576 Words Essay on Jawaharlal Nehru (personal and family life)

If Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the Nation, Jawahar Lai Nehru is the architect of modern India. He was one of the leaders who led India to freedom. He shaped India's destiny during his seventeen years when he was the Prime Minister.
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father, Pt Moti Lai Nehru, was one of the leading lawyers of India. He was born in Allahabad in 1889 on 14 the November. He was sent to England at the age of 15 for his higher studies.
There he joined the Public School at Harrow. Then he went to Cambridge University where he took his degree in 1910. Then he joined law. He was called to bar in 1912. He came to India and started his practice at Allahabad High Court. He was married to Smt Kamla Devi at the age of 24.
Those were the days when Gandhiji had returned from South Africa. Drawn by the magic of Gandhiji Jawaher Lai Nehru jumped into politics. He gave up his practice and joined the Non co-operation movement started by Gandhiji. He went to jail many times and became a fearless soldier of the freedom struggle. He was determined to bring freedom for his countrymen and for this he struggled hard against the British Rule.
He bore punishment happily. Prison life could not crush his spirit. He acted as Congress President in four different years before India got independence. When India became free, he was elected the first Prime Minister of India.
As the Prime Minister of a newly Independent country, he discharged his duties very well. India made great progress under his guidance. He started five years plans and fought against hunger, poverty and unemployment, which was the major problems, our country was suffering from. Once Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of free India, had said, "the country is marching forward on the road of progress under the leadership of Panditji".
This show how efficient and dedicated was Pt. Nehru. Actually, it was he who shaped the destiny of our country. He solved some difficult problem of the country as well as the world.
Pt. Nehru was a true lover of peace. Hence he didn't join any of the two super blocs-one belonged to USA and the other belonged to USSR. Instead he followed the policy of Non- alignment, which shows his great insight and political understanding. He laid down five principles of Panchsheel' for peaceful co-existence after China attacked India in 1962.
This attack had a bad effect upon his health because he never expected that China would prove treacherours. He had heart attack on 27th of May, 1964 and passed away from this world. His death shocked the whole world.
Apart from being a top-ranked statesman Pt. Nehru was a good writer too. His 'My Autobiography', The Discovery of India', and " The Glimpses of World History' have got wide name as fame. He loved children to the core of his heart. Children too loved him with same instinct and called him 'Chacha Nehru'. As a mark of his love for children, his birthday is celebrated as The Children's Day' every year with great enthusiasm throughout the country.
Pt. Nehru is not among us but his high ideals and principles based on humanity is still alive. It is out first and foremost duty to follow the path shown by him. That will be the greatest tribute to him.

Biography of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - a Great Freedom Fighter

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel belongs to the category of heroes that would do honour to any country. While his achievements will be a source of inspiration, his services to the nation will be remembered in the times to come with gratitude.
Sardar Patel was born on 21st October 1875, in Karamsad village in Gujrat district. His father Jhver Bhai Patel was a poor peasant, but was bold and patriotic at the core of his heart. His father fought in the army of Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi against the British Government in the First War of Independence, 1857.
Jhver Bhai Patel had two sons-Vithalbhai Patel and Vallabhbhai Patel. Both the brothers had exceptional grit and brilliance which helped them achieve extraordinary heights in their careers. The elder brother Vithalbhai Patel rose to the presiding officer of the Central Legislative Assembly-the office that he held with great tact and dignity, while the younger brother Vallabhbhai Patel rose to be the Deputy Prime Minister of independent India.
Sardar Patel did his primary education in his village. Later on he went to Nadiad and then to Baroda to continue his education. Even as a school child he showed extraordinary fearlessness and will power. Once he fell ill and had a boil near his eye. The village 'vaid' told another person to touch the boil with burning hot iron to cure it. While the other person was hesitating to do so, Vallabhbhai took the red hot iron in his own hands and put it on the boil in a jiffy to the amazement of the on-lookers.
Vallabhbhai saved money to go to England to pursue his studies in Law but his elder brother insisted to go first. It was only after his brother's return that Vallabhbhai went to England and returned as a full-fledged barrister. Later on his hard work and brilliance brought him great name and success as a barrister.
Attracted by the personality and ideology of Gandhiji, he entered politics in 1918. To begin with he was the Secretary to the political Sub-Committee of Provincial Political Conference, which was convened under Gandhiji's guidance. His work brought him great credit and recognition throughout Gujrat.
In those days 'begar' was prevalent in Gujrat. He mobilized public opinion against it, entered into dialogue with the Commissioner and ultimately succeeded in putting an end to this evil. It was his first achievement in public life. Gradually his faith in Gandhiji's methods of truth and non-violence increased and he felt drawn towards Gandhiji and public life.
Sardar Patel tried the Gandhian technique of non-violence in Khera district where the peasants were being compelled by the government to pay the revenue even if the crops had failed. He took up the cause of the peasants and ultimately succeeded in getting the revenue remitted.
Under his leadership strike was organized in Gujrat along with the rest of the country against the Rowlatt Act. It was so successful that the Government was overawed. During the Non-Co-operation Movement, Sardar Patel not only bade goodbye to his legal practice but also prevented his sons from going to England.
One of the most illustrious feathers in Vallabhbhai's cap was the success of Bardoli Satyagrah. Bardoli was a talluka in Gujrat where the revenue was raised by 30 percent despite crop failure and famine. People of the area approached Vallabhbhai to get their grievances redressed. He personally enquired into the matter and found the Government's demand for increase unjustifiable.
He warned the peasants against the hardships all risks involved in the Satyagrah. When he round that they were prepared for them, he launched the Satyagrah, organized and executed it so well that besides winning success it won him me epithet 'Sardar' from Gandhiji.
Sardar Patel had an exceptional organizational skill and had great hold on the masses. He was in the vanguard of the movements launched for undoing the wrong done to the people and for the liberation of the country.
The Congress honoured him by offering him president ship of the party in 1931. He organized the election campaign in 1937, which brought him great applause. The Congress ministries were formed in seven out of eleven provinces. He was elected the chairman of the Parliamentary Board whose function was to supervise the working of the Ministers.
Being one of the leaders of the Independence movement, he had to suffer imprisonment and other hardships. His active participation in 'Quit India Movement' 1942 landed him in jail for three years. In
1945, he was released from jail and he represented the Congress in the Interim Government. He was elected the Deputy Prime Minister in
1946.
In the cabinet of free India he held the port folios of Home and state. As Home Minister he had a tough time when the Muslim League launched direct action in several provinces. There was communal hatred and lawlessness all around. But it goes to his credit that he handled the situation very tactfully. Then came the partition of the country which brought in its wake multitude of problems, besides that of law and order. It was a giant-size job to which he proved to be efficient.
But the ticklish problem for tackling which he is most remembered is that of Indian native states, which the outgoing British Government had deliberately left in a mess. The rulers of these big and small states had begun to dream of independent sovereignty. He showed great tact and political acumen in solving this problem. Not only was he successful in persuading the states to join the Indian Union but also was successful in replacing the autocratic structure of the states by democratic governments.
Sardar Patel who was called the 'Iron Man' of India would be long remembered by the generations to come. He made a permanent niche in the Indian history by his political genius, statesmanship and practical idealism.

Biography of Shivaji - a Great Maratha Leader

Shivaji belongs to that rare category of ambitious heroes which inspires the coming generations for all times to come. Shivaji not only carved out for himself a kingdom in Marathaland and liberated the Maratha nation but also secured for himself a permanent niche in history. Shivaji was born on 10th April, 1627. The name of his father was Shivaji and mother's Jijabai.
The legend goes that once Shivaji had a dream in which he was offered a mango. On sharing this with his wife, he would have a son, who would be an incarnation of the god Shiva. Eventually when the child was born, he was named after the saint Shah Sharif, Shivaji's mother was a pious and devout Hindu lady, who had tremendous faith in God. She also loved calling her son 'Shivaji'.
As was the want of aristocracy those days, Shivaji got another wife. As Jijabai was a self-respecting lady, she shifted from Shivner, the birthplace of Shivaji, to Poona. She took impeccable care in bringing up and educating the child. The task of Shivaji's education was entrusted to Dada Kondevji, an experienced and dedicated Brahmin teacher.
Right from his childhood, Shivaji was freedom loving. His mother and his teacher had groomed him well and taught him martial exercises. They told him stories of heroes, which instilled in his mind courage and love for adventure.
Not much fond of formal education, he loved having mock fights with his friends. He was exceptionally bold and fearless. Once when was a child, his father took him to Bijapur court. Not only did he not wash himself for purity after returning from there. In fact he started dreaming about a kingdom of his own when he was only thirteen years old.
He was hardly twenty years old when he ventured his first military operation. Accompanied by his three childhood friends and some soldiers he attacked the famous 'Toran' fort falling in the Bijapur Kingdom. The fort was conquered without much difficulty. He got a sizeable booty. He also became very popular amongst the Maratha young men, who flocked to join his service. It encouraged him in the attainment of his mission.
The news of Shivaji's military exploits reached Bijapur Court, where his father Shahji was in employment. The nawab of Bijipur wrote a letter to Shivaji and also forced Shivaji to write one to his son. In reply Shivaji wanted that the territory conquered by him should be given to him. Only then he could present himself at the court, the reply made the Nawab all the more angry.
At this the Nawab put Shivaji in a very narrow, dark and cingy cell with a small aperture for fresh air, which he threatened to close if Shivaji did not submit. Shivaji thought of a plan. He immediately wrote a letter to Shah Jahan, the Moghul Emperor requesting him to get Shivaji liberated. The Emperor was already eager to find an excuse to interfere in Bijapur. The Emperor issued the required order at once. It was a remark-able diplomatic feat which won him applause and built his self-confidence further.
One of the most interesting incidents of his military career was his duel with Afzal Khan. Shivaji was an eyesore to the Nawab of Bijapur. He sent a human giant Afzal Khan with a large number of picked soldiers to subdue Shivaji and bring him as captive to the court; Afzal Kahn entered Shivaji's territory from the south. He demolished temples on his way and got the idols thrown into the river.
It is said that he also got an iron cage to put Shivaji in. Afzal Khan wanted to kill him by deception. So he sent a conciliatory message to him. Shivaji managed to get a clue to what was in Afzal Khan's mind. He planned to pay him in the same coin. Both agreed to meet along with two security men each only. When both of them met each other, Afzal Khan tried to strangulate him by pressing his neck under his arm and hitting him with his dagger. But Shivaji outwitted him. He had already protected himself against such attack.
He also concealed a dagger in his sleeve and fitted steel points to his left hand. Shivaji, unable to free his neck from Afzal Khan's powerful grip, drove with his right hand his dagger into the Khan's back and tore open his belly with the steel points in his left hand. The Khan's army beaten and slain fled in confusion. It yielded Shivaji a considerable booty in the form of trained animals and cash.
Another important military operation of Shivaji involved an attack on Shayista Khan, who was a maternal uncle of the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb asked the Khan to teach Shivaji a lesson and annex his territory to the Moghul Empire. Raja Jaswant Singh also accompanied the Khan in this campaign. Shayista Khan was camping in the Poona Fort with the regal luxury. Shivaji and his 400 picked soldiers entered the city disguised as a marriage party. The sudden attack surprised the Khan, who fled in panic but not without losing his thumb in the skirmish.
After hearing about Shayista Khan's defeat Aurangzeb flew into a rage. He sent a huge army under the command of two veterans- Raja Jaswant Singh and Diler Khan, who launched a massive attack on Shivaji's territory. Eventually Shivaji sent a message of peace to Jaswant Sngh. Shivaji also agreed to go to the Moghul Court. But he felt insulted at the court and he made bold to express it.
At this he was detained. Shivaji once against outwitted his captors and secured his liberation. He pretended to be ill and after some days asked for permission to distribute sweets on his recovery. The permission was granted. The baskets of sweets and fruits used to come in and go out of the prison. One day he came out of it in one of the baskets. He journeyed back disguised as a Sadhu. The Maratha hero was back in his territory.
Now Shivaji thought fit to have him crowned. So the coronation ceremony was arranged at his capital Rajgarh with great pomp and show. He was given a sacred thread and anointed as per the tradition of the ancient Kshatriya Kings. He was weighed against coins which were distributed among the poor. His dream along with that of his mother had been realized. His mother died about two weeks after the coronation ceremony.
The great Maratha hero fell ill and developed a swelling at the knee joint, which did not respond to medical care. At last he did on April 3, 1680.
Probably, the most fitting assessment of Shivaji has been done by Orme in his 'Historical Fragments'. He says, "In personal activity he (Shivaji) exceeded all generals for whom there is record. He met every emergency of peril, however sudden or extreme, with instant discernment, and unshaken fortitude; the ablest of his officers acquiesced in the imminent superiority of his genius and the boast of the soldier was to have seen Shivaji charging sword in hand."

Biography of Indira Gandhi - Third Prime Minister of India

Indira Gandhi was one of the most extraordinary women India has produced. She was acknowledged throughout the world not only as the head of Government of India but also a world ranking statesman. She had a charismatic personality and had tremendous sway over the people of India. She was one of the most powerful prime ministers in a democratic set up.
Priyadarshni-for that was her childhood name given to her by her father-was born in Anand Bhawan in Allahabad on 19th November, 1917. She inherited brilliance, courage and resolution from her ancestors. Her grandfather Moti Lai Nehru was a very famous and successful lawyer of his times, who later on left his lucrative legal practice and became a national public figure.
Her father, Jawahar Lai Nehru was a great freedom fighter who later on as Prime Minister of Indian nation for seventeen long years and gradually was recognized as a world statesman. But Indira Gandhi's place in history rests not on her inheritance-rich and impressive as it may be, but on her own merit and achievements.
Political scene of those days was dominated by Gandhiji. Whenever Gandhiji visited Allahabad he stayed at Anand Bhawan. As a child Indira Gandhi was very much influenced by him. Once she went to Sabarmati Ashram also.
The simple and hard life of the Ashram left an imprint on her life and she was imbued with patriotic feelings. She received her education at different places. She matriculated form Pune and thereafter she was enrolled in Shanti niketan which was established by Rabindra Nath Tagore. There the students were expected to lead a life of very strict discipline. Though she was brought up in a lap of luxury she adjusted herself well in the Ashram.
Later on she studied at Switzerland and England. She organized a 'Monkey Army' when she was just twelve years old. Some small duties like distributing food to Congress delegates during different conferences were entrusted to this 'Army'. Its members carried messages also to the Congress leaders.
Indira Gandhi's mother Kamla Nehru was ill and for her treatment Indira accompanied her to Germany and then to Switzerland. But she did not respond to the treatment and died on 16th February 1937. Now she had only her father to look after her.
After her mother's death she joined Oxford University. The clouds of war were hovering over Europe. Jawahar Lai Nehru went to England and Indira Gandhi came back home along with her father. But soon her father noticed that her health was deteriorating. She was sent to Switzerland where she gained health. After coming back from Switzerland her marriage was settled with Feroze Gandhi.
Since he was a Parsi a section of conservative Hindus expressed them against the marriage and tried to dissuade Jawahar Lai Nehru from consenting to it. But the wishes of the daughter were important to him and the marriage was celebrated in March 1941. Thereafter she accompanied Feroze Gandhi to Lucknow where he was working as editor of the National Herald.
Those were the days when India was a stir with political activities. The freedom movement was gathering momentum day by day. In the meantime 'Quit India' resolution was passed in Bombay Congress Session. Before it also she saw hectic political activities and conferences in Anand Bhawan. Her aunt Krishna Hutheesing says, "From the time she was three or four, she heard nothing but talk of politics. Though she did not understand all that was said, her sensitivity made her intensely aware that something vitally important was happening."
Her father had gone to jail many a time. Sometimes she was left all alone at home thinking about the ongoing events. So on the one hand, she was surrounded by property and affluence, and on the other, by uncertainty and anxiety; on the one hand hectic political and social activity and on the other a void and loneliness.
Come August, 15, 1947 and it brought along with it she independence. Independence brought joy and jubilation and functions and festivals were organized to celebrate it. But the partition of the country brought in its wake untold suffering for certain sections of people. In the meantime Jawaharlal Nehru had shifted to official accommodation. She tried to help her father in his multifarious activities. Not only did she look after guests-native and foreign in the prime minister's house, but also accompanied him on his foreign tours.
Thus she had gained a lot of experience and knowledge. She was associated with the Congress party right from her birth. In her own words. "The Congress is very dear to me I was born in the Congress. There was no time when my home, since I was born, was not the centre of all political movements, decisions and the meetings that took place, and the whole of modern Indian history was being made there." She was declared to be the President of the Congress Party, in which capacity she worked very hard and rose in the estimation of the people as a leader in her own right.
May 1964-India suffered a tragic blow on the death of Jawahar Lai Nehru. Lai Bahadur Shastri succeeded him and Indira Gandhi became Information and Broadcasting Minister in his cabinet. In January, 1966 Lai Bahadur Shastri suddenly died in Tashkent. Thereafter, Indira Gandhi was elected the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
A woman Prime Minister of such a vast country as India-the greatest democracy in the world! With the passage of time, her firm determination, her hardworking nature and her foresight brought her praise from all quarters. She started meeting common people every day and tried to redress their grievances. It brought her great popularity. When she found that political atmosphere in the parliament was not comfortable for her in 1969, she ordered midterm poll in which she was returned to power with a thumping majority.
In the meantime, Bangladesh problem was thrust in front of India. Lakhs of refugees from East Bengal infiltrated into India due to the atrocities of the Pakistani army. They could not be persuaded to go back due to fear of repression. The Indian economy was heavily strained due to feeding of about ten million refugees. The problem that India faced was put before the world but none paid any heed to it.
In the meanwhile Pakistan launched an attack on India in December 1971. A fierce war lasted for two weeks which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. So Indira Gandhi solved this ticklish problem successfully and won wide acclaim for her qualities of leadership.
With the passage of time, the political atmosphere underwent a sea change in the mid-seventies and Indira Gandhi had to declare emergency in the country on 26th June 1975. The opposition leaders headed by Jay Parkash Narayan launched a movement against the emergency. They were arrested and put behind bars. General elections were held in March 1977 in which Indira Gandhi was badly defeated and Janta Party was elected to power.
Infighting in the Janta Party resulted in general elections in 1980 in which Indira Gandhi was again elected to power. At that time the country was facing many problems including the Pubjab problem, regarding which she had to take some hard measures. The sudden and tragic and came to her on 31st October, 1984 when like Mahatma Gandhi, she suffered an assassin's bullets which plunged the country in an abyss of grief and sorrow.
Indira Gandhi is one of those leaders who will be ever remembered for her courage, determination and remarkable qualities of leadership.

Biography of Lai Bahadur Shashtri - Second Prime Minister of India

It has been rightly said that success is to be measured not by the heights achieved but by the difficulties surmounted. And Lai Bahadur Shashtri is one of those who had been facing and surmounted difficulties galore right from his childhood. He was hardly two years old when he lost his father.
His birthday coincides with that of Mahatma Gandhi-for both of them were born on 2nd October. Lai Bahadur Shastri was born in 1904 in Mughal Sarai town in Uttar Pradesh. His father Sharda Prasad was a man of very limited means.
After his father's death, his mother left for her parent's house. After receiving primary education at Mughal Sarai, he went to his uncle at Varanasi and joined Harish Chander High School. As a student he was very hard working, honest and brilliant.
He was imbued with patriotic feelings right from his childhood. Physically, he was short- statured, slim and lean, but he was not at all lacking in inner strength. He had firm determination and resolute will. Humility was his special characteristic to be matched equally with his self confidence.
Those were the days when Mahatma Gandhi had raised on the Indian political firmament and national movement was picking up momentum. Gandhiji launched his Non-cooperation Movement in 1921. People from all sections of society responded to Gandhiji's call and participated in the movement. Students were no less active than others. Lai Bahadur Shastri was also drawn to the movement.
Not caring for his examination which was only a month away, he plunged into the movement. He participated in the anti-Government procession and was arrested. But he was let away in view of his tender age and short stature.
Thereafter he joined Kashi Vidya Peeth at Varanasi, which was situated more than ten kilometers away from his home, the distance of which he covered on foot daily. Despite difficulties he passed his examinations in the first division.
After finishing his education, he was drawn towards social service. As a social worker, he tried to rid society of the evils of UN touch ability -a practice which Gandhi considered a sin against God and humanity. Soon Lai Bahadur Shastri became popular for his hard work, honesty and dedication. In the meantime he was married to Lalita Devi at the age 24 years. It was almost a dowry less marriage.
He was bound to come into conflict with the Government due to his participation in the freedom movement. He offered Satyagraha and was sentenced to imprisonment at different times, hi all, he had to spend almost eight long years in imprisonment. During this period he faced many hardships and deprivations. But he was a staunch Satyagrahi having unshakable faith in non-violence as propounded by Gandhiji. He observed his daily routine of prayers and physical exercises regularly during his imprisonment.
He utilized the forced leisure during his imprisonment for studying different authors like Kant, Hegel, Laski, Russel, Marx and Lenin etc. He devoted some time to writing also. He translated Marie Curie's life history and also wrote about Quit India Movement In fact he was highly impressed by self-less service rendered by Marie Curie like Jawahar Lai Nehru he put to maximum use the time of his imprisonment. Jawahar Lai Nehru and Purshottam Das Tandon besides Gandhiji impressed him the most.
He was given different responsibilities such as General Secretary of the Congress, Union Home Minister and later on as Prime Minister. He shouldered them all with great success.
Before assuming ministerial position in the cabinet, he was minister in charge of Police in Utter Pradesh. He made a lot of improvement in his departments and won popular acclaim. In 1962, Pandit Jawahar Lai Nehru invited him to join Union Cabinet as Railway Minister. During his minister ship a railway accident occurred at Mehboob Nagar in Hyderabad due to the carelessness of a junior employee. Shastriji took the entire responsibility on himself and submitted his resignation, which he didn't take back despite persuasion by Pt. Nehru, Thus he established the highest democratic tradition.
As Prime Minister he had to face a multitude of problems. In fact, he assumed the office of Prime Minister immediately after the death of Jawahar Lai Nehru. Pakistan adopted a hostile attitude towards India which resulted in a full-fledged Indo-Pak War in 1965. The country was already facing drought condition. Many state governments were pressurising the Union Government for help. Such a situation was a bed of thorns for the new Prime Minister.
During Indo-Pak war, Lai Bahadur Shastri showed rare quality of courage and determination. He also demonstrated that he possessed remarkable qualities of leadership. His speeches during the war inspired the people of India.
They were galvanised. He gave a slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kissan'. The slogan instilled in the forces a triumphant spirit. Indian Jawan did show his mettle in the war and the enemy had to suffer heavy losses and was forced to come to the negotiation table.
Russian Government offered its good offices and Tashkant Agreement was signed by both the countries-India and Pakistan. Immediately after the declaration he succumbed to a massive heart attack. He dies on 11th Jan. 1966. The tragic news of his death at Tashkant spread like a wild fire. Now Vijayghat stands memorial to this heroic man.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was truly a great man who gave less importance to himself and more to institutions. For he knew that when the individual puts himself above institutions both suffer as a consequence. This trait of his endeared him to the Indian people and carved for him a permanent niche in their heart.
Ashoka- The Great Bal Gangadhar Tilak Gautam Buddha Gopal Krishna Gokhale Gum Gobind Singh Gum Nanak Jawahar Lai Nehru Lai Bahadur Shastir LalaLajpat Rai Mahatma Gandhi MirzaGhalib Rabindra Nath Tagore Raja Rammohan Roy SardarVallabhbhai Patel Shivaji
Subhash Chandra Bose Swami Dayanand Swami Vivekanand

Short biography of the early life and teachings of Gautam Buddha

Among all the protestant religions Buddhism enjoyed the greatest popularity and acceptance. Unlike the Jainas, the Buddhists did not claim any earlier antiquity for their religion beyond the life of Buddha. It had a more popular social base than any other contemporary religion. Budha successfully delivered to the world his message of compassion, love, self-restraint and self-culture.

Early Life:

Gautam, alias Siddhartha was the son of Suddhodhana, the Chief of the Sakya clan of Kapilavastu, which is presently in the Tarai region of Nepal. The place of his birth was a grove of Saal trees called Lumbini Gama (or Lumbini Vana) near Kapilavastu. The famous Rummindei Pillar with an inscription has been erected there by Asoka to mark its importance. His mother Mahamaya, a Koliyan princess, was the Chief queen of Suddhodhana, who died seven day after his birth. His mother's sister and Step-mother Mahapraapati Gautami brought him up.
The date of the birth of Gautam is not known. According to one theory he was born in 568 B.C. and died in 506 B.C. In another source it is stated that the coronation of Asoka took place 218 years after the death of Buddha, which makes (269 B.C. + 218 years) 487 B.C. the year of his death and 567 B.C. (487 + 80) as the year of his birth. As a young prince he received normal training befitting of a Kshatriya. At the age of sixteen he was married to his causin Yasodhara also named Bhaddakachchana, Subhadraka, Gopa or Bimba, daughter of Sakyan, Suppabudhha and had a son, Rahul. Gautam himself named his son Rahul, meaning an impediment or hindrance.
Inspite of all his prosperity he was not inwardly happy. The idea of renunciation came to his mind seeing four persons in four different stages of life : an old man bent with age, a sick man shivering with fever and a corpse being carried to the cremation ground followed by weeping relations, and finally, a wandering monk, peaceful and calm radiating inward joy. On seeing him Siddhartha realized where his destiny lay and set his heart on becoming a wanderer. The misery of the mundane world weighed on his reflective mind. He felt dissatisfied with life and at the age of 29 on a Baishakha Purnima night, when all were busy in festivities celebrating the birth of his son, he rode off with his charioteer Channa on his favourite horse Kanthaka up to the end of the city, where he cast off his princely robes, renounced everything and became an ascetic. This journey "from a home to a homeless life" is famous as the "Great Renunciation", Mahabhiniskarmana.

Attainment of Knowledge :

For six years he wandered as an ascetic in search of true knowledge. During this period he met Arada Kalama on the outskirts of Vaisali and became his disciple. There he learnt about the seventh stage of meditation (akinchanyayatana or sphere of desirelessness - nothingness) as a part of the Sankhya school of philosophy. However, he was not satisfied and became a disciple of another teacher, Rudraka Ramaputra on the outskirts of Rajagriha. Here he reached the stage of highest meditation but could not achieve final liberation. Thereupon he took up deep meditation subjecting his body to extreme physical pain along with five other Brahmin ascetics. One night when he was on the verge of death due to exhaustion and starvation he decided to take food just enough to keep his body active. On account of this, his five Brahmin companions deserted him.
At last, at Uruvela near Gaya under a pipal tree on the banks of river Niranjana (modern Phalgu) he sat in deep meditation after accepting milk from a milkmaid named Sujata with a vow either to perish or to attain knowledge. There he finally attained knowledge from the "Great Unknown" and became Buddha (the enlightened one) or Tathagata (the one who attained truth) at the age of 35. The tree has been named Bodhi tree (tree of wisdom) and the place as Bodh Gaya. At first he thought of his two teachers Arada Kalama and Rudraka Ramaputra but they were no more. So he proceeded to Saranath to preach five Brahmin companions who had deserted him earlier.
Buddha preached his first sermon in a Deer Park at Saranath near Varanasi before his first five Brahmin disciples and the event has been described as the "Turning of the Wheel of Law" or Dharma Chakra Pravartana. Some of his earliest converts were Sariputta and Mogallana Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana Sutra, which is said to be the first discourse of Buddha. The Eight Fold Path lies between two extremes, namely gross sensualism or vile pleasure-seeking on one hand and extreme asceticism or severest self-mortification of the other. Hence the Eight-Fold Path of Buddha was called the Middle Path (Madhayama Pratipat) as it keeps clear of the two extreme ways of life. This is also called the Right Path.
Buddha prescribed Five Fundamental Precepts or a moral code. These were to refrain from killing, stealing, adultery, indulging in falsehood and drunkenness. He also recommended for the monks as well as for the laity the observance of Six Fundamental Virtues such as charity, purity, patience, courage, contemplation and knowledge. Buddha discouraged speculation on the Gods or the origin and end of the universe. He did not recognize the authority of the Vedas and rejected its infallibility.

Biography of Rabindranath Tagore: the Greatest writer in modern Indian literature

Rabindranath Tagore, the Greatest writer in modern Indian literature belonged to one of the most cultured families of West Bengal. He was born at Jorasanko, Calcutta on 7 May 1861. His father was Maharishi Debendranath Tagore, a religious reformer and scholar. He was a leader of the Brahmo Samaj. Rabindra's mother was Sarada Devi, who died when he was very young. Tagore's grandfather had established a huge financial empire for himself and financed public projects such as Calcutta Medical College. The Tagores were pioneers of Bengal Renaissance and tried to combine traditional Indian culture with Western ideas.
Tagore being the youngest started to compose poems at the age of eight. He received his early education first from tutors and then at a variety of schools. Although at the age of seventeen he was sent to England for formal schooling, he did not finish his studies there. He had an intense feeling of patriotism and love for all things Indian. In his mature years, in addition to his manysided literary activities, he managed the family estates, a project which brought him into close touch with common humanity and increased his interest in social reforms. In 1883 Tagore married Mrinalini Devi Raichoudhuri, with whom he had two sons and three daughters. He moved to East Bengal in 1890.
In 1901 Tagore started an experimental school at Shantiniketan, where he tried his Upanishadic ideals of education. It became an institution to impart nationalist education to the students during colonial rule. It became a university in 1921. The year between 1901 and 1910 were troubled ones for Tagore. In 1902 he lost his wife and between 1904 and 1906 he lost his daughter, his son and his father. It was at this time of sorrow that Tagore began to compose 'Gitanjali' in search of peace. In .1912 he translated it into English from its original Bengali script. In 1913 he was awarded the coveted Nobel Prize for this collection of verses, securing his place as not merely an Indian poet but as a world poet in the true sense of the term. Rabindranath was a man of many talents - a singer, painter, artist, educationist and social worker - all rolled into one.
From time to time he participated in the Indian nationalist movement, though in his non-sentimental and visionary way. Gandhi, the political father of modern India was his devoted friend. Both used to write to each other expressing their views regarding the national issues. During the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal Tagore's role was commendable. Through his patriotic song he tried to arouse the patriotic feelings of the people. He also initiated the custom of Raksha-Bandhan i.e. tying of the rakhi as a symbol of brotherhood in protest against the partition of Bengal. On the day of partition i.e. 16 October 1905 the people of Bengal tied the rakhi on one another's wrists as a symbol of the unbreakable unity of the Bengalis and of the two halves of Bengal. Processions were carried. Huge crowds parading the streets sang the song written by Rabindranath for the occasion.
"Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of our country was composed by Tagore. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National congress. The song is a true expression of patriotic feelings and devotion to God. In 1915 the British government conferred on him the Knighthood. But in 1919 he was horrified and shocked at the Jallianawala Bagh Tragedy where the British General Dyer brutally killed thousands of people. He immediately renounced the Knighthood in protest against the Jallianawala Bagh massacre. He declared, "The time has come when badges of honour make our scheme glaring in their incongruous context of humiliation and I, for my part, wish to stand, shorn of all special distinctions, by the side of my countrymen who, for their so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings." This expresses the feelings of a true nationalist that Rabindranath was.
Infact, Tagore's fame attained great heights, taking him across continents on lecture tours and tours of friendship. He stressed the need for a new world order based on transnational values and ideas. Between the years 1916 and 1934 he traveled widely, attempting to spread the ideal of uniting East and West. He was an early advocate of Independence for India and his influence over Gandhi and other founders of modern India was enormous. He was a critic of colonialism. For the world he became the voice of India's spiritual heritage and for India, especially for Bengal, he became a great living institution. He believed in world harmony and brotherhood and he symbolized the essence of Indian culture. He breathed his last in Calcutta on 7 August 1941.

Complete biography of Jawaharlal Nehru (personal and political life)

In the galaxy of freedom fighters in India Nehru stands next to Gandhi and has been called the architect of Modern India. He was one of those who pioneered the concepts of complete independence, socialism and Indian Constituent Assembly. Nehru had so completely identified himself with India's struggle for freedom that if there is any Indian other than Gandhi about whom it can be said that the history of his life is the history of the Indian struggle, it is Jawaharlal Nehru. After independence of the country Nehru completely dominated the Indian politics till his death in 1964.
Jawaharlal Nehru was born on 14 November, 1889 at Allahabad. His father Pt. Motilal Nehru belonged to a Kashmiri Brahmin family who had settled down at Allahabad as a lawyer. He was a popular congress leader, a swarajist and a member of Central Legislative Assembly. He also framed the Nehru Report which sought dominion status for India. Jawahar, the only son of Motilal was educated at Harrow and Cambridge and did Bar-at-law. During his seven years stay in England, Nehru imbibed the traditions of British humanist liberalism whose protagonists were J.S. Mill, G.B. Sahaw, Bertrand Russell etc. On his return from England in 1912, Nehru joined the Allahabad High Court as a barrister, but soon he lost interest in the legal profession. Rather he was attracted towards the national movement.
Nehru made his first appearance at the Congress platform as a delegate to the Bankipore session in 1912. In 1915 he became active in the functioning of the Kisan Sabha of Uttar Pradesh which was estblished by Pt. Modan Mohan Malaviya and became its deputy president in 1918. Nehru's contacts with peasants changed his life style. He changed his dress, his food and entire pattern of life and became one among the common people of India. Nehru began his political activities by his association with the Home Rule Movement. He met Gandhi in December 1916 at the Lucknow congress and came under his spell. It is said if Motilal Nehru was his biological father, Gandhi became his political father. He was deeply affected by the Jallianawala Bagh Tragedy and joined Gandhiji in all his movements.
First, he participated in different movements of the peasants. During his tour through the villages of Uttar Pradesh he came into contact with the peasants and saw their sufferings. He became a champion of the aspirations of the common people. To him the struggle to improve the condition of the people was inseparable from the struggle for independence. He led the peasant movements in Pratapgarh and Faizabad in 1920 and 1921. At the call of Gandhi he joined the Non-co-operation Movement and suffered imprisonment. In 1923 he was appointed General Secretary of the Congress and held this post for seven years. In 1926-27 he went to Europe as well as to Moscow. There he was influenced by socialism. In 1927 at the Madras session of the congress, he proposed certain resolutions concerning the foreign policy of Inida. From that time onwards, he became involved in framing the foreign policy of future India.
From 1928 Nehru became involved in youth movements and became very polular with them. He also participated in the agitation against the Simon Commission and suffered blows of police lathis. In the Calcutta session of the Congress in 1928, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subash Bose pressed the congress to demand complete independence. The congress, however, passed a resolution demanding Dominion Status. But next year 1929 Jawaharlal Nehru presided over the Congress Session at Lahore. It was under his Presidentship that the congress declared complete Independence for India as its goal in the midnight of 31 December, 1929. In his presidential address there he declared that he believed in building up a Socialist India. Besides, he elaborated the aims of the congress further. He declared that the aims of the congress were freedom of religion, right to form associations, freedom of expression of thought, equality before law for every individual without distinction of caste, colour, creed or religion, protection to regional languages and cultures, safeguarding the interests of the peasants and labour, abolition of untouchability, introduction of adult franchise, imposition of prohibition, natioanalisation of industries establishment of a secular India and all that which India tried to achieve under his leadership after Independence. The congress fixed up all these aims at that very session.
Nehru also palyed a leading role in the Civil Disobedience Movement during 1930- 34 and suffered imprisonment. In 1936, the congress session was held at Lucknow under the Presidentship of Nehru. The congress rejected the Act of 1935. It repeated the demand for a constituent Assembly. However, it decided to participate in the elections to the provincial legislative Assemblies that were held in 1937. In 1938, the congress under his guidance appointed the National Planning Commission which framed the economic policies of future India. He himself was its first President and thus, became responsible for framing the Five Year Plans of Independent India. Like other leaders he also suffered imprisonment for nearly three years in the 1942 'Quit India' Movement. After his release from prison in 1945 Nehru became the leading spokesman of the Indian National Congress in the several negotiations with the British. In 1946, he formed the first Indian (Interim) Government of India and tried to establish commercial harmony and maintain law and order when communal riots broke out in different parts of the country.
Nehru was one of the first nationalist leaders to realise the sufferings of the people in the states ruled by Indian Princes. He suffered imprisonment in Nabha, a Princely state, when h& went there to see the struggle that was being waged by the Akali Sikhs against the corrupt Mahants. The nationalist movement had been confined to the territories under direct British rule. Jawaharlal Nehru helped to make the struggle of the people in the princely states a part of the nationalist movement for freedom. The All India states people's conference was formed in 1927. Nehru who had been supporting the cause of the people of the states for many years was made the President of the All India states people's conference in 1939. He presided over the session in Ludhiana.
Nehru also played a leading role in the development of the internationalist outlook among the Indian people. The cause of freedom and democracy in other countries was as dear to his as the cause of India's Independence. He made the Indian people aware of the developments in the world and helped in forging links with the people for fighting for freedom and democracy in other countries. He said that freedom could be secure unless every nation was free. In 1927, the congress of oppressed Nationalities was held in Brussless (Belgium). Nehru attended this congress. The congress was called to coordinate and plan a common struggle against imperialism. Nehru was elected to the Executive Council of the League against Imperialism that was born at this congress.
With the rise of fascism, the Indian nationalist leaders were aware of the danger it posed to the freedom of other countries and to peace. They supported the people of Spain who were fighting to defend themselves against fascism. People of many countries volunteered to fight the fascist forces in Spain and formed the International Brigade. Jawaharlal Nehru along with V.K. Krishna Menon went to Spain and extended the support of the Indian people to the people of Spain. Nehru even refused to meet Mussolini, the dictator of Italy when the later expressed desire to meet him. Thus Nehru became a champion of freedom and democracy all over the world.
When the British government put the three officers of the INA Shah Nawaz Khan, PK. Sehgal and G.S. Dhillon on trial at Red fort in Delhi for the crime of fighting against the British forces, Jawaharlal Nehru along with Kailash Nath Katju and Tej Bahadur Sapru went there to defend those INA officers. Nehru suffered nine terms of imprisonment totalling over nine years. He became the first Prime Minister of Free India and remained the Prime Minister of India for Seventeen years till his death on 27 May, 1964.
Nehru played a constructive role in India's freedom struggle. In his political philosophy, he was a true disciple of Gandhi and fully subscribed to his doctrine of non­violence. Gandhi had full faith in Nehru and indicated that after his death Nehru would be his heir and would keep up his faith in non-violence and lead the nation along its path. As a British political scientist put it, "Even his enemies could never accuse him of thinking in any but national terms; caste, creed, town, tongue - none of these loyalties meant anything to him, it was India first and India last". For Nehru Independence had to go beyond mere political independence. He was strongly committed to change and development, the building of an equitable and egalitarian, just, democratic and socialist society. He tried all his life to link his dual commitment to natioanalism and socialism.

Complete biography of Subash Chandra Bose (1897-1945)

Subash Chandra Bose was the greatest revolutionary and the most colourful figure of the Indian Freedom Movement. He was a great nationalist and patriotism was the essence of his personality. In the galaxy of nationalist leaders of India, his name shines like the pole star. His contribution to the Freedom struggle of India remains a source of perpetual inspiration for the generations to come. In the words of N. C. Bose, "Subash Chandra Bose's grand scheme of India's liberation and the high idealism of the I.N.A. movement inspired the people of India in an unprecedented manner. The organization of the Azad Hind Forces and their exploits are a milestone in the history of the Indian struggle for independence."

Early Life (1897-1921) :

Subash Bose was born on 23rd January, 1897 at cuttack in Orissa. He started his primary education at Cuttack and passed the Matriculation Examination from Ravenshaw Collegiate School. Then he proceeded to Calcutta and joined the Presidency College. While in College, he came to limelight with the Efoaten incident in which a European professor, who used to denigrate Indian culture was assaulted by him. Subash was expelled from the college and later he had a brilliant educational career at Calcutta University. There he joined the University unit of the territorial army, a training which proved quite helpful to him later. In 1919, he graduated with First Class Honours in Philosophy and was sent to U. K. to compete for the much coveted Indian Civil Service. He successfully passed the ICS examination in 1920 occupying fourth position. But being a patriot to the core of his heart he did not want to show allegiance to the British by remaining in the service. In 1921 he resigned from the civil service to join the freedom struggle. He had been tremendously inspired by the writings of Vivekananda and Aurobindo.

Bose and the Congress Movement (1921-1939) :

Subash met the 'Mahatma' and decided to join the Non co-operation Movement in 1921. But when Gandhi decided to withdraw the movement after the chauri chaura incident he was stunned. In his words. "To sound the order of retreat just when public enthusiasm was reaching the boiling point was nothing short of a national calamity." Bose was appointed as the principal of the National College set up by Deshbandhu Chitta Ranjan Das, his mentor. In 1923 he supported the proposal of Das to carry on the struggle against the British from within the legislatures. Bose supported Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das in organising the Swaraj Party. In the election to the Calcutta corporation C. R. Das was elected the Mayor and Subash Bose was appointed as the chief Executive officer. This association of Subash with C. R. Das continued till the death of C. R. Das in 1925. Then he became the undisputed leader of Bengal. When the Prince of Wales visited Calcutta Subash successfully conducted the boycott of the Prince's visit and invited the wrath of the British Government. He was deported to Mandalay in 1924, but he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council in his absence. He was released from prison due to illness.
Subash had great respect for Mahatma Gandhi but differed from him in many ideological and strategical aspects. He belonged to the left wing of the Indian Natioal Congress. Along with Jawaharlal Nehru and Srinivas Iyengar he proposed complete independence as the goal of India as against. Dominion status, proposed by the Nehru report of 1928. At the Lahore Congress in 1929 he demanded a socialist programme along with a constructive programme. At the Karachi Congress of 1931 he stood for a socialist Republic and wanted both political freedom as well as economic emancipation. Economic plannings, land reforms, basic education and basic civil liberties were to be the framework of future congress programme. Subash stayed in Europe from 1933 to 1936. During his stay he tried to educate the public opinion against the exploitative British imperialism. He had to suffer imprisonment many times.
Subash was the president of the All India Trade Union Congress, the Youth Congress and other organisations. He represented the young and extremist element in the congress. He was elected president of the Indian National Congress in 1938 and was re-elected again in 1939 even against the wishes of Gandhiji. He wanted a second term so that the nationalists could take the advantage of the British pre-occupation elsewhere because of the imminent war. But he resigned from the presidenship because many members of the congress working committee did not like his method of work and ideology.

Foundation of Forward Bloc and organisation of INA :

After resigning from the congress Subash founded the Forward Bloc in May, 1939. According to Subash Bose, the Forward Bloc was intended to be a radical and progressive party within the congress, with a view to rallying the entire left wing under one banner." The difference between Subash and Gandhi was so wide that therewas no question of compromise. Bose was a critic of Gandhian political ideas and technique. Very soon the Forward Bloc became a separate enlity. Forward Bloc under Bose's leadership started a vigorous movement against the British government with the outbreak of the second world war. When the war began, he argued that 'British difficulties were India's opportunity, an idea not liked by congress leadership.

Subash met Savarkar at Bombay on June 22, 1940 and the latter advised him to leave India, organise the Indian forces at Europe and attack British India as soon as Japan declared war. On 2nd July, 1940 he was arrested under Defence of India Rules. He took the decision for a hunger strike and wrote a letter to the British Government stating." The individual must die, so that the nation may live. Today I must die so that
India may win freedom and glory'. He began his fast on 29th November, 1940 and on health ground he was released on 5h December, 1940. But he was interned in his house at Calcutta under strict police surveillance. Subash escaped from Calcutta on 17th January 1941 eluding the police vigilance. The story of his exape from the country is an epic of adventure. After escaping from India Subash passed through peshawar, Kabul and Moscow and finally reached Berlin on 28th March 1941. In the guise of Maulavi he was able to escape the vigilant eyes of the police. With the help of Italian embassy Subash got a passport in the name of Orlando Majjota and reached Germany.
In Germany he tried to raise an Indian legion. The Indian community in Germany acclaimed him as their leader 'Netaji' and greeted him with 'Jai Hind'. From Berlin radio he frequently urged his countrymen to rise in arms against the British. Bose's escape to Germany had made a great impression on Gandhiji. Though he had not formally approved many of his actions, now he admired the courage and resourcefulness of Subash in making his escape from India.
The victory of Japan in the middle of the second world war led Subash to think that South-East Asia would be a more suitable ground for raising a national army to free India. Rash Behari Bose, who had settled in Japan since 1915 organised a conference in Tokyo in March 1942 and another in Bangkok in June 1942. Out of these conferences the Indian Independence League was born and it was decided to form an Indian National Army for the liberation of India from British subjection. A Council of Action was formed with Rash Behari Bose as its President and Mohan Singh as commander-in-chief of the Army. But the high-handed attitude of Mohan Singh led to his arrest and Rash Behari assumed the leadership.
The Bangkok conference had sent an invitation to Subash Bose to come to East Asia. After a long sea journey he reached Tokyo on 13th June 1943. The Japanese authorities promised to extend help to Bose to expel the British from India and to enable India to achieve full independence. Then Subash went to Singapore where he was offered the leadership of the Indian National Army and the Presidentship of the Indian Independence League. In organising an army of about 60,000 Indian troops Subash received great help from Japan. He proceeded to organise the provisional Government of Free India as well as the Indian National Army. He stirred the INA in the following words. "In this final march to freedom you will have to face hunger, privation, forced marches and death only when you pass this test will freedom be yours."
Acclaimed as 'Netaji' Subash gave the clarion call "Give me blood and I promise you freedom." He gave the battle cry of 'March to Delhi or 'Delhi chalo' on 21st October 1943 Subash established the provisional Government of Free India, which was recognised within few days by Japan, Germany, Italy, Burma, Thailand, China. The object was to bring about the expulsion of the British and their Allies from the soil of India. The provisional Government acquired its first Indian territory when Japan handed over Andaman and Nicober islands to it on 6th November 1943. The territories were named as 'Sahid' and 'Swaraj' island respectively. Subash called upon the Indian people to 'rally round our banner and to strike for India's freedom'. The INA brigad assisted by the Japanese army advanced upto the Indian border. The Indian flag was hoisted in Kohima in March 1944. The INA carried on a heroic campaign against the Allied Forces. Netaji moved from one battle field to another. He often flew from Tokyo to Manila to Singapore to Rangoon. Unfortunately on one such trip to Tokyo on 18th August, 1945 Bose was severely injured in a plane crash in Formosa (Taiwan) and died. But there is no clear evidence of his death at the Taihaku airport. His death remained a mystery.
With the defeat of Japan in the war, the INA too met with reverses. The Surrender of Germany on 7th May, 1945, bombing over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August, 1945 and the reported death of Subash Bose broke the backbone of the INA. Many INA officers were taken as prisoners. But the saga of Subash Bose and INA still remains a great source of inspiration for the youths of India.
The epic struggle of Subash Bose and INA against British colonialism occupies an unchallenged place in the history of freedom struggle in India. Subash Bose being a man of action was convinced of the historic necessity of an armed uprising for achievement of freedom. Although many people have criticised Subash for taking the help of fasicist and Nazist power to gain independence, his patriotism is beyond comparison. For his burning patriotism, his devotion to the cause of Indian freedom and his intense suffering for the sake of his country (he was imprisoned ten times and was in jail for eight years), Subash will always be hailed as a national hero. Apart from the memory of the INA, the lasting gift of Netaji is our national salutation 'Jai Hind'.

An Essay on Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru

Essay Introduction:

There is hardly any one who has not heard the name of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. Most of us had seen him with our own eyes. He was our first Prime Minister. He was an international figure. He was known all over the world. He was the maker of modern India.

His Birth and Parentage:

Pandit Nehru was born at Allahabad in 1889 on 14^th November. His father Motilala Nehru was a successful lawyer. He was a rich man. He brought up his son as a prince. He kept most efficient teacher to coach him.

His Education:

He passed his boyhood under the care of the best teachers. At the age of 15 he was sent to England for higher studies. There he joined the public school at Harrow. From this school he went to the Cambridge University. He took his degree in 1910. The he joined law. He was called to the bar in 1912. He returned to India. He began to practice at the Allahabad High Court. He was married at the age of 27.

Work in the Political Field:

In those days India was not a free country. The British ruled over it. The English treated Indians badly. This pained the patriotic heart of Jawahar Lal very much. He gave up his practice and his life of luxury. He joined the Non-cooperation Movement started by Mahatma Gandhi. He was sent to jail several times. He suffered punishment cheerfully. The hardships of jail could not crush his spirit. He continued the struggle bravely. He acted as Congress President in four different years. When India became free on August 15, 1947, he was selected as the first Prime Minister.

His Work as the Prime Minister:

Pt. Nehru was a successful Prime Minister. India made great progress under his guidance. Dr. Rajendra Prasad our late President, acknowledge his services when he said “The country is marching forward on the road of progress in the leadership of Panditiji”. He did a lot for the good of the World. Had Pt. Nehru lived some years more, the country would have reached its old height of glory. He solved some very difficult problems of the country as well as the world.

His Death:

China attacked India in 1962. This attack told upon his health. He never expected that China would prove treacherous. He had heart attack on 27 May 1964 and he passed away from this world. The entire world wept over his death.

His Character:

Pt. Jawahar Lal was a great statesman. He was a very good writer and speaker. He wrote many famous books. His speeches were very impressive. He was a great friend of the poor. He was the servant of the people in real sense. He worked day and night for the good of the country. He loved justice and truth.

Conclusion:

Nehru was a true lover of peace. He laid down five principles called punch shila. He declared that peace could be maintained in the world if all the nations followed these principles. May his should find abode in Paradise!

Mahatama Gandhi Essay

¤ A Great Legend Also Known As The Father Of Nations


Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi and the Father of the Indian Nation, was born on the 2nd October, 1869. The day is a national holiday marked by a series of cultural events organised each year to commemorate the birth of one of India’s greatest political beacons. On this day, bhajans, or devotional songs are sung at his samadhi, or memorial, in Delhi called Raj Ghat. The key figures of contemporary Indian politics take time off from their usually packed schedules to visit his memorial and silently go over the Mahatma’s life and its impact on the destiny of India.


¤ Gandhiji Also Knowan As Father of India

For the average Indian, it could be just another holiday. But the average Indian lives in a country where every town and city has at least one road, one market, one statue and one park named after Gandhi. The average Indian has written essays on the Mahatma in school, and pored over his contribution to India’s independence in History classes. While most historical personalities in India’s checkered history, no matter how dynamic, could inspire only a fraction of the population, Gandhi connected with Indians at their own level, their caste, creed, sex or status notwithstanding, and was aptly christened bapu or father. To strike a cord in the heart of an average Indian, when the average Indian is classified as a Brahmin, Kshatriya or Shudra, (levels of castes in Hinduism established as early as the pre-Vedic era), or is a Tamilian, Punjabi or Marathi, a speck in a nation that spouts at least 17 different languages, is no mean feat. Perhaps no other historical figure in India  has enjoyed such a rare distinction. This was Gandhi’s forte, alone.

This is not to say that hagiographers could be summoned, and Gandhi is above criticism. In fact, the man attracted criticism, and continues to do so, like a bee is drawn to honey. But few would have beheld the man and his philosophy, without yielding both a reaction.

Gandhi hardly needs an introduction. A voluminous literature has gone into studying the man who became the Mahatma or ‘great soul’. His personal writings add up to ninety large volumes.


¤ A Brief History

Born in 1869, in Porbandar in the state of Gujarat into a Vaishya (merchant class) family, Gandhi was married at the age of 13 to Kasturba. He was an average student who studied law in England from 1888 to 1891. Before leaving India, his mother made him promise that he would abstain from meat, alcohol and sex. The years passed soon and Gandhi was back in Mumbai. It was time for his first and only case as a lawyer in India, and the man stood ineptly tongue-tied in court. The writing was on the wall, and Gandhi lost the case. His uncles packed him off to South Africa in 1893 to work for an Indian merchant involved in a civil suit.


¤ The Beginning of Struggle In Africa

The turning point in Gandhi's life begin in South Africa. He found himself in the midst of an intimidated and oppressed Indian community that was the butt of racial discrimination. Only too aware of his own shortcomings, Gandhi struggled to overcome his personal inhibitions, and worked towards uniting the South African Indians to protest against discrimination and racial bias. After a few brief spells in prison, he succeeded in getting the local governance to relax its laws for the first time in 1908, then again in 1914.

He withdrew his children from a regular school and established a farm at Phoenix in 1904 where he endeavored to build a community based on the combined philosophies of John Ruskin, Leo Tolstoy and Henry Thoreau whom he called a true American. Around the same time, he started a correspondence with Tolstoy. In 1906 he took a vow of celibacy. He lived in South Africa for 20 years and it would not be out of line to believe that the nature of his work in South Africa inspired him to achieve the near impossible back home, where Gandhi was already a name to reckon with.


¤ Gandhi's Fight For Indian Freedom

He finally returned to India in 1915. Instead of breezing into Indian politics, he thought it necessary to travel across India, and had the first adult up-close-and-personal experience of his country. What he saw was an India crippled by poverty and ignorance, and the apathetic handling of the country’s affairs by the British. Appalled by an abject India, he set up the Sabarmati Ashram near Ahmedabad and went on to live there in quest of his Holy Grail. But peace was hard to come by when his country folk were at the mercy of feudal lords, and colonisation as a phenomenon was rearing its ugly head in various pockets of the world. His quintessential need to see the world at peace spearheaded him into the whirlpool of politics, after which there was, of course, no looking back. and the once tongue-tied lawyer would kindle a nation’s imagination and shape its history.


¤ The Swadeshi Movement

That he was an ace economist, theologian, politician and sociologist is evident from his mastery and handling of each of these branches of knowledge. and his dialogue with the Indians and the British was based on a personal discourse that emerged at the crossroad of these disciplines. With an unparalleled understanding of the needs, wants and beliefs of the neglected and forgotten Indians, 80% of whom lived in villages, Gandhi was ready to make a difference. The Swadeshi Movement that exhorted the people of India to wear khadi (home-spun cotton) and shun European goods as the first step towards self-reliance, is just one of the numerous revolutions he engineered successfully. But the remarkable quality about Gandhi, and perhaps the reason of his sorrow, was that in spite of his obvious practical good sense, he ached for the ideal. His standards proved to be, more often than not, too high for the world around him.



¤ A Great Philosopher

He increasingly tended towards asceticism, and believed in Thoreau’s philosophy of complete self-reliance and the dignity of labour, wearing a khadi loincloth and a shawl that he had woven himself. The spinning wheel that he worked on religiously every day is profoundly symbolic of the Mahatma and his beliefs to this day. Deeply aggrieved by the unyielding caste system in his country, he worked all his life for the upliftment of the ones he called Harijans (Children of God). His innate belief in the goodness in life and the spirituality enshrined in each human being was unshakable. He dreamt of a free and self-reliant India, where Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Harijans would live in harmony and work towards a better world.

Perhaps the most profound of his philosophies was his quest for truth, an untainted non-sectarian truth, universal in appeal. He found this aspect in ahmisa, roughly translated as non-violence. He believed in and practised ahimsa in thoughts, words, and actions that sprung from a love for mankind that lay beyond the continent of calculations and rewards – a personal philosophy inspired by the Bhagavad Gita considered as perhaps the most lucid representation of Hinduism, and by many as the most sacred book of the Hindus.


¤ End of The Legendary Hero

Gandhi led the Congress for a period of 25 years, and during this time the party truly came to represent united India’s struggle for freedom. Gandhi’s charisma caught the imagination of millions. Villagers and city dwellers, men, women and children rallied behind the Congress as it led India’s march towards freedom from the British. Freedom came, but at a price. A nation was partitioned to yield a Hindu-dominated India and a Muslim-dominated Pakistan. Gandhi opposed the partition that left millions dead, mutilated and homeless, bitterly till the end. By upholding the cause of the Muslims and Harijans, he alienated himself from the Hindu majority. and on January 30^th 1948, in an India that was finally free, a Brahman named Nathuram Godse walked right upto Gandhi and  shot him at point-blank range.

Both India and Pakistan continue to be plagued by the repercussions of partition till this day. That Gandhi was assassinated by a man who regarded him as a saint but could not live with his ideals, and that Gandhi hankered after the ideal in a practical world far-removed from ideality, shall forever remain a paradox.