Mother Teresa

About 20 years before India gained its freedom, Christian missionaries from
Yugoslavia came to India to render humanitarian services. They were extremely
affected by the conditions of poverty rampant in India and so invited people from
their country to serve here. Amongst these was a special girl called Agnes Goxa
Bojaxiu, who is today known as Mother Teresa.

Arrival In India
Agnes was born on August 27, 1910 and was just 19 years when she came to
Calcutta on January 6, 1929. And she never left this country. Her aim in life was to
serve the sick and the poor and she dedicated her full life towards this purpose. She
would roam the dangerous dark and dirty streets of Calcutta at night, covering the
cold and offering food and shelter to the poor. When she first arrived in Calcutta, she
had just Rs. 5.00, and was helped by a priest. She lived in a small room for 9 years,
where she nursed the ill back to health. Compassion, dignity and sympathy marked
her every action.

Mission Of Charity
Through her efforts she managed to open several institutions to help the
downtrodden e.g. 'Missionaries of Charity', ' Nirmal Hriday', and 'Shishu Bhavan'
whish houses the mentally and physically challenged children. Mother Teresa was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna in 1980. Besides these
she also received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Peace (1972), Ramon
Magsaysay Award (1962) and the Templeton Foundation Award (1973). As the
Mother- General of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa has a thousand
Missionary institutions working under her.

Despite all the public acclaim, national and international honours, mother Teresa
remained humble, kind and generous till the end. The Florence Nightingale of India
passed away in September 1997.

Mahatma Gandhi

October 2, 1869 saw the birth of a famous Indian personality, lovingly called, the
Father of the Nation. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born to the Diwan of
Porbandar, in the state of Kathewar in Gujarat. His mother, Putlibai, was a very
religious lady and brought up her son with stories from the scriptures and
mythology. Little Gandhi grew up to be an honest, upright student.

At the tender age of 13 he was married to a beautiful damsel named Kasturba. At

19, much to his mother's chagrin, he was sent to England to study law. He promised
his mother that he would keep away from wine, women and non-vegetarianism - and
he managed to stick to his word.

A Mission in South Africa

He returned to India as a barrister in 1891 and started his own practice at Bombay
and Rajkot. In 1893 he went to S. Africa to fight a case. It was there that his life's
mission was determined - to fight against injustice. Gandhiji could not tolerate the
oppression of the Indians by the whites. So he stayed on in Africa for 12 years and
established the Natal Indian Congress to improve the conditions of the Indians there,
through peaceful, non-violent methods.

Struggle for Swadeshi

In 1914, Gandhiji returned to India and established the Satyagraha Ashram near
Ahmedabad. Inspired by G.K.Gokhale and Lokmanya Tilak, Gandhiji toured the
country listening to the woes of the common man. Gandhiji was touched by the
plight of his countrymen and so entered the political arena.

He launched 3 significant movements with one goal - freedom from the British rule.
The first one was the Non-Cooperation Movement, the objective of which was 'the
attainment of swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means'. The method was to boycott
foreign goods and official durbars, British courts and schools, give up honours and
titles and go back to the use of swadeshi goods.

The second was the Civil Disobedience Movement. Launched on April 6, 1930, it
began with the historic Dandi March or the 'Salt Satyagraha'. In order to oppose the
British Salt Law, Gandhiji marched to Dandi along with his followers to make their
own salt.

Quit India
The third one was the Quit India Movement of 1942, which resulted in the 'Quit
India' resolution on August 8, 1942 urging the British to leave India. Finally India
gained independence on 15th August 1947. Thanks to the efforts of Gandhiji.

On January 30, 1948, the Mahatma was shot dead by a misguided communalist. As
Pandit Nehru put it, 'the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness
everywhere'.

Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru is famous for a number of reasons. He was the first Prime Minister
of India, as well as the father of the most famous Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi. He
was a patriot, a freedom fighter as well as a highly regarded statesman.

Early Influences
Born on 14th November 1889, to a famous lawyer of high nobility, Motilal Nehru and
his wife Swaroop Rani, Jawaharlal had a good start in life. His father wanted to give
him the best education possible and so sent him to Harrow, a boarding school in
England, in 1905. Harrow was famous for educating most of the to be Prime
ministers of England.

Nehru then went on to get his M.A. degree from Cambridge University and returned
to India as a barrister. In 1916, he married Kamala Kaul, who supported his
patriotism and was a devoted wife in all respects.

Fate Had Other Things In Store

Even though he had a brilliant academic record, the legal profession did not attract
him. Instead, he wanted to join the freedom struggle under the influence of Gandhiji.
For a while he was the Chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Committee as a member
of the Congress and then he joined the Home Rule League established by Bal
Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant.

During the freedom struggle, he courted arrest many a times, and had been jailed 14
years in all. He was elected Congress President 5 times, and it was under his
influence in Lahore, that the Congress adopted complete freedom as its goal. In
1947, after India gained its independence, he was automatically elected first Prime
Minister.

As India's First Prime Minister

He headed the Indian government for 17 long and brilliant years. He wanted India to
develop into a world - recognised nation. He supported technological and scientific
progress and encouraged art and literature. He wanted to eliminate discrimination
from the face of the world and encouraged peaceful co-existence. Nehru did not
believe in aligning himself with the military political blocks and wanted to end the
cold war. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955.

Nehru as a Personality
Not only was he a brilliant orator, a charming, warm and noble thinker and
philosopher, but also a fantastic writer. He has written a few wonderful books
'Discovery of India', 'Glimpses of World History' and ' Letters from a father to a
daughter''.

On May 27, 1964, India lost a great influence. In the words of Dr. Radhakrishnan "As
a fighter for freedom he was illustrious as a maker of a modern India, his services
were unparalleled. His life and works have had a profound influence on our mental
make-up, social structure and intellectual development."

Subhash Chandra Bose

There were many great heroes born at the time of the freedom movement. Each with
his own method of attaining one goal - Independence for India. Some believed in
non-violent means, whereas others did not. One such hero was Subhash Chandra
Bose, popularly known as 'Netaji'.

Netaji's Background
Born on January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa, to a successful lawyer Jankinath Bose
and his wife Prabhavati, Netaji was of a unique temperament. His father was also
chairman of the Municipal Committee and encouraged education in his province. His
mother was a follower of Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa and so inculcated spiritual
values in her son. Netaji was also influenced by Swami Vivekananda.

To please his father, Netaji went to England to appear for the Indian Civil Service
(I.C.S.) Examination, and achieved fourth place on the Merit list. But he had no
intention of serving the British. Instead he wanted to participate in the Nationalist
Movement and liberate his Motherland.

Birth of a Revolutionary
Netaji was influenced more by Lokmanya Tilak and Sri Aurobindo. He did not agree
with Gandhiji's methods of achieving Independence through non-violence. Rana
Pratap and Shivaji were Netaji's heroes and he believed that the only way to liberate
his people was by shedding blood.

At first, Netaji joined the Congress Party and was even elected President. But
because he did not agree with their views, he broke off to form the Forward Bloc. He
was imprisoned for his revolutionary activities on various occasions.

Meeting with Hitler

At the time of World War II, the British were in a tight spot due to the pressure from
Hitler. Netaji was under detention in Calcutta at that time, and decided to take
advantage of the situation. Dressed as a Pathan, he escaped to Peshawar and then
moved on to Kabul and Moscow. Next was Germany. Here he approached Hitler with
his cause. Hitler was impressed and promised to help him. He then organized all the
Indian Prisoners of War to form the Liberation Army and the Free Indian Army.

The Indian National Army (I.N.A.)

In 1941, Netaji went to Japan and formed the I.N.A. in 1943. 1945 witnessed the
I.N.A. waging a war from the North - West of our country. He inspired his army with
the battle cry 'Delhi Chalo'. Even though he did not succeed in this battle, he had
driven home his message. The Britishers realised that the Indians were serious about
gaining independence, and would assume any means towards that end.
On August 17, 1945, Bose died in a plane crash while flying from Bangkok to Tokyo.
He did not live to see the Indian Independence, but his spirit still lives through his
words - JAI HIND.

Lal Bahadur Shastri

India's second Prime Minister, he assumed office at a time of turmoil in the country.
Pandit Nehru had just expired and Pakistan's hostility towards the Indians led to a
war in 1965. The country was under heavy pressure due to drought and other
internal problems. Quite a tough task for a new Prime Minister to handle.

But as he had been tempered by the freedom struggle and had served in Nehru's
cabinet, he took it all in his stride.

His Role In The Freedom Struggle

At the age of 17, he was very impressed with Gandhiji's call for freedom through non
- violence and so took part in the Non - co-operation Movement of 1921. He courted
arrest but was let off because of his age. But he was not so lucky when he followed
Gandhiji in the Satyagraha Movement and spent approximately 8 years in jail over a
period of time. Even though he was made to undergo tremendous hardships, he
survived with the help of his prayers and physical exercises. He spent this time
reading different authors like Hegel, Kant, Marx, Russell and Lenin. He also did some
translations and wrote about the Quit India Movement.

Post Independence
He served the Congress in various positions before becoming Prime Minister. He was
First General Secretary, and then Home-Minister. In U.P. he made some progressive
reforms in the police department, and in 1962, Pandit Nehru invited him to join the
Union cabinet as a Minister for railways. A post from which he resigned after taking
responsibility for a railway mishap, that happened during his tenure.

Lal Bahadur Shastri showed remarkable abilities of oratorship and courage during the
Indo - Pakistan War. He inspired his people through his leadership and offered them
a slogan that has been passed down the ages - 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'. The Indo - Pak
war would have continued, but fortunately, the Russian Government intervened and
both India and Pakistan were forced to sign the 'Tashkent Agreement' on January 11,
1966. A day that saw the passing away of this great leader, just a few hours after
signing this historic agreement.

He was awarded the 'Bharat Ratna' posthumously, in light of the services rendered to
the country. His memorial 'Vijayghat' in delhi is a constant reminder of a great
administrator and a fantastic human being.

Indira Gandhi
Indian history has been witness to only one female Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi.
She was the third Prime Minister of India and the daughter of the first - Pandit
Jawarharlal Nehru. Her charm, intelligence and charisma made her a powerful
statesperson, much loved and admired by her people.

A Politically Charged Childhood

Born on 19th November 1917, in Allahabad, she was greatly loved by her parents
and her grandfather Motilal Nehru, who was a famous lawyer, and a public figure in
his own right.

Her father had joined the freedom struggle, so little Indira, or Priyadarshani as she
was lovingly called, was exposed to politics from the age of 3 or 4 years. Her house
was the centre of political activity, as all the important leaders stayed there on
visiting Allahabad. Mahatma Gandhi was a frequent visitor to her father's residence
and she was greatly affected by his thinking. A visit to the Sabarmati Ashram left an
indelible mark on her psyche and she was impressed by the simple, hard life and
patriotic feelings that she witnessed there.

She passed her Metric from Pune University and was then sent on to Shantiniketan,
formed by Rabindranath Tagore. Here she was made to lead a strict highly
disciplined life. From here she went on to study in Switzerland and then to Oxford
University in London.

Her Father's Daughter

After her return to India she married Feroze Gandhi, in March 1941 much against the
wishes of the conservative Hindu community, as he was a Parsee. But Nehru was on
her side. When Indira's father was in jail he used to write beautiful, long letters to
her about his patriotic feelings and the current political situation. This led her to
understand the intricacies of the nation, better than the most. In 1942, she joined
the 'Quit India' Movement along with her husband and was arrested and jailed.

After India gained freedom, Pandit Nehru was elected Prime Minister. After his death
in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri took over. And then in 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected
leader of the Congress.

Her Tenure As Prime Minister

Indira will be remembered for her commendable efforts in the development and
progress of science, space exploration, irrigation, as well as policies like the
nationalisation of banks and the 20-point programme.

But on the other hand, the enormity of the problems she faced was the cause of
much heartache. There were problems in Assam, Punjab as well as East Bengal. And
in 1971, Pakistan attacked India and forced another smaller partition - the creation
of Bangladesh.
On June 26th, 1975, Mrs. Gandhi declared an emergency, due to the turbulent
political situation in the country at that time. Janta Party leaders like J.P. Narayan
were arrested and jailed. But Mrs. Gandhi lost out to them in the next election in
1977 and was re-elected to power in 1980. Later, in Punjab there was a demand for
a separate state of Khalistan, and the Sardarji's were up in arms. But their demands
were not met and this was the cause of her ultimate assassination.

The End
On Wednesday, October 31, 1984, when Indira Gandhi was proceeding to her office,
she was gunned down by her own bodyguards. This day has gone down in History as
national Unity Day, as a tribute to the memory of a Great lady, leader and
statesperson.

Shivaji

Born in Shivner on April 10, 1627 to Shahji and Jijabai, Shivaji was destined for
great things. His father was a nobleman in the court of Bijapur and his mother was a
religious Hindu.

One night Shahji had a dream in which he was offered a mango and asked to share it
with his wife in order to get a son. This son was to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Shortly after that, a son was born, and so the happy parents named him 'Shivaji'
after Lord Shiva.

Move From Shivner To Pune

When Shivaji's father took another wife, as was a common occurrence in aristocratic
families, his self-respecting mother decided to shift to Pune. She took great pains to
educate her son and groom him well, and hired a Brahmin teacher, Dada Kondevji,
for this task. Together they made him a courageous young man. He had been
brought up on Martial Arts and tales of courage and valour. By the age of 13, he had
just one dream - to build a kingdom of his own.

Attack On Toran Fort

At the age of 20 years, he launched his first military attack on Toran fort, a part of
Bijapur territory. He was joined by his three best friends and a few soldiers. It was
an easy victory, and made him popular amongst the Maratha youth, who joined his
army. The Nawab of Bijapur put pressure on Shahji to convince his son to appear in
court. But Shivaji refused to do so until his demands were met. So the Nawab
imprisoned his father.

Shivaji then asked the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan to intervene on his behalf. The
Emperor, who was waiting for a chance to interfere in Bijapur, at once demanded
that Shahji be released. Shivaji had succeeded again. The world was impressed by
his physical and mental prowess.
The Nawab, then sent a giant called Afzal Khan to capture Shivaji. Afzal Khan carried
with him an iron cage and entered Shivaji's territory from the south, creating turmoil
and plunder along the way. He then sent him a fake message of peace to convince
Shivaji to meet him. But Shivaji was wise to his ways, and went prepared for a
battle. He had fitted a dagger in his sleeve and steel points in his left hand, with
which he tore open Afzal Khan's stomach, and stabbed him in his back, as he was
attacked. The army fled in fright and Shivaji went home with trained animals and
lots of money.

Auranzeb's Attacks
Observing Shivaji's reach, Emperor Aurangzeb wanted to protect his territory and so
sent his maternal uncle Shayista Khan to teach Shivaji a lesson. The Khan was
camping at Pune Fort when, Shivaji's army, dressed as a wedding procession entered
and sprung a surprise attack. The Khan fled, but not before losing a thumb.

The second time Aurangzeb sent two battle-hardened veterans Diler Khan and Raja
Jaswant Singh to capture Shivaji. This time Shivaji had to send them a message of
peace and was presented in the Mughal Court, where he was insulted and detained.

While under capture, Shivaji feigned illness and then asked to distribute sweets to
celebrate his recovery. Permission was granted. He took this opportunity to hide in a
basket of sweets and fruits, and escaped to his own territory, disguised as a sadhu.

Coronation
Shivaji was crowned King, in the ancient Kshatriya tradition, at his capital Rajgarh.
He was given a sacred thread and weighed in coins, which were distributed to the
poor. His mother's dreams were fulfilled and she passed away peacefully 2 weeks
later.

Shivaji ruled his kingdom well and after a prosperous few years, fell ill and died on
April 3, 1680. He was the first real Maratha leader, and his name has gone down in
the annals of history.