tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49009321021568568042024-03-13T05:04:10.459-07:00INDIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERSmuralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-24002420688277434742007-12-24T13:33:00.000-08:002007-12-24T13:36:30.201-08:00HAKIM AJMAL KHAN<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R3AmIPFpbbI/AAAAAAAABQQ/4JOrABdWbkE/s1600-h/22.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 195px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R3AmIPFpbbI/AAAAAAAABQQ/4JOrABdWbkE/s320/22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147656297015504306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hakim Ajmal Khan</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Date of Birth : 1863</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Date of Death : 1927</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Place of Birth : Delhi</span><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dr. Hakim Ajmal Khan was a noted Indian freedom fighter, renowned physician and educationalist. He was the founder of the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. Hakim Ajmal Khan was born in 1863 in Delhi. His family, a distinguished line of physicians descended from the army of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. Khan studied the Qur'an and traditional Islamic knowledge, before studying medicine at home, under the tutelage of his relatives. After launching himself in practise, Khan was appointed chief physician to the Nawab of Rampur from 1892 to 1902. In Rampur he met Syed Ahmed Khan and was appointed a trustee of the Aligarh college, now the Aligarh Muslim University.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hakim Ajmal Khan took much interest in the expansion and development of the indigenous system of medicine, Tibb-i-Yunani, or Unani. Khan's family established the Tibbiya school in Delhi, in order to expand the research and practise of Unani. In recognition of his services in this field the Government of India conferred on him, in 1907 the title of 'Haziq-ul-Mulk'. But in 1910, Dr. Khan was organizing Indian physicians in protest of a Government decision to revoke official recongition for the practioners of Indian systems of medicine, of Unani and Ayurveda. Dr. Khan's involvement in politics began with writing for the Urdu weekly 'Akmal-ul-Akhbar', which was founded in 1865-70 and was run by his family. Dr. Khan was in the deputation of Muslims that met the Viceroy of India in Shimla in 1906, presenting him a memorandum on behalf of the community, and in 1907 was present in Dhaka where the All India Muslim League was created. Dr. Khan also backed the British during World War I, encouraging Indians to support the government, but the situation changed with the entry of Turkey. Upon the arrest of many Muslim leaders, Dr. Khan came to Mahatma Gandhi for support, who joined Khan and other Muslim leaders like Maulana Azad, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali in the Khilafat movement. Dr. Khan resigned from the AMU when the authorities refused to endorse or participate in the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. He was elected the President of the Congress in 1921, and fiercely condemned the Amritsar Massacre and the British response to the Khilafat. He was imprisoned for many months by police authorities. Dr. Khan had left the AMU owing to its historic resistance to the Indian National Congress. Along with many prominent Muslim nationalists like Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, he laid the foundations of the Jamia Millia Islamia (Islamic National University) in Aligarh in 1920, in response to Mahatma Gandhi's call for Indians to boycott government institutions. The JMI grew into a prominent and prestigious university, and was moved to Delhi, where it stands today. Dr. Khan served as its first Chancellor, and was a key patron of the institution.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dr. Khan died of heart problems on December 29, 1927. Dr. Khan had renounced his government title, and many of his Indian fans awarded him the title of 'Masih-ul-Mulk' (Healer of the Nation). He was succeeded in the position of JMI Chancellor by Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari.</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-35064479767130768822007-12-20T17:56:00.000-08:002007-12-20T18:08:31.473-08:00SURENDRANATH BENARJI<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2sf0t15kMI/AAAAAAAABJQ/1U48KilZwN4/s1600-h/sir-surendranath-banerjee.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2sf0t15kMI/AAAAAAAABJQ/1U48KilZwN4/s320/sir-surendranath-banerjee.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146241989720248514" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Surendranath Banerjee</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Born - 10 November 1848</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Died - 6 August 1925</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Achievements - Being among the earliest of Indian politicians in the pre-independence era, Sir Surendranath Banerjee established the Indian National Association that he later merged with the Indian National Congress owing to their common agenda. At a very young age, he cleared the British instituted ICS examinations, but was dismissed due to racial discrimination. He whipped up a strong protest against this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Among the earliest Indian politicians during the British raj was Sir Surendranath Banerjee. He set up the Indian National Association that was among the earliest political organizations of that era. Later on, Banerjee became a senior member of the Indian National Congress. Born on 10 November 1848 at Calcutta in West Bengal, Surendranath Banerjee was intensely swayed by the liberal, progressive thinking of his father, Durga Charan Banerjee. Read on to know more about the biography of Sir Surendranath Banerjee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sir Surendranath BanerjeeAfter graduating from the University of Calcutta, Surendranath traveled to England in 1868 along with Romesh Chunder Dutt and Behari Lal Gupta to appear for the Indian Civil Service exams. Though he passed the ICS in 1869, he was dismissed because of a dispute over his right age. After this matter was sorted out in a court of law, Banerjee reappeared for the exam and once again managed to clear it in 1871. He was appointed as the assistant magistrate in Sylhet, but was chucked out due to racial discrimination.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not one to leave challenges lying down his entire life history, Sir Surendranath Banerjee headed straight to England this time. Though he raised his voice against the injustice, his protest failed to deliver any positive result. However, during his stay in England from 1874 to 1875, Banerjee acquainted himself with the works of Edmund Burke and other liberal philosophers. Upon returning to India, Surendranath Banerjee instead started working as a professor of English at the Metropolitan Institution, the Free Church Institution and at the Ripon College.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the time to come, Banerjee went on to launch 'The Bengali' newspaper and the Indian National Association in 1876. He employed these forums to address political and social issues like the age-limit for Indian students appearing for ICS. He rebuked the racial discrimination practiced by the British officers through public speeches all over the country, which made him very popular. After the Congress was set up in 1885 at Bombay, Banerjee merged his Indian National Association with it owing to their common agenda. He served as Congress President in 1898 and 1904.</span><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-91056075801072233462007-12-19T21:10:00.000-08:002007-12-20T14:56:48.223-08:00TELUGU FREEDOM FIGHTERS<div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvOt15jhI/AAAAAAAABD0/oQ_t6l5Zn4g/s1600-h/durgabai.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvOt15jhI/AAAAAAAABD0/oQ_t6l5Zn4g/s320/durgabai.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146188560327085586" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Durgaabaayi Deshmukh (1909-1981)</span><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Durgabai Deshmukh]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Eminent freedom fighter, social reformer, educator and leader of early women's movement</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvbd15jiI/AAAAAAAABD8/OFkAWVP3R2g/s1600-h/pingali_venkayya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvbd15jiI/AAAAAAAABD8/OFkAWVP3R2g/s320/pingali_venkayya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146188779370417698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Jaateeya Pataaka Nirmaata,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Pingali Venkaiah (1887-1963)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Pingali Venkayya]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Freedom fighter. Great follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Designed the tricolour -the Indian national flag.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvld15jjI/AAAAAAAABEE/JvIn4bzpm0M/s1600-h/potti_sriramulu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvld15jjI/AAAAAAAABEE/JvIn4bzpm0M/s320/potti_sriramulu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146188951169109554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amara veerudu,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Potti Sreeraamulu (1901-1952)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Potti Sriramulu]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Freedom fighter. Led the popular movement to unite Telugu speaking people under a single government and martyred himself in the process. His act of "Satyagraha" directly led to the eastablishment "Linguistic states" in modern India.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvu915jkI/AAAAAAAABEM/p1qHAS1EKxM/s1600-h/prakasam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rvu915jkI/AAAAAAAABEM/p1qHAS1EKxM/s320/prakasam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146189114377866818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Andhra Kesari,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">TanguTuuri Prakaasam Panthulu (1872-1957)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Tanguturi Prakssam]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One of the greatest freedom fighters of India, eminent leader and administrator. Chief minister of Madras Presidency and the first chief minister of Andhra.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rwRt15jlI/AAAAAAAABEU/nWhoz4Camss/s1600-h/rajeswara_rao.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rwRt15jlI/AAAAAAAABEU/nWhoz4Camss/s320/rajeswara_rao.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146189711378320978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Candra Raajesvara Raavu (1915-1994)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Chandra Rajeswara Rao]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Freedom fighter, eminent socialist, long time general secretary of the communist party of India</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rwi915jmI/AAAAAAAABEc/WaYoiPmPd6Y/s1600-h/ramananda.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rwi915jmI/AAAAAAAABEc/WaYoiPmPd6Y/s320/ramananda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146190007731064418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Swaami Raamaananda Teertha (?-?)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Swami Ramananda Tirtha one*, ..]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Freedom fighter. He and other prominent communist and non-communist leaders led the free Telangana movement.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rwzN15jnI/AAAAAAAABEk/G0NqAc3t-Y8/s1600-h/ravi_narayana_reddy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rwzN15jnI/AAAAAAAABEk/G0NqAc3t-Y8/s320/ravi_narayana_reddy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146190286903938674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Telangaanaa Poru Bidda</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Raavi Naarayana raavu (1908-1991)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Ravi Narayana Rao]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Eminent freedom fighter, philanthropist, reformer, and parliamentarian. Spear headed liberation of Telangana movement. Founding member of the communist party of India.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rxAd15joI/AAAAAAAABEs/zpn-p7VfUoQ/s1600-h/sitaramaraju.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rxAd15joI/AAAAAAAABEs/zpn-p7VfUoQ/s320/sitaramaraju.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146190514537205378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Alluuri Seetaaraama Raaju (1897-1924)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Alluri Sitarama Raju one*, two*]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Fearless freedom fighter. Led the most famous armed revolt in Telugu history against the British occupation</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rxP915jpI/AAAAAAAABE0/sLxQGHmhfbQ/s1600-h/sundarayya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rxP915jpI/AAAAAAAABE0/sLxQGHmhfbQ/s320/sundarayya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146190780825177746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Kamyuunishtu Gaandhi,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">puccala palli Sundarayya (1913-1985)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Puchchalapalli Sundarayya]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Great freedom fighter, social reformer and parliamentarian. Led communist movements in Andhra and beyond for many decades.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rxld15jqI/AAAAAAAABE8/Q6osGCL1B_k/s1600-h/tenneti_vishwanatham.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2rxld15jqI/AAAAAAAABE8/Q6osGCL1B_k/s320/tenneti_vishwanatham.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146191150192365218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tenneti visvanaatham (1895-1979)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">[Tenneti Viswanatham]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Freedom fighter, parliamentarian, leader and administrator. Close associate of Tanguturi Prakasam.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2ryX915jrI/AAAAAAAABFE/oXf2cXyAoAE/s1600-h/narasimhareddy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2ryX915jrI/AAAAAAAABFE/oXf2cXyAoAE/s320/narasimhareddy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146192017775759026" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#000080;">Uyyaalavaada Narasimhaa Reddi</span> (d. 1847)<br />[Uyyalavada Narasimha Reddy]<br />Led one of the first popular revolts in all of India against British occupation<span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-28561480060705143472007-12-19T09:57:00.000-08:002007-12-19T10:04:29.940-08:00NETAJI SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2lcxt15irI/AAAAAAAAA9E/7y9vVUXmm4I/s1600-h/netaji_subhash_chandra_bose.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2lcxt15irI/AAAAAAAAA9E/7y9vVUXmm4I/s320/netaji_subhash_chandra_bose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145746058436512434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Nethaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897 at Cuttack, in Orissa. He was the sixth son of Janakinath and Prabhavati Bose.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subhash was an excellent student and after school joined the Presidency College, Calcutta, where he studied philosophy, a subject he was interest in.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a young boy Subhash felt neglected among his 8 siblings. At his English school he suffered under the discrimination faced by Indians which made him even sadder.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">nethaji Subhash chandra boseNethaji wanted to work for the poor but his father, had other ideas. He sent Subhash to England to appear for the Indian Civil Service. In July 1920, barely eight months later Subhash Chandra Bose appeared in the Civil Service Examination and passed it with distinction. But he didn't want to be a member of the bureaucracy and resigned from the service and returned to India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Back home, he participated in the freedom movement along with 'Deshbandhu' C.R. Das. He was thrown into jail but that only made him more determined. Subhash joined the congress and rose to its Presidentship in 1938 a post he held for 2 years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 1939, when the Second World War started Gandhiji and other leaders were against doing anything anti-Britain. But Subhash thought differently. He knew, for instance, that the fall of the Roman Empire had led to the freedom of its colonies. He decided to seek foreign help for his cause of freeing India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">He was arrested and kept in his house under detention. On January 17, 1941, while everyone was asleep, Bose slipped out of his house into a waiting car. Disguised as a Muslim religious teacher, Bose managed to reach Peshawar two days later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bose went to Italy, Germany and even Russia to seek help but without much use. Subash decided to organize Indians on his own. He landed in Singapore and grouped Indians there into the Indian National Army or the Azad Hind Fauj and declared himself the temporary leader of the free Indian government. Japan, Germany and Italy recognizied Subhash's government and the whole of India rejoiced.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The INA marched to Andaman and Nicobar islands, liberating and renaming them as Shaheed and Swaraj islands. On March 18, 1944, it crossed the Burmese border and reached Manipur where free India's banner was raised with the shouts of 'Jai Hind' and 'Netaji Zindabad'. But heavy rain prevented any further movement and the units had to fall back. Even then Netaji was determined. On August 17, 1945, he issued a Special Order to the INA which said that "Delhi is still our goal".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">He then wanted to go to Russia to seek Soviet help to fight the British. But the ill-fated plane in which he was flying, crashed in Taipei on August 18, 1945, resulting in his death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some people believe that Subhash Chandra Bose didn't die, that he faked his own crash to escape the British who wanted to arrest him. There were even reports of Bose living in Russia and other foreign countries, even some claims of having seen him as a sadhu… but none were ever proved and today his death in the plane crash is the accepted version. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Events in Nethaji's Life</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1897: Born to Sri Janaki Nath Basu and Pravabati Devi in Cuttack, Orissa</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1913: Stood second in the School leaving examination and took admission in Presidency college, Calcutta.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1915: Passed Intermediate examination in first division.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1916: Charged for misbehaving with British Professor, rusticated from Prsidency college.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1917: Got admitted in Scottish Church college in Philosphy Honours.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1919: Got first class in Philosophy Honours and left for England for ICS examination.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1920: Passed the then ICS examnation in London with highest marks in English.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1921: He got the prestigious tripos degree of Cambridge University.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * Resigned from his ICS job and came back to mother land in the same year. Formed South Calcutta Sevak Samity. Was arrested in the end of 1921 for anti British movement.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1922: Released from jail on August 1. Joined Swarajya dal under the leadership of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan in Gaya congress.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1923: Elected President of All India Youth Congress; elected Secretary of Bengal State Congress and Editor of the paper 'Forward', founded by Deshabandhu.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1924: Swarajya Dal won Calcutta Municipality election. Deshabandhu elected Mayor of Calcutta and Subhas Chandra became CEO. Arrested again in October by the British Government.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1924-27: Spent nearly three years in the Burma jail; released in May.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1925: Deshabandhu passed away.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1927: Elected General Secretary of All India Congress Committee.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1928: Formed the Volunteer organization in the Calcutta summit of Indian Congress and elected as the General Officer in Command.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1929: Addressed the Lahore summit of Indian Congress and proposed for a parallel Government in India.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1930: Jailed in January again; elected Mayor of Calcutta Corporation from jail.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1931: Elected President of INTUC in Calcutta meeting.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1933: Left for Europe.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1933-36: Met reputed personalities like Mussolini in Italy, Felder in Germany, D. Valera in Ireland and Roma Rolland in France.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1936: Returned to India in April; arrested in Bombay.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1936-37: Released in March and started for Europe; published 'Indian Struggle'.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1938: Elected President of Indian Congress. d President of Indian Congress; made the historic speech in Haripura convention; formed National Planning Commission. Rabindra Nath Tagore falicited Subhas Cahndra in Santiniketan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1939: Reelected President of Indian Congress; resigned and formed the new organization Forward Block; Rabindra Nath laid the Foundation stone of Mahajati Sadan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1940: Arrested and started fasting in the jail; released from the jail.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1941: Left home and absconded; reached Kabul and then left for Moscow; met Hitler in Berlin.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1942: Left home and made the historic speech on air from Germany; formed Indian Legion and expanded its activities.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1943: Started for Japan by submarine; reached Tokyo and delivered the speech on air in Tokyo; convened the meeting of South East Asian Indian Independence League.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * Formed the Azad Hind Government on October 21; visited Andaman islands in December.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1944: The Azad Hind Fauz approached the Arakan front; war breaks out near Imphal and Azad Hind took control of Kohima-Imphal; rejected the peace proposal of British Govrnment through a speech on air; reached Tokyo to discuss with Japanese Government; addressed a massive public meeting in Kualalampur.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * 1945: Delivered the speech on air from Sonan Radio; started for Bangkok.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> * Laid foundation stone for Martyrs' statues at Sonan; Hirosima and Nagasaki destroyed by atom bomb by the Americans; Japan surrenders; Subhas left Saigon to implement his future plans.Netaji Subhas could not be traced after that. Some people believe that he died in a plane crash, others refuse to accept that even today.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comments of Nethaji Subash Chandra bose</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Netaji was a 'dare-all leader' By Satya Prakash Malaviya in "The Pioneer"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subhash Chandra Bose is one of the few heroes of history who left the deepest impress on the minds of the people of India within a short span of his charismatic life. He was born on January 23,1897 at Cuttack in Orissa.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subhash Bose passed the Indian Civil Service examination obtaining fourth position but resigned in April, 1921. He was the first Indian to resign from the Indian Civil Service.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Under Secretary of State for India sent for him. Subhash told him, "I do not think one can be loyal to the British Raj and yet serve India honestly, heart and soul."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">He returned to India on July 16th, 1921, and met Mahatma Gandhi on the same day at Bombay. He wrote, "I remember clearly the scene of that afternoon...</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Facing the door sat the Mahatma...(he) received me with his typical hearty smile and soon put me at ease and the conversation started at once. I wanted to know about his plan which would finally lead to overthrowing foreign rule. And so I heaped question upon question and the Mahatma replied with patience."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, Subhash left Gandhi, disappointed because he thought it impossible to change the British.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subhash was an indefatigable fighter for democracy within Congress. Mahatma Gandhi loved Subhash and Subhash had the highest respect for him. Gandhi called him "dare all leader". It is said that the sobriquet Netaji was given by Gandhi.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subsequently at a mass rally held on July 9, 1943 at Singapore the title Netaji was affectionately conferred on Subhash by public acclamation. Both Gandhi and Subhash had one thing in common: their chief concern was to transform ideas into facts.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gandhi believed in the doctrine of nonviolence to attain freedom, but Bose believed in revolutionary means for the goal of Swaraj.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Political testament of Subhash is remarkable. He wrote, "To my countrymen I say forget not that the grossest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Remember the eternal law you must give life, if you want to get it. And remember that the highest virtue is to battle against inequity, no matter what the cost may be. The individual must die so that the nation may live. Today I must die, so that India may live and may win freedom and glory."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">He was completely dedicated to the cause of India's independence. He had one desire alone to find ways and means to fight for liberation of the motherland.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">On January 17, 1941, Subhash escaped from his Eight Road House in Calcutta and left India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">For about a year nothing was heard of him. There was also a news flash towards the close of 1941 that Subhash had died in air crash. On March 25, 1942 all doubts about Subhash were set at rest when he made a Broadcast from Radio Berlin. He spoke, "This is Subhash Chandra Bose, who is still alive speaking to you over the Azad Hind Radio...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Ever since I left India last year, British propaganda agencies have from time to time given contradictory reports about my whereabouts... The latest report about my death is perhaps an instance of wishful thinking. I can imagine that the British Government would, at this critical hour in India's history, like to see me dead since they are now trying their level best to win India over to their side for the purpose of their imperialistic war".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In August 1942 Gandhi gave a call for Britishers to "Quit India" and for Indians to "Do or Die." Subhash Bose gave his full support to this call through his Radio Broadcast from Germany on August 31, 1942 in which he said, "In the last days of our campaign there will be much suffering and sorrow, much persecution and slaughter... But that is the price of liberty and it has to be paid. It is but natural that in its last hours the British lion will bite hard, but it is after all the bite of a dying lion, and we shall survive it."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a broadcast from Bangkok on October 2, 1943, on the occasion of 75th birth anniversary of Gandhi, Bose described him as the greatest leader of Indians and his services to the cause of India's freedom as unique and unparalleled and added that his name will be written in letters of gold in our national history for all time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subhash was the first to address Mahatma Gandhi as Father of Nation. (NB: The "Mahatma" had not yet "died" a coward's death at Partition talks! At that particular moment in time the "Mahatma" was like the Cardinal who had not yet shot dead his mother or raped his kitchen maid.)</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a Broadcast from Azad Hind Radio on July 6, 1944 he said, "India's last war of Independence has begun... Troops of the Azad Hind Fauz are now fighting bravely on the soil of India... Father of our nation! In this holy war of India's liberation, we ask for your blessings and good wishes".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The deeds of INA are heroic and a saga of supreme sacrifice. On August 22,1945 Tokyo Radio announced that Subhash Chandra Bose had died in an air-crash in Formosa on August 18,1945 en route to Japan. He was then forty-eight years only. No Indian believed the shocking news.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today we must remember the following tribute of Gandhi to Bose: "The greatest and the lasting act of Netaji was that he abolished all distinctions of caste and class. He was Indian first and last. What is more, he fired all under him with the same zeal so that they forgot in his presence all distinctions and acted as one man."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The nation refuses to believe that their true Idol of Patriotism, Subhash Bose, is dead.</span><br /><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-89358409178596052952007-12-16T14:38:00.000-08:002007-12-16T14:41:26.576-08:00SAROJINI NAIDU<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Wpad15hfI/AAAAAAAAAzs/wly1NVSkooM/s1600-h/sarojininaidu1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Wpad15hfI/AAAAAAAAAzs/wly1NVSkooM/s320/sarojininaidu1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144704421493048818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sarojini Naidu was born as the eldest daughter of a scientist-philosopher father, Aghornath Chattopadhyaya, and mother Varasundari, who was a Bengali Poetess, on 13 February, 1879. Her father was a pioneer in education, a linguist and an original thinker. He established the Nizam’s college in Hyderabad in 1878, pioneering English and women’s education. She was bought up in a house of intellectuals, poets, philosophers and revolutionaries. She claims that she was bought up in a home of Indians, not Hindus or Brahmins.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">She passed Matriculation at the age of 12, and came out first in Madras Presidency. Young Sarojini was a very bright girl. Her father wanted her to become a mathematician or a scientist. But she loved poetry from a very early age. With her father’s support, she wrote a play called “Maher Muneer” in the Persian language. The Nawab of Hyderabad reading a copy of it sent by Sarojini’s father was impressed by the beautiful play written by the young girl. The college gave her a scholarship to study abroad. At the age of 16, she got admitted to King’s College of England.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the age of 15, she met Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu and fell in love with him. He was from South India. After finishing her studies at the age of 19, she married him during the time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed. Her marriage was a very happy one. They were married by the Brahmo Marriage Act (1872), in Madras in 1898. They had four children. Their house in Hyderabad is the renowned Golden Threshold.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 1916, she met Mahatma Gandhi and from then on she totally contributed herself to the fight for freedom. The independence of India became the heart and soul of her work. She was responsible for awakening the women of India. She re-established self-esteem within the women of India. In Hyderabad she was awarded the Kaiser-I-Hind Gold Medal for her outstanding work during the plague epidemic. In 1925, she became the Chairperson to the summit of congress in Kanpur. She went to USA in 1928 with the message of the non-violence. In 1929 she presided over the East Africa Indian Congress in Mombassa, and gave lectures all over South East Africa. In 1942, she was arrested during the “Quit India” protest and stayed in jail for 21 months with Gandhiji.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sarojini NaiduSarojini Naidu is also well acclaimed for her contribution in poetry. Her poetry had beautiful words that could also be sung. Her collection of poems was published in 1905 under the title “Golden Threshold”. She published two other collections called “The Bird of Time”, and “The Broken Wings”. Later, “The Magic Tree”, “The Wizard Mask”, and “A Treasury of Poems” were published. Mahashree Arvind, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rabindranath Tagore were among the thousands of admirers of her work. Gopala Krishna Gokhle advised her to use her poetry and her beautiful words to rejuvenate the spirit of independence in the hearts of villagers and also asked her to use her talent to free Mother India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After Independence, she became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. As the first women governor of the largest state of the union, she brought beauty, and grace to public life. She was a woman of a great country, with such a great heritage in which great women were born. Their purity, courage, determination, and self-confidence were the foundation of her own character and personality.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">On March 2 1949, she took her last breath and India lost her beloved child, “Bulbul”. She died in her office at Lucknow at the age of seventy. Nevertheless, her name will be in the Golden history of India as an inspiring poet and a brave freedom fighter. Sarojini Devi was a great patriot, politician, orator, and administrator. She was a life-long freedom fighter, social worker, ideal house wife, and poet. She was truly one of the jewels of the world. Being one of the most famous heroines of the 20th century, her birthday is celebrated as “Women’s Day”.</span><br /><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-29085379418902830412007-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:002007-12-15T13:13:50.028-08:00KELADI CHENNAMMA<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2RC1915f7I/AAAAAAAAAnM/S8Me23OpZ4Y/s1600-h/keladi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 307px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2RC1915f7I/AAAAAAAAAnM/S8Me23OpZ4Y/s320/keladi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144310169265078194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Verdana,Arial;font-size:100%;color:#814000;" >She ruled over a small state, Keladi for twentyfive years (1671-1696). but proved herself a great and heroic queen. She protected the kingdom when her husband failed his duty. And she faced the wrath of the mighty A</span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Verdana,Arial;font-size:100%;color:#814000;" >urangazeb, and gave shelter to Rajaram, Shivaji's son. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Keladi</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">She was the Queen of an ancient State. She had no husband. Still she fought with the many foes around and freed the kingdom from several dangers. But soon she had to face another danger. Aurangzeb was the Moghul Emperor then. 'Alamgir' was his title. Alamgir means one who has conquered the whole world. Aurangzeb had conquered manykingdoms in North India and had turned his eyes towards the South. His thirst for expansion was not yet quenched and his vast: powerful army attacked this small State. The reason given was that the Queen had given shelter to the son of Maharaja Shivaji. But the Queen was not afraid. Nor did she feel sorry. She did not ask for pardon. She fa6ed the attack like a heroic woman. When the enemies themselves withdrew their attack and begged for a treaty, she was quite generous. This heroic Queen and noble lady was Queen Chennamma of Keladi. Chennamma ruled the kingdom of Keladi for twenty-five years. She had the complexion of a pearl, with bright eyes and a broad forehead. A long nose and curly hair adorned a face of royal dignity. The beautiful Queen was full of good qualities too. And she had the ability to kill her enemies in the battles, like Durga (the goddess of power). Beauty, valour, piety and generosity all blended in this great Queen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">An Extraordinary King</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">'I Have Chosen My Bride'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Keladi was a kingdom in the MaInad area of Karnataka. The first King of Keladi was Chowdappa Nayaka who came to the throne in 1500. He was a great hero. In about 1645, the able King Shivappa Nayaka came to the throne. During his reign, many reforms were effected in Keladi. This King became famous as a great ruler because of his administrative reforms. Government and collection of taxes were so systematized that he came to be called 'Shistina Shivappa Nayaka' ('shistu' - meaning discipline and order and it is also known as a kind of Local Tax). His younger son Somashekhara Nayaka became the King in 1664. At that time the kingdom of Keladi stretched along the entire seacoast from Goa to Malabar. Somashekhara Nayak was a very efficient king. With a good figure, power and wealth, he also had good qualities. He was religious-minded, too. Somashekhara Nayaka did not marry for several years. He was young and a king; and was also handsome, virtuous and famous. Naturally many a king tried to make him his son-in-law. The Nayaka saw many beautiful princessesses. But he never thought of marriage. His subjects, knowing his religious mind and devotion to God, wondered whether their king would become a monk.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Happy, Blessed Union</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The king once went to the Rameshwara fair. There he saw a very pretty maid. She was Chennamma, the daughter of Siddappa Shetty of Kotepura. She was beautiful like a carefully sculptured doll. With her friends she was going to the temple; she moved with striking dignity. Somashekhara Nayaka saw her; he said to himself, 'if at all I marry, I should marry this girl.' Through his servants he learnt who she was. Next day he sent for his Chief Minister and said to him, "You have been compelling me to marry. Ye9terday when I went to the Rameshwara fair, I saw Kotepura Siddappa Shetty's daughter. If I marry at all, I will marry her. Please send for Siddappa Shetty and speak to him." The Chief Minister replied, "My Lord, so far all kings of Keladi have married only princesses of royal blood." "That may be. But I know only one way, - and that is, to do as I say. I have nothing to do with any other tradition. I will marry only this girl."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kalavathi, A Curse</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once, during the Dasara festival, the famed dancer Kalavathi of Jambukhandi gave a performance before the royal couple. Dancing like a peacock and singing like a cuckoo, this beautiful woman won the love of Somashekhara Nayaka. The King who was pleased with her excellence in dancing, gave her much wealth. Kalavathi became the dancer of the royal court. Her mother and her foster-father, Bharame Mavuta, lived with her. The latter was a master of black magic and secret medicines Knowing that Queen Chennamma had no children, the wicked Bharame Mavuta developed an intimate friendship with Somashekhara Nayaka. Gradually the Nayaka began to live with Kalavathi herself. He became a puppet in the hands of Bharame Mavuta. He forgot his beloved darling Chennamma and stayed away from the palace. He swallowed all that Bharame Mavuta gave him as medicine and as a result became half-mad. Various diseases began to eat him up. Even the ministers and respected officers had to go to the dancer's house to discuss matters of the State. Chennamma felt very sad that the husband who once loved her so deeply never came to the palace now. She was always in tears. Once all the subjects felt happy that it was their good fortune they had such an ideal King. But now he had to thought for the kingdom. Because of the King's indifference there was chaos in the kingdom. The news of his ill-health spread all over the kingdom. The King had no children. What if he died suddenly? In such a pass, naturally, many persons began to hatch conspiracies to usurp the throne. The Sultan of Bijapur who had often been defeated by the kings of Keladi, now attacked the kingdom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">'My Lord, Come back'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Queen was determined that the kingdom nursed and handed down by their elders should be saved from these dangers. If she remained passive, thinking she was only a woman, the kingdom wouid be lost. She put aside her pride and even stepped into the dancer's house to meet the King. Worn out by diseases, the King was a mere shadow of his old robust self. The face had lost lustre and the eyes were dull. Chennamma was greatly grieved. But she checked her sorrow and said, "My Lord, please come back to the palace. The physicians of the court will treat you. The kingdom of the great Shivappa Nayaka should not be ruined. You can adopt a worthy boy as son." She fell at his feet and begged him to return. Bharame Mavuta, the source of all evil for the kingdom, was right there. Deceived by his words, the King refused to listen to Chennamma. The Queen returned in misery. But she had no time even to weep, because the enemies had already besieged the kingdom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tender Hands Rule The Land</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was only one way, thought Chennamma, for the kindgom to continue and the dynasty to survive; she herself should rule the land and also hold the sword. Trusting God, the young Queen took this crushing burden on her tender shoulders. The clever and heroic Queen also took the counsel of her father Siddappa Shetty. She enlisted the help of trustworthy commanders. Delicate hands adorned with bangles now brandished the sword. Arrogant enemies thought that after all she was a woman and could be frightened. They began to threaten her. One day the Chief Minister, Thimmanna Nayaka of Kasaragod, went to her with Subnis Krishnappa and said to her, "You must adopt as son Veerabhadra Nayaka, the son of the Commander-in Chief, Bhadrappa Nayaka. It is only then that we shall support you. Or else, we will unite the people against you and crown him." The same threat was held out by another minister, Narasappayya and a senior officer, Lakshmayya. Queen Chennamma heard them all patiently. On one side, Bharame Mavuta had the King under his thumb and was eager to take over the kingdom. On another side, all the ministers and other important men were ready to bring some one whom they liked to the throne and perpetuate their own positions. The Queen could not approve of either of these developments. She had no child; so she decided that she should adopt a boy who was virtuous and would herald the welfare of the State. She choose a boy by name Basappa Nayaka. She decided to give him the proper type of training so that the kingdom survived and the people were made happy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Troubles Come In Battalions</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Sultan of Bijapur was waiting to swallow up the kingdom of Keladi. Now he heard that the King was negligent and troubled by disease and that the State was in the hands of a woman. He was tempted. Opportunity seemed to be inviting him. He sent a representative by name Jannopant to the Queen for negotiations. Close on the heels of Jannopant the Sultan also sent a big army under the command of Muzaffar Khan. Jannopant met the Queen. Through her own spies Chennamma had already understood the trick of the Sultan. But she was not in a position to declare war on the Sultan just then. So she gave three lakh rupees to Jannopant and came to an agreement with the Sultan. Yet, the Sultan's army was marching towards Keladi. So, the Queen summoned her subjects and said to them : "My beloved heroes of the Kannada Land, you are great warriors. Today the fate of the kingdom is in your hands. Remember, victory gives us this kingdom and death gives us heaven. There is no third way. If you win, all of you will be rewarded with befitting honours." So she spoke to her people with affection. She gave them her jewels and, the gold in the royal treasury. Inspired by her heroic words, and moved by her generosity, the soldiers girded their lions to fight. After taking leave of the Queen, Jannopant went to Bharame Mavuta. Moved by the sweet words of Jannopant, Bharame Mavuta got the King murdered. The Queen heard the news. Her husband was dead! It was a shock, and grief flooded the heart of the young Queen. But she was not the woman to weep in passive sorrow. Yes, her husband was dead. But he had not died a natural death. He had been murdered. Chennamma was now like the Goddess of War, determined to avenge her husband's death. The Bijapur army besieged the fort of Bidanur. The henchmen of Bharame Mavuta gave all help to the Sultan's soldiers. The-enemy army was very big. Siddappa Shetty and the officers of the State told the Queen that, even if they fought with all valour, victory was doubtful. They advised her to leave Bidanur for the time being. The very thought of leaving Bidanur was like poison to her. But there was no other way. The throne of the kingdom, the wealth of the royal treasury and all other valuables were moved to Bhuvanagiri. The enemies pulled down the gates of the fort and entered the palace. But they could not find the Queen there. The treasury was also empty. They felt disappointed and were very angry. The fort at Bhuvanagiri, situated amidst a thick jungle, was quite secure. The chieftains of the Keladi Court and the soldiers were in Bhuvanagiri with the Queen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">'I Have Sinned Terribly'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Chief Minister, Thimmanna Nayaka, who had, gone away from Bidanur after his differences with the Queen in the matter of the adoption, now learnt of the fall of Bidanur. He was at heart a true patriot. He was enraged that enemies had taken Bidanur. Thimmanna Nayaka came to the Bhuvanagiri palace and met the Queen. He said, "Your Highness, I am guilty of a great crime. I should not have left Bidanur after the death'of Somashekhara Nayaka. I have sinned terribly. It is very painful for me to see the Bidanur, where I was born and bred, is now in alien hands. Please accept my services again in this difficult hour." The Queen was generous. She replied, "Thimmanna Nayaka, your conduct and your words amply bear out your deep loyalty to the kingdom. Keladi now needs the assistance of all and the blessings of the Almighty for its protection. You are experienced in statecraft. We do need your help; you have served the State from the days of the great Shivappa Nayaka. The Chief Minister's office is yours, if you will accept it." Chennamma bestowed honours on him. People who had benefited from the kings of Keladi and from Chennamma in particular, arrived in thousands in Bhuvanagiri. They were ready to give up their all for Keladi and the Queen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Mother To The Subjects</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thimmanna Nayaka got together the chieftains and brave soldiers from all parts of Keladi and raised an army. He marched towards Bidanur. The soldiers of Bijapur, who were proud of their seizure of Bidanur were marching towards Bhuvanagirii to capture it. In the midst of the thick forest and in a narrow pass, the Sultan's soldiers fell into the hands of the heroic Kannada warriors. The men of Keladli knew the terrain quite well; they destroyed the Bijapur army and went to Bidanur. The people there were overjoyed at the arrival of the Kannada soldiers. They opened the gates wide and welcomed them. The people of Keladi, one and all, accepted Chennamma as their ruler. In 1671 Chennamma was crowned as the Queen in the fortress of Bhuvanagiri. The Queen now took over the entire adminis- tration into her hands. She honoured the chiefs and soldiers, who had helped in the fight for Bidanur, suitably with money, gold, lands and high offices. The kingdom had become worn out with chaos and misrule. The Queen brought peace and happiness to it. She again enforced the system which had been formulated by Shivappa Nayaka. She arranged forspecial temple honours and worship with great pomp to the deities of Rameshwara, Aghoreshwara and Goddess Mookambike, whose grace, she felt, had warded off all dangers. She offered diamond-studded crowns and golden lamps to these deities. The Queen also arrested both Bharame Mavuta and Jannopant who were responsible for the death of her husband, and put them to death. Those who had conspired against her and wanted to usurp the kingdom were also punished and banished from the kingdom. Queen Chennamma now ruled over the kingdom ably. She was like a goddess to the virtuous and like destruction itself to the wicked. She had an 'Agrahara' - an entire street with houses on either side - formed, and invited scholars to settle down there. It was named 'Somashekharapura'. Day and night Chennamma toiled for the welfare of the state. With the consent of her people she adopted as her son, a good boy, Basappa Nayaka by name. She expanded the army and strengthened security at the borders. After her work for the kingdom, Chennamma spent whatever leisure she had, in meditation and in acts of charity and kindness. She gave gifts of lands to Mutts and religious institutions. The Queen respected all the religions and was herself respected by everybody.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Sheild For The Kingdom</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Years before, there had been two or three wars between the kings of Mysore and the kings of Keladi. In these wars, the rulers of Mysore had been defeated. As the kings of Keladi had a long seacoast under them, they reaped considerable profits from the foreign traders, the Dutch and the English. At the time Chennamma was ruling in Keladi, the ruler in Mysore was Chikkadevaraya Wodeyar. A person by name Andhaka Venkata Nayaka also belonged to the dynasty of Keladi kings. He wrote a letter to the Mysore ruler; he said, "I should have been the King of Keladi. But Chennamma came in the way. Therefore if you will fight with her and help me to get the kingdom, I shall give half of it to you and render other help also." Chikkadevaraya was very pleased with the letter. He thought it would be quite easy to win the kingdom which was in the hands of a woman. If he did so, all the foreign trade now under Keladi would be in his hands. So he began preparations for a war. Queen Chennamma was not at all afraid that the Mysore ruler had declared war on Keladi. She remained undaunted and sent a big army under her Commander Bhadrappa Nayaka to fight the enemy. The chieftains of Sode, Sirsi and Banavasi also declared war on Keladi. But the Queen very cleverly managed to defeat them all. The Mysore army was the first to be defeated. But the next year that army defeated the Keladi force. Again when there was a war, the Queen was victorious. Several officers of the Mysore army were captured. But the Queen treated them with courtesy. She also set them free. Because of this, Chikkadevaraya developed a high regard for the Queen. The rulers of Mysore and Keladi signed a treaty of friendship. Queen Chennamma had banished some leaders who had their eyes on the throne. Now all those men, obtaining the help of other rulers, began a war with the Queen. But the able Queen defeated them. Chennamma had adopted Basappa Nayaka. He was to become the King later. So she gave personal attention to his training and education. Every morning after her bath, prayers and breakfast, she would go to the court hall. She would stay there till mid-day, and listen patiently to any of her subjects who had any difficulties. She would give them whatever help was necessary. She would discuss matters of statecraft and administration with Basappa Nayaka and her ministers and officers and give her decisions. After the midday prayers and worship, she would spend an hour giving alms. At that time monks, sanyasis, priests and the poor and the needy would all receive help.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">'I am The Son Of Chatrapati</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">"I know that, Queen. I have made bold to come here only after hearing of your valour and generosity. If your ministers agree, please give me shelter here for a short while and then help me to reach the fort of Jinji. I will never forget your kindness. If that is not possible, I shall leave this place tomorrow morning." "Prince, I shall summon the royal court this evening and discuss the matter. Whatever might happen, I will give shelter to those who ask me for it. To act according to the royal code, and to see that you reach Jinji safely, is my responsibility." "Noble Queen, the royal house of Keladi is very generous. I am astonished that, when powerful kings of big realms have refused to give me shelter, a lady should muster courage to face such a danger. I am greatful to you." So saying, Rajaram saluted her with great devotion and went to the Guest House. That evening Queen Chennamma summoned the royal court. She narrated all that had happened and asked her advisers for their opinion. Prime Minister Thimmanna Nayaka sounded a note of warning - "Your Highness, Aurangzeb's army is chasing Rajaram. It has already captured Raigadh, Panhalgadh and other forts. If Aurangzeb comes to know that Rajaram is in Keladi, it would surely mean our total ruin." Siddappa Shetty was very clear in his words to his daughter - "What the Prime Minister says is quite true. So far we have fought with the enemies around. Just now peace and order are returning to the kingdom. Fighting with Aurangzeb now is beyond our capacity." Commander Bhadrappa and Minister Narasappayya also were of the same opinion. "Gentlemen, what you say is true," said Chennamma. "I have thought about this very deeply. Until this day the kings of Keladi have always given shelter to anyone who sought it. It is my duty to keep up that tradition. Shivaji Maharaj wore himself out to save Hinduism. When his son asks for help can it be denied? The safety of the kingdom is a matter in God's hands." "I agree, mother," said Basappa Nayaka. "What you say is true. You have always taught me it is nobler to save than to kill. What can Aurangzeb do against God's blessings and- the valour of our heroes?" All the younger persons in the Court were for giving shelter to Rajaram. Inevitably all the ministers also agreed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Black Shadow Of The Moghul Army</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">"To the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb, Your letter has reached us. The people of this kingdom are ever ready to extend the hand of friendship to the Moghuls. But you have asked for something in return for your friendship. But that is impossible. Rajaram is not in this kingdom. It is of course known that he went through Keladi." By the time the Queen's letter reached Aurangzeb, the big Moghul force was near Keladi. The Queen was fully prepared for the war. The brave soldiers of Keladi were readily waiting in the path of the Moghul army. The way lay through a thick jungle. And the rainy season had set in. The Moghul soldiers who were accustomed to the dry climate of the North, found it extremely difficult to pass through the forest in the heavy downpour of theMaInad area. But obeying Aurangzeb's orders they were marching ahead under great strain. The Karnataka heroes took positions in the thick jungle and began butchering the Moghul soldiers. Prince Azamath Ara was shocked. He who had defeated many chief tains and kings had now to suffer defeat from a woman; and when he went back after that defeat, he would be beheaded. The very idea made him perspire. But his soldiers did not have the grit now to advance further, fight fiercely and raze the Keladi fort. The major part of the army had been destroyed. The forces of Keladi had captured several of the Moghul captains, a large number of horses and considerable war material. So the fight went on at a slow and uncertain pace. Prince Azamath Ara was very much troubled. By then he received a letter from Aurangzeb which said, "Rajaram is now ruling the Jinji fort. So leave Keladi at once and proceed to Jinji." This was just what Azamath Ara wanted. So the Moghuls came to an agreement with Queen Chennamma. The Queen also was glad to have this treaty. She treated the Moghul captains very generously and according to the pact released them all. Aurangzeb recognized her as an independent ruler. The Queen rewarded the soldiers and officers of her army suitably. The great honour of a decisive victory in a war with Aurangzeb thus belongs to the brave Chennamma, a heroine of Karnataka. Rajaram who had reached Jinji, wrote. A letter of gratitude to the Queen: "When kings and rulers of bigger kingdoms refused to help me, you bravely gave me shelter and helped to protect Hinduism. I can never forget this bravery and generosity of yours. May GoddessBhavani give you all happiness! I pray God that your land may be a home of happiness." The Queen thought that a difficulty which had come upon her like a mountain had melted like the fog.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">An Excellent Administrator</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Meanwhile Basappa Nayaka, the adopted son, had come of age. Trained by Chennamma, he was now learned in statecraft. He was courteous, virtuous and valiant. The Queen had the confidence that he could rule the kingdom well. She made over to him the major share in the administration. She then spent most of her time in the service of others. She also went on a pilgrimage and visited the Aghoreshwara. Temple at Ikkeri, the Mookambike Temple at Kollur and.the Sharadamba Temple at Shringeri. She gifted lands to the temples she visited to that worship could go on in these temples round the year. Meanwhile she also captured Hulikere near Basavapattana. The fort there was in ruins. She got it rebuilt. After Basappa Nayaka came to the throne, he renamed it. Chennagiri in honour of his mother. Queen Chennamma got a beautiful chariot made and dedicated it to the temple of Lord Neelakanteshwara of Venipura near Bidanur. She made arrangements for the Neelakanteshwara, fair to be held every year. She gave liberal gifts of land and gold to the temple of her family deity Rameshwara and Veerabhadreshwara of Keladi and also to the temple of Goddess Mookambike of Kollur, so that the worship in those temples might go on without any difficulty. The tower of the Veera- bhadreshwara Temple at Keladi was rebuilt by her and a flag-pillar was erected. She offered gifts to the temples at Kashi, Rameshwara, Shrishaila and Tirupati. She also built monasteries for the Veershaiva monks and Agraharas for Shaivas and Vaishnavas. She ruled over Keladi very ably and nobly from 1671 to 1696. Her life was a life of fame and grandeur. She was always pious and god-fearing. When she was on her death-bed, the righteous Queen called her son and said, "Basappa Nayaka, the task of protecting and developing the kingdom of Keladi founded by Chowdappa Nayaka, is now yours. Conduct yourself according to the words of our saints. Let your speech be a string of pearl3. Never should you sin, and you must live to uphold truth, kindness and righteousness. Do not waste time in bad habits. Devote your time to good deeds. Look after the people of Keladi as your children. You must share their joys and sorrows. Earn a good name, and bring fame to the royal house and to the kingdom. "Let Keladi State be the home of happiness. Let the people be satisfied and joyful. And may God bless you." The pious and virtuous woman, the brave and intelligent Queen, breathed her last in Shravana, a holy month of Hindus. Basappa Nayaka and the people of Keladi were in deep grief. Chennamma was laid to rest in the Koppalu monastery in Bidanur.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Fountain Of Inspiration</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">a mere matter of feeding a person. It is a question of the kingdom's survival or otherwise." "Prince Rajaram, the Kannada people never go back on their words. They are not such cowards that they will not help those who come to them for shelter." The Queen put her trust in God and gave shelter to Rajaram. Preparations for a war began in Keladi. Aurangzeb sent his son Azamath Ara with a huge army to invade the kingdom. But by then Rajaram had safely reached the Jinji fort. The cunning Moghul Emperor on the one hand sent a big army to Keladi; and, on the other, before it could reach the kingdom, he sent a messenger to Queen Chennamma with a letter and also costly presents including diamonds and other precious stones. His letter ran thus: "To Queen Chennamma of Keladi. Between us there is no enmity. But I have heard that my great enemy Rajaram is under your protection. He must at once be given up to me. When that is done, there can be a treaty of friendship between the two kingdoms. Otherwise you will have to face the Moghul army." The shrewd Queen consulted her ministers and sent a reply as follows: Chennamma tactfully negotiated trade treaties with the Arabs and the Portuguese to carry on trade along the seacoast under her rule. It was very convenient - and also profitable - to import the various commodities her kingdom needed. She traded with the Arabs for horses so necessary for the protection of Keladi. The Arabs and the Portuguese bought the rice and the pepper grown in the MaInad areas. This enriched the kingdom. When, because of the foolishness of the king Somashekhara Nayaka, Keladi was in chaos and was encircled by enemies, Chennamma acted boldly and -wisely and in the interests of the State and the subjects. She crushed all the enemies. Other kings were all afraid of Aurangzeb and denied shelter to the great shivaji's son. But this lady of the Kannada land helped him. As a queen she was wise and able as she was brave.So she established a peaceful era in Keladi. She ruled the kingdom in such a way that the people could live without fear of the enemies, and without trouble from thieves or oppression from officers. She gave succor to the poor and respected all religions. The name of Keladi's brave Queen is written in Golden letters in the history of Karnataka and the history of India. Chennamma's life is a source of inspiration to all who love freedom and admire courage and nobility.</span><br /><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-72769676958923556112007-12-15T12:59:00.000-08:002007-12-15T21:47:55.446-08:00MADAME CAMA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2S7Zt15gbI/AAAAAAAAArM/KsKtSKZnsks/s1600-h/madamecama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 239px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2S7Zt15gbI/AAAAAAAAArM/KsKtSKZnsks/s320/madamecama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144442724840735154" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2RApt15f6I/AAAAAAAAAnE/0ax7SLi3FCY/s1600-h/madamecama.jpg"><br /></a><table face="verdana" style="width: 677px; height: 64px; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" valign="top" bg="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr> </tr> </tbody></table><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama </span><br /><div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Morea!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">That was the name of the ship. She had the good fortune to carry the brave Savarkar from London towards India. He was fighting fearlessly for the freedom of India. The brave fighter was arrested abroad and was being brought to India for trial.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Dream Of The Release Of The Brave Fighter</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Dream of the Release of the Brave FighterIt is the first day of July 1910. The ship sailing to India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Here in Paris a revolutionary and Rishi are hatching a plot. Somehow Savarkar must be released from custody.The ship should not be allowed to reach India, without an attempt to free Savarkar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The revolutionary was about fifty years old. The companion, Rishi, had hardly completed thirty-five. Because he had a luxurious beard and moustaches his nickname was 'Rishi - a sage. His real name was V.V.S. 1year.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The morning of the 8th of July.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar gives the slip to the guards and jumps into the sea from the moving ship. He swims and reaches the shore. All arrangements have been made secretly to ensure his safety. In a vehicle near the beach the revolutionary and other associates are awaiting for his arrival. As Savarkar reaches the shore the lady and Madame Cary her associates take the tired Savark carriage and speed away. Savrkar release from imprisonment was over. He has become completely free.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'Victory to Freedom' is the joyous every where.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But all this was a dream.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Dream Remained A Dream !</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When the revolutionary, Rishi and their companions reached Marseilles harbor, it was too late. The police had deceitfully arrested Savarkar who had jumped from the ship to the sea and swum to the shore; they had dragged him back to the ship. The plans made for weeks had been upset in a moment. It was not Savarkar who was brought home. It was a bundle of disappointment and failure heavier than that warrior.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hers was one of the well-furnished houses in Paris. It was a beautiful, spacious house. In the living room the furniture was neatly arranged. There was a full-length mirror in the corner.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">She came directly and stood before the mirror. The face was pale. The earlier</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">enthusiasm was no more. How could she believe that when she went just a little late,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar had become a prisoner again?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Failures - Steps To Success</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The reflection gave her courage again: 'Oh foolish lady, do not lose heart. Do not forget you are Madame Cama. Failures are stepping-stones to success. Forget the past and think of what is to be done.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">She sat down and began to think of other efforts to free Savarkar. She sent a telegram to a famous patriotic advocate of Bombay to examine this subject. Every drop of Madame Cama's blood was hungry for freedom. Indians were being reduced to pulp under the heels of the British masters; the firm resolve to free the Indians had entered her every nerve and bone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Fire Lit By Oppression</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama was not a born revolutionary. At first she was opposed even to any talk of violence. She used to condemn people who rebelled or rioted. But as days passed she came to know the arbitrary administration of the Englishmen. Hypocrisy had crowned the heartless administration! As she realized the torture the Indians were suffering silently, a spark of revolution appeared in Madame Cama, which in course of time began to spread like wildfire. She is the mother of revolution who preached non-cooperation to the Indians even when she was abroad.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Clever Munni</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama was born on 24th September 1861, in Bombay. Sorabji Framji Patel was wellknown in Bombay. He was big merchant and quite rich. He had a large family. He had nine children. Rustom Bhikaiji Cama who was one day to terrify the British Government, was one of them. The father, Sorabji Framji Patel, brought up the child Madame Cama with great affection. He called her 'Munni'. While still young she was admitted to the Alexandra Parsee Girls' School.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Munni was very clever. She stood first in the class in all subjects. She would not eat</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">supper without completing the lessons of the day and the homework. She would not go to bed without writing and finishing lessons to be studied at home. So she scored high marks in all subjects; also, Munni was the favorite of all the teachers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Even at the young age Munni wished to attain proficiency in many languages. As a little girl she had considerable interest in India's fight for freedom. She used to worship patriots who sacrificed their lives for the good of the country. She honored those who labored for the country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Her activities brought a headache to her father. Sorabji Framji Patel wanted to prevent his daughter from fighting for freedom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">To Curb Her Spirit</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But how could that be done?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Marriage?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Yes, once married she could not be as free as she was.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">So the father at last found a young man to become his son-in-law and to keep the</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">daughter away from politics! His name was Rustom K.R. Cama. He was a social worker and had made a name in politics. He had faith in British rule. By profession he was a lawyer. It is strange that a man of this sort should have agreed to marry Madame Cama knowing that she was a lioness thirsting for' freedom. Truly he was a Rustom - a very bold man!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On 3rd August 1885 the marriage was celebrated with great pomp.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Just for two days there was a lull in the political activities of Madame Cama; on the third day they were resumed. The father had bestowed the headache, with his daughter, on the son-in-law.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Two Persons - And Two Parties!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama's husband was quite handsome. In wealth and intelligence the husband and wife appeared to be made for each other. But, about the British rule their opinions are differed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">To the husband who thought England was heaven, the Englishman was God Himself. He was of the view that there was no power which could excel or even equal the British rule.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But in Madame Cama's view the British were tyrants who were sucking the blood of India; they were the polished deceivers, the unprincipled people who had invaded India to suck blood till the body was just a bag of bones.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As was to be expected, Madame Cama's husband who bowed blindly to the barren</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">British models became a source of trouble to her. He warned his wife not to take part in the movement for independence. But the husband's compulsions andrestrictions had effect on Madame Cama. Thus the house was divided into two parties - the wife siding with the Indians and the husband with the British! When freeing India from subjection became Madame Cama's sacred goal, Cama's house became a small battlefield. Married life did not bring happiness. As Saint Meera left her wealthy family and husband for the sake of God Giridhara, so did Madame Cama forget a rich husband and high status in life to devote her life to free Mother India from the rule of the foreigners.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Fight Against Plague</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">At this time plague broke out in Bombay. When people began to succumb to that fearful disease Madame Cama ignored the danger to her life and threw herself into the service of the people. She waited upon the patients like a nurse and comforted them like a mother. Because of these efforts thousands of people, who would have died otherwise, were saved. As the thirst of the patients for water was quenched and they got better she created in them the thirst for freedom. Madame Cama was engaged in serving the sick without caring for sleep or food; plague attacked her, too. But even death was afraid to approach that lion-hearted lady. Although she recovered she did not regain her earlier strength and stamina. Her relatives and friends practically forced her and sent her to Europe in 1902, so that she might recover fully.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In London</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was in 1905 that Madame Cama reached London after spending about a year each in Germany, Scotland, France and other countries. After an operation she regained strength and stamina. Dadabhai Naoroji, a highly respected leader of India, was then in London, By the time she had served for a year-and-a-halt as his private secretary, Madame Cama had come in contact with many patriots and men of letters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'Salute This Flag'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was the third week of August 1907. She learnt that the International Socialist Conference would be held in Stuttgart 'in Germany. Madame Cama got a golden</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">opportunity to expose to worldview the conditions in enslaved India. A thousand</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">representatives from several countries of the world attended the Conference. When</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">India's turn came, Madame Cama ascended the rostrum. She was wearing a colorful saree. She had an attractive personality. Dignity shone in the face. The representative’s thought: 'She is an Indian princess.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama spoke about the sorrows and the poverty of lakes of Indians who were suffering silently.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'One-fifth of mankind lives in India. All lovers of freedom should cooperate to free these people from subjection.' This was the gist of the resolution, she boldly placed before the conference. She condemned the British Government which was looting from India thirty-five million pounds every year. She explained how the Indian economy was growing weaker day by day because of the lawless imperialists sucking the blood of India. At the end of her speech she unfurled the Indian flag and said:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"This flag is of Indian Independence. Behold it is born! It has been made sacred by the blood of young Indians who sacrificed their lives.I call upon you, gentle men, to rise and salute this flag of Indian Independence. In the name of this flag I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to cooperate with this flag."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As if held by magic, the whole assembly stood up and honored the flag. Madame Cama was the lady who first unfurled the Indian flag, in a foreign land, in the presence of representatives of many countries! "It is my practice to speak under the flag of my country" - she would say and unfurl the flag before she spoke at any function.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">That Sacred Flag</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama, Veer Savarkar and some other patriots met and designed that tricolor flag in 1905. It was flown first in 1905 in Berlin and next in 1907 in Bengal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The tricolor flag contained green, saffron and red stripes. In the green stripe at the top there were eight blooming lotuses. India was then divided into eight provinces and the flowers represented these provinces. The words 'Vande Mataram' in Devanagari script across the central saffron strip of the flag were a salutation to Mother India. In the red stripe at thebottom there was a half-moon on the right and the rising sun on the left. Red represents strength, saffron represents victory; and boldness and enthusiasm are represented by green. "This flag was designed by a distinguished selfless young Indian patriot" said Madame Cama. She was referring to Veer Savarkar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In America</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">After the conference in Germany concluded she came to America. To gain the support of the people there for the sacred cause in which she was engaged she had to start a campaign. In New York she explained her objects to press reporters who met her and they were full of praise for her. She told the reporters that lakes and lakes of people in India,although illiterate and suffering from hunger, loved their country. There was confidence and hope in the voice of Madame Cama when she said that Indians would attain independence within a few years and live in liberty, equality and brotherhood.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was 28th October 1907. The Minerva Club had organized a meeting at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The speaker was Madame Cama. In her speech she said that Indians should be given the political right to vote.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"People here may know of Russia. But they may not know much about conditions in India. The British Government is adopting the practice of destroying people who are educated and can think, or of sending them to jail. They are torturing the people and driving them to hospitals in jails. We desire a peaceful atmosphere and not bloody revolution. By proceeding in a non-violent manner as far as possible we have to overthrow despotic rule" said Madame Cama. Also Madame Cama spoke at several places. She may be called Mother India's representative to the United States of America.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"March Forward, Friend'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama returned to London in 1908; she addressed a meeting at the 'India House'. Her speech was published in booklets. Large numbers of them found their way to India. The booklets gave a summary of the core of the principles of revolution.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Non-violence is a great virtue, true. But when somebody unreasonably uses force it should be resisted. Violence must be met with violence. This should be the attitude towards tyrannical rule. Anything done on this principle is right. Patriotism consists in building up a strong revolt against foreign governments. Said Madama Cama: "The fulfillment of life lies in dedicating oneself to one’s country." In a message to the youth of the country she gave the following call:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"March forward friend, march forward. Mother India’s children are caught under the heels of the tyranny of the British. They are helplessly sinking to the lowest depths; lead them to the soft bed of Swarajya. March forward. Let this be our motto: We are for India; India is for Indians."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Whether she was addressing Hindus or Muslims she proclaimed the message of unity. The question of caste must be brushed aside. We are all Indians. We belong to one family. She wished that the feeling of brotherhood must grow and unity achieved. She would warn everybody not is accept any job, however big, offered by the British. She called upon the people to learn to live by their efforts, to encourage trade, commerce, industry and arts and to make everything wholly Indian.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">To France</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Even when she was working as private secretary to Dadabhai Naoroji she had spoken in many places. She was already famous as an excellent speaker who was fighting for India’s freedom. The people of London were amazed to see this lady fighting the lion in its own den. The British rulers were afraid that as Madame Cama’s fame spread their troubles would increase. They tried to frighten her so that she would leave London. Madame Cama resisted the Government’s move. But when some officials attempted to murder her she escaped secretly, crossed the English Channel and went to France.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The leading French socialists gave Madame Cama a hearty welcome. Indian</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">representatives are heartily welcomed by the people in all corners of the world because of the great culture of India, which has spread far and wide.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Welcome - Do Not Come !</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Within a few days the house in France where Madame Cama was staying became the secret fort where the revolutionaries of different countries met. Besides India's 'General' Bapat and Hemachandra Das, Lenin, the father of the Russian Revolution, and others visited Madame Cama's house and exchanged views. Savarkar, the heroic fighter for freedom, brought her peace of mind and inspiration. The British Government was very much disturbed by her activities in France. It begged her to return to India. The British Government also requested the French Government to send her back to her native land. But Madame Cama did not agree to return to India. When the French Government also, rejected the British request, the British Government felt insulted. Like the fox which said, 'The grapes are sour; I do not want them', the British Government ordered that Madame Cama should not come to India at any time in the future! That was not all; it took over the property belonging to Madame Cama worth over a lake of rupees,and swallowed it all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Shadowed By Danger</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">These events added new brightness to Madame Cama's name. The fame of her courage and adventure spread even in the countries, which she had not visited. It was only after all this that the conference in Stuttgart, mentioned earlier, was held. She then became an international figure. From Germany she went to America; on many platforms she referred to the miseries of India at the time. She returned to London in 1908. By then, the 'India House' in London there had become a furnace in the fight for independence. Shyamji Krishna- varma, Sardar Singh Rana and other revolutionaries had fanned the fires of revolution. Even as a child Madame Cama had made up her mind to devote her life to her motherland; she continued her work in London systematically. She was in contact with the nationalists of Ireland, Russia, Egypt and Germany. Under the pretext of giving them Christmas presents, she was sending them pistols made to look like toys; she gave them money, too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As the activities of revolutionaries in London increased spies gave them more and more trouble. At last they had no choice but to leave London. Shyamji Krishnavarma, Sardar Singh Rana and others came to Paris.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As Madame Cama's adventures multiplied her name became a household word in</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">London. The British Government thought that she was a destructive revolutionary who would uproot it and trembled. Spies of the Government followed her likeshadows. The situation was such that danger could strike at any time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama decided that it was safer to leave London and go to Paris;she reached</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Paris on 1 st May 1909.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In The World Of Jounalism</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Numerous patriots who were fighting for India's freedom had been forced to settle down in foreign countries; they began to gather in Paris. Madame Cama also joined their group. When so many revolutionaries settle at one place something unusual is bound to take place, is it not? A revolu- tionary magazine was started. The name of the magazine was 'Vande Mataram'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">An able person was required to take over the editorship of the periodical. It was decided to appoint as editor Lala Hardayal who was a fearless elderly revolutionist. Hardayal gladly agreed to come to France from England. The first sparks of the first issue appeared in September 1909. All the 24 hours of the day were not sufficient for Madame Cama who was the publisher of 'Vande Mataram' and had also to distribute the copies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Although engaged in so many activities Madame Cama was feeling that she was not doing enough work. All the strength in every drop of her blood was devoted to Mother India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In addition to Mande Mataram' another magazine 'Madan's Talwar'was started to send forth sparks of revolution. This magazine was started to make deathless the memory of Madanlal Dhingra who had sacrificed his life for the country. Madame Cama was publishing it from Berlin.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Veer Savarkar came to Madame Cama's house at this time. Because of continuous hard work in London his health had broken down. Savarkar had come to Paris to improve his health to some extent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The British Government Confused</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama nursed Savarkar back to health in a short time. He had also the</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">assistance of Shyamji, Rana, Hardayal, Virendranath and such other friends. He had also some leisure to write articles for 'Vande Mataram' and 'Madan's Talwar' ' The work of getting into touch with the Indians there,organizing them and sending arms to India was going on steadily without a pause.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The copies of 'Vande Mataram' from January to August 1910 were secretly published from Geneva. So Geneva caught the eye of the British Government. Immediately the place of publication was shifted to Holland.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was May 1912. All clever efforts to send copies of Vande Mataram' secretly from</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Oxford to India failed. Copies of 'Vande Mataram' and other leaflets, which were meant to be distributed among the revolutionaries in several parts of India, fell into the hands of the British Government. It is more difficult to send out secretly copies of such revolutionary writings than to print them. Even in such difficult circumstances copies of Vande Matararn' were reaching the Indian fighters for freedom. The British Government was unable to find a way to prevent revolu- tionary literature from secretly entering the country. British Officers did not know what to do.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On 30th May 1913, the Secretary of State for India in the British Government had</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">received a complaint. It was from the Director of Criminal Investigation, Simla. The Director had suggested complaining to the Government of Holland about the publication of 'Vande Mataram' from Holland. The British Government thought over the matter for three weeks. Feeling that the Government of Holland would not take any action against Madame Cama and that there was no point in making arequest, the British Government decided not to do anything.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Fighting In Not One, But Ten Ways</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Though Madame Cama was abroad her influence on the Indian people did not diminish. Lala Lajpat Rai was a stalwart who was bravely fighting for India's freedom. In 1907 when he was sent out of India,Madame Cama's call made the blood of Indian revolutionaries’ boil.People rose in revolt everywhere. The number of revolutionaries deported from India in British ships also increased. She was not satisfied with merely exhorting people. She trained Indian revolutionaries to make bombs. As soon as her call through the 'Indian Sociologist' edited by Shyamji Krishnavarma reached India, bombs exploded in several parts of the country. She sent money and arms secretly to India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In 1908 Savarkar had arranged a program to mark the golden jubilee of India's first fight for independence. Madame Cama sent money generously to help the families of those who lost their lives in the 1857 war.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar wrote a book called 'The First War of Indian Independence of 1857'. Even before the book was printed, the British Government ordered that it should not be published. At such a time Madame Cama came forward and published the book. She used secret method of distribution so that copies could reach the right hands.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">To the Indian revolutionaries the book became sacred as the Ramayana or the</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Mahabharatha. Madame Cama and M.P.T. Acharya translated it from English into</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">French and published it. The book was later reprinted by Lala Hardayal, Subhas</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'Where Is The Other Half Of Egypt?'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama held the view that in the advancement of the nation women have an</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">important part to play and said that they must share all difficulties and responsibilities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Speaking at the National Conference (1910) in Egypt she said:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I see here only the representatives of one half of Egypt. The assembly is full of only</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">men. Where is the other half of Egypt?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Sons of Egypt, where are your mothers? Where are you sisters? Do not forget that the hand that rocks the cradle shapes the individual. Do not forget that the role of women in also important in building a nation."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'Do Not Take Part In This War'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In 1914, when the First World War began, Madame Cama's activities to gain the</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">country's freedom became intense. The leading articles in the press condemning the autocratic rule of the British grew sharper.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">To the Indian soldiers fighting for the British, she gave a warning in the following words:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Children of Mother India, you are being deceived. Do not take part in this war. You are going to fight and die, not for India, but for the British.The British have put shackles on Mother India's hands; think how they can be removed. If you help the British, you will tighten the shackles."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">She herself would visit army camps in Marseilles. There she would meet Indian soldiers and ask them to keep away from the war. Questioned she: "Are you going to fight for those who have imprisoned your mother?" Return the arms, she would preach.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The French were allies of the British. Therefore the French Government must have been dissatisfied with the propa- ganda carried on by Madame Cama. The French Government warned Madame Cama that she was carrying on false propaganda against the British.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A Licence</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The British were ashamed at not being able to take action against ordinary women who was living abroad and toying with them. They thought of getting her to India and keeping her under their control.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The British Government forgot the ban it had imposed on Madame Cama's coming to India and invited her again. But the French Government did not agree to send her. Instead, it imposed certain restrictions on Madame Cama and kept her away from Paris.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">After the war started no foreigner was permitted to stay in Paris. If any foreigner had to stay he had to get a license.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In the license issued to Madame Cama she was described as a citizen under British control. Madame Cama was surprised. She proclaimed that she was a free citizen of India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Those who did not get licenses were sent to jail. When Madame Cama found that it</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">would be difficult to get any changes made in the license, she accepted the license that had been issued to her. It was also amusing. What did it matter what the license said? It was enough if she could stay where she was. She would be quite happy if her activities were not obstructed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Government communicated its new decision to her that she should stop all her</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">activities till the war ended. Some more restrictions were imposed on Madame Cama on 1st November 1914. She had to report to the police once in a week.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama tried to get information about the conditions of life of the prisoners of war in Geneva. But the French Government did not allow her. It was a kind of imprisonment for Madame Cama, too, till the war ended.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When the war ended the Govern removed the restrictions imposed on Madame Cama went back to the house Pads.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Once the restrictions placed on her were removed Madame Cama could breathe freely again. She jumped into political activities as freely as before.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama's fame had spread to many countries and 'Madame Cama' had come to be regarded as another name for daring. Eveywhere lovers of freedom and</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">revolutionaries held her in great respect. She was the brave lady who was praised by eastern countries like China, by Egyptians, Turks and Persians. The revolutionaries of those countries used to approach her for help and guidance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama's health began to break down now and then. She never gave any</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">attention to her health, as she was always busy nursing revolution. Even after the First World War came to an end many years were spent in the fight for indepen- dence. Her body grew weaker. She was past 70 years by then.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Back To Her Beloved Homeland</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">She fervently wished to return to India and spend the last few days of her life in the land of her birth. The permission of the British Government was needed to enter India. Sir Cowasji Jahangir made inquiries about it in the Home Department. There was a good deal of discussion. Finally the British Government agreed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But the Government imposed one condition: She was to state in writing that she would not participate in the struggle for freedom. She should have nothing to do with revolutionaries.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">At first Madame Cama did not agree. But friends and relatives pressed her and she had to agree. By nature she opposed any restrictions and conditions imposed on her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">About thirty-four years before, young Madame Cama had left India. Youth and middle age had been dedicated to the service of the motherland and the coura- geous fight for freedom. The body was now seventy years old but the mind was still throbbing with the desire freedom and the zeal to fight. In this stage, she traveled towards the motherland. Even as she was nearing India she became ill. She was even unable to get up from the bed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Her Breath One with the Winds of the Land</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As soon as Madame Cama came to Bombay, the place of her birth, she was supremely satisfied and happy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">She was taken directly from the Bombay port to the Petit Hospital. For eight months she lay between life and death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama passed away on 13th August 1936. She had fought for India's freedom. That freedom dawned eleven years after her death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'Loss of Freedom Means Loss of Virtue'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In a sense Madame Cama's life abroad where she fought for India's freedom was like living in obscurity. She sacrificed her life for the motherland. Even during the last</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">moments of her life she urged repeatedly: "To gain freedom from subjection stand up against all difficulties." "He who loses freedom will lose virtue. Opposition of tyranny is obedience to God's command" said Madame Cama; she practiced what she preached.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Her Breath One With The Winds Of The Land</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As soon as Madame Cama came to Bombay, the place of her birth, she was supremely satisfied and happy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">She was taken directly from the Bombay port to the Petit Hospital. For eight months she lay between life and death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madame Cama passed away on 13th August 1936. She had fought for India's freedom. That freedom dawned eleven years after her death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'Loss Of Freedom Means Loss Of Virtue'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In a sense Madame Cama's life abroad where she fought for India's freedom was like living in obscurity. She sacrificed her life for the motherland. Even during the last</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">moments of her life she urged repeatedly: "To gain freedom from subjection stand up against all difficulties." "He who loses freedom will lose virtue. Opposition of tyranny is obedience to God's command" said Madame Cama; she practiced what she preached.</span><br /><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-34020450900346662772007-12-15T12:52:00.000-08:002007-12-15T12:57:08.237-08:00ASHFAQULLA KHAN<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Q_KN15f5I/AAAAAAAAAm8/YGSG_QTZ87Y/s1600-h/ashfaqullakhan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Q_KN15f5I/AAAAAAAAAm8/YGSG_QTZ87Y/s320/ashfaqullakhan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144306119110918034" border="0" /></a><br /></div><table style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; font-weight: bold;color:#003300;" valign="top" bg border="0" border cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#333366;">Introduction :</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr><td width="5%"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><br /></td><td bg style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#814000;"> The pathan patriot who kissed the hangman's noose wiht the name of Allah on his lips. A youth endowed with a body of iron and will of steel, he dedicated everything to the service of India and of freedom and challenged the cunning and the strength of an empire. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaqulla Khan</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">was December 19, 1927. The winter sun rose late. His golden rays brought warmth</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and joy to people shivering in the biting cold.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">At sunrise that day, in the District Jail at Faizabad, officials were getting ready to put an end to the life of a man. He was a revolutionary. Officials, both high and low, were busy. The Chief Jailer inspected the rope, the sandbags and other things necessary carefully. He was fully satisfied with the arrangements; then he called out to his subordinate, "Bring the convict here." The official went with ten soldiers. The door of the cell of the man who was to die opened, with a loud harsh sound. That was the last time the door opened for this man.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The brave patriot was waiting for this call; he asked cheerfully, "Is everything ready?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Lion Among Men</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">His firm voice showed he was ready to die. It unnerved those that had come to take him. The officer said with great difficulty, "Yes." The hero shut the Koran he was reading, put it under his arm, stood up and said, "Let us go."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">He stood six feet tall, with a broad chest; he was strong as steel and had the heart of a lion. His beard added charm to his face.There was always a smile of firmness on his lips and it shone even now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The hero in chains walked upright and with a firm mind between soldiers who led him to the hangman's post. Those who were there forgot their position and prestige and gazed on him with wonder and admiration. Once at the foot of the steps leading to the post, he covered them in two leaps and stood facing the post. When they removed the chains, lie put forward his arms, drew the rope towards him and kissed it. He said, "My hands are not soiled with the murder of man. The charge against me is false. God will give me justice."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then he prayed in clear ringing tones "La ilahi il Allah, Mohammed Ur Rasool Allah."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The hangman's noose came round his neck. The moment the lever was pressed, the plank on which he stood moved quickly and he went down into the pit below. He joined the band of the brave immortal heroes of the land.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This hero was Ashfaqulla,the revolutionary.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Toward Revolution</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaqulla was born in the early part of the twentieth century in Shahjahanpur of Uttar</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pradesh. Shafiqulla Khan was his father. In 1921 Ashfaq was in the High School. India</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">was still a subject country. All over India the clouds of the noncooperation movement were gathering. Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of the movement. He called on Indians not to pay taxes to the government and not to cooperate with the British. The call of Gandhiji had kindled the fire of freedom in the hearts of all Indians. But at a place called Chauri Chaura people forgot nonviolence and became violent. In their anger against the</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">British, they burnt some policemen.Gandhi became sad on hearing this. It pained him</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">much. So he called of the non-cooperation movement in February 1922. The youth of the country were greatly disappointed and dejected on account of this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaqulla was one such dejected youth. The country should become free as early as possible - this was his yearning and so he joined the revolutionaries. It was then that he decided to win the friendship of Ramaprasad, the revolutionary of Shahjahanpur.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pandit Ramaprasad Bismil was already a famous revolutionary. He had been collecting weapons and money by dacoity under the leadership of a teacher,Gendalal Dixit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaq had one great difficulty in winning the friendship of Ramaprasad. Ramaprasad was a member of the Arya Samaj. He was eager to explain the greatness of the Hindu Religion to those</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">belonging to other religions; he was eager to take back to the Hindu fold those who</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">wished to return. He had almost taken a vow to do this. Ashfaq was a devout Muslim.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But Ashfaq's religion did not come in the way of his attempt to win the friendship of</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ramaprasad. He met Ramaprasad once in his own school. 'Who knows who he is? A</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Muslim student. He may not really wish to become a revolutionary; it may all besham" - so ran Ramaprasad's thoughts. So his talk was formal and not very friendly. Ashfaq noticed his reserve. But he did not give up his attempt. They had some common friends. With their help Ashfaq tried to convince Ramaprasad of his sincerity. Fortunately Ramaprasad and Ashfaq's brother were classmates. On account of his untiring efforts they became friends. They ate together and lived the revolutionary lives together. In the end both became martyrs on the same day but in different jails.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Revolutionaries Come Together</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mahatma Gandhi withdrew his non- cooperation movement. After this revolutionary ideas grew strong among the youth in the country. The British Empire was large and strong. It had a big army and powerful weapons. Could soft words make the British leave India? Surely they could not. Therefore the young revolu- tionaries believed in violence.They wanted,to make use of revolvers, bombs and other weapons to fight the British.They wanted to create a sense of fear in the hearts of the British, so that they would leave India. As a result of this strong belief, the scattered revolut -ionaries became united and strong. Kasi (Varanasi) was the centre of their activities. They formed the 'Hindusthan Republican Association'. Their main object was to win freedom for the country through armed revolution.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This Association published a manifesto called 'Krantikari' in 1925, spelling out its aims and objectives. It was brought out on the same day in all towns from Calcutta to Lahore. The Government was scared. The manifesto explained the goals of the Association. I,t said it was wrong for one man to become rich by making another man work hard ; it was also wrong for one man to be the master of another. The Association wanted to put an end such things. Ramaprasad became the chief organizer of the Shahjahanpur wing of the Association. With his experience he was an asset to the Association.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">We Need Money But Where Is It?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The revolutionary party lacked one thing - money. To get arms, to maintain the members and to canvasa support for the party, money was needed. They raised some money by way of subscriptions from members. Some of them got money from their homes by either begging of stealing. Some got it from friends. But they needed thousands to reach the goal. Money was needed for the nation's work - but how could they get it?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Under the leadership of Ramaprasad, they looted some villages. Ashfaq took part in</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">these activities with his brother's licensed rifle. Even the money they get by such looting and dacoity was not enough for their activities, because they got just one or two hundred rupees in some villages.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Moreover, Ramaprasad was not happy about looting the villages; true, the money was used to fight for the country'sfreedom; but the villagers were their own country men, and Ramaprasad did not like to harm them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here It Is !</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">One day Ramaprasad was travelling by train from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow. He got off the compartment when the train stopped at a station and stood watching. At one station he noticed the stationmaster bringing a bag of money and getting into the Guard's Van. He wanted to watch more closely. So he took his seat in the compartment next to the Guard's. At every station he noticed moneybags being taken into the Guard's Van. They were dropped into an iron safe. At Lucknow he observed that there were no special security arrangements. He ran up and noted down the time and number of the train from the timetable. It was a No. down train. He calculated that the money would amount to at least ten thousand rupees. He decided pot to miss this chance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was the beginning of a Iater dacoity at Kakori.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Money in Plenty, But...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After a few days the revolutionaries met. Members from Kasi, Kanpur, Lucknow and</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Agra attended the meeting. Ramaprasad explained his plans to the members. He said,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">"If we loot the money belonging to the Government, we will get enough for our activities. Moreover we will not have to harm our own people for money. The task is difficult. It needs to be done with great care. But our efforts will bring excellent rewards. The Government also will come to know that the revolutionaries do not merely talk but act."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The members liked his idea. They were eager to do acts, which would show their courage and strength. Therefore almost everyone said, "It is good. It is anexcellent idea."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaq listened silently. From the day he had heard it from Ramaprasad, he had thought about it thoroughly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But now everyone was saying. "Yes, yes, let us go ahead." He did not think it right to</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">sit. Quietly. So he got up and said, "Friends, I consider it a hasty step. It may be a good plan in some ways. But let us think of our strength and the strength of the Government. In an ordinary dacoity, much money is not involved. Besides, the Government will treat it as one of the many usual occurrences. So we shall have to face only what the police normally do in such cases. it will be a different tale when we meddle with money belonging to Government. The entire Government machinery will be used to trace and crush us. In my opinion we cannot escape detection and punishment. Our party is not strong enough. Let us drop this plan."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the revolutionaries were caught up in a flood of enthusiasm; they were not prepared to listen to sense. After debating the plan for a long time they decided to go ahead and entrusted the task to Rama prasad. At the outset he gave a word of caution. He said, "Friends, we should not fire at any one unless they fire at us. As far as possible let us do this deed without bloodshed." The meeting broke up.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Train Is Stopped</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The No. 8 down train from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow was approaching Kakori on August 9, 1925. The sun was going down in the west.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The train stopped abruptly. Some one had pulled the chain.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaqulla got off a second class compartment with his friends Sachindra Bakshi and Rajendra Lahiri. He had done the first part of the duty in the Kakori plot that day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The guard had got off his van by now. He was trying to find out in which compartment the chain had been pulled and why. Two revolutionaries fell on him. They made him lie down on his face. They warned that he would be shot dead if he tried to raise his head. Two others pushed the driver from the engine to the ground and stood guard over him. One revolutionary stood at each end of the train and both fired shots with their pistols. In the meantime theyshouted, "'Travelers! Do not be afraid. We are revolutionaries fighting for freedom. Your lives, money and honor are safe. But take care not to peep out of the train."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Four young men entered the Guard's Van. They managed to push the box to the ground. It had a strong lock. Neither the driver nor the guard had the key. There was an opening on the top; through this opening they could drop - money bags into it. But nothing could be taken out of it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The revolutionaries started dealing blows with hammers to break it open. But even ten hard blows with iron hammers could not break the box. Ashfaq who was keeping guard saw this. He was the strongest of the group. He handed the pistol in his hand to his comrade, Manmathnath and ran towards the box. He dealt blow after blow on the opening of the box to widen it. The metallic sound of his heavy blows echoed through the silent and lonely place.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alas! Another Train in sight!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Suddenly they heard the sound of a train coming from Lucknow. Ramaprasad was</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">frightened for a moment. He trembled at the thought of the moving train colliding with the train they had stopped. He would be responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent men, women and children. What a dreadful sin! Fortunately, there were two lines at that place. When he saw this, he heaved a sigh of relief.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But what if the driver of the moving train stopped it? Or, suppose the driver and the</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">guard lying on the ground stopped the train by raising alarm! The passengers also might shout for help and stop the train.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">All eyes were on Ramaprasad.He ordered, "Stop firing. Turn down the pistols.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do not strike the box. Ashfaq, wait a little." The few minutes were like an age. The fast moving train passed by on the other lines.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here's The Money !</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">When the other train was out of sight, they got busy again. The metallic sound of the</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">blows on the box began to echo as before. The slit in the box became wide and the moneybags were taken out. During this time all passengers remained quiet. Among them were British officers who carried pistols with them. But they also remained quiet thinking that a big gang of dacoits had attacked the train.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was a newly married young man in the men's compartment; his young bride was in the women's compartment. So he was worried and put out his head. A revolutionary fired his pistol and the young man died on the spot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The revolutionaries did not notice any thing. The safe lay open. They were busy taking out the moneybags bundling them in rugs. Some of them walked towards Lucknow with the bundles on their heads.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just ten young men had done this difficult job because of their courage, discipline, and patience, leadership and, more than all, love of the country. They had written a</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">memorable chapter in the history of India's fight for were: Ramaprasad Bismil, Rajendra Lahiri, Thakur Roshan Singh, Sachindra Bakshi,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chandra- sekhara Azad, Keshab Chakra- varthy, Banwari Lal, Mukundi Lal, Man- mathnath Gupta and Ashfaqulla Khan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Lion Escapes</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A month passed after the Kakori Dacoity, and yet no one was arrested. But the</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Government had spread a big net.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the morning of September 26, 1925, Ramaprasad was arrested. Before the police could arrest Ashfaq he hadescaped from his home and concealed himself in a sugarcane field half a mile from his home. His friends used to send him food only at night hoodwinking the police. The police grew tired of searching for Ashfaq. They withdrew his brother's gun license and took away his rifle. All except Ashfaq had been taken into custody. Therefore he thought it useless to conceal himself near Shahjahanpur. He got some money from home and left the place. He wanted to go to Kasi. There were a few revolutionaries there, who had escaped. He wanted to consult them and then decide the next course of action. He managed to reach Kasi after a difficult journey. He met a few</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">friends in the Benares University. They advised him to live quietly at least for some time. With the help of these friends he went to Bihar. He got a job as a clerk in an engineering firm at Daltonganj inPalamu District. No one knew who lie was. He told</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">them that he was from a farmer's family in Mathura. He worked in the firm for about ten months.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Friend Betrays!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaq was a poet and wrote verses in Urdu. A couplet form of versification in Urdu is called the 'Sher'. Composing and singing these couplets is popularly known as 'Mushaira'. The proprietor of the firm in which Ashfaq worked was very fond of 'sherg'. When he came to know that he composed and sang 'shers', he became fond of Ashfaq and felt proud of him. At a 'Mushaira' organized there Ashfaq sang a few 'shers' of his own composition. The people who heard him were delighted and there were exclamations of joy. The proprietor was also so pleased that he raised Ashfaq's salary.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In such an encouraging atmosphere Ashfaq improved his knowledge of Hindi. He also learnt Bengali. Besides singing Hindi and Urdu songs, he began to sing Bengali songs. If Ashfaq wanted only to escape arrest, he could have lived happily at Daltonganj for the rest of his life. But this long and forced rest became tiresome.For a moment he wished he could go to some foreign country. He felt it would be more useful to him and the country if he studied engineering.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So he went to Delhi to find out how he could go abroad, and to make preparations. He met a Pathan friend from Shahjahanpur. They had been classmates at school. He was happy to meet Ashfaq after a long time. He took Ashfaq to his room and ordered a nice meal for him. They went on talking about old times till 11 o' clock at night. Then Ashfaq went back to his room.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The next morning Ashfaq was sounds asleep. Suddenly there was a loud knock. Ashfaq was still sleepy-eyed as he opened the door. And at once he fell into the hands of the police! Friendship, duty and even the feeling of belonging to the same place - none of these could check the Pathan's greed for money. The Pathan had fed him, talked to him in a very friendly way and then had betrayed Ashfaq to the police.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The police wanted to use Ashfaq to suit their plans; they tried very hard to do so. There was an army officer in the police department; his name was Tasadruk Khan; he had rendered useful service as the British agent in Arabia during the First World War. He was one of the few Indians who had risen to the post of the Superin- tendent of Police. He met Ashfaq in prison and tried to reason with him. His main aim was to make Ashfaq agree to give evidence against his former friends. He said, 'The Hindus are fighting to win back their kingdoms. Why should the Muslims become involved in this affair? Why should we face danger when there is no benefit to us? The Muslims should not take any part in it. Even now I can find a way to help you if you can understand what pays you and what does not." This is how Tasadruk Khan tried to mislead Ashfaq. But Ashfaq did not like his advice. He was tired of hearing the evil advice. In the end he told Tasadruk to his face: "Khan Sahib, I am quite sure that Hindu India will be much better than British India."</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The British Court Of Justice</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The British Court of JusticeIn this way the police tried to win him over to their side and failed. They charge- sheeted him in the court. By this time the Kakori Case had progressed much; the case against Ashfaq was combined with it. A committee had been formed to defend the accused in the main case. Pandit Motilal Nehru, father of Jawaharlal, was the chairman. There were eminent men like Jawaharlal, Sriprakasha, Acharya Narendra Deva, and Govind Ballabh Pant and Chandra Bhanu Gupta on the committee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After some progress had been made in the case against Ashfaqulla, Sachindra Bakshi was arrested at Bhagalpur. He was tried in a lower court separately and then the cases against both Ashfaq and Bakshi were combined and tried in the Sessions Court as one.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both of them tried to behave as if they did not know each other. But they were very good friends and had worked together in the party. Now that they were charge- sheeted together and met in the court they could not pretend to be strangers. They embraced each other in the court with great emotion. The officers of the jail remarked, 'We too had been waiting for the reunion of Rama and Bharata."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Life in prison had made Ashfaq very pious. He grew a beard. He said his prayers</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">regularly. During Ramzan he fasted very strictly. Now and then the friendsdiscussed</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">religion. Sachindra Bakshi had no faith in God. But Ashfaq used to say, "I consider the unseen power as supreme. It is above us and is greater than the world. That is my faith. But you do not agree. Faith is an entirely personal matter." He believed that religious faith is the greatest concept uniting God and man in a single principle. His considered opinion was that it was not a matter for discussion in the streets.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The main case and the complementary case relating to the Kakori train robbery came to an end. The Court of Justice under the British rule gave its judgment. Ramaprasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh were to be put to death; the others were given life</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">sentences.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The whole country protested against the death sentences. Members of the Central</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Legislature represented to the Viceroy that the death sentences should be reduced to</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">life sentences. Appeals were sent to the Privy Council, the highest court in those days.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But British imperialism was thirsting for the blood of the Indian revolutionaries.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">'Death comes but once;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why fear it?'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So Ashfaq has sung in one of his poems. This is the faith of all revolutionaries. The four revolutionaries sentenced to death died with a smile-on their lips. They had only one prayer: they wanted to be born again in India so that they could fight for the freedom of the country. And so they became martyrs.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Poetry Kindled By Revolutionary Zeal</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaq and Ramaprasad were poets just as they were revolutionaries. Ashfaq had</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">composed poems mostly in Urdu and a few in Hindi. His pen names were Varasi' and ' Hazarath'. In one of his poems he complains, 'Alas! We are suppressing ourselves. Those that are suppressing us are neither the English, the Germans, the Russians nor the Turks but Indians themselves.' In another poem he declares, 'Oh my motherland, I live only to serve you. Whether I am sentenced for life or given a death sentence, I shall sing thy glories even with my chained hands.' In one long poem this is what Ashfaq sing:</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">'did not Lord Krishna say to Arjuna in the battlefield that life and death are unreal?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alas! Where is that wisdom? A man is bound to die; so why should any one be afraid of death? Let our motherland become free and shine through the ages. What matters whether we are alive or dead T In his poems we can see his pure love of the country and her freedom. He feels sorry that his countrymen do not have this spirit of patriotism and freedom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In one poem he thinks of the punishment of death; he shows his revolutionary spirit in this poem. He says, 'Sick of the tyranny of the British, we walk from Faizabad Jail towards Heaven.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In The Dark Shadow Of Death</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ramaprasad Bismil wrote his auto- biography (the story of his own life) in the prison a few days before his death. Had the authorities known about it, it would not have seen the light of day. But Rama- prasad had it secretly sent out of prison. He has given a moving account of his friendship with Ashfaq. He says, 'I remember clearly my first meeting with you in Shahjahanpur School; we met after the British Government declared its policy towards India. You were sincerely trying to meet me. You wanted to talk to me about the Mainpuri plot. I suspected your intentions because you were a Muslim and I talked to you in an insulting way. You were then greatly pained. You tried to convince me through friends that you were honest and earnest and that there was no pretence in you. You were determined to work hard for the good of the country. At last you won the day. By your efforts you won a place for yourself in my heart.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ramaprasad describes with great warmth how his friendship with Ashfaq grew after he had pulled down the walls of suspicion. He says, 'You became my brother in a few days' friendship. But you were not content to remain in the position of a brother. You wanted equality; you wanted to be one of my friends. You succeeded in your efforts. You became my honored and loved friend. Every one was surprised. I was a devout member of Arya Samaj; you were a devout Muslim. They wondered how we could be friendly.I used to invite Muslims to become Hindus. I lived in the hostels belonging to Arya Samaj. You never troubled yourself about it. Though my friends suspected you, you always walked the straight path firmly. You also used to visit the Arya Samaj Hostel. When there was a clash between the Hindus and the Muslims some of your people scolded you and called you a 'Kaafir' (non-believer). But you never joined them. You always supported Hindu-Muslim unity. You were a true Muslim and a great patriot. If you worried about any thing it was about Hindu Muslim unity. You wanted them to work for the betterment of the country. When I wrote an article or a book in Hindi, you used to ask me why I did not write in Urdu; you wanted that the Muslims also should read it. You learnt Hindi and became a scholar in it. You also used Hindi words while speaking at home. This surprised all.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Ashfaq tried to win Ramaprasad's friendship Ramaprasad suspected him. When they became friends, some people had needless doubts about Ashfaq. In this context Ramaprasad says, 'Some of your people feared that you would give up Islam. When there was nothing impure in your heart, where was the question of purifying you ? I understood the purity of your purpose; then I was completely won over. Some friends warned me that I should not trust a Muslim and get cheated.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">'But success was yours. Nothing could stand between us now. We ate from the same plate almost always. I began to get over the feeling that there is difference between Hindus and Muslims. You had great love for faith and me in me. You stopped calling me by my full name. Always I was just 'Ram' to you. Once you lost consciousness. Then you called out 'Ram, Ram' often. The Muslims around you were shocked that a Muslim wascalling on a Hindu God 'Ram' in his last moments. They told you to call on Allah. But you went on saying 'Ram, Ram'. By chance a friend who knew the meaning sent word to me. When you saw me you became calm.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where did this friendship lead these two souls? Ramaprasad himself describes it. 'What was the result of this friendship finally? Your ideas were shaped by mine. You became a revolutionary. You had then one goal. You wanted to spread these ideas among the Muslim youths. You tried hard to kindle their interest. You wanted to induce them to take part in revolutionary activities. You wanted to influence your friends and relatives. You never disobeyed me. You were always ready to carry out my instructions like an obedient disciple.’</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaqulla choose the path of service to the motherland. That path led him to the</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">hangman’s noose. His leaderRamaprasad, himself standing on the threshold of death,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">bids farewell to him in these words: ‘It makes me glad that you made me shine brighter in the world. It is worth mentioning in Indian History that Ashfaqulla took part in the revolutionary movement in India. Even though you were put in prison your ideals never changes. You are strong both physically and mentally. Your soul is nobly prepared. On account of all these virtues the judge named you as my right-hand man. When he delivered judgment he gave you the garland of victory in the form of the hangman’s noose. My dear brother, you will feel glad that he who sacrificed his ancestral properly for the motherland, he who reduced his parents to beggars, prosperity for the sake of the country and he who sacrificed his all including his own life for the freedom of the country, sacrificed his dearest friend, Ashfaq, for the sake of the motherland.’ These are the words of love and admiration that one martyr, Ramaprasad, spoke about another martyr, Ashfaqulla Khan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">An Indian Lives And Dies For India</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaqulla was an ideal revolutionary. His devotion to the cause he admired made him the foremost among those who gave their lives to win freedom for the country. He fully understood the real danger to the revolutionary movement in India from activities like the Kakori Train Robbery. But when all his friends and fellow workers jumped into the field, he did not keep away. He knew the danger, but he was not a coward. He was not afraid of speaking out his mind and warning others of the danger he foresaw so clearly.But when the leader went forward with his plan he followed in his footsteps. He knew full well that it would cost him his life. But his duty was to follows the leader.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Love of the motherland, clear thinking, courage, firmness and loyalty were embodied in Ashfaqulla in a very great measure. He deserves to be remembered and cherished by all Indians for his noble qualities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After a country becomes free there is no need to use force and violence. But when</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ashfaqulla and his friends were fighting for the freedom of the country they needed</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">money. They needed it not for themselves but for the sake of the country. They stopped the train carrying money and took it. Now that we have won freedom we need not do such deeds. But Ashfaqullaremains in our memory because of his noble example during a very difficult period in our country's history. We cannot forget his service to the nation and we ought not to forget it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is the birthright and good fortune of every Indian to serve India. To whatever religion a man may belong, his first and highest duty is to serve the country - this was the lesson Ashfaq wrote in the hearts of all people with his blood. He has left a lasting impression on the life of every Indian by his noble martyrdom. May his ideal ad his example shine forever in our hearts!</span><br /> <br /><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-51070890912406436772007-12-15T11:38:00.000-08:002007-12-15T12:47:01.083-08:00TATIA TOPE<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Q8o915f4I/AAAAAAAAAm0/CuYdRybAWkE/s1600-h/tatia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 268px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Q8o915f4I/AAAAAAAAAm0/CuYdRybAWkE/s320/tatia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144303348857012098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial;font-size:78%;color:#814000;"><b> <span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> "<span style="font-size:100%;">A hero of the fight for freedom in 1857. His very name made the mighty English generals tremble. Deceived by his friend, he faced death like a hero, for the sake of his country.</span></span></b><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tatia Tope</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The British troops had pitched their tents on the parade grounds near the fort of Shivpuri, 75 miles from Gwalior. The day was April 18, 1859. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. A smiling, charming prisoner was brought out of the prison.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">His hands and feet were chained. Under guard he was taken to the hangman's post. He had been condemned to death. The prisoner stepped towards the post fearlessly. There was no hesitation as he stepped upon the platform. It was the custom to cover the eyes of the condemned man with a scarf. When soldiers stepped forward with the scarf, he smiled and made signs to say, 'I don't need all this.' Nor did he allow the hands and feet to be bound. He himself put the noose around his neck. The rope was tightened. Then, at last, there was a pull....</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In a moment it was all over.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It was a heart-rending scene, which moved the whole country to tears. The man who was hanging lifeless on the gallows of the English was no criminal. He was not a thief, he was no cutthroat. He was the Supreme commander in the War of Indian Independence,which, in 1857, had challenged the hold of the British over India. It was he who, more than anybody else, shook the mighty British Empire to its foundations. Holding aloft the flag of freedom, he sought to break the chains of slavery and fought the military might of the English heroically. His name was Tatia Tope, a household word for bravery.</span><br /> <br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-30999307314829206302007-12-15T11:11:00.001-08:002007-12-15T11:11:58.365-08:00MADANLAL DHINGRA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Qmsd15f1I/AAAAAAAAAmc/QDrQVHzEbW4/s1600-h/M1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 301px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Qmsd15f1I/AAAAAAAAAmc/QDrQVHzEbW4/s320/M1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144279219730743122" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">MADANLAL DHINGRA</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Introduction</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra died young but his life was one of heroism and glory. In London, the heart of the British Empire, he killed an enemy of India. He died gladly for his country</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madanlal Dhingra</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">You have heard of the city of London, haven't you? It is the capital of England. It is a very attractive city with wide roads, tall buildings and rows and clusters of lights that arrest the eye. Some years ago it was famous as the capital of a very vast empire, the British Empire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A road in London is called Cromwell Road. About sixty-five years ago by the side of that road was situated a building known as 'India House'. It has a small room upstairs. One day, a stove was burning in full blaze on a table in the middle of the room. On the stove was a glass vessel; some chemicals were boiling in it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On either side of the table there were cupboards containing bottles full of acids.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Two persons were standing by the side of the burning stove, discussing something very important. They were thinking of something else and had totally forgotten the stove and the chemicals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The stove kept burning, and the vessel grew hotter and hotter. Just a' few moments more, and the chemicals inside would have exploded with a deafening sound; the glass jar would have been shattered to pieces, and the two persons would have been badly hurt. What was worse, people outside would have heard the explosion and rushed inside. The Police would have come. It would have been a great mishap.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The older one noticed it just in time. Oh Lord! That would be the end of their work. What could they do? They started looking for a pair of tongs with which to remove the vessel. There was no time even to search. The boiling grew more and more dangerous.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Even a moment's delay would lead to a great tragedy. All of a sudden, the younger one lifted the glass jar from the stove with his bare hands and put it on the table. The skin on his palms got burnt and there were boils all over them. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was not an easy thing he did. Only a man of quick decision and great courage could have done it. The younger man had these qualities. His feat surprised and delighted the older man. "Well done, Madan Bhai, well done!" he exclaimed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">They had reason to be so worried about it all. They were not experimenting in a college laboratory. They were secretly making bombs in order to free India from the clutches of the British. And that in London, the capital of the British Empire! What do you think would have happened if the British Government had come to know of it? The two persons and all those working with them would have been thrown into the jail.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">That Boy from Amritsar</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Both of them were great men. The older of the two was Savarkar, the brave fighter for freedom. He fought for nearly fifty years to drive out the British from India. The other one was Madanlal Dhingra, whose story you are going to read.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Punjab is one of the states of India. It is called Punjab because of the five holy rivers that flow in the area. 'Paanch Aab' means five waters, that is, five rivers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">From olden times the State has given birth to great saints and brave warriors. The Punjabis are great fighters. Some 450 years ago there was danger to Hinduism from Islam. Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion in order to save Hinduism at that time. It was here that Guru Govind Singh, the tenth 'Guru' of the Sikhs, fought for it. That is why the Punjab is known as 'the Sword - Arm of India.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amritsar is a city in Punjab. Here is a great temple of the Sikhs, built in the middle of a lake. It was here in Amritsar that Madanlal Dhingra was born.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I Madanlal's father was a rich man. He was called Doctor Sahib Ditta. He was a well-known doctor in Amritsar. He had earned a lot of money. He respected the British as much as he respected God.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra was the son of such a father. He had a brother who had gone to England to study medicine ; later he settled down there.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Like his father, he too regarded the British as gods.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra was unlike him. He was a smart lad from ‘childhood. He was good at sports as well as studies. He had his early schooling in Lahore and Amritsar. As a boy he used to dream that he would study well, take a degree and somehow go to England to become an engineer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But he would not ask his father for money. He therefore decided to work in order to earn the money he needed to go abroad. He was married by then and had a child too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra went to Kashmir and got a job in a Government department. He worked at Simla and Kolkatanga also and was able to earn enough money to be able to go to England.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A Merry Life</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Much against his father's will Dhingra boarded a ship leaving for England in July 1906. After several days of sea travel he reached England at last. Dhingra joined a University for the engineering degree in the month of October.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra was overjoyed to be in England. He felt like a bird released from the cage after many many days of imprisonment. He was free, he was happy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra used to take pleasure in wearing costly, smart suits; he used cosmetics and scents, and spent hours together before the mirror combing his hair. He liked to go for long walks in the streets of London in the evenings. He indulged in merriment in the company of friends, both boys and girls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">India House</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the brave fighter for freedom from Maharashtra, was in England at the time. Although he was there to study law he had engaged himself in something else. He had founded the India House. He used to collect all young Indians who went to England for higher studies there. He explained to them the miserable condition of our country. "Our mother, Bharat Mata, is being trampled underfoot by the British. She is groaning and in great misery. It is the bounden duty of her children to free her from the clutches of the inhuman brutes. If we all join and work together, we are sure to win freedom for the motherland. But we shall have to be prepared to face anything and even to lay down our lives." With such words, he filled their hearts with patriotism and made them brave heroes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">While roaming in the streets of London, Dhingra. Came to know of the India House.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One day he went there when Savarkar was making a speech before a gathering of enthusiastic young men. Savarkar was a very good speaker. All those present there were listening to him with rapt attention. Savarkar described the pitiable plight of our country. As he listened, Dhingra's blood began to boil. Strong feelings were aroused in him and it was difficult for him to contain them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">From that day, Savarkar was Dhingra's hero. He began to worship him and to attend his lectures with great interest. He accepted without question all that Savarkar said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar launched a major program in 1908. As far back as in 1857 Indian soldiers had revolted against the British and fought them. Savarkar had arranged for the anniversary celebration of this first was of independence. Through this program he was able to enthuse the Indian youths and flood their hearts with patriotism.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">All the Indian youths in Londonparticipated in the celebration whole-heartedly. The youthful students wore '1857 - Commemoration' badges on their coats and went to their classes. This annoyed many Englishmen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The British were extremely proud of their empire. They thought they were born to rule and the Indians were incapable of ruling over their own nation. Even among them were a few sensible persons and they were sympathetic towards India; but the majority of the British thought they were superior beings meant to lead the Indians. And here were young Indians displaying badges reminding the English of the revolt against them in 1857! And this was being done in their own country, in their very capital, in their very presence! Several Englishmen felt their blood boil.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra was wearing a smart suit and the badge on it. Exhibiting it proudly he was moving about in the college building. One of Dhingra's friends, an Englishman, Saw it. He was very, very angry. He went straight to Dhingra and tried to snatch away his badge. Before he could do it Dhingra slapped him hard in the face. Next, he knocked him down and sat on his chest.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Producing a knife from his pocket, Dhingra brandished it in his opponent's face and shouted: "Dare to touch the symbol of my country's honor, do you T' The poor Englishman begged for mercy. "For God's sake, let me go, I pray. I shall never offend you again," he moaned. Dhingra pardoned him, pitied him and let him go.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A Needle Straight Through the Palm!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra was capable of bearing a lot of physical pain. He hated idle talk and pointless discussions. He was ever ready for constructive work.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One day Dhingra and his friends had gathered in the India House and were discussing the heroic qualities of the Japanese, their courage and fortitude.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra did not like the attitude of his friends. "Enough of this praise of the Japanese," he said. "Do you suppose we Hindus are in any way inferior to them? Let the time come, and the Hindus will show their mettle to the whole world!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In the eyes of many people Dhingra was just a dandy; they thought he was a good for-nothing fellow. So they burst into laughter at his words. "0 we know you! You have a quick pair of heels", they taunted. Dhingra would not agree that his words were words of empty boast. The friends continued to taunt and jeer. The quarrel took a serious turn. It was decided to put Dhingra's bravery to the test and he agreed to it. One of them brought a long thick needle. He asked Dhingra to place his right hand on a table, and Dhingra did so.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">All eyes were on the hand. The man put the point of the needle on Dhingra's palm and started pressing it down. It cut into his flesh.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But not a sound came from Dhingra's lips. The man pressed the needle harder still. It passed through the palm and ran into the wooden top of the table. It was painful and the blood was freely flowing. But Dhingra sat still like a stone statue. Then the needle was removed. Dhingra was smiling as if nothing had happened.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">All the same, Dhingra's nature was strange. He had a sense of humor and would always be teasing somebody. When he went to India House, he would not attend any lecture other than Savarkar's.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One evening an important meeting was going on in India House. Dhingra had no mind to attend it. Then what else should he do?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He thought of a plan. He brought a gramophone and placing it near the window facing the road, started playing a record. When the music started, many girls gathered in the street near the window and started clapping rhythmically and dancing to the tune.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra joined them, at the same time whistling the tune. It was a noisy scene.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The meeting inside was very much disturbed by this. Savarkar rushed out and was shocked to find Dhingra there. He felt like beating him black and blue then and there. "Madan!" thundered Savarkar, "Stop that wretched music!" Dhingra obeyed. White with anger, Savarkar looked at Dhingra and shouted, "Madan! You should be ashamed of yourself. There is a meeting going on inside.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">You don't attend it, but here you are making a fool of yourself. You stay away from the meeting and become a nuisance to those who attend it. O, shame upon you Madan! What is the use of all that talk about?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Fight-to-the-finish and self-sacrifice if this is what you do in practice?" Dhingra hung his head in shame and walked away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Days passed. Two months rolled by and Dhingra did not step into India House. He was angry, perhaps. He must have felt offended that everybody thought him irresponsible. Savarkar was worried about Dhingra. What had happened to him? Where was he? Why had he not come again!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ready for a Great Event</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One evening Dhingra walked in all of a sudden and stood before Savarkar. There was no one else there. Looking straight into his eyes, Dhingra asked, "Savarkar, tell me now, has the time come for me to sacrifice myself?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Madan Bhai, if the person ready to sacrifice himself feels the time has come, it means it has!" replied Savarkar. "Then, Savarkar, I am ready," s Dhingra.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar took him inside his room. They had a long discussion. The stage was set for a great event in Dhingra's life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The struggle for freedom was in full swing in India at that time. Processions by the people, lathi-charge and firing by the Police - these were daily affairs. The British did not want to let India out of there strangle hold. They used to take away raw materials like mineral ores and cotton to England and use them; then they brought the finished goods to India and made money. They paid their own people high salaries and sent them to India to extract hard work from the Indians and to exploit the wealth of this country. If the Indians woke up, if India became free, what a terrible loss to the English! So those who voiced the demand for freedom became the enemies of the British Government. They were beaten up mercilessly with the help of the Police and the army. Arrests and self-sacrifice were daily happenings. Lokamanya Tilak, Lala Lajpatrai and such other leaders guided India’s struggle for freedom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On the other hand, there were young revolutionaries who fought with arms. Khudiram Bose and Praphullachandra Chaki exploded the first bomb in Bengal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra felt a strange urge within him whenever he heard such news. He hated the British with all his heart. Something happened in the meantime as if to add fuel to the fire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar's elder brother, Ganesh Damodar Savarkar, affectionately called Babarao Savarkar, was a revolutionary. The British Government had arrested and awarded him transportation sentence. This meant being taken away by sea to the Island called the Andamans and jailed there. The place was full of snakes, scorpions and wild animals. Those who were a danger to the society, such as murderers and dacoits, were usually sent to the Andamans and put in prison there. And it was to such jails that those who fought for India's freedom were sent!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra was unable to control his anger when he heard of the arrest of Babarao Savarkar and the transportation sentence. He was already determined to make the British taste a Hindu youth's revenge. The Government's action served to feed the fire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In order to put his plan into practice he bought a revolver and practiced shooting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A Cunning Fox</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">There was an association in London called the National Indian Association. Its aim was to make the Indian youths that went to England for higher studies great admirers of the British. It used to transform patriotic young men into traitors by teaching them all soft of vices. One Miss Emma Josephine Beck was its secretary.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra visited the office of the National Indian Association in the month of March 1909. He met and talked to Emma Beck. He made friends with her. He made interested enquiries about the Association. He expressed a desire to become a member. The very next month he enrolled himself as a member.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The British Government was a very cunning Government. It had formed a committee to poison the minds of the Indian youths about their own nation. Sir William Curzon Wyllie was one of the three important members of this committee. He was a cunning fox.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He was an expert in talking sweetly and poisoning others' minds. He was an adviser in the office of the Secretary of State for India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He had many opportunities to work out his evil plans. The Indian students, therefore, hated him. They wanted to finish him if they get an opportunity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This Curzon Wyllie was a good friend of Dhingra's father as well as of his brother. His father used to write to Wyllie asking him to take care of Dhingra. Accordingly Wyllie met Dhingra off and on and pretended to take interest in his welfare. Dhingra, in return, pretended to have faith in him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Gradually Wyllie started persuading Dhingra to tell him all the secrets of the India House.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But Dhingra used to meet Savarkar quite often; he used to tell him all that was going on. He even told Wyllie a few important things about the India House, but he always informed Savarkar about it and took his permission to do so. Letting on the secrets to Wyllie was just a bit of play-acting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The First of July</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Babarao Savarkar was sentenced to transportation for life on 8th June. Dhingra tried to murder Curzon Wyllie the same day. But his victim escaped. So Dhingra the huntsman was biding his time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">First of July 1909. The National Indian Association was to celebrate its annual day. Dhingra met Emma Beck and collected information. He was happy to learn that Wyllie would attend the function.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra met Savarkar secretly on 20th June. He explained his intentions and plans to Savarkar. Savarkar was quite pleased.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The First of July was a Thursday. And Dhingra was determined to take revenge for the dishonor done to India, on that day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He had food early that day. Taking his revolver he went to the training institute to practice shooting. He fired twelve shots to improve his aim.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was six o'clock in the evening when he returned to his room. He had a hurried wash and changed his clothes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He put on a sky-blue turban in the Punjabi style and a smart suit, a necktie and dark glasses. He filled up his coat pockets with a revolver, two pistols and two knives. He was now ready to sacrifice the sheep called Wyllie to Kali Mata.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The venue chosen for the annual day celebrations was the Jehangir hall of the Imperial Institute. Dhingra reached the place at eight. He went in straight and talked to people there for some time. Smartly dressed men and colorfully attired women had assembled in the hall which was tastefully decorated with balloons and paper flags in various hues. There was a gay atmosphere.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra's friend Emma came 'to greet him. He talked to her as if he was very happy to see her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was past ten. Every now and then Dhingra was looking eagerly towards the entrance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Curzon Wyllie and his wife arrived. Their arrival added zest to the merriment. It was about eleven when the proceeding ended.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Wyllie got down from the dais. Then there was some music. Wyllie was moving around talking to people informally.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra approached Wyllie who raised his eyebrows and said, "Hullo." Dhingra drew nearer. He stood quite close to Wyllie and pretended to tell him something in confidence. He lowered his head in order to hear Dhingra's secret.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Suddenly Dhingra took out his revolver from his pocket. Aiming at Willie’s chest, he fired two shots: "Bang! Bang!" the shots rang out. With a scream Wyllie fell to the ground. Dhingra fired two more shots at him. Curzon lay dead on the floor. A Parsi gentleman called Cowasjee Lalkaka rushed to the aid of Wyllie. Dhingra fired a shot at him and Cowasjee fell to the ground too. He died in the hospital a few days later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">There was utter chaos in Jehangir Hall. All those who had gathered there stood shocked and shivering. "Catch him, thrash him,"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">some shouted. One man rushed to Dhingra to disarm him. Dhingra hit him on the neck with his left hand. The man's neck was swollen. His bones broke. He fell down, blood flowing from his mouth.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But Dhingra was calm and collected. He was smiling. "Just a moment, let me wear my glasses," he said, and put them on. The Police arrested him. A doctor came forward to feel his pulse. It was normal, and calm as ever. On the other hand the doctor was shivering from head to foot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Although he had committed such a grim murder, Dhingra was not in the least afraid. He firmly believed that what he had done was right. He was taken to the Police station. He slept soundly even in Police custody!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">London is rocked</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">All the newspapers in London carried the news of the cold-blooded murder of Wyllie. People were shocked. Dhingra had a written statement in his pocket; the Police snatched and hid it. Savarkar came to know of the incident. Information about it reached India in no time. Indian revolutionaries rejoiced over it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra's name became a household word in England and India. PatrioticIndians regarded him as a great hero. But some Indians disapproved of Dhingra's act. They openly condemned what he had done. Even his father, Sahib Ditta, sent a cable from India: "I disown Madan as my son. He has disgraced my fair name." His brother declared that he had nothing to do with Dhingra any more, since what Dhingra had done was a serious crime.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He was thus let down by the members of his own family. But the patriotic among Indians regarded him as their own brother. They praised him as a great son of India who had brought her honor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But there were some Indians who were puppets in the hands of the British. They wanted to hold a meeting to condemn Dhingra's conduct. They decided to meet in Caxton Hall in London on the Fifth of July for the purpose.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra's friends came to know of it. Savarkar was furious. "A brave Indian youth is even ready to sacrifice his life, he performs a heroic act. And here are Indians out to condemn him I It is shameful I" he thundered. It was decided to see that the resolution condemning Dhingra's deed was not passed without opposition.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar went to attend the meeting accompanied by a few friends. They all sat very near the dais.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The meeting started. The Aga Khan, who presided over the meeting, rose to read out the resolution. "This meeting has unanimously passed the resolution condemning the conduct of Dhingra...." he began. But a voice thundered from somewhere:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"No, the resolution is not unanimous!" The whole gathering was stunned.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Who is that?" the Aga Khan shouted.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"It is me, Savarkar, and I oppose it!" was the reply. People began to disperse on seeing him. They were afraid to face him. But a young Englishman rushed towards Savarkar and hit him hard in the face with his fist. "Just have a taste of an Englishman's anger!" he said. Savarkar's spectacles were broken to pieces. Blood started flowing down his face. But Savarkar did not mind it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Happen what may, I oppose this resolution," he insisted. Then, Thirumalacharya, a revolutionary who had accompanied Savarkar, raised his lathi. Rushing towards the English youth, and saying, "Just have a taste of an Indian's anger!" he thrashed him soundly. The Englishman ran for his life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Such was the love of Savarkar and his friends for Dhingra and their pride in him. They would not tolerate any insult to his honor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In the Witness Box</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra was tried in the London High Court. He was just indifferent. All he said was: "I never intended to kill Lalkaka. But I had to shoot in self-defence."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madanlal Dhingra was put within the four walls of the Brixton Jail. Savarkar went to see him there. He was proud of his disciple's courageous achievement. "Savarkar, after my death, the funeral rites should be performed in the Hindu way. No Non-Hindu should touch my body. Auction my belongings and donate the money to the 'National Fund," Dhingra told Savarkar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He made his statement in the court on the Tenth of July. It echoed everywhere.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This is what he said: "Just as the Germans have no right to occupy England, so the Britons have no right to occupy India. It is legal to kill the Englishmen, who have set their unholy feet on our motherland. Do sentence me to death! That is what I ask for. For that will fan the fire of revenge in the hearts of my countrymen!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The evening newspapers contained Dhingra's statement. "Dhingra's statement is strange," the papers commented; "He says he is a patriot who is sacrificing his life for the good of his motherland, and his Indian brethren will avenge his death!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The trial was over on July the Twenty-fifth. The court delivered judgement. What was it? Death I The date for it was fixed too. It was the Seventeenth of August 1909.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dhingra's Statement Appears outside England</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Police had stolen and hidden the statement prepared by Dhingra. When Dhingra asked them to read it in the court they pretended as if they knew nothing about it. Savarkar came to know of it. He had a copy of the statement. An idea struck Savarkar. 'I must do something to get this historic statement published in all the papers of important countries before Madanlal breathes his last. That will give him some consolation at the time of his death', he thought.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar called a revolutionary friend of his called Gyan Chand Varma and told him to get the statement printed in all the important papers of European countries. Gyan Chand Varma took it and went to Paris secretly. There he printed thousands of copies of the statement.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He sent it to the leading newspapers of several important countries like Germany, Italy and America.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">‘The Daily News’ was an important newspaper published from London. An English friend of Savarkar’s was working in the ‘Daily News’. While the paper was being printed at night, he inserted Dhingra’s statement; no one else knew what he was doing. So on the 16th of August, a day before Dhingra’s death, the statement appeared in the ’Daily News. Dhingra was overjoyed when he came to know of it. He danced for joy inside the jail.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The following is the gist of Dhingra’s statement:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A Challenge</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It is true I tried to shed the blood of an Englishman. It is a small measure of revenge against the British who are torturing the Indian youths. I alone am responsible for my action.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">My country is enslaved. We are struggling hard to achieve independence. We are not allowed to have arms. We are not allowed to carry guns. So I had to attack with a pistol!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I am a Hindu. I believe an insult to my Nation is an insult to my God. I am not intelligent. I am not mighty. What can I offer to my Mother except my blood? Therefore I am shedding my blood in the service of my Motherland. To me the service of Lord Bharat Mata is the service of Sree Rama. Service of my Mother is service of Lord Krishna. Therefore I am sacrificing my life for her sake, and I am proud of it. I wish to be born-again and again in India until she achieves independence. I wish to sacrifice my life again and again for India! May God grant me this one wish of mine!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Vande Mataram!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Moment of Martyrdom</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">August the 17th was the day set for Dhingra's death. It was decided to hang him in the Pentonville Jail.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was a day of great sorrow for his friends. Outwardly he had looked like a dandy but what patriotism flooded his heart! His friends wept in grief and admiration.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Savarkar and his friends were not idle on that day. They printed a handout. They stood in the streets, their hearts heavy with sorrow, their minds tense and anxious. They distributed copies of the handout to passers-by pleading, "Read this, we beg of you, read this." And this is what it said:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Today is the 17th of August, 1909. This is a date that should be written in the heart of every patriotic Indian in blood. Today will Dhingra, our best friend and greatest patriot, be hanged in the Pentonville Jail. His spirit will guide us. His sacred name will adorn the pages of history. Our enemies will kill him. But they cannot kill our struggle for freedom. Let them never forget this!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This happy-go-lucky young man came to London in the month of July 1906. He used to take pleasure in wearing smart clothes and roaming about in the streets of London. He was fond of cosmetics and used to sit before the mirror for hours on end making him handsome.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Just three years later the same young man welcomed his death with a smile. What a great change in so short a time!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Wearing nice clothes, going to parties with friends, whistling and roaming about in the streets, they were all natural to a young man of his age. If Dhingra had remained just a dandy, nobody would have remembered him today. He would be just one of the many nameless ones of the earth that are born and dead, and are heard of no more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But Dhingra wanted to be of use to his country. He died for its sake, but he lives in our hearts. He is immortal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He went to England to study engineering. As an engineer he could have earned heaps of money, acquired a status, and led a comfortable life. He would have lived longer and lived happily.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But his countrymen were living like slaves. They were dead though living. Dhingra died so that we could live. He and martyrs like him laid down their lives and gave life to us. His body died, but he lives in the hearts of his countrymen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">What Shall We Do?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Madanlal Dhingra went to the gallows that day. With the holy Gita in his hands and the sacred names of Rama and Krishna on his lips he smilingly embraced death. We remember him today with reverence; we bow to him in gratitude.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In those days when the British tried to suppress the Indians cruelly, thousands of brave men and women fought and sacrificed their lives. They sacrificed their personal happiness. They had to be away from their beloved wives and children. "Let us free Bharat Mata from foreign rule first and then think of our personal happiness!" - this was the ideal they had before them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Indian's independence is a plant they watered with their blood; it is the fruit of their toil and the result of their self-sacrifice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Twenty-five years have passed since we achieved independence. It is our responsibility to preserve what those martyrs won by sacrificing their lives. They fought to win freedom; we have to fight to preserve freedom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Let us draw our inspiration and strength to serve our nation from the glorious examples of Madanlal Dhingra and the thousands of martyrs like him. May they shower their blessings on us! May the patriotism, the courage and the loyalty of those great men guide us! Let our one prayer be may these heroic martyrs inspire us to serve our own beloved motherland! With the grace of God, may we be fit to serve our beloved motherland!</span><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-44452455818771708662007-12-15T11:05:00.000-08:002007-12-15T11:07:29.501-08:00RAMPRASAD BISMIL<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Ae46XtjtI/AAAAAAAAAaM/Y1ML45866To/s1600-h/RAM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Ae46XtjtI/AAAAAAAAAaM/Y1ML45866To/s320/RAM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143144737547325138" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ram Prasad Bismil (1897-1927) was one of the great Indian freedom fighters, who also participated in the Kakori train robbery. He was a member of the Arya Samaj.He was also a great poet and has written several inspiring verses. He was prosecuted by the British Government in India. Ramaprasad Bismil joined the select band of martyrs who dreamt of a free India and made the supreme sacrifice, so that the dream might come true. Bismil, along with stalwarts like Ashfaqulla Khan, Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagawati Charan, Rajguru and others organised several upheavals against the British. They printed literature, provided shelter to revolutionaries, made hand bombs and were a constant source of headache to the British Government. Most famous of them are best remembered for the Kakori train robbery and the bombing of the Punjab assembly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">'Bismil' is the penname of Ramaprasad. As 'Bismil' he is well known as a great revolutionary poet in Hindi. At the end of his autobiography, he has reproduced some selected poems. Every line of his poems throbs with patriotic fervour.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In one poem he prays: "Even if I have to face death a thousand times for the sake of my Motherland, I shall not be sorry. Oh Lord! Grant me a hundred births in Bharath. But grant me this, too, that each time I may give up my life in the service of the Mother land."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In a poem written just before going to the gallows, he prays: "Oh Lord! Thy will be done. You are unique. Neither my tears nor I will endure. Grant me this boon, that to my last breath and the last drop of my blood, I may think of you and be immersed in your work."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Childhood</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ramprasad was born in the year 1897 at Shahjahanpur,Uttar Pradesh. His ancestors hailed from the state of Gwalior.His father Muralidhar was with the municipality of Shahjahanpur.He was the second of two siblings.He is known for his association with fellow Indian revolutionaryAshfaqulla Khan.</span><br /><br /><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-57151636598512988352007-12-15T11:04:00.001-08:002007-12-15T11:04:55.781-08:00KARTAR SINGH SARABHA<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AhqKXtjuI/AAAAAAAAAaU/EUZBwhJY2eU/s1600-h/KARTARSINGH.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AhqKXtjuI/AAAAAAAAAaU/EUZBwhJY2eU/s320/KARTARSINGH.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143147782679138018" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Kartar Singh Sarabha</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : 1896</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Nov 16, 1915</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Sarabha</span><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Revolutionary Kartar Singh, the great devotee of Bellona, the goddess of war, was only twenty years old when he sacrificed himself on the altar of goddess of freedom. There was only one aim of his life, only one desire, only one hope - all that held meaning in his life was revolution. Kartar Singh was born in Sarabha, a village in district Ludhiana, in 1896. He was the only son of his parents. He was still very young when his father died. His grandfather brought him up with great care. After passing the ninth grade, he went to Orissa to live with his uncle. He completed his high school and began college while there. It was the year 1910-1911, when he had the opportunity to read a lot of books outside the narrow range of school or college text books. This was also the time of nationalist movement. It was this political environment that aroused the feeling of patriotism in him. It was then that he decided that he must travel to America. The family did not have any opposition to that. He arrived in San Francisco in 1912. Having arrived in the "free nation" his tender heart was subjected to blows and humiliation at every step. He would be very upset when he heard himself being called a damn Hindu or black man by the whites. At every step he felt his country's dignity and respect in jeopardy. It was impossible for him to remain calm. The question began to haunt him. How would the country become free if peaceful means failed. Without wasting much time in thinking, he began to organize Indian laborers. Many persons joined him when the work progressed. A special meeting of these people took place in May 1912. A few selected Indians attended that meeting. All of them took vow to dedicate their mind, body and wealth for the freedom of their country. Meantime the exiled Punjabi patriot Bhagwan Singh reached there. Meetings began to take place in a great number.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Intensive teaching became the name. Work was increased. The file was prepared. Then the need for a paper was felt. A paper named Gadar was launched. Its first issue was published in November 1913. Kartar Singh was also a member of its editorial board. His pen was very powerful. The dedication with which Kartar Singh worked gave courage to all others. In the meantime he joined an institute in New York to learn how to fly a plane and began his mission there wholeheartedly. In September 1914 Kamagata Maru ship had to return without unloading its human cargo after its passenger suffered indescribable tortures at the hand of the imperialist whites. So Kartar Singh along with Kranti Priya Gupta and an American anarchist named Jack went to Japan. He met Baba Gurdit Singh in Kobe and held consultations with him. From Yugantar Ashram, San Francisco, copies of Gadar, Gadar ki Gunj and many other publications were printed and distributed regularly. Propaganda was increasing every day. Enthusiasm kept in the air. Kartar Singh forcefully advocated for returning to India. Then he himself sailed for Colombo (Sri Lanka). In those people returning from America and going to Punjab were quite often safely. But Kartar Singh did. He dedicated himself to the Party wholeheartedly. They lacked organization. Somehow that was created. In December young Maratha revolutionary Vishnu Ganesh Pingle also reached India. Through their efforts Shachindra Nath Sanyal and Ras Behari also came to Punjab. Kartar Singh was everywhere - if there was a secret meeting in Moga, he was there, next day, message was to be spread among the students in Lahore, he would be the first to be there. Next, the efforts were being made to have an alliance with Ferozepur Cantonments soldiers or there was a need to go to Calcutta for acquiring the arms. He would go everywhere. But there was no money. For that Kartar Singh suggested armed robbery. Many of his colleagues were dumb-founded at the suggestion. He asked them not to worry, told them that even Bhai Parmanand is in favor of robberies. He was given the job to confirm this assertion. Next day he told his colleagues that he had asked him and had his consent. He could not bear the thought that due to the lack of finances, there should be a delay in launching a revolution. He even did robberies to collect money. Preparation was made for revolt to take place in February 1915. In the first week (of Feb. 1915) he along with Pingle and some other friends went to Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Meerut and other places to meet people and consult them about the coming revolt. Finally the day for which they waited so long was drawing near. February 21, 1915 was the day fixed for launching the revolt all over India. All preparations were being made according to that. But at the same time a rat was sitting at the root of the tree of their hopes branches was nibbling at it. Four or five days before (the appointed date) it was suspected that every thing would be ruined because of the betrayal by Kirpal Singh. The misfortune of India can be the only reason for all this. Kartar Singh reached Ferozepur with his fifty or sixty colleagues according to the place. He met with his friend soldier Havaldar and talked to him about the revolt. But Kirpal Singh had already spoiled everything. Indian soldiers were disarmed. Arrests were made on a mass scale. Havaldar refused to help. Efforts of Kartar Singh were unsuccessful. He went to Lahore disappointed. The pace of arrests all over Punjab was quickened. There they were caught. They were chained. Judges were very impressed by his bravery. But like an enemy with big heart they did not call his bravery as bravery but remembered him with shameless words. Not only they showered abuses on Kartar Singh, but gave him the sentence to be hanged. He smiled and thanked the judges. The case lasted for a year and a half. On November 16, 1915 he was hanged. That day too he was happy as always. His weight too increased. He embraced the hanging rope with the words, "Victory to Mother India."</span><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-43609996192365664972007-12-15T11:02:00.000-08:002007-12-15T11:03:21.496-08:00GIVIND BALLABH PANT<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AjgaXtjvI/AAAAAAAAAac/jD5y3G9t-IA/s1600-h/govind-ballabh2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 238px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AjgaXtjvI/AAAAAAAAAac/jD5y3G9t-IA/s320/govind-ballabh2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143149814198669042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Govind Ballabh Pant</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Date of Birth : Sep 10, 1887</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Mar 7, 1961</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Uttar Pradesh</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Govind Ballabh Pant was an Indian freedom fighter, an important political leader from Uttar Pradesh and of the movement to establish Hindi as the national language of India. As a lawyer in Kashipur, Pant began his active work against the British Raj in 1914, when he helped a local parishad, or village council, their successful challenge of a law requiring locals to provide free transportation of the luggage of travelling British officials. In 1921, he entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. In 1930, he was arrested and imprisoned for several weeks for organizing a Salt March inspired by Gandhi's earlier actions. In 1933, he was arrested and imprisoned for seven months for attending a session of the then-banned provincial Congress. In 1935, the ban was rescinded, and Pant joined the new Legislative Council.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">During the Second World War, Pant acted as the tiebreaker between Gandhi's faction, which advocated supporting the British Crown in their war effort, and Subash Chandra Bose's faction, which advocated taking advantage of the situation to expel the British Raj by any means necessary. In 1940, Pant was arrested and imprisoned for helping organize the Satyagraha movement. In 1942 he was arrested again, this time for signing the Quit India resolution, and imprisoned until March of 1945, at which point Jawaharlal Nehru had to plead for Pant's release, on grounds of failing health. After independence in 1947, Pant became Chief Minister of the United Provinces, which he renamed Uttar Pradesh. Among his achievements in that position was the abolition of the zamindari system. He was called on to succeed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as Home Minister after Patel's death in 1950; in that position, his chief achievement was the establishment of Hindi as an official language. In 1957, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span> </div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-58111898732962755782007-12-15T11:01:00.001-08:002007-12-15T11:01:45.312-08:00Dr .RAJENDRA PRASAD<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AlGaXtjwI/AAAAAAAAAak/OPfYusohNMg/s1600-h/dr-rajendra-prasad2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 260px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AlGaXtjwI/AAAAAAAAAak/OPfYusohNMg/s320/dr-rajendra-prasad2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143151566545325826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dr. Rajendra Prasad</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Dec 3, 1884</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Feb 28, 1963</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Zeradei, Bihar</span><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India. Rajendra Prasad was a great freedom-fighter, and the architect of the Indian Constitution, having served as President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of the Republic from 1948 to 1950. He had also served as a Cabinet Minister briefly in the first Government of Independent India. He was a crucial leader of the Indian Independence Movement. Prasad was born in Jiradei, in the Siwan district of Bihar. His father, Mahadev Sahay, was a Persian and Sanskrit language scholar; his mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a devout lady who would tell stories from the Ramayana to her son. At the age of 5, the young Rajendra Prasad was sent to a Maulavi for learning Persian. After that he was sent to Chapra Zilla School for further primary studies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">;</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He was married at the age of 12 to Rajvanshi Devi. He then went on to study at R.K. Ghosh's Academy in Patna to be with his older brother Mahendra Prasad. Soon afterward, however, he rejoined the Chapra Zilla School, and it was from there that he passed the entrance examination of Calcutta University, at the age of 18. He stood first in the first division of that examination. He then joined the Presidency College, Calcutta. He was initially a student of science and his teachers included J.C.Bose and Prafulla Chandra Roy. Later he decided to switch his focus to the arts. Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, who was impressed by his intellect and dedication asked him on the occasion "Why have you deserted your class?." Prasad lived with his brother in the Eden Hindu Hostel. A plaque still commemorates his stay in that room. He had been initiated into the Swadeshi movement by his brother. He then joined the Dawn Society run by Satish Chandra Mukherjee, and Sister Nivedita. In 1911, he joined the A.I.C.C. However, his family estate was in bad condition. He was looked upon as the provider. But he sought permission from his brother in a letter to join the Indian freedom movement. He wrote, "Ambitions I have none, except to be of some service to the Motherland". The shock of his brother, however, held him to the family. In 1916, Rajendra Prasad joined the High Court of Bihar, and Orissa. Such was his intellect and his integrity, that often when his adversary failed to cite a precedent, the judges asked Rajendra Prasad to cite a precedent against himself. After meeting Mahatma Gandhi, he quit as a Senator of the University, much to the regret of the British Vice-Chancellor.He also responded to the call by the Mahatma to boycott Western education by asking his son Mrityunjaya Prasad, a brilliant student to drop out of the University and enroll himself in Bihar Vidyapeeth, an institution he had along with his colleagues founded on the traditional Indian model. He wrote articles for Searchlight and the Desh and collected funds for these papers. He toured a lot, explaining, lecturing and exhorting. When the earthquake of Bihar occurred on January 15, 1934, Rajendra Prasad was in jail. He was released two days later. He set himself for the task of raising funds. The Viceroy had also raised a fund. However, while Rajendra Prasad's fund collected over 38 Lakhs (Rs. 3,800,000), the Viceroy could only manage one-third of that amount. The way relief was organized left nothing to be desired. Nationalist India expressed its admiration by electing him to the President of the Bombay session of the Indian National Congress.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">After India became independent he was elected the President of India. As President, he used his moderating influence so silently and unobtrusively that he neither reigned nor ruled. His sister Bhagwati Devi died on the night of 25 January 1960. She doted on her dearly-loved younger brother. It must have taken Rajendra Prasad all his will power to have taken the Republic Day salute as usual, on the following day. It was only on return from the parade that he set about the task of cremation. In 1962, after 12 years as President, he announced his decision to retire. He was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian award. Within months of his retirement, early in September 1962, his wife Rajvanshi Devi passed away. In a letter written a month before his death to one devoted to him, he said, "I have a feeling that the end is near, end of the energy to do, end of my very existence". He died on 28 February 1963 with 'Ram Ram Ram' on his lips. Because of the enormous public adulation he enjoyed, he was referred to as Desh Ratna or the Jewel of the country. His legacy is being ably carried forward by his great grandson Ashoka Jahnavi-Prasad, a psychiatrist and a scientist of international repute who introduced sodium valproate as a safer alternative to lithium salts in the treatment of bipolar disorders</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-84719534442843483842007-12-15T10:59:00.001-08:002007-12-15T10:59:50.847-08:00PURUSHOTTAM DAS TANDON<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AmUKXtjxI/AAAAAAAAAas/MNc7H9OayvA/s1600-h/purushottam-das2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 237px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AmUKXtjxI/AAAAAAAAAas/MNc7H9OayvA/s320/purushottam-das2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143152902280154898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Purushottam Das Tandon</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Aug 1, 1882</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Jul 1, 1962</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Uttar Pradesh</span><br /> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Purushottam Das Tandon was a freedom fighter from Uttar Pradesh in India, of Punjabi Khatri descent. He is widely remembered for his efforts in achieving the Official Language of India status for Hindi. He was revered as Rajarshi. Purushottam Das Tandon was born at Allahabad. After obtaining a degree in law and an MA in history, he started practising in 1906 and joined the bar of Allahabad High Court in 1908 as a junior to Tej Bahadur Sapru. He gave up practise in 1921 to concentrate on public activities.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He was a member of Congress Party since his student days in 1899. In 1906, he represented Allahabad in the AICC. He was associated with the Congress Party committee that studied the Jallianwala Bagh incident in 1919. He was also a part of the Servants of the People Society. In the 1920s and 1930s he was arrested for participating in the Non-Cooperation movement and Salt Satyagraha respectively. He and Nehru were among the people arrested even before Mahatma Gandhi returned from the Round Table Conference at London in 1931. He was known for his efforts in farmers' movements and he served as the President, Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha in 1934. He worked as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the present-day Uttar Pradesh for a period of 13 years, from July 31, 1937 to August 10, 1950. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India in 1946. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1952 and the Rajya Sabha in 1956. He retired from active public life after that due to indifferent health. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award in 1961.</span><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-62514638878642333252007-12-15T10:57:00.000-08:002007-12-15T10:58:09.968-08:00VINOBA BHAVE<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Ao56XtjyI/AAAAAAAAAa0/jLa1wl1qXrg/s1600-h/vinoba-bhave2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 234px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Ao56XtjyI/AAAAAAAAAa0/jLa1wl1qXrg/s320/vinoba-bhave2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143155749843472162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Vinoba Bhave</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Sep 11, 1895</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Nov 15, 1982</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Maharashtra</span><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Vinoba Bhave, born Vinayak Narahari Bhave and often called Acharya (In Sanskrit and Hindi means teacher), is considered as a National Teacher of India and the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi. He was born in Gagode, Maharashtra on September 11, 1895 into a pious family of the Chitpavan Brahmin clan. He was highly inspired after reading the Bhagavad Gita, one of the holiest Hindu scriptures at a very young age. He was associated with Mahatma Gandhi in the Indian independence movement. In 1932 he was sent to jail by the British colonial government because of his fight against British rule. There he gave a series of talks on the Gita, in his native language Marathi, to his fellow prisoners. These highly inspiring talks were later published as the book "Talks on the Gita", and it has been translated to many languages both in India and elsewhere. Vinoba felt that the source of these talks was something above and he believed that its influence will endure even if his other works were forgotten. In 1940 he was chosen by Gandhi to be the first Individual Satyagrahi (an Individual standing up for Truth instead of a collective action) against the British rule. Bhave also participated in the Quit India Movement.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Vinoba's religious outlook was very broad and it synthesized the truths of many religions. This can be seen in one of his hymns "Om Tat" which contains symbols of many religions. He was also a scholar of many languages. Vinoba observed the life of the average Indian living in a village and tried to find solutions for the problems he faced with a firm spiritual foundation. This formed the core of his Sarvodaya (Awakening of all potentials) movement. Another example of this is the Bhoodhan (land gift) movement. He walked all across India asking people with land to consider him as one of their sons and so give him a portion of their land which he then distributed to landless poor. Nonviolence and compassion being a hallmark of his philosophy, he also campaigned against the slaughtering of cows. Vinoba spent the later part of his life at his ashram in Paunar, Maharashtra. He controversially backed the Indian Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling it Anushasana Parva (Time for Discipline).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He died on November 15, 1982 after refusing food and medicine few days earlier. Some Indians have identified this as sallekhana. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983.</span><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-5038379861647995102007-12-15T10:56:00.001-08:002007-12-15T10:56:41.563-08:00SHAHEED UDHAM SINGH<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2ApvKXtjzI/AAAAAAAAAa8/z91JsvNMLh4/s1600-h/udham-singh2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 239px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2ApvKXtjzI/AAAAAAAAAa8/z91JsvNMLh4/s320/udham-singh2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143156664671506226" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Shaheed Udham Singh</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Dec 26, 1899</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : July 31, 1940</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Sunam</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Udham Singh was one of the great patriots of India, born as Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam, in the then princely state of Patiala. His father, Tahal Singh, was at that time working as a watchman on a railway crossing in the neighbouring village of Upall. Sher Singh lost his parents before he was seven years and was admitted along with his brother Mukta Singh to the Central Khalsa Orphanage at Amritsar on 24 October 1907. As both brothers were administered the Sikh initiatory rites at the Orphanage, they received new names, Sher Singh becoming Udham Singh and Mukta Singh Sadhu Singh. In 1917, Udham Singh's brother also died, leaving him alone in the world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Udham Singh left the Orphanage after passing the matriculation examination in 1918. He was present in the Jallianvala Bag on the fateful Baisakhi day, 13 April 1919, when a peaceful assembly of people was fired upon by General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, killing over one thousand people. The event which Udham Singh used to recall with anger and sorrow, turned him to the path of revolution. Soon after, he left India and went to the United States of America. He felt thrilled to learn about the militant activities of the Babar Akalis in the early 1920's, and returned home. He had secretly brought with him some revolvers and was arrested by the police in Amritsar, and sentenced to four years imprisonment under the Arms Act. On release in 1931, he returned to his native Sunam, but harassed by the local police, he once again returned to Amritsar and opened a shop as a signboard painter, assuming the name of Ram Muhammad Singh Azad. This name, which he was to use later in England, was adopted to emphasize the unity of all the religious communities in India in their struggle for political freedom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Udham Singh was deeply influenced by the activities of Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group. In 1935, when he was on a visit to Kashmlr, he was found carrying Bhagat Singh's portrait. He invariably referred to him as his guru. He loved to sing political songs, and was very fond of Ram Prasad Bismal, who was the leading poet of the revolutionaries. After staying for some months in Kashmir, Udham Singh left India. He wandered about the continent for some time, and reached England by the mid-thirties. He was on the lookout for an opportunity to avenge the Jalliavala Bagh tragedy. The long-waited moment at last came on 13 March 1940. On that day, at 4.30 p.m. in the Caxton Hall, London, where a meeting of the East India Association was being held in conjunction with the Royal Central Asian Society, Udham Singh fired five to six shots from his pistol at Sir Michael O'Dwyer, who was governor of the Punjab when the Amritsar massacre had taken place. O'Dwyer was hit twice and fell to the ground dead and Lord Zetland, the Secretary of State for India, who was presiding over the meeting was injured. Udham Singh was overpowered with a smoking revolver. He in fact made no attempt to escape and continued saying that he had done his duty by his country. On 1 April 1940, Udham Singh was formally charged with the murder of Sir Michael O'Dwyer. On 4 June 1940, he was committed to trial, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson, who sentenced him to death. An appeal was filed on his behalf which was dismissed on 15 July 1940. On 31 July 1940, Udham Singh was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London. Udham Singh was essentially a man of action and save his statement before the judge at his trial, there was no writing from his pen available to historians. Recently, letters written by him to Shiv Singh Jauhal during his days in prison after the shooting of Sir Michael O'Dwyer have been discovered and published. These letters show him as a man of great courage, with a sense of humour. He called himself a guest of His Majesty King George, and he looked upon death as a bride he was going to wed. By remaining cheerful to the last and going joyfully to the gallows, he followed the example of Bhagat Singh who had been his beau ideal. During the trial, Udham Singh had made a request that his ashes be sent back to his country, but this was not allowed. In 1975, however, the Government of India, at the instance of the Punjab Government, finally succeeded in bringing his ashes home. Lakhs of people gathered on the occasion to pay homage to his memory</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-65775228683393078962007-12-15T10:51:00.001-08:002007-12-15T10:51:45.537-08:00SUKHDEV<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AseqXtj2I/AAAAAAAAAbU/ujUH6Fo0Y7I/s1600-h/sukhdev2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 236px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AseqXtj2I/AAAAAAAAAbU/ujUH6Fo0Y7I/s320/sukhdev2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143159679738548066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sukhdev</span><br /><br /><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Sukhdev was an Indian revolutionary. He is best known as an accomplice of Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru in the killing of a British police officer in 1928 in order to take revenge for the death of veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai due to excessive police beating. All three were convicted of the crime and hanged on March 23, 1931.</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-69344133822091782002007-12-15T10:49:00.001-08:002007-12-15T10:49:44.336-08:00SHIVARAM RAJGURU<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AthaXtj3I/AAAAAAAAAbc/3y_dCFn0Vcg/s1600-h/shivaram-rajguru2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 231px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AthaXtj3I/AAAAAAAAAbc/3y_dCFn0Vcg/s320/shivaram-rajguru2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143160826494816114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Shivaram Rajguru</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : 1908</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Mar 23, 1931</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : India</span><br /> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hari Shivaram Rajguru was an Indian revolutionary. He is best known as an accomplice of Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev in the killing of a British police officer in 1928 in order to take revenge for the death of veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai due to excessive police beating. All three were convicted of the crime and hanged on March 23, 1931. Rajguru was hiding in Nagpur. He met Dr. K. B. Hedgewar and was hiding in one of the RSS worker's house. But after some days he went to Pune and later was arrested there.</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-63708138218302960412007-12-15T10:47:00.001-08:002007-12-15T10:47:45.682-08:00LALA LAJAPAT RAI<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Auo6Xtj4I/AAAAAAAAAbk/4REpAnrDv0Y/s1600-h/lala-lajpat-rai2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 242px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Auo6Xtj4I/AAAAAAAAAbk/4REpAnrDv0Y/s320/lala-lajpat-rai2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143162054855462786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lala Lajpat Rai</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Jan 28, 1865</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Nov 17, 1928</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Moga district</span><br /> <br /> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian politician who is chiefly remembered as a leader in the Indian fight for freedom from the British Raj. The freedom fighter was popularly known as Punjab Kesari (Lion of the Punjab). Rai was born on January 28, 1865 in village Dhudi Ke, in present day Moga district of Punjab, India. He was the eldest son of Munshi Radha Kishan Azad and Gulab Devi. His father had a chequered relationship with Hinduism - having converted to Islam and then reverted back to Hinduism, which had a lasting effect on Rai's attitude towards religions other than Hinduism. He was one of the three most prominent Hindu Nationalist members of the Indian National Congress, who fought for, and gave their lives during the Indian independence movement in the first half of the twentieth century. The other two were Bal Gangadhar Tilak of Maharashtra and Bipin Chandra Pal of Bengal. Collectively, they were dubbed Lal-Bal-Pal. Rai was also a member of the Hindu Maha Sabha, a forerunner of the current day Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The trio wanted a degree of self-government that was considered radical at the time. They were the first Indian leaders to demand complete political independence. Rai led the Punjab protests against the Amritsar Massacre (1919) and the Non-Cooperation Movement (1919 - 1922).</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">;</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He was repeatedly arrested. Rai however disagreed with Mohandas Gandhi's suspension of the movement due to the Chauri Chaura incident, and formed the Congress Independence Party, which was particularly pro-Hindu in voice and policy. He was not only a good orator but also a prolific and versatile writer. His journal Arya Gazette concentrated mainly on subjects related to the Arya Samaj. Bande Mataram and People, contained his inspiring speeches to end oppression by the foreign rulers. He founded the Servants of the People Society, which worked for the freedom movement as well as for social reform in the country. He also wrote an autobiography in English titled The Story of My Life.Lajpat Rai came early under the influence of the dynamic Hindu reformer, Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj. In conjunction with like minded people like Mahatma Hans Raj and Lala Sain Das, he was instrumental in laying the foundations of a strong Arya Samaj presence among the Punjabi Hindu urban populace. A strong believer in leading by example, he himself led a procession to demonstrate against the Simon Commission, which was to prove fatal for him. He was made the target of a brutal lathi charge in which he was injured badly. A meeting was held the same evening where he spoke with such vigour that his words, "Every blow aimed at me is a nail in the coffin of British imperialism", became historic. Though he recovered from the fever and pain within three days, yet his health had received a permanent setback and on November 17, 1928, he succumbed to the fatal injuries. The Lajpat Nagar , Lajpat Nagar Central Market, Lala Lajpat Rai Hall of Residence at Indian Institue of Technology Kharagpur and Lala Lajpat Rai Institute of Engineering and Technology, Moga are named in his honor..</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-32166909463649901792007-12-15T10:45:00.001-08:002007-12-15T10:45:43.284-08:00SRINIVASA IYENGAR<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Srinivasa Iyengar</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : 1874</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : May 19, 1941</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Madras</span><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">S. Srinivasa Iyengar was a distinguished lawyer, Indian freedom fighter and political leader. The son of an orthodox Vaishnava brahmin and respected landowner of Ramanathapuram district, Srinivasa Iyengar was born in 1874 in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. Attending college, he trained to become a lawyer, specializing in constitutional law. Srinivasa Iyengar commenced practice the Madras High Court in 1898, and advanced to the top of the profession in a short time. His intimate knowledge of Hindu Dharmasastra and of the great classics of jurisprudence and constitutional law coupled with his original inquiring mind, made him a legal thinker in his own right and his edition of Mayne's Hindu Law (1939) was hailed as a classic. Besides law, Srinivasa Iyengar's other interest were education, social reform, and politics. Among his early influences were Sir Sankaran Nair, C. Vijayaraghavachariar, two former Congress leaders. He was also an admirer of Gopal Krishna Gokhale (in whose name he endowed a prize) and later of Mahatma Gandhi. Upon the commencement of the Non-Cooperation Movement, Iyengar resigned the office of Advocate General and joined the Indian National Congress. He presided over the Madras Provincial Conference (1920) at Tirunelveli, gave up his princely practice at the Bar, resigned the membership of the Legislative Council (to which he had been returned by the Registered Graduates) returned his titles to the Government and took a leading part in Congress affairs. Iyengar actively participated in the Congress sessions from Ahmedabad (1921) to Lahore (1929) and gave an unparalleled lead to the Congress in Madras for about ten years. After the Congress had decided on Council-Entry he led the party to victory in Madras in 1926 and was himself elected from Madras to the Central Assembly and also acted as Leader for a time when Motilal Nehru was away from India.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Srinivasa lyengar presided over the Guwahati session of the Congress in 1926. Iyengar worked hard to deliver a resolution upholding Hindu-Muslim unity, bringing about a temporary political agreement between the political leaders of the two communities. He published Swaraj Constitution, in 1927, outlining a federal scheme of government for future India. When the All-Parties Report (known as the Nehru Report) was published in 1928 outlining a constitution for India in terms of Dominion status, Srinivasa Iyengar organised the Independence League with himself as President and Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose as leading members. The differences between Motilal Nehru and Srinivasa Iyengar on the issue of dominion status versus independence became acute during 1929, and although it was decided finally in favour of Independence at the Lahore Congress in December 1929, Srinivasa lyengar himself decided to retire from active public life early in 1930. Iyenger made a brief return to political life in 1939, upon the outbreak of World War II. He died suddenly on May 19, 1941, at his residence in Madras.</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-76416075269361028842007-12-15T10:37:00.000-08:002007-12-15T10:38:33.373-08:00BHOGARAJU PATTABHI SITARAMAYYA<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AwGaXtj6I/AAAAAAAAAb0/Zj3eBD4UpF8/s1600-h/bhogaraju-pattabhi2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 237px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AwGaXtj6I/AAAAAAAAAb0/Zj3eBD4UpF8/s320/bhogaraju-pattabhi2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143163661173231522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Nov 24, 1880</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : -</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Andhra Pradesh</span><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dr. Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya born on November 24th, 1880 in Gundugolanu village, West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh, India was an Indian freedom fighter and political leader in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Pattabhi who had a BA degree in Madras Christian College, fulfilled his ambition to become a medical practitioner by securing a M.B.C.M. degree. He started his practice as a doctor in the coastal town of Machilipatnam. He left his lucrative practice to join the freedom fighting movement. He was recruited to run for the presidency of the Indian National Congress as the candidate closest to Mohandas Gandhi, against the more-radical Subhas Bose in 1939.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He lost owing to Bose's rising popularity and the belief that Pattabhi favored the inclusion of Tamil-majority districts in a future Telegu state in independent India. Serving on the Congress Working Committee when Quit India was launched in 1942, Pattabhi was arrested with the entire committee and incarcerated for three years without outside contact in the fort in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. During this time he maintained a detailed diary of day-to-day life during imprisonment, which was published later as Feathers and Stones. He ran successfully for Congress presidency in 1948, winning with the support of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India. Pattabhi also served as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh. He established Andhra Bank in Machilipatnam on 28 November 1923. Andhra Bank is currently one of the major commercial banks of India.</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-3570762748082466252007-12-15T10:36:00.001-08:002007-12-15T10:36:46.245-08:00KRISHNA MENON<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Aw1qXtj7I/AAAAAAAAAb8/M8EsVnZyN_I/s1600-h/krishna-menon2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 233px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2Aw1qXtj7I/AAAAAAAAAb8/M8EsVnZyN_I/s320/krishna-menon2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143164472922050482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Krishna Menon</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : May 3, 1897</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Oct 6, 1974</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : Kerala</span><br /> <br /> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Vengalil Krishnan (V.K.) Krishna Menon was an Indian nationalist and politician. Menon was born at Panniyankara in Calicut, Kerala, into the powerful Vengalil family of South India. He was the grandson of the Raja of Kartanad and the first son of a successful lawyer of the Calicut bar, Komath Krishna Kurup, one of Kerala's richest men at the time. Menon had his early education in Tellicherry and he took his B.A. degree from Presidency College, Chennai. While in college, he started taking an active interest in the national movement. While studying in the Law College of Madras, he became involved in Theosophy and actively associated with Annie Besant and the Home Rule Movement. He was a leading member of the 'Brothers of Service', founded by Annie Besant who spotted his gifts and helped him travel to England in 1924. In London, Menon pursued further education at the London School of Economics and University College London, and at the same time he became a passionate proponent of India's freedom. In England, he worked hard for Indian independence as a journalist and secretary (1929 - 1947) of the India League, and became associated with fellow Indian nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1934 he was admitted to the English bar, and after joining the Labour Party he was elected borough councillor of St. Pancras, London. St. Pancras later conferred on him the Freedom of the Borough, the only other person so honoured being Bernard Shaw. In 1932 he inspired a fact-finding delegation headed by Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson to visit India. Menon served as its Secretary and edited its report entitled 'conditions in India'. During the thirties he founded with Allen Lane the Penguin and Pelican paper back books. He worked as an editor for Bodley Head, Penguin and Pelican Books, and the Twentieth Century Library. After India was granted independence in 1947, Menon was appointed high commissioner to the United Kingdom, a post in which he remained until 1952. Subsequently, he led the Indian delegation to the United Nations (1952 - 1962), where he adopted a policy of non-alignment, loudly criticizing the United States and voicing support for the People's Republic of China.Even till date Krishna Menon's speech is the longest ever delivered in the Unites Nations Security Council(UNSC).</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On 23 January 1957 he delivered an unpresidented 8 hour speech on defending india's stand on Kashmir. Krishna Menon became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1953. On February 3, 1956, he joined the Union Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio. In 1957 he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bombay, and in April of that year he was named minister of defence under Prime Minister Nehru. However, after India's staggering defeat in the Sino-Indian War of 1962, he was removed from office for the country's apparent lack of military preparedness. In 1967 he lost his parliamentary seat but was re-elected in 1969. He died on October 6, 1974 in New Delhi. During his tenure as the High commissioner to Britain, he was accused of being involved in a corruption scam involving the purchase of used military jeeps from Britain to supply to the Indian army during the war with Pakistan in 1948.</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-83666715461250315882007-12-15T10:32:00.000-08:002007-12-15T10:33:40.312-08:00CHAKRAVARTHI RAJAGOPALACHARI<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AxtaXtj8I/AAAAAAAAAcE/dnKGOWmQFsE/s1600-h/c-rajagopalachari2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 239px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AxtaXtj8I/AAAAAAAAAcE/dnKGOWmQFsE/s320/c-rajagopalachari2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143165430699757506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">C. Rajagopalachari</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Dec 10, 1878</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : Dec 25, 1972</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : India</span><br /> <br /> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari, known as or Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, writer, statesman and a Hindu spiritualist. He was the second Governor-General of independent India. Later he became the Chief Minister of Madras State. At one time considered Mahatma Gandhi's heir, this brilliant lawyer from Salem, Tamil Nadu was regarded in pre-independence years as one of the top five leaders of the Congress along with Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Rajaji was also related to Mahatma Gandhi - Rajmohan Gandhi is the grandson of both of them. Of the five, Rajaji, Nehru and Patel were christened the "head, heart and hands" of Gandhi, in whose shadows they remained till his death. Ironically, all three of them were to have a tempestuous relationship, bound together only by their common goal and Gandhi's charm. However, they respected each other immensely. Nehru wrote about Rajaji in his autobiography of how Rajaji's "brilliant intellect, selfless character, and penetrating powers of analysis have been a tremendous asset to our cause". Rajaji was perhaps the earliest Congress leader in the 1940s to admit to the likelihood of the Partition. He even prophesied then that Pakistan might break up in twenty-five years. Rajaji was known to be a fierce defender of his political ideals, and did not hesitate to contradict his closest aides and friends in public, whenever he sensed a threat to them. After serving time in British prisons for his work in the independence movement, he became a member of the Governor's Council in 1946. In 1948, after Indian independence was attained, he replaced Mountbatten to become the only Indian Governor-General of India, in which post he continued till the Republic was declared on January 26, 1950. The office was replaced by that of President, first held by Rajendra Prasad. Rajaji became a member of Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet, first without portfolio, then, after Patel's death, as Home Minister. He was chief minister of Madras from 1952 to 1954. On leaving government, he was among the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna, the Indian government's highest civilian award.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">His writings</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As a writer, he is one of the finest that India has to offer. Most erudite people have command of one language, but Rajaji was an expert in at least 3 (possibly 4). His works in his native Tamil are recognized as modern classics (published and re-printed several times). After his break with politics, he started on the massive task of translating the Hindu Scriptures Ramayana, Mahabharata from Sanskrit toTamil language and later into English. He received rave reviews from scholars and religious seers alike. He translated Upanishads and Bhaja Govindam into English. His novels and short stories, themselves would have won him public adulation. He also translated 'The Tirukkural' from Tamil to English. 'Tirukkural' is an ancient piece of the Tamil literature and is often referred to as 'the flower of Tamilnad'. His ability as a writer, is in a sense, unparalleled, not just in India alone. Some of his poetry was set to music and sung by Carnatic music's dominant personality M S Subbulakshmi at several occasions of importance, and once at the United Nations Kurai Onrum Illai (meaning - No regrets have I My lord, None) is a very famous song in the semi-Carnatic music genre written by Rajaji and the most popular version, (widely acknowledged as soul-stirring) has been rendered by M.S. Subbulakshmi. Rajaji also composed a hymn "Here under this Uniting Roof" which was sung in 1966 at the United Nations, again by M.S. Subbulakshmi. He was invited to the White House by President Kennedy; perhaps the only civilian, not in power, ever to be accorded formal state reception. The two discussed various matters and it is said that the great Indian statesman tried to impress the young President on the folly of an arms race - even one which the US could win. Today, such warnings haunt us. Rajaji's statesmanship and vision for all mankind is recognized to this day. The nonagenarian's public life, spanning nearly eighty years are perhaps best recognized by Mahatma Gandhi's rich tribute to him praising him as: "the keeper of my conscience".Rajaji died in December, 1972 after a short illness.</span></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900932102156856804.post-11603742602193872362007-12-15T10:30:00.000-08:002007-12-15T10:31:14.860-08:00SURENDRANATH BENARJI<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AzO6Xtj9I/AAAAAAAAAcM/avCiLRIm6yc/s1600-h/surendranath-banerjea2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 253px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BbJAArGDIEA/R2AzO6Xtj9I/AAAAAAAAAcM/avCiLRIm6yc/s320/surendranath-banerjea2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143167105737002962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Surendranath Banerjea</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Birth : Nov 19, 1848</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Date of Death : 1925</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Place of Birth : India</span><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Surendranath Banerjea was the President of the Indian National Congress twice, in 1895 and 1902. He was largely responsible in canalizing the energy of the youth of Bengal to the service of the Motherland. He founded the Indian Association on July 26, 1876, which he wanted to be the center of an all-India political movement. He was the editor of a paper called "Bengalee" from 1878 and wrote with fervor and without fear on the subject of national interest with emphasis on freedom, unity and culture.Surendranath Banerjea was a member of the Calcutta Corporation (1876-99) and a member of the Indian Legislative Council.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He was an ardent advocate of social reform including widow remarriage and the raising of the age of marriage of girls. Born on November 19, 1848, Surendranath Banerjea had his early education in Calcutta. He appeared for the Indian Civil Service Examination in London and started his career in 1871 as an Assistant Magistrate. He had to leave the service on his dismissal on a flimsy charge. He went back to England and prepared himself for his future career as a national leader. He was a gifted orator and writer.Returning to India in June, 1875 Surendranath started his career as a Professor in English. Later, he started a college called Ripon College, now named after him. "He took full advantage of his teaching profession to make the Indian students inspired with a new patriotic spirit."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Surendranath Banerjea passed away in 1925.</span><br /></div>muralikrishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13767851556109570465noreply@blogger.com0