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October 2, 1869 saw the birth of a famous Indian personality, lovingly
called, the Father of the Nation. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was
born
to the Diwan of Porbandar, in the state of Kathewar in Gujarat. His
mother, Putlibai, was a very religious lady and brought up her son with
stories from the scriptures and mythology. Little Gandhi grew up to be
an
honest, upright student.
At the tender age of 13 he was married to a beautiful damsel named
Kasturba. At 19, much to his mother's chagrin, he was sent to England to
study law. He promised his mother that he would keep away from wine,
women and non-vegetarianism … and he managed to stick to his word.
A Mission in South Africa
He returned to India as a barrister in 1891 and started his own practice
at
Bombay and Rajkot. In 1893 he went to S. Africa to fight a case. It was
there that his life's mission was determined - to fight against injustice.
Gandhiji could not tolerate the oppression of the Indians by the whites.
So
he stayed on in Africa for 12 years and established the Natal Indian
Congress to improve the conditions of the Indians there, through peaceful,
non-violent methods.
Struggle for Swadeshi
In 1914, Gandhiji returned to India and established the Satyagraha Ashram
near Ahmedabad. Inspired by G.K.Gokhale and Lokmanya Tilak, Gandhiji
toured the country listening to the woes of the common man. Gandhiji was
touched by the plight of his countrymen and so entered the political
arena.
He launched 3 significant movements with one goal - freedom from the
British rule. The first one was the Non-Cooperation Movement, the
objective of which was 'the attainment of swaraj by peaceful and
legitimate means'. The method was to boycott foreign goods and official
durbars, British courts and schools, give up honours and titles and go
back
to the use of swadeshi goods.
The second was the Civil Disobedience Movement. Launched on April 6,
1930, it began with the historic Dandi March or the 'Salt Satyagraha'.
In
order to oppose the British Salt Law, Gandhiji marched to Dandi along with
his followers to make their own salt.
Quit India
The third one was the Quit India Movement of 1942, which resulted in the
'Quit India' resolution on August 8, 1942 urging the British to leave India.
Finally India gained independence on 15th August 1947. Thanks to the
efforts of Gandhiji.
On January 30, 1948, the Mahatma was shot dead by a misguided
communalist. As Pandit Nehru put it, 'the light has gone out of our
lives
and there is darkness everywhere'.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
