The brave Rani of Jhansi, Laxrni Bai was the heroine of Indian history who died fighting for the freedom of her country against the British in 1857. She has been regarded as the precursor of the freedom movement that ended only after the achievement of independence in I 47. Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, a poetess of Hindi has eulogised her in a touching poem: ‘Khub lari Mardani voh to Jhansi Wali Rani Thi, Bundele Harbolon ke Munh Hamne Suni Kahani Thi.’ (The brave Rani of Jhansi fought very heroically, we heard it from the mouths of Bundelas and Harbolas).
Laxmi bai was born on November 1, 1835 in a respectable Maharashtrian family at Benaras (now Varanasi). Her childhood name was Manu and she was the daughter of Moro Pant. She played with Nana Phadanvees in her childhood who treated her like his younger sister and called her ‘Chhabiii’ out of affection. Along with some formal education, she learnt horse-riding, sword-fight and other such manly games and exercises.
Laxmi Bai was married at an early age of perhaps 15 to Gangadhar Rao, the ruler of Jhansi. She made herself lovable and useful to her husband and popular with the people of Jhansi. She favoured giving military training to women and thus raised a brigade of women who were expert in horse-riding and sword-fight. Her husband also approved of her activities. Unfortunately Gangadhar Rao died suddenly without having any issue. The Rani adopted a small boy as her son. The British Governor General, Lord Dalhausi did not recognise and approve of this and annexed Jhansi.
The annexation of Jhansi made Laxmi Bai furious and she declared that she would not allow the annexation of Jhansi. She decided to oppose the British and started making preparations accordingly. She was brave and courageous. She was also a very good organiser. With her will and skill she repulsed many attacks of the British soldiers and defeated them many times. But she had to leave Jhansi in the end. Then she captured the fort of Gwalior. There she was surrounded by Sir Hue Rose, the Commander of the British army. She left the fort and escaped. Her bravery and lighting skill surprised the English commander. Her son tied on her hack, swords in both hands and reins of the horse in her mouth, she appeared to be Durga, the goddess of war. But unfortunately the horse could not jump over a nullah near Kalpi and fell. Five English soldiers attacked her. She was mortally wounded and one of her eyes came out of its socket. Even then she killed three soldiers and the remaining two fled away. She died fighting bravely in 1857 at the age of twenty two years.
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Showing posts with label Biographical Essays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biographical Essays. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
5 SHIVAJI - THE BRAVE MARATHA
Poets and writers have eulogised Shivaj as a great general and true patriot of India who belongs to all ages. He was a devout Hindu but he was secular In his outlook as he respected all religions. He was impartial and liberal in his treatment towards Muslims and Christians who held positions of trust in his kingdom. Similarly, he was charitable not only to temples but also to mosques and churches. He was a man of strong character and considered all women like his mother. Once his soldiers captured the most beautiful daughter-in-law of Mulla Ahmed in an attack. When she was presented before Shivaji, he said that if his mother had been so beautiful he would have been a handsome man. He sent the woman back to Mulla Ahmed expressing regrets at the misbehavior of his soldiers.
Shivaji was born in Maharashtra in the year 1627. His father Shalji was a jagirdar in the state of Bijapur which was a subsidiary of the Moghul Empire then ruled over by Aurangzeb. Jija Bai was his mother who was a pious lady of a very strong character and influenced him most. She taught him lessons of bravery, truthfulness, patriotism and deep religious feelings. Shivaji learnt many things about the art of warfare under the able guidance of Dadaji Konadev. He became an adept in horse-riding, sword-fight and the use of lance. His family guru was Ramdas who was a source of inspiration to him at every step. He had no formal liberal education but he was a trained soldier and warrior who was liberal in his views.
Shivaji organised a band of young and brave warrior followers at the age of 20 years. They attacked and conquered fort after fort and soon a large number of forts came under his control. Shivaji knew he could not face enemy numbers and so he adopted the gorilla warfare, hit and run policy, utilising the element of surprise. The rising power of Shivaji made the Sultan of Bijapur afraid of him and he sent Afzal Khan to catch or kill him. Afzal Khan was a crafty person who wanted to kill him by a stratagem but was outwitted by Shivaji and killed. Then Aurangzeb sent a large army under his maternal uncle Shaista Khan to crush him but Shivaji surprised him and he had to run away to save his life.
Aurangzeb then sent Jai Singh with a large army and he persuaded Shivaj ito go to Delhi and meet Aurangzeb. But Aurangzeb insulted him and imprisoned him. Shivaji proved too clever for Aurangzeb and escaped in a big basket of sweets with the help of his men. On reaching his kingdom, Shivaji was crowned king. In 1680, at the age of 52 he breathed his last peacefully.
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Shivaji was born in Maharashtra in the year 1627. His father Shalji was a jagirdar in the state of Bijapur which was a subsidiary of the Moghul Empire then ruled over by Aurangzeb. Jija Bai was his mother who was a pious lady of a very strong character and influenced him most. She taught him lessons of bravery, truthfulness, patriotism and deep religious feelings. Shivaji learnt many things about the art of warfare under the able guidance of Dadaji Konadev. He became an adept in horse-riding, sword-fight and the use of lance. His family guru was Ramdas who was a source of inspiration to him at every step. He had no formal liberal education but he was a trained soldier and warrior who was liberal in his views.
Shivaji organised a band of young and brave warrior followers at the age of 20 years. They attacked and conquered fort after fort and soon a large number of forts came under his control. Shivaji knew he could not face enemy numbers and so he adopted the gorilla warfare, hit and run policy, utilising the element of surprise. The rising power of Shivaji made the Sultan of Bijapur afraid of him and he sent Afzal Khan to catch or kill him. Afzal Khan was a crafty person who wanted to kill him by a stratagem but was outwitted by Shivaji and killed. Then Aurangzeb sent a large army under his maternal uncle Shaista Khan to crush him but Shivaji surprised him and he had to run away to save his life.
Aurangzeb then sent Jai Singh with a large army and he persuaded Shivaj ito go to Delhi and meet Aurangzeb. But Aurangzeb insulted him and imprisoned him. Shivaji proved too clever for Aurangzeb and escaped in a big basket of sweets with the help of his men. On reaching his kingdom, Shivaji was crowned king. In 1680, at the age of 52 he breathed his last peacefully.
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4. MAHARANA PRATAP SINGH - THE LION OF MEWAR
Indian history boasts of many heroes who fought and even laid down their lives for the sake of their motherland. Maharana Pratap Singh of Chittore in Mewar holds a unique place among such heroes. He was a descendant of Maharana Sanga who, it is said, had eighty-two sword wounds on his body received in battles. It was a time when Akbar had established Moghul supremacy in India and no one dared waging war against this great king. The brave Rajput kings and chiefs of Rajasthan states had surrendered before Akbar and even had given their sisters and daughters in marriage. At such a time, Maharana Pratap Singh stood alone defying the Moghul empire and even ridiculing their overtures for friendship because friendship with Moghuls meant to him accepting their over lordship.
Maharana Pratap Singh was the king of Mewar, a small hilly kingdom of Rajputana (Rajasthan). His capital was Chittore which was a small but strong fort situated on a hill. Here Pratap Singh lived with his family peacefully and ruled Bhils and other hilly tribes. He did not covet for furthering the frontiers of his kingdom. He did not want to attack other kingdoms and principalities to extend his own kingdom. He only wanted peace and prosperity for his subjects. But he was not allowed to rest in peace by the Moghuls.
A large army under very capable army chiefs was sent by Akbar to subdue the lion of Mewar. Pratap Singh’s own younger brother, Shakti Singh had also got angry with him and had gone over to the side of the enemy. Pratap Singh collected his army of handful soldiers and came out of Chittore to face the enemy in the battlefield of 1-laldighati. A fierce battle ensued and the Rajputs and Bhils fought with unparalleled bravery. The Moghul soldiers and generals were taken aback at their unmatched fighting skill. The battle went on till each and every soldier of the Chittore army was killed. Chetak, the horse of Rana Pratap wanted to take away his master to safety but it was also killed. The sun was going to set and in the twilight Shakti Singh saw two Moghul soldiers following Rana Pratap to kill him. Shakti galloped his horse, killed the two Moghul soldiers and saved his elder brother and returned to the Moghul camp.
Evil days fell on Rana Pratap and his family. They wandered hiding themselves in the hills and forests and had to eat chapatis made from grass. One day some citizens from Chittore came to see him and among them was Bhama Shah. He laid all his money, ornaments and jewels at Rana Pratap’s feet and requested him to organise a fresh army. Very reluctantly, the Rana accepted the offer and with the help of freshly organised army recaptured his kingdom.
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Maharana Pratap Singh was the king of Mewar, a small hilly kingdom of Rajputana (Rajasthan). His capital was Chittore which was a small but strong fort situated on a hill. Here Pratap Singh lived with his family peacefully and ruled Bhils and other hilly tribes. He did not covet for furthering the frontiers of his kingdom. He did not want to attack other kingdoms and principalities to extend his own kingdom. He only wanted peace and prosperity for his subjects. But he was not allowed to rest in peace by the Moghuls.
A large army under very capable army chiefs was sent by Akbar to subdue the lion of Mewar. Pratap Singh’s own younger brother, Shakti Singh had also got angry with him and had gone over to the side of the enemy. Pratap Singh collected his army of handful soldiers and came out of Chittore to face the enemy in the battlefield of 1-laldighati. A fierce battle ensued and the Rajputs and Bhils fought with unparalleled bravery. The Moghul soldiers and generals were taken aback at their unmatched fighting skill. The battle went on till each and every soldier of the Chittore army was killed. Chetak, the horse of Rana Pratap wanted to take away his master to safety but it was also killed. The sun was going to set and in the twilight Shakti Singh saw two Moghul soldiers following Rana Pratap to kill him. Shakti galloped his horse, killed the two Moghul soldiers and saved his elder brother and returned to the Moghul camp.
Evil days fell on Rana Pratap and his family. They wandered hiding themselves in the hills and forests and had to eat chapatis made from grass. One day some citizens from Chittore came to see him and among them was Bhama Shah. He laid all his money, ornaments and jewels at Rana Pratap’s feet and requested him to organise a fresh army. Very reluctantly, the Rana accepted the offer and with the help of freshly organised army recaptured his kingdom.
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3.Mrs. INDIRA GANDHI -THE FIRST LADY PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
A great daughter of a still great father, Mrs. Indira Gandhi took over the reins of the government as Prime Minister of India in 1966 after the death of Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri. She started asserting authority within a short period of time. She emerged as the strongest Prime Minister and President of the Congress Party. This created a great furore in the Party and it was divided. But she soon overcame all the difficulties and firmly established that her party, Congress Indira was the real and powerful party.
Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 at Anand Bhawan in Allahabad. Her parents called her ‘Priyadarshini’, her grand-parents called her ‘Indira’ and Gandhiji called her ‘Indu’. Since her father Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was often in prison, she received her education at several places. She started her education at Allahabad and then she was sent to Poona. For sometime she was at Oxford and then in Switzerland. Finally she completed her education at Shanti Niketan where she was fortunate to have Rabindranath Tagore as her teacher.
At the age of 12, Indira Gandhi formed ‘ Vanar Sena’ (Monkey Brigade) at Allahabad and enrolled 6,000 members. As a student she took keen interest in student movement and joined the Congress at the age of twenty one. During the 1937 movement, .she worked enthusiastically and made contacts with women in villages. For taking part in the freedom struggle, she was sent to prison along with thousands of others. After partition of the country, she worked with Mahatma Gandhi in the riot affected areas. In 1959 her election to the high post of the Congress President was a tribute to her abilities. In 1964 she became the Minister for Information and Broadcasting in Lal Bahadur Shastri cabinet. During the 1965 war with Pakistan she was the first union minister to visit the front and other trouble spots in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mrs. Indira Gandhi became the first woman Prime Minister of India in 1966 after the death of Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri. The group of politicians who supported her as against Morarji Desai to be Prime Minister, thought that she was a mere doll and they would lead her by the nose. But within short period she asserted her authority and emerged as the toughest lady to deal with. She showed them their place. As a result the party was divided but soon she proved that her party, Congress I was the real and effective party. During her tenure of Prime Ministership, she had to face many storms in the country and in the party but ultimately she emerged victor. She dealt with the problems of food grain scarcity, price- hike, unemployment and population control with ability and wisdom. She nationalised the 14 major banks in the country. She adhered to and continued Nehru’s policies of socialism, secularism and non-alignment. She took bold steps to end terrorism in the Punjab. Imposing Emergency on the country proved her ruin and she was defeated in the elections of 1977. She bore this blow with boldness and again became the Prime Minister in 1980. On October31, 1984, she was shot dead by her own security guards.
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Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 at Anand Bhawan in Allahabad. Her parents called her ‘Priyadarshini’, her grand-parents called her ‘Indira’ and Gandhiji called her ‘Indu’. Since her father Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was often in prison, she received her education at several places. She started her education at Allahabad and then she was sent to Poona. For sometime she was at Oxford and then in Switzerland. Finally she completed her education at Shanti Niketan where she was fortunate to have Rabindranath Tagore as her teacher.
At the age of 12, Indira Gandhi formed ‘ Vanar Sena’ (Monkey Brigade) at Allahabad and enrolled 6,000 members. As a student she took keen interest in student movement and joined the Congress at the age of twenty one. During the 1937 movement, .she worked enthusiastically and made contacts with women in villages. For taking part in the freedom struggle, she was sent to prison along with thousands of others. After partition of the country, she worked with Mahatma Gandhi in the riot affected areas. In 1959 her election to the high post of the Congress President was a tribute to her abilities. In 1964 she became the Minister for Information and Broadcasting in Lal Bahadur Shastri cabinet. During the 1965 war with Pakistan she was the first union minister to visit the front and other trouble spots in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mrs. Indira Gandhi became the first woman Prime Minister of India in 1966 after the death of Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri. The group of politicians who supported her as against Morarji Desai to be Prime Minister, thought that she was a mere doll and they would lead her by the nose. But within short period she asserted her authority and emerged as the toughest lady to deal with. She showed them their place. As a result the party was divided but soon she proved that her party, Congress I was the real and effective party. During her tenure of Prime Ministership, she had to face many storms in the country and in the party but ultimately she emerged victor. She dealt with the problems of food grain scarcity, price- hike, unemployment and population control with ability and wisdom. She nationalised the 14 major banks in the country. She adhered to and continued Nehru’s policies of socialism, secularism and non-alignment. She took bold steps to end terrorism in the Punjab. Imposing Emergency on the country proved her ruin and she was defeated in the elections of 1977. She bore this blow with boldness and again became the Prime Minister in 1980. On October31, 1984, she was shot dead by her own security guards.
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Saturday, April 23, 2011
2 MR.LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI - A NATIONAL HERO
Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri was chosen to become the second Prime Minister of India after the death of Pandit Nehru. The whole world wondered whether this small-sized simple man would prove worthy of stepping into the shoes of such a great man as Nehru.But soon all doubts were set at rest when Shastri discharged his duties and responsibilities with great ability and took hard decisions with ease. He really proved himself to be the brave son, the literal meaning of his name LaI Bahadur, of his motherland, India. The pocket-sized Prime Minister, as the people lovingly used to call him,came out to be of the Himalayan heights by his deeds and achievements.
Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 in a poor Kayastha family in Uttar Pradesh. It was a family of school teachers in which he was brought up under circumstances which gave him nothing to boast of. His father had died when he was only a small child and his uncle brought him up. After finishing his primary education in the village, he was sent for further education at Harish Chandra High School at Varanasi (then Benaras). He used to go to the school on foot from his village after crossing a river on the way in a boat. But often he had no money to pay to the boatman and he crossed the river by swimming. He was a very brilliant student and made his mark in his studies. But at the call of Gandhi, along with other youths of the country he also gave up his studies and joined the political movement against the British. It was only later that he took his degree of Shastri from the Kashi Vidyapeeth at Varanasi.
Mr. Shastri joined politics as very humble and modest soldier of his country. He was a patriot and so could check himself from plunging himself into the struggle for freedom. He worked honestly and sincerely without ever desiring to come into the lime light. He had great organising capacity and a wonderful gift of bringing about compromises among the people as well as the workers of the party. He was associated with great leaders of the freedom struggle like Gandhi, Nehru, Pant, etc., and left his mark on them. He contributed with his best capacity to the gaining of independence of India on August 15, 1947.
Mr. Lal Bahadur started his political career with his membership of the Allahabad local body. Then he was made a minister in the U.P. cabinet under the Chief Ministership of Mr.Govind Ballabh Pant. Later on, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru invited him to join his cabinet as Minister of Railways. After sometime he was given the important position of Home Minister in the Nehru cabinet. After the sad demise of Pandit Nehru, Mr. Shastri was chosen to be the Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister, Shàstri had to take some very hard decisions. The country was facing serious food problem. He guided the country out of this difficulty with courage and determination. Pakistan attacked India and Shastri gave the marvellous lead to the country to defeat the enemy and keep the morale high. He gave the country the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan, Jal Kisan’.
To keep peace between the two countries, U.S.S.R. Prime Minister invited Shastri and his counterpart in Pakistan for talks. He signed Tashkent Declaration. It was there that the cruel hands of death, snatched him from us on January 11, 1966. He is no more but his memory will always remain in every Indian heart.
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Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 in a poor Kayastha family in Uttar Pradesh. It was a family of school teachers in which he was brought up under circumstances which gave him nothing to boast of. His father had died when he was only a small child and his uncle brought him up. After finishing his primary education in the village, he was sent for further education at Harish Chandra High School at Varanasi (then Benaras). He used to go to the school on foot from his village after crossing a river on the way in a boat. But often he had no money to pay to the boatman and he crossed the river by swimming. He was a very brilliant student and made his mark in his studies. But at the call of Gandhi, along with other youths of the country he also gave up his studies and joined the political movement against the British. It was only later that he took his degree of Shastri from the Kashi Vidyapeeth at Varanasi.
Mr. Shastri joined politics as very humble and modest soldier of his country. He was a patriot and so could check himself from plunging himself into the struggle for freedom. He worked honestly and sincerely without ever desiring to come into the lime light. He had great organising capacity and a wonderful gift of bringing about compromises among the people as well as the workers of the party. He was associated with great leaders of the freedom struggle like Gandhi, Nehru, Pant, etc., and left his mark on them. He contributed with his best capacity to the gaining of independence of India on August 15, 1947.
Mr. Lal Bahadur started his political career with his membership of the Allahabad local body. Then he was made a minister in the U.P. cabinet under the Chief Ministership of Mr.Govind Ballabh Pant. Later on, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru invited him to join his cabinet as Minister of Railways. After sometime he was given the important position of Home Minister in the Nehru cabinet. After the sad demise of Pandit Nehru, Mr. Shastri was chosen to be the Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister, Shàstri had to take some very hard decisions. The country was facing serious food problem. He guided the country out of this difficulty with courage and determination. Pakistan attacked India and Shastri gave the marvellous lead to the country to defeat the enemy and keep the morale high. He gave the country the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan, Jal Kisan’.
To keep peace between the two countries, U.S.S.R. Prime Minister invited Shastri and his counterpart in Pakistan for talks. He signed Tashkent Declaration. It was there that the cruel hands of death, snatched him from us on January 11, 1966. He is no more but his memory will always remain in every Indian heart.
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
1.DR. SARVAPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN - A GREAT INDIAN SCHOLAR
It was a fitting and rather a glowing tribute to an outstanding educationist and a profound scholar of philosophy, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan when he was unanimously elected as the second President of the Indian Republic on the expiry of the second term of Dr. Rajendra Prasad as President. He had established himself as a popular and worthy teacher of Indian Philosophy at several universities. He won international recognition for his profound scholarship. And to top it all, he was one of the most illustrious sons of the country and contributed a lot for her welfare in his own specific way.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888 in a village in Andhra Pradesh. He received his education at Velore and Madras. He finished university education in 1909 and joined the Provincial Educational Service (P.E.S.) He started as a lecturer and within a short span of seven years he was promoted to the post of a professor. His popularity as a teacher among his students is clearly borne out by an incident. He was leaving Madras University to join Calcutta University as a professor. A horse-driven carriage was ready to take him to the station to catch a train. A number of his students were there to see him off. They disengaged the horses from the carriage, pulled his carriage and took him all the way to the station. Under the ‘Extension Lecture Series’ programme , he went to deliver lectures in leading foreign universities like Oxford, Chicago, etc. After coming back from the foreign lecture-tour, he served as Vice-Chancellor of the Andhra University and then of Benaras Hindu University. Then he represented India at the UNISCO,
Dr. Radhakrishnan was a man of academic pursuit it but, after independence, he was given political assignments. In I 949, he was sent to the U .S.S.R. as ambassador of India. He discharged his ambassadorial functions so creditably that he became the first foreign diplomat in that communist country to have been called twice by Marshal Stalin for interview.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was one of the greatest exponents of Indian Philosophy and his masterful views are worth reading in the two volumes of his published work ‘Indian Philosophy’. He was also a great scholar of Western Philosophy. In fact, today he is ranked among the great philosophers of the world. He was also a good orator and could influence the educated audiences. He was a thinker, a writer, and a teacher who believed in simple living and high thinking. He always wore his typical turban which became the embodiment of wisdom for his countrymen.
Dr. Radhakrishnan’s unanimous election to the highest office of the country was really a recognition of his scholarship, his ability, his services to the country and admirable qualities of his head and heart.
He also proved to be a forging link between the South and the North. But unfortunately he did not agree to continue as the President of the country for a second term of five years. Thus, he established the healthy tradition that nobody should hold this office for more than one term. His eye-sight also became weak and he had to undergo an eye- operation. His failing health did not allow him to survive very long. His death created a void which can never be filled.
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Dr. Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888 in a village in Andhra Pradesh. He received his education at Velore and Madras. He finished university education in 1909 and joined the Provincial Educational Service (P.E.S.) He started as a lecturer and within a short span of seven years he was promoted to the post of a professor. His popularity as a teacher among his students is clearly borne out by an incident. He was leaving Madras University to join Calcutta University as a professor. A horse-driven carriage was ready to take him to the station to catch a train. A number of his students were there to see him off. They disengaged the horses from the carriage, pulled his carriage and took him all the way to the station. Under the ‘Extension Lecture Series’ programme , he went to deliver lectures in leading foreign universities like Oxford, Chicago, etc. After coming back from the foreign lecture-tour, he served as Vice-Chancellor of the Andhra University and then of Benaras Hindu University. Then he represented India at the UNISCO,
Dr. Radhakrishnan was a man of academic pursuit it but, after independence, he was given political assignments. In I 949, he was sent to the U .S.S.R. as ambassador of India. He discharged his ambassadorial functions so creditably that he became the first foreign diplomat in that communist country to have been called twice by Marshal Stalin for interview.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was one of the greatest exponents of Indian Philosophy and his masterful views are worth reading in the two volumes of his published work ‘Indian Philosophy’. He was also a great scholar of Western Philosophy. In fact, today he is ranked among the great philosophers of the world. He was also a good orator and could influence the educated audiences. He was a thinker, a writer, and a teacher who believed in simple living and high thinking. He always wore his typical turban which became the embodiment of wisdom for his countrymen.
Dr. Radhakrishnan’s unanimous election to the highest office of the country was really a recognition of his scholarship, his ability, his services to the country and admirable qualities of his head and heart.
He also proved to be a forging link between the South and the North. But unfortunately he did not agree to continue as the President of the country for a second term of five years. Thus, he established the healthy tradition that nobody should hold this office for more than one term. His eye-sight also became weak and he had to undergo an eye- operation. His failing health did not allow him to survive very long. His death created a void which can never be filled.
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