सरस्वती शिशु विद्या मन्दिर के सभी को हार्दिक शुभकामनायें 11-2-2008

In Hinduism, Saraswati (Sanskrit सरस्वती sarasvatī) is one of the goddesses, the other two being Lakshmi and Durga, that form the female counterpart of the Trimurti. Saraswati has been regarded as a river goddess and in recent times a goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. She is the consort of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation.

Saraswati Puja is performed on the 5th day of Magha month of Hindu Calendar( Also known as Basant Panchami).
In several parts of India, generally states to the south, Saraswati Poojas are conducted during Navaratri - a 9 day long festival celebrating the power of feminity. Navratri is celebrated in all goddess-temples of India- esp with great pomp and splendor in south and east India. The last three days of Navaratri starting from Mahalaya Amavasya (the New Moon day) are dedicated to the goddess. On the ninth day of Navaratri (Mahanavami), books and all musical instruments are ceremoniously kept near the gods early at dawn and worshipped with special prayers. No studies or any performance of arts is carried out, as it is considered that the Goddess herself is blessing the books and the instruments. The festival is concluded on the tenth day of Navaratri (Vijaya Dashami) and the goddess is worshipped again before the books and the musical instruments are removed. It is customary to study on this day, which is called Vidyarambham (literally, Commencement of Knowledge). All students are traditionally required to study a part of all that they have learn till that day, and also to start the study of something new on the same day. Gurus ( Preceptors) are worshipped on this day as embodiments of Saraswati.In major part of India this Navratri is associated with Goddess Durga, but down South is celebrated as Saraswati Puja

Golwalkar - Gurujee

Golwalkar was born on 19 February 1906 at Ramtek near Nagpur, Maharashtra, and was the only surviving son among the nine children of his parents. He was the son of Sadashivrao, a school teacher and Lakshmibai. He spent his childhood in Nagpur.
Golwalkar completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Zoology at Banaras Hindu University. Later he became a teacher (Guruji in Hindi) at BHU, a name which stuck to him for the rest of his life. Golwalkar came in contact with the Ramakrishna Mission at Nagpur. Later on the expiry of his teaching term, ge returned to Nagpur and by 1935, completed his study of law.
On 13th January, 1937 Guruji was initiated into the Ramakrishna Order by Swami Akhandananda, a direct disciple of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and gurubhai of Swami Vivekananda. Golwalkar eventually received his 'diksha' and became a sanyasi.

In the meantime, Bhaiyyaji Dani, a student at BHU and a close associate of RSS sarsanghachalak K. B. Hedgewar, started an RSS shakha (branch). Golwalkar joined the RSS and eventually, following a meeting with Hedgewar, went to the RSS' "Officers Training Camp" in Nagpur.
Hedgewar was deeply impressed by Golwalkar and seeing him as a potential successor, persuaded him to take a more active role in the Sangh. On his new role, Golwalkar said: “Like spirituality, organization of the Nation has also been my inclination from early days. I believe that I would be in a better position to achieve it successfully being a part of the Sangh.”. In 1939, he was appointed the Sarkaryavah (General Secretary) of the Sangh.
Hedgewar eventually died of ill health on June 21, 1940, and Golwalkar succeeded him as sarsanghachalak.

Shree Guruji Golwalkar died of cancer on June 5, 1973in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (Hindi: राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ, English: National Volunteers' Organisation), also known as the Sangh or the RSS, is a Hindu nationalist organization in India. It was founded in 1925 by Dr.K.B. Hedgewar. The RSS is active throughout India and abroad as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh.

History:

In 1925, Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a Nagpur doctor influenced by recent Hindu-Muslim riots in his town, formed the Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh aiming to protect Hindus by organizing togetherHedgewar proposed the Hindu masses must be united to combat the challenges facing them and protect the freedom and diversity of Indian civilization. In the 1940s the development of the RSS was fueled by a desire of some Hindus to organize themselves in reaction to the growing mobilization, sometimes in paramilitary form, of Muslim separatist movements. The response was strongest in areas where the Hindus were in the minority. RSS benefited from support from local community leaders. The "pracharaks" or "full-time workers", who were dispatched on the recommendation of such patrons, gathered support and coordinated their efforts from their headquarters in Nagpur. During the Indian independence movement, the RSS campaigned alongside the Indian National Congress for national independence at first keeping its organization separate and core mission different. However when some Congress leaders tried to subsume RSS into the Congress and urged the RSS leaders to dismantle the organization, they slowly diverged away from the Congress.

केशव बळीराम हेडगेवार

Keshava Baliram Hedgewar (केशव बळीराम हेडगेवार )(Nagpur, India April 1, 1889 – Nagpur, India June 21, 1940) was founder of Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Hedgewar founded the RSS in Nagpur, Maharashtra in 1925, with the intention of promoting the concept of the Hindu nation. Hedgewar drew upon influences from social and spiritual Hindu reformers such as Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo to develop the core philosophy of the RSS. After being sent to Kolkota to pursue a degree in medicine, Hedgewar was drawn into the influence of secret revolutionary organisations like the Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar in Bengal. He was also a member of the Hindu Mahasabha till 1929. Hedgewar was imprisoned for sedition by the British government in 1921 for a year and again in 1930 for nine months. After his spell in prison he instructed the RSS to remain aloof from political activities including the Salt Satyagraha (1930) and continue mainly as a social organisation ।

Hedgewar was born in a poor Hindu family in 1889 on the Marathi New Year. In his early childhood he lost his parents and was educated by his elder brother.
After matriculating, he decided to go to Kolkata to study medicine. During those times Kolkata was the hub of armed revolutionary activities, which was one of the main reason of his attraction towards this city for graduation[citation needed]. He immediately joined Anushilan Samiti and had contacts with famous revolutionaries like Surya Sen[citation needed]. He came to believe that although the revolutionaries had immense determination, in a country of continental proportions it was impossible to instigate an armed insurrection. After completing his graduation, he returned to Nagpur, disillusioned with armed movement (although he maintained contact with them and is also said to have given refuge to Rajguru in Akola).
In Nagpur he became involved with social work and also with the Tilak faction of the Congress Party, through which he developed a close association with Dr Moonje। In the 1920 session of INC, which was held in Nagpur, he was appointed as the Deputy Chief Co-ordinator of volunteers overseeing the whole function. This volunteer organisation was named as "Bharat Swayamsewak Mandal" which was headed by Dr. Laxman V. Paranjape (Dr. Hedgewar as his Deputy). All volunteers were told to wear a uniform (to be made at their own expense) which was later on adopted as RSS's official uniform from 1925 to 1940. This could be called as the real beginning of RSS because Dr L. V. Paranjpe had declared the intention of starting such an organisation in future (information taken from Dr. Hedgewar's first ever Biography page No 73, published in 1960, written in Marathi by Late Mr. N. H. Palkar and Preface by Late Mr. M. S. Golwalkar Guruji (then Chief of RSS)).

Lord Mahavir

Lord Mahavir was the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of the Jain religion. Tirthankaras were human beings who have attained a state of perfection or enlightenment through meditation and self realization. They are the Gods of Jains.Lord Mahavir was born in 599 B.C. in Bihar, India. Mahavir was a prince and at birth he was given the name of Vardhaman. Being the son of a king, he had many worldly pleasures, comforts but at the age of thirty, he left his family and royal household to become a monk in search of a solution to eliminate pain, sorrow, and suffering. The next 12 years he spent meditating and trying to find the answer to the truth about life. During this period he remained calm against all hardships which included being without food for many days and was named Mahavir (meaning very brave and courageous) and he attained perfect enlightenment.
Mahavir spent the next 30 years preaching the path to eternal freedom or Moksha.Mahavir preached that right faith, right knowledge and right conduct together is the real path to attain the liberation of one's self.
At the age of 72 (527 B.C.), Lord Mahavir attained 'nirvana' and his purified soul left his body.

Emperor Ashoka

The great Indian emperor, Ashoka, was born in 265 B।C. He was the grandson of Changragupta Maurya and he ruled over an empire that covered two-thirds of the Indian continent. He was the most famous of the Mauryan kings and was one of the greatest rulers of India.The capital of the empire was in the city of Pataliputra (modern day Patna) , where Buddha had lived.Emperor Ashoka was very courageous and a good administrator. Though he was the younger son of the king he was given the throne after the kings death because he was loved and respected by his subjects and by his ministers. In 268 B.C., Ashoka was crowned the king of Magadha. 8 Years after being crowned the king, Ashoka decided to annex Kalinga(Orissa) into his kingdom. This was the first and last battle that Ashoka ever fought. Though Ashoka won the battle he was horrified by the loss of life and death of so many soldiers.

This experience changed him and he swore that he would never wage war again। He took-up Buddhism, and he vowed to practice only virtuous actions in the future. After instructions by members of the Buddhist community, Ashoka began to resemble the ideal leader, promoting prosperity and peace within society. He religiously followed the principles of Buddhism - that of truth, charity, kindness, purity and goodness.

Ashoka also asked his followers to take the path of virtuous action। He believed in non-violence and banned the sacrifice of animals. Besides this he opened clinics for birds and animals too. His good works earned him the name of Devanamapriya Priyadarshi.

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

Ashoka died in 232 BC and is amongst the greatest rulers in the history of the Indian Subcontinent and he is respected for being the 'Ideal' ruler.

Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa

Sri Ramkrishna was born on 18।02.1836 in Kamarpukur, Hoogli of Khudiram Chattopadhay and Chandramoni Devi. He was the 4th child of his parents, after Ramkumar, Katyayani, and Rameswar and a sister, Sarbamangala. Nicknamed as Gadadhar he was a very reckless but god fearing boy since childhood, and was deeply devoted to serve the mother goddess Kali from a young age. He was inspired by the leelas of Lord Krishna and tried to imitate his feats. As a child he was matured for his age and earned the love of all. He had an unusual memory interested in Hindu mythology.

Once while playing the part of Shiva in the plays performed during Shivaratri, he attained Vhava Samadhi। His elder brother Ramkumar took him to Dakhineswar to assist him in his works as a priest in the temple. In 1855 Rani Rashmoni of Janbajar offered him the job of the priest of the Goddess Kali at Dakkhineshwar Temple. Onlookers would crowd to see Ramkrishna performing puja as they wanted to see the love and devotion with which it was performed. At the age of 23, May 1859, he married Saradamoni of Jairambati, whom he thought would be his ideal life companion. Soon after, the urge of finding the truth of life made him take sannyas under the sage Totapuri who gave him the sobriquet, Paramhansa.

His quest for truth continued with Bhairavi Ma and sages in other religion। Though he attained Bhava Samadhi very often, he was inclined to know the truth about human existence. He started Adyitya Sadhana and realised god exist in every form of life. In Jan 17, 1868, he stared for a Tirthayatra along with Mathur Babu and his nephew Hridoy. He visited places like Deoghar, Varanasi and Vrindavan. He even worshipped Saradamoni in the same way he worshipped the mother goddess which was known as Shorshi puja॥ He preached universal brotherhood, and soon stalwarts like Kesab Sen, Shibnath Sastri, Girish Ghosh and Narendranath Datta (later Swami Vivekananda) became his disciples.

He developed a strange theological relation with Narendranath and soon moulded him in his own way। He taught Naren the truth of life by letting him see a glimpse of the holy spirit. He taught Naren the truth of life by letting him see a glimpse of the holy spirit. It was Vivekananda in later days, who held high the teachings of Sri Ramakishna to the world by forming the Belur Math. In Jan 1st, 1886 in Kashipur Garden an ailing Ramkrishna touched some of his disciples. Those who were touched felt an unearthly feeling never felt before. While some went speechless for a short while, others moved into a state of Samadhi. This incident is remembered by his disciples as Thakur taking the form of a Kalpataru. The great preacher passed away in 16th August, 1886.

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman

Sir CV Raman was one of the brilliant scientists of India who won the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his discovery of the 'Raman Effect.' (The discovery that monochromatic light ray in the incident beam can be split up into a number of components with wave length smaller or greater than that of the incident ray). In 1934, he founded the Indian Academy of Sciences and in 1948, the Raman Research Institute.
In addition to being a great scientist, CV Raman was a superb speaker. The following speech delivered at the convocation ceremony of the Agra University is a good example of his eloquence.

CONVOCATION ADDRESS

18 November 1950

It is no small honour to be asked to address the Convocation of a University in India, and certainly it is a unique experience for me, at any rate, to be called upon to address a University Convocation at one place a second time।

I know poverty and misery and I quite appreciate by personal experience what it is to be poor, what it is to have no clothes, what it is to have no books, what it is to struggle through life, what it is to walk through the streets without an umbrella, without conveyance along miles in dusty wards, I have been through it all and I can understand the difficulties that most of you graduates have to face up today। I'm speaking from a long experience of 60 years। Please do not imagine that all the 60 years are milk and roses. To be able to accomplish something I want to tell you that you have to go through such experience.

I admit, success in life is not always to the intelligent or the strong and it is to some extent a bit of a gamble, but nonetheless those who have got their minds right and those who know their job will sooner or later, sooner perhaps than later make their way in life। But they should not be disappointed if they do not they have to face up life and take it as they find it. This is the kind of philosophy that I have learnt by experience, and I make a free gift of it to you all.

What I say is this that the great things in life are not really great things in life। The Nobel Prize, the F.R.S. and the like, many of them leave a bitter taste in the mouth. What I love is to enjoy the common things of life. I am happy that I am still able to sleep at night provided I have three miles walk in the evening. I am still able to enjoy a good lunch or a good dinner. I am still able to look at the blue sky and like it. I still like to walk in the open fields and like the smell of the Ragi or the Jowar. I feel a younger man when I see the Babul flower and say God has given us these wonderful things. That is the real philosophy of life to appreciate what we see round us.

We think that happiness consists in going to pictures and seeing thrilling films and techni-colour dramas। Not at all, the great things in life are the God-given things which cost nothing. What you need is the desire to appreciate them. If you have your minds and hearts open, you have around you things which give you joy. There is the butterfly jumping about in flourishing colours on all sides. Look at this wonderful thing that God has given for our enjoyment.

We have to love nature ad appreciate nature and appreciate her wonderful gifts, her marvelous ingenuity, her resourcefulness, her infinite variety। It is the same thing that has inspired me all my life. I study science not because anything is going to happen to me but because I feel it is a kind of worship of this great Goddess, Nature of which we are a part. That has been my inspiration as a man of science. I feel now that is one thing that can always make a man happy, the small things in life not only in nature - our old friends, old music and the things that we have around us. Many a time I would like to go back to them.

It may be a sign of cynicism, but 1 would like to go back to the common things of life। A glass of cold water, for example, gives us vigour and freshness. (Dr. Raman so saying drank a glass of cold water amidst laughter). I can assure you there is no pleasure in this world for a healthy man, then after a vigorous exercise or doing something hard just to go home and have a glass of cold water. If you have lost the capacity to appreciate that, you may as well drink a cup of hemlock, as Socrates had to do.

I have another word to say। We all speak of patriotism. What is patriotism? I want you to think it over and in the last analysis bring down patriotism to a physical term. I have thought over the problem. Patriotism as well as a number of things boil down to the love of the earth. We are of the earth. When we die we return to the earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, the human body whether cremated or buried returns to earth. Seeta was of earth and returned to earth. This good earth sustains us. On earth grows green grass, which the cow cats and which a vegetarian like myself as well as a non-vegetarian gets milk from. Ultimately it is the earth and the things that grow upon it that sustain us and feed us and make human life possible. I think ultimately the love for the land means the love of the earth which has borne us and which sustains us. I want you to appreciate the meaning of love of earth.

The love of mother earth should be shown by tending her। If she is ruthlessly raped and. destroyed, we shall also die with her. The tremendous problem of lack of food in the country boils down to this that we have left the love of earth to ignorant people who know nothing of the advance of science. We educated people who understand science, do not love mother earth. Knowledge of science will make us create anything, but unless we have that vision, that desire to love mother earth, we shall not make any advance.

I think it is a duty laid on every educated man to create something, to see something grow। I say this not as a part of the 'grow more food campaign', I have not been paid to do propaganda for it. I am telling you about it in the same spirit that a famous Roman did. When once Rome was in danger the people wanted to have him as a dictator to save Rome. When they went to him they found him ploughing the land with his own hands and tending his farm. After he became a dictator he went back to the land and said, these plants I have grown, I give them water, I give them labour and they repay. We should work in this spirit.

The more you help a man, the less grateful he is to you। It is, however, our duty to help fellow beings and we should not expect them to show any gratitude in return. If they do show, we are very happy and more fortunate. The plant on earth will never fail to repay any attention that we bestow on it. We must go back to earth and regard it as our supreme duty to do something to produce the things on which we live.

It is a great privilege to see such a great body of young people, women and men alike who are entering the pathways of life after, a course of study in colleges and university and to be allowed to speak to them and making a heart to heart speech gives me great pleasure.
I never believe in manuscript eloquence or in after dinner speeches carefully prepared 24 hours beforehand. I always believe in standing up in front of my audience, appreciate the situation and speak to them heart to heart. I have no desire at all to inflict unwanted advice on you. I want you to think over what I have told you and see if some little thing that I have said may prove the seed of some great achievement on your part, sustain you, encourage you, elevate your hearts above and so push you on in life that you may rise triumphant over all the difficulties and all the troubles that are the common lot of the common man in India today.

Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu was one of the most prominent leaders of India's freedom struggle. Born on February 13, 1879 in Hyderabad, Sarojini was the eldest daughter of Varasundari and Dr. Aghornath Chattopadhyaya, who was a scientist and founder-principal of Nizam College of Hyderabad. Her mother Varasundari was a Bengali poetess.
Sarojini's father aspired for her to become a mathematician or scientist, but young Sarojini was drawn towards poetry from a very early age. Seeing her flair for poetry, her father decided to encourage her. With her father's support, she wrote the play "Maher Muneer" in the Persian language. Dr. Chattopadhyaya sent a copy to the Nawab of Hyderabad who was very impressed by the beautiful play written by her. Sarojini got a scholarship to study abroad and got admitted to King's College, London and then later at Girton College, Cambridge.
Sarojini met Dr. Govind Naidu, during her stay in England and later married him at a time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed.
The poetess in Sarojini had now blossomed fully. Her poems were beautiful and lyrical and could be sung. Her collection of poems "Golden Threshold" was published in 1905 and she was soon given the nickname - "Bul Bule Hind" or the "Nightingale of India". After that, she published two other collections of poems--"The Bird of Time" and "The Broken Wings". "Feast of Youth" followed in 1918. Her poetry was admired by the likes of Rabindranath Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Soon after, she met Shree Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Gandhi and was influenced by them. Sarojini was now whole-heartedly working for India's freedom movement. Her poems poured enthusiasm and hope in the hearts of the masses as they became united in the struggle for freedom. Naidu also travelled across India and campaigned for the rights of women. She was responsible for establishing self-esteem in Indian women.
In 1925, Sarojini became the first Indian woman president of the National Congress--having been preceded eight years earlier by the English feminist Annie Besant. She travelled far and wide, to places like South Africa and North America, lecturing on the Congress movement. She accompanied Gandhi to London for the inconclusive second session of the Round Table Conference for Indian-British cooperation (1931). Back in India her anti-British activities brought her a number of prison sentences (1930, 1932, and 1942-43).
When India finally became free in 1947, she was appointed Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh), to become the first Indian woman governor, a post she retained till her death.
Naidu's was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in recognition of her literary contributions.
The Nightingale passed away on March 2, 1949. However the legacy that she has left behind will continue to inspire future generations of India. Her birthday is proudly celebrated as Women's day.

Jagdish Chandra Bose

The nineteenth century saw many great personalities from India emerge in all fields be it freedom fighters, philosophers or scientists. One such great man was Jagdish Chandra Bose who put India on the scientific world map with his ingenuity and scientific flair. He conducted bold experiments in Physics, Botany and Physiology.J.C. Bose was born on November 30, 1858. His father Bhagawan Chandra Bose was a Deputy Magistrate who had a very keen sense of justice and a humanitarian. He had a strong sense of Indian culture and heritage and chose to send his son to a local school instead of one of the prestigious English medium schools preaching western culture.
Bose joined St. Xavier's School in Calcutta and then left for England in 1880 for higher studies. Returning to India in 1885, Bose was appointed Professor of Physics at the Presidency College in Calcutta. However he continued his research work inspite of a hectic work schedule and built a small private laboratory for his experiments.

Did you know?
J.C. Bose shared a close friendship with Rabindranath Tagore. Nobel Laureate Albert Einstein was a colleague J.C. Bose.

Achievements
JC Bose demonstrated the existence and propaganda of wireless waves in 1885. His work on devices for receiving the polarization of electric waves was later exploited by Marconi who designed a long distance radio signalling device.
Bose's continued research in cohering receivers led to a startling discovery. He was able to show the similarity in response of the living and non-living to various types of stress and strains. Based on this theory Bose presented his conclusions in a report at the International Congress of Physics in Paris. Having discovered this similarity to electric response in animal tissue and inorganic substances Bose now started exploring the response in plants to external stimuli. He was able to establish this similarity in plants too. However his theories met with stiff resistance from physiologists who feared that his new theories would upset the old ones and persuaded the Royal Society to not publish his papers on the subject. Another of Bose's amazing achievements was his invention of the 'crescograph'. The crescograph was an electrical instrument that could measure the growth of a plant accurately.
Bose also wrote a number of books and research papers based on his work and findings in both English and Bengali. Several were translated into other European languages too.Bose also wanted his countrymen and youth to cultivate a scientific temper. This dream of his was realized on November 30, 1917 when the Bose Research Institute was set up with the inaugural song composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
Bose was honoured both in India and outside for his contributions to science. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society on May 13, 1920, becoming the first Indian to be honoured by the Royal Society in the field of Science.Suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, J.C. Bose passed away on November 23, 1937 at the age of 79. However the great legacy that Bose left behind remains an inspiration for the present and the generations to come.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was one of the great novelists of nineteenth century Bengal. He was a literary pioneer and nationalist who had an exceptional ability to communicate with and arouse the masses.Bankim Chandra was born on 26th June 1838 in the village of Kathalpara, near Naihati, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He belonged to a distinguished family. Bankim was the yongest of three sons of Jadabchandra Chatterjee and Durgadebi. His father was a Deputy Collector.Even as a child Bankim showed great courage and virtuosity and never had any fear of the 'gora sahebs'- (the British). He was always brilliant in his studies and started writing poetry at a young age. Bankim studied law from the Presidency College in Calcutta and was one of the first two graduates of the Calcutta University in 1858. He was immediately appointed- Deputy Magistrate by the British colonial government - a job he grudgingly held for three decades.
However, Bankim continued his literary pursuits. He chose fiction as his theme and the first novel by him to appear in print was Rajmohan's Wife. It was written in English. His first Bengali novel was Durgeshnandini, and was published in 1865. The next novel Kapalkundala(1866) is one of the best romances written by Chatterjee.However Bankim Chandra wanted to stimulate the intellect of the Bengali speaking people through his works and bringing about a cultural revival. With this end in view he brought out and edited the monthly Bangadarshan in 1872. Bamkim was also a nationalist to the core. His goal was the revival of national pride in protest against British rule. In 1882, Anandamath was published. Anandamath became his most famous as well as his most political novel and a source of inspiration for the patriots fighting for the freedom of our country from the British rule. The chant of "Vande Mataram", was coined in this novel and it soon became a patriotic hymn that aroused the entire nation to fight for their freedom. Vande Mataram was later adopted by the Indian government as the nation's National Song.
Throughout his life, Bankim wrote on social and political issues facing the society and the country at that time like widow remarriage, education, lack of intellectual development and freedom. He believed that by communicating with the masses he could unite them against the British.The British Government honoured him with the title "Ray Bahadur" in 1892. Bankim Chandra passed away on 8th April 1894.

Namaste Sada Vatsale Matribhume

Namaste Sada Vatsale Matribhume Twaya Hindubhume Sukham Vardhitoham Mahanmangale Punyabhume Twadarthe Patatwesh Kayo Namaste, Namaste!Vande Mataram!

English translation:

Bow to Thee, 0, Living Motherland, forever!Brought up by Thee am I in happiness,0, Land of the Hindus!0, most sacred and holy Land, for Thy sakeMay this body fall! Bow to Thee, Bow to Thee,for ever and ever!

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Dr. Rajendra Prasad began his professional career by practising law in Calcutta. His interest in national upliftment led him to participate in the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917. He was a follower of Gandhi and toured all over the country spreading his ideals. He served thrice as the President of the Congress (1934, 1939 and 1947) and in 1952 was elected as the first President of India.
The following passages are taken from his speech delivered while unveiling the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Delhi.
TRUE HAPPINESS
11 October 1954
It seems to have been taken for granted that by acquiring certain material resources we can raise the standard of living of human beings. Following this principle, all the countries of the world are set upon acquiring and multiplying their resources. It is no doubt right that a hungry man cannot think of praying. Mahatma Gandhi himself once said that the hungry man sees God only in the form of bread. But even then we should think how far this kind of material prosperity can lead to real happiness.
I have also heard that the countries, which are known to be prosperous and resourceful, are not blessed with mental peace, whereas, on the other hand, we find lots of poor people, who excite our pity, leading a happy and contented existence. The truth is that the source of real happiness is in one's own inner self and not in the outside world. We equate happiness with the world of external things and that is why there is a scramble for acquisition and accumulation of things. The fact is that these things are, at best, no more than the means to achieve happiness and not happiness itself. One can experience happiness even without them. Apart from this, it is worthwhile considering what is real happiness.
I think real happiness or peace of mind means the complete freedom from extraneous pressure or restraint or inhibitions. One basic fact, which must be recognized, is that any kind of inhibition or restraint is irksome. It ceases to be irksome only when it becomes something voluntarily accepted or adopted without restraint or coercion. It is this voluntary adoption of any line of thought or action without restraint or coercion from outside which brings real happiness. Any subtraction from complete freedom is loss of freedom to that extent and implies dependence on something else.
Man as a member of society or even as an individual has long ceased to be fully free, if he ever was or can be free. All that can be aimed at or achieved is the reduction or minimization of this restraint or coercion and increasing to the maximum the freedom which man enjoys. His material requirements can be satisfied, it is obvious, only by subjecting himself to some curtailment of this freedom. His mental satisfaction and possibly his spiritual aspiration becomes reduced in quantum and perhaps also in quality by the amount of material satisfaction which in the very nature of things implies restraint. What is generally termed progress has tended more and more to restrict man's freedom. In every department of life and activity man has to submit more and more to external restraints and inhibitions.
It follows that there must be consequential and proportionate diminution in the mental satisfaction and spiritual endeavor even though man may not feel that restraint or realize the ever-growing restraint being put on him from day to day. It is thus clear that real happiness lies in freedom from restraint, which in turn, implies man's capacity to carry on with as little dependence on others as possible. We cannot escape from the conclusion that what is generally called high standard of living has served to increase our dependence on others and to that extent has removed us further from real happiness.
We see in the world of today that distance between country and country has almost been eliminated and nations living far apart from one another have come closer so that if something happens at one place it has its repercussion far and wide. It does not hold good with regard to only dreadful things like war but also of beneficent activities. One of the results of this progress has been that man is now dependent for his daily necessities of life on far off countries. An example will clarify the point. Many of us present here today have known the days when the railway system in India not expanded to the present extent, when there were no automobiles of any kind and when we had not even heard of the aeroplanes. At that time also food was as important as it is today. Then every community depended for its food on itself and on the land, which it cultivated. True, if there was failure of a crop on account of natural calamities like floods or drought, the community suffered. But otherwise it managed to live on what it produced and learnt in course of time the wisdom and the prudence to save food for emergencies. On account of the improvement in the means of transport today food grains can be easily supplied from one part of the country to another. We saw recently that food had to be dropped by aeroplanes on areas, which were rendered inaccessible, by flood. All this sounds so nice, but we have to see whether these developments have enhanced or restricted our freedom. My feeling is that by increasing such needs, as he cannot fulfill himself man has necessarily restricted his freedom.
By giving the example of food imports, I have tried to show our dependence on other countries. That is not all. If far off Argentina, Canada or America has a bumper wheat crop, it results in the falling of wheat prices in India. Because of the improved means of transport, the availability or otherwise of things does not depend on local conditions but on the overall world conditions. If food cannot be imported from other countries because of some natural calamity or as a result of the out-break of war, the needy country will have to suffer untold misery. We saw during the last war how even people of neutral countries had to suffer because of the restrictions on export and import of certain articles from overseas. So, there are two aspects of this, progress. One promises plenty during peacetime, the other threatens to release a rich harvest of sufferings and privations in case communications are dislocated on account of hostilities.
It is necessary to remember that even if all of our requirements are satisfied, we are bartering our freedom for that satisfaction. For instance, whenever there is disease in an epidemic form in the country, we have to depend on other countries to supply us with medicines. Similarly, whenever there is a famine, others can save us from its dire consequences, but at the same time, if they like, they can also starve us by withholding the supply of food grains. If war breaks out today the belligerents need not resort to deadly weapons in order to kill others. They can do it equally effectively by disrupting the system of transport. Therefore, while on the one hand, we are endeavoring to raise the standard of living; those very efforts might result in the curtailing of our freedom and independence.
In spite of this all-round progress we have not yet reached a stage when we could produce an article in sufficient quantity so as to meet the requirements of all the peoples of the world. When we cannot say this about food, which tops the list of man's needs, it is no use talking about other things which are produced in still lesser quantities. That is why the standard of living of all the countries is not uniformly high and presents an unpleasant contrast. Those who possess more are anxious to extort more and more from those who do not possess much. The result is naturally conflict between man and man and country and country. The fear of this conflict has become a nightmare for the modern man.
It is, therefore, necessary to realize that what we have assumed as axiomatic truth, namely, that increase in material prosperity also means the attainment of happiness, is neither quite correct nor so self-evident. This assumption is true only up to a certain limit and the more we transgress this limit the more remote become our chances of being happy. This limit has to be fixed by man himself. This is undoubtedly beset with countless difficulties, but I do think that it is not altogether impossible for man to achieve happiness without the usual paraphernalia, which passes for his everyday necessities. This is exactly what is meant by the adage, 'simple living and high thinking'. It was by practising this truth that Mahatma Gandhi could enjoy that happiness which a humble follower of his is unable to have even in the palatial Rashtrapati Bhavan.
I do not suggest that ambition or high aspirations or desire for progress should be discouraged. But let us be sure that our will to progress and rise high will materialize in the true sense only after we have realized that the source of our happiness does not lie outside us but is enshrined within our own hearts. Our happiness will vary directly in proportion to the degree of our faith in the above truth. The more we try to achieve happiness, basing it on the outside world, the more we shall be inviting conflicts and depriving others of their happiness.

Rani Laxmibai

Rani Laxmibai was born in 1830 at Banaras in a wealthy family and was named Manukarnika at birth. She learned to read, write, use weapons at an early age.She accepted the name Lakshmi Bai when she married Gangadhar Rao, the Maharajah of Jhansi and became the Rani of Jhansi at the tender age of 14. Gangadhar Rao's grandfather had signed a treaty with the British which granted him and his heirs and successors title to rule Jhansi.Gangadhar Rao did not have any children and he adopted one of his relatives Damodar Rao as his heir. After Gangadhar Rao's death in 1853 the British(who had colonized most of India by then) refused to accept Damodar Rao as the legal heir of Jhansi and wanted to annex the kingdom into their rule.According to Hindu law Damodar was the legal heir. Rani Laxmibai appealed to the British rulers in London to accept Damodar as the legal heir to the throne of Jhansi and not annex the kingdom but the British refused. Despite her appeal the British took over. It 1857 there was a mutiny in the British Army at Meerut. In Jhansi also the army rebelled and killed the British Army Officers. This led to a state where the Rani was left to defend herself and her kingdom from a coup. She took over the administration of the kingdom once again.
In 1858 the British army once again marched towards Jhansi. Not willing to let the British takeover her kingdom the Rani built an army of 14,000 volunteers to fight the British. The soldiers of Jhansi fought very bravely for 2 weeks and the Rani led the forces in this battle. However after 2 weeks of fighting the British took control of Jhansi. The queen escaped on horseback to the fortress of Kalpi.
Here she organized a few other kingdoms to rebel against the British. These rebel forces captured Gwalior from the British. The British were determined to win back Gwalior and lay siege there in 1858. It is during this battle that the Rani lost her life.

She became a symbol of courage and freedom for the people of India.
Did you know
The British had offered a reward of Rs. 20,000 for the capture of the rani.

Popular Song in praise of the courage of the Rani.
How valiantly like a man fought she, The Rani of Jhansi On every parapet a gun she set Raining fire of hell, How well like a man fought the Rani of Jhansi How valiantly and well!

Swami Vivekananda

Narendranath Dutt or Swami Vivekananda was a great social reformer and Indian nationalist of the 19th century. Vivekananda was the disciple of the great social reformer, Ramakrishna Paramahansa. After his master's death, Vivekananda organized the Ramakrishna Mission for the upliftment of the poor folk whom he called the 'Daridra Narayan.'
The following speech was delivered by Vivekananda at the Parliament of world religions on 11 September, 1893. In those times not many people knew about India and its great religious heritage. The presence of Swamiji was greeted with much enthusiasm and helped spread awareness about the religious tradition in our country.
AT THE PARLIAMENT OF WORLD RELIGIONS
September 11, 1893
Sisters and Brothers of America,
It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome, which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.
My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honour of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration.
I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation, which has sheltered the persecuted, and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth.
I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion, which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.
I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."
The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a, vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me."
Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.