about Indian culture and national ideals.
Along with his classmate Agarkar and great social reformer Vishnushastry
Chiplunkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded “Deccan Education Society” to
impart quality education to India's youth.
The
very next year after the Deccan Education Society was founded, Tilak
started two weeklies, 'Kesari' and 'Mahratta'. 'Kesari' was Marathi
weekly while 'Mahratta' was English weekly. Soon both the newspapers
became very popular. In his newspapers, Tilak highlighted the plight of
Indians. He gave a vivid picture of the people's sufferings and of
actual happenings. Tilak called upon every Indian to fight for his
right. Bal Gangadhar Tilak used fiery language to arouse the sleeping
Indians.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress in 1890. He was
a member of the Municipal Council of Pune, Bombay Legislature, and an
elected 'Fellow' of the Bombay University. Tilak was a great social
reformer. He issued a call for the banning of child marriage and
welcomed widow remarriage. Through the celebrations of Ganapati Festival
and the birthday of the Shivaji he organized people.
In
1897, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was charged with writing articles instigating
people to rise against the government and to break the laws and disturb
the peace. He was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one and a half
year. Tilak was released in 1898. After his release, Tilak launched
Swadeshi Movement. Through newspapers and lectures, Tilak spread the
message to each and every village in Maharashtra. A big 'Swadeshi
Market' was opened in front of Tilak's house. Meanwhile, Congress was
split into two camps-Moderates and Extremists. Extremists led by Bal
Gangadhar Tilak opposed the moderate faction led by Gopal Krishna.
Extremists were in the favour of self rule while the moderates thought
that time is not yet ripe for such an eventuality. This rift finally led
to a split in the Congress.
Tilak was arrested on the charges of sedition in 1906. After the trial,
Tilak was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in Mandalay (Burma).
Tilak spent his time in prison by reading and writing. He wrote the book
'Gita-Rahasya' while he was in prison. Tilak was released on June 8,
1914. After his release, Bal Gangadhar Tilak tried to bring the two
factions of Congress together. But his efforts did not bear much fruit.
In 1916, Tilak decided to build a separate organization called the 'Home
Rule League'. Its goal was swaraj. Tilak went from village to village,
and explained the aim of his league to the farmers and won their hearts.
He traveled constantly in order to organize the people. While fighting
for people’s cause Bal Gangadhar Tilak died on August 1, 1920.
Aurobndo Ghose
Born: August 15, 1872
Died: December 5, 1950
Achievements: He was a freedom fighter, poet, scholar, yogi and
philosopher. Worked towards the cause of India’s freedom, and for
further evolution of life on earth.
Aurobindo Ghose was a multifaceted person. He was a freedom fighter,
poet, scholar, yogi and philosopher. He spent his life working towards
the cause of India’s freedom, and for further evolution of life on
earth.
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was born on August 15, 1872 at Calcutta. His father
was Krishnadhan and his mother was Swamalata. Aurobindo Ghose had an
impressive lineage. Raj Narayan Bose, an acknowledged leader in Bengali
literature, and the grandfather of Indian nationalism was Sri
Aurobindo’s maternal grandfather. Aurobindo Ghosh owes not only his rich
spiritual nature, but even his very superior literary capacity, to his
mother’s line. His father was an M.D. from England.
When Sri Aurobindo was five years old,Aurobindo
Ghose he was sent to Loretto Convent School at Darjeeling. Two years
later in 1879, Aurobindo Ghose, was sent to England along with his
brothers for higher studies. Aurobindo completed his schooling from St.
Paul's in London. In 1890, at the age of eighteen, Sri Aurobindo got
admission into Cambridge. Here, he distinguished himself as a student of
European classics. To comply with the wish of his father, Sri Aurobindo
Ghose also applied for the ICS while at Cambridge. He passed the Indian
Civil Service Examination with great credit in 1890. He, however,
failed to stand the required test in horsemanship and hence was not
allowed to enter the Covenantal Service of the Indian Government.
In 1893, Aurobindo Ghose, returned to India, and became the
Vice-principal of the State college in Baroda. He drew a salary of
Rs.750/-. He was held in great respect by the Maharaja of Baroda.
Aurobindo was an accomplished scholar in Greek and Latin. From 1893 to
1906 he extensively studied Sanskrit, Bengali literature, Philosophy and
Political Science.
In 1906, in the wake of partition of Bengal,
resigned his job and joined the Bengal National College on a salary of
Rs.150/-. He plunged headlong into the revolutionary movement. Aurobindo
Ghose played a leading role in India’s freedom struggle from 1908. Sri
Aurobindo Ghosh was one of the pioneers of political awakening in India.
He edited the English daily Bande Mataram and wrote fearless and
pointed editorials. He openly advocated the boycott of British goods,
British courts and everything British. He asked the people to prepare
themselves for passive resistance.
The famous Alipore Bomb Case proved to be a turning point in Sri
Aurobindo Ghosh’s life. For a year Aurobindo was an undertrial prisoner
in solitary confinement in the Alipore Central Jail. It was in a dingy
cell of the Alipore Jail that he dreamt the dream of his future life,
the divine mission ordained for him by God. He utilized this period of
incarceration for an intense study and practice of the teachings of the
Bhagavad Gita. Chittaranjan Das defended Sri Aurobindo, who was
acquitted after a memorable trial.
During his time in prison, Aurobindo Ghosh, had
developed interest in yoga and meditation. After his release he started
practicing pranayama and meditation. Sri Aurobindo Ghose migrated from
Calcutta to Pondicherry in 1910. At Pondicherry, he stayed at a friend’s
place. At first, he lived there with four or five companions. Gradually
the number of members increased and an Ashram was founded.
In 1914 after four years ofAurobindo Ghose concentrated yoga at
Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo launched Arya, a 64 page monthly review. For
the next six and a half years this became the vehicle for most of his
most important writings, which appeared in serialised form. These
included Essays on The Gita, The Secret of The Veda, Hymns to the Mystic
Fire, The Upanishads, The Foundations of Indian Culture, War and
Self-determination, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, and The
Future Poetry. In 1926, Sri Aurobindo Ghose retired from public life.
Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy is based on facts,
experience and personal realisations and on having the vision of a seer
or Rishi. Aurobindo’s spirituality was inseparably united with reason.
The goal of Sri Aurobindo was not merely the liberation of the
individual from the chain that fetters him and realization of the self,
but to work out the will of the Divine in the world, to effect a
spiritual transformation and to bring down the divine nature and a
divine life into the mental, vital and physical nature and life of
humanity.
Sri Aurobindo passed away on December 5, 1950 at Pondicherry at the age of 78.
Annie Besant
Annie Besant
October 1, 1847 to September 20, 1933
President of Theosophical Society of India; founded Home Rule League in
1916 and demand self rule in India; became first woman president of
Indian National Congress.
Annie Besant was a prominent Theosophist, social
reformer, political leader, women's rights activist, writer and orator.
She was of Irish origin and made India her second home. She fought for
the rights of Indian and was the first woman president of Indian
National Congress.
Annie Besant was born as Annie Wood on October 1, 1847 in a middle-class
family in London. She was of Irish origin. Her father died when she was
only five. Annie’s mother supported the family by running a boarding
house for boys at Harrow. As a young woman she traveled widely in Europe
and this widened her outlook.
Annie Besant was married in 1867 to a clergyman
called Frank Besant. But the marriage did not last long. They legally
separated in 1873. Annie Besant had two children from the marriage.
After her separation Annie began to question not only her long-held
religious beliefs but the whole of conventional thinking. She began to
write attacks on the Churches and the way they controlled people’s
lives. In particular she attacked the status of the Church of England as
a state-sponsored faith.
Annie Besant fought for the causes she thought were right, such as,
women's rights, secularism, birth control, Fabian socialism and workers'
rights. She became interested in Theosophy as a way of knowing God.
Theosophical Society was against discrimination of race, color, gender
and preached Universal brotherhood. To serve humanity at large was its
supreme goal. It was as a member of Theosophical Society of India that
she arrived in India in 1893.
She toured the entire country of India. It gave
her first hand information about India and middle-class Indians who were
affected more by British rule and its system of education. Her
long-time interest in education resulted in the founding of the Central
Hindu College at Benares (1898).
She also became involved in Indian freedom movement. In 1916, she
founded Home Rule League which advocated self rule by Indians. She
became the President of Indian National Congress in 1917. She was the
first woman to hold that post. She started a newspaper, "New India",
criticized British rule and was jailed for sedition. After the arrival
of Gandhiji on Indian national scene, differences arose between Mahatma
Gandhi and Annie Besant. Gradually, she withdrew from active politics.
Annie Besant died on September 20, 1933 at Adyar (Madras). As per her wish her ashes were immersed in Ganga in Benares.
Mother Teresa
Born: August 27, 1910
Died: September 5, 1997
Achievements: Started Missionaries of Charity in 1950; received Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979; received Bharat Ratna in 1980.
Mother Teresa was one of the great servants of humanity. She was an
Albanian Catholic nun who came to India and founded the Missionaries of
Charity in Kolkata. Her selfless work among the poverty-stricken people
of Kolkata (Calcutta) is an inspiration for people all over the world
and she was honored with Nobel Prize for her work.
Mother Teresa's original name was Agnes Gonxha
Bojaxhiu. She was born on August 27, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia. Her
father was a successful merchant and she was youngest of the three
siblings. At the age of 12, she decided that she wanted to be a
missionary and spread the love of Christ. At the age of 18 she left her
parental home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish
community of nuns with missions in India.
After a few months of training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin
Mary in Dublin Mother Teresa came to India. On May 24, 1931, she took
her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught
geography and catechism at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta. However,
the prevailing poverty in Calcutta had a deep impact on Mother Teresa's
mind and in 1948, she received permission from her superiors to leave
the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of
the poor in the slums of Calcutta.
After a short course with the Medical Mission
Sisters in Patna, she returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging
with the Little Sisters of the Poor. She started an open-air school for
homeless children. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers, and she
received financial support from church organizations and the municipal
authorities. On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from
the Vatican to start her own order. Vatican originally labeled the order
as the Diocesan Congregation of the Calcutta Diocese, and it later came
to known as the "Missionaries of Charity". The primary task of the
Missionaries of Charity was to take care of those persons who nobody was
prepared to look after.
The Missionaries of Charity, which began as a small Order with 12
members in Calcutta, today has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages,
AIDS hospices, charity centres worldwide, and caring for refugees, the
blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless and victims of
floods, epidemics and famine in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North
America, Poland, and Australia. In 1965, by granting a Decree of Praise,
Pope Paul VI granted Mother Teresa permission to expand her order to
other countries. The order's first house outside India was in Venezuela.
Presently, the "Missionaries of Charity" has presence in more than 100
countries.
Mother Teresa's work has been recognised and
acclaimed throughout the world and she has received a number of awards
and distinctions. These include the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971),
Nehru Prize for Promotion of International Peace & Understanding
(1972), Balzan Prize (1978), Nobel Peace Prize (1979) and Bharat Ratna
(1980).
On March 13, 1997, Mother Teresa stepped down from the head of
Missionaries of Charity and died on September 5, 1997, just 9 days after
her 87th birthday. Following Mother Teresa's death, the Holy See began
the process of beatification, the second step towards possible
canonization, or sainthood. This process requires the documentation of a
miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa. In 2002, the
Vatican recognized as a miracle the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of
an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following the application of a locket
containing Teresa's picture. Monica Besra said that a beam of light
emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother Teresa was
formally beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the
title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. A second miracle is required for her
to proceed to canonization.
Mahatma Gandhi
October 2, 1869 to January 30, 1948.
Place of Birth: Porbandar, Gujarat
Father: Karamchand Gandhi
Mother: Putlibai
Wife: Kasturbai
Known as Father of Nation; played a key role in winning freedom from India; introduced the concept of Ahimsa and Satyagraha.
Mahatma Gandhi popularly known as Father of Nation played a stellar
role in India's freedom struggle. Born in a Bania family in Kathiawar,
Gujarat, his real name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (M.K. Gandhi). The
title Mahatma came to be associated with his name much later. Before
Gandhiji's arrival on the Indian political scene, freedom struggle was
limited only to the intelligentsia. Mahatma Gandhi's main contribution
lay in the fact that he bridged the gulf between the intelligentsia and
the masses and widened the concept of Swaraj to include almost every
aspect of social and moral regeneration. Paying tribute to Mahatma
Gandhi on his death, famous scientist Albert Einstein said, "Generations
to come will scarce believe that such a man as this walked the earth in
flesh and blood".
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2,
1869, at Porbandar, a small town on the western coast of India, which
was then one of the many tiny states in Kathiawar. Gandhiji was born in
middle class family of Vaishya caste. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, was
a Dewan or Prime Minister of Porbandar. His mother, Putlibai, was a
very religious lady and left a deep impression on Gandhiji's mind.
Gandhiji was a mediocre student and was excessively shy and timid.
Gandhiji was truthful in his conduct right from the childhood. There is
a very famous incident in this regard. A British school inspector once
came to Gandhiji's school and set a spelling test. Gandhiji spelled all
the words correctly except kettle. The class teacher noticed the mistake
and gestured Gandhiji to copy the correct spelling from the boy sitting
next to him. Gandhiji refused to take the hint and was later scolded
for his "stupidity".
Gandhiji was married at the age of thirteen to
Kasturbai. He was in high school at that time. Later on in his life,
Gandhiji denounced the custom of child marriage and termed it as cruel.
After matriculating from the high school, Gandhiji joined the Samaldas
College in Bhavnagar. After the death of Gandhiji's father in 1885, a
family suggested that if Gandhiji hoped to take his father's place in
the state service he had better become a barrister which he could do in
England in three years. Gandhi welcomed the idea but his mother was
objected to the idea of going abroad. To win his mother's approval
Gandhiji took a solemn vow not to touch wine, women and meat and
remained true to it throughout his stay in England.
Gandhiji sailed for England on September 4, 1888. Initially he had
difficulty in adjusting to English customs and weather but soon he
overcame it. Gandhiji completed his Law degree in 1891 and returned to
India. He decided to set up legal practice in Bombay but couldn't
establish himself. Gandhiji returned to Rajkot but here also he could
not make much headway. At this time Gandhiji received an offer from Dada
Abdulla & Co. to proceed to South Africa on their behalf to
instruct their counsel in a lawsuit. Gandhiji jumped at the idea and
sailed for South Africa in April 1893.
It was in South Africa that Gandhiji's
transformation from Mohandas to Mahatma took place. Gandhiji landed at
Durban and soon he realized the oppressive atmosphere of racial
snobbishness against Indians who were settled in South Africa in large
numbers. After about a week's stay in Durban Gandhiji left for Pretoria,
the capital of the Transvaal, in connection with a lawsuit. When the
train reached Pietermaritzburg, the capital of Natal, at about 9 p.m. a
white passenger who boarded the train objected to the presence of a
"coloured" man in the compartment and Gandhji was ordered by a railway
official to shift to a third class. When he refused to do so, a
constable pushed him out and his luggage was taken away by the railway
authorities. It was winter and bitterly cold. This incident changed
Gandhiji's life forever. He decided to fight for the rights of Indians.
Gandhiji organised the Indian community in South Africa and asked them
to forget all distinctions of religion and caste. He suggested the
formation of an association to look after the Indian settlers and
offered his free time and services.
During his stay in South Africa, Gandhiji's life underwent a change and
he developed most of his political ideas. Gandhiji decided to dedicate
himself completely to the service of humanity. He realized that absolute
continence or brahmacharya was indispensable for the purpose as one
could not live both after the flesh and the spirit. In 1906, Gandhiji
took a vow of absolute continence. In the course of his struggle in
South Africa, Gandhiji, developed the concepts of Ahimsa (non-violence)
and Satyagraha (holding fast to truth or firmness in a righteous cause).
Gandhiji's struggle bore fruit and in 1914 in an agreement between
Gandhiji and South African Government, the main Indian demands were
conceded.
Gandhiji returned to India in 1915 and on the
advice of his political guru Gopal Krishna Gokhale, spent the first year
touring throughout the country to know the real India. After an year of
wandering, Gandhiji settled down on the bank of the river Sabarmati, on
the outskirts of Ahmedabad, where he founded an ashram called
Satyagraha Ashram. Gandhiji's first satyagraha in India was in
Champaran, in Bihar, where he went in 1917 at the request of a poor
peasants to inquire into the grievances of the much exploited peasants
of that district, who were compelled by British indigo planters to grow
indigo on 15 percent of their land and part with the whole crop for
rent. Gandhiji's Satyagraha forced British government to set up a
inquiry into the condition of tenant farmers. The report of the
committee of which Gandhi was a member went in favour of the tenant
farmers. The success of his first experiment in satyagraha in India
greatly enhanced Gandhiji's reputation in the country.
In 1921, Gandhji gave the call for Non-cooperation movement against the
ills of British rule. Gandhiji's call roused the sleeping nation. Many
Indians renounced their titles and honours, lawyers gave up their
practice, and students left colleges and schools. Non-cooperation
movement also brought women into the domain of freedom struggle for the
first time. Non-cooperation movement severely jolted the British
government. But the movement ended in an anti-climax in February 1922.
An outbreak of mob violence in Chauri Chaura so shocked and pained
Gandhi that he refused to continue the campaign and undertook a fast for
five days to atone for a crime committed by others in a state of mob
hysteria.
Gandhiji was sentenced to six years imprisonment
but was released in 1924 on medical grounds. For the next five years
Gandhi seemingly retired from active agitational politics and devoted
himself to the propagation of what he regarded as the basic national
needs, namely, Hindu-Muslim unity, removal of untouchability, equality
of women, popularization of hand-spinning and the reconstruction of
village economy.
On March 12, 1930 Gandhiji started the historic Dandi March to break
the law which had deprived the poor man of his right to make his own
salt. On April 6, 1930 Gandhiji broke the Salt law at the sea beach at
Dandi. This simple act was immediately followed by a nation-wide
defiance of the law. This movement galvanized the whole nation and came
to be known as "Civil Disobedience Movement". Within a few weeks about a
hundred thousand men and women were in jail, throwing mighty machinery
of the British Government out of gear. This forced the then Viceroy Lord
Irwin to call Gandhiji for talks. On March 5, 1931 Gandhi Irwin Pact
was signed. Soon after signing the pact Gandhiji went to England to
attend the First Round Table Conference. Soon after his return from
England Gandhiji was arrested without trial.
After the outbreak of Second World War in 1939,
Gandhiji again became active in the political arena. British Government
wanted India's help in the war and Congress in return wanted a clear-cut
promise of independence from British government. But British government
dithered in its response and on August 8, 1942 Gandhiji gave the call
for Quit India Movement. Soon the British Government arrested Gandhiji
and other top leaders of Congress. Disorders broke out immediately all
over India and many violent demonstrations took place. While Gandhiji
was in jail his wife Kasturbai passed away. Gandhiji too had a severe
attack of Malaria. In view of his deteriorating health he was released
from the jail in May 1944.
Second World War ended in 1945 and Britain emerged victorious. In the
general elections held in Britain in 1945, Labour Party came to power,
and Atlee became the Prime Minister. He promised an early realization of
self Government in India. A Cabinet Mission arrived from England to
discuss with Indian leaders the future shape of a free and united India,
but failed to bring the Congress and Muslims together. India attained
independence but Jinnah's intransigence resulted in the partition of the
country. Communal riots between Hindus and Muslims broke out in the
country in the aftermath of partition. Tales of atrocities on Hindus in
Pakistan provoked Hindus in India and they targeted Muslims. Gandhiji
worked ceaselessly to promote unity between Hindus and Muslims. This
angered some Hindu fundamentalists and on January 30, 1948 Gandhiji was
shot dead by one such fundamentalist Nathu Ram Godse while he was going
for his evening prayers. The last words on the lips of Gandhiji were Hey
Ram.
Facts:
1888-1891: Studied law in London
1893: Sailed for South Africa
1906: Began Satyagraha campaign in South Africa to protest the
requirement that Indians be fingerprinted and carry identification cards
1915: Returned to India from South Africa
1917: Initiated Champaran Satyagraha to alleviate the condition of indigo planters
1919: Instituted Satyagraha campaign in India to protest the Rowlatt
Acts, which deprived all Indians of important civil liberties.
1922: Ended Non-Cooperation movement against British Raj after his
followers were involved in a series of riots and disturbances that
violated his policy of nonviolence
1930: Led Dandi March to collect salt in protest of the British salt tax.
1931: Signed a pact with Lord Irwin to suspend the Civil
Disobedience Movement and went to London to attend Round Table
Conference.
1932: Fasted to protest the treatment of people who belonged to no Hindu caste, the Harijans or Untouchables
1942: Launched Quit India Movement against British Raj.
January 30, 1948: Assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.
Quotes:
- I
will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the
self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall
the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may
have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to
be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will
it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and
destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the
hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your
doubts and your self melt away.
- Abstinence is forgiveness
only when there is power to punish; it is meaningless when it
pretends to proceed from a helpless creature.
- Action for one's own self binds, action for the sake of others delivers from bondage.
- What is faith worth if it is not translated into action?
- You assist an
administration most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees.
An evil administration never deserves such allegiance.
- Ahimsa is the highest ideal. It is meant for the brave, never for the cowardly.
- Ahimsa is the eradication of the desire to injure or to kill.
- Ahimsa is an attribute of the brave. Cowardice and ahimsa don't go together any more that water and fire.
- True ahimsa should mean a complete freedom from ill-will and anger and hate and an overflowing love for all.
- The removal of untouchability is one of the highest expressions of ahimsa.
- The strength to kill is not essential for self-defence; one ought to have the strength to die.
- Khadi has been conceived
as the foundation and the image of ahimsa. A real khadi-wearer
will not utter an untruth. A real khadi-wearer will harbour no
violence, no deceit, no impurity.
- No power on earth can
subjugate you when you are armed with the sword of ahimsa. It
ennobles both the victor and the vanquished.
- The votary of ahimsa has only one fear, that is, of God.
- The hardest heart and the
grossest ignorance must disappear before the rising sun of
suffering without anger and without malice.
- The power of unarmed nonviolence is any day far superior to that of armed force.
- I know nothing of the
science of astrology and I consider it to be a science, if it is a
science, of doubtful value, to be severely left alone by those
who have any faith in Providence.
- God is conscience. He is even the atheism of the atheist.
