FAMOUS INDIAN PERSONALITIES

FAMOUS PERSONALITIES OF ANDHRA

2008-01-03T01:40:00.000-08:00

Madapati Hanumanta Rao was born on 1885, at Pokkunur village, in Nandigama taluk, Krishna district. He was a great poet and politician and social worker. He completed his metriculation in first class from Madras University. He was practiced 24 years as advocate, in Hyderabad. He was started Andhra Mahasabha in 1930. He was close associate with Nilagiri and Telugu Patrika Journals. He was translated so many stories and novels from Marathi and Bengali to Telugu. He wrote so many essayes in Telugu, Kannada, Urdu and Hindi languages. Usmania University awarded Doctor of Literature to him for his service of literature. He was the first mayor of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. He was first chair person of A.P. Sasana Mandali, in 1958. The Indian government awarded him as 'Padmabhushana'. His wife Srimati Manikyamba was also active participant of Andhra Mahasabha. He worked for 'Samaikya Andhra'.

Gidugu venkata Sitapathi was born january 28, 1885, in Bhimunipatnam, in Visakapatnam district. He was completed his B.A. degree from Madras Christian College. Sri vedam Venkataraya sasthri was his guide. He was worked as a teacher some years in Parlakimidi high school. He was participated in Andhra Udyamam. In 1936 he entered to Telugu cine Industry through Gudavalli Ramabrahmam. He worked very short period in Telugu Industry. He wrote so many essayes and novels. In 1948 The Telugu Basha Samithi was started through this VignanaSarvaswam Telugu journal. Gidugu was founder and editor for this. He served nearly 50 years to Telugu literature development.

Sri Adiraju Veerabhadra Rao was born in 1887, in Dendukur village, Madhira taluk, Kammam district. He was serviced as secretary for Andhra Jana sangham in 1921. He wrote so many historical stories, Greek Mythological stories. His greatest book was Kakateeyandhra Darsini.

Mamidipudi Venkata Rangaiah was born in january 1889, in Purini village in Kovur taluk, Nellore district. He was completed his B.A. in 1907, from Madras Pacheyappa College as University first. He was inspired by Bipin Chandra Pal. He was worked nearly 14 years as a tutor in Vijayanagaram college. In that period Gandhiji was came to Vijayanagaram. Srimathi and Sri Mamidipudi met Gandhiji . He was worked as principal Nellore V.R.College. He was editor to Educational India nearly 30 years. He wrote so many text books and defination of constitution. He was chief editor for Vignana Sarvaswa, Sangraha Vignana Kosha journals. He continued his writings from 1908.

Gannavarapu Subbaramaiah was born March 15, 1890, in Soollurpet taluk, Nellore district. He knows tamil, kannada, malayalam, hindi, gujarati, bengali languages. He was very well trained in book-keeping, shorthand and typewriting. At 1912 he associated with Veturi Prabhakara Sasthri and Vedam Venkataraya Sasthri. In that period he worked in Madras Prachya Likhita Pustaka Bhandagar. In that period for writers to see their essayes in Bharati journal was very great. For the Bharathi journal Subbaramaiah was the editor. He served nearly 70 years to Indian journalism.

Nelaturi Venkata Rmanaiah was born in 1891 in Nelatur village, in Nellore district. He was well known as Hampi Venkata Ramanaiah or Vijayanagaram Venkata Ramanaiah. He was a great historian. He worked as a history tutor in Madras Christian College. In 1930, the first doctorate awarded by Madras University for the thesis of Origin of the South Indian Temples, written by Subbaramaiah. The famous books of the Subbaramaiah are Origin of the City of Vijayanagar, further source of Vijayanagara History, Complie and Vijayanagar, Early Muslim Expansion in South India, Velugoti vari Vamsavali, Raghunathabhyudayam etc.He was written so many essayes about history.

SHIVAJI

2007-12-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The hero who escaped from the prison of the Mughal Emperor himself, to become the ruler of a kingdom devoted to Dharma and the service of the people. As a boy he dedicated himself to Hindu Dharma. He matched cunning against cunning, courage against courage; he was one of the wisest rulers as he was one of the greatest generals.

Shivaji

A small boy is seated on the throne, of curse, on a small throne bound hand and the village Patel. He had dishonored a helpless widow; it was he is duty to protect such persons. Indeed he was a wicked Patel. In his limitless pride he did not even think that a small boy would have the courage to hold an inquiry. Yet the young prince subjected this Patel, who proudly sported a thick moustache, to a proper judicial trial. It was clear that the Patel had done wrong.

In a stern and majestic tone the young prince announced the judgement: both the hands and the feet of the Patel were to be cut off. All present were stunned at the firm devotion of the prince to justice. Not only were they wondering struck but also pleased beyond measure. The townsfolk began to say to one another: Ah! Look! How devoted to justice our young prince is He is not in the least afraid of the wicked people. He metes out fit punishment to all that do wrong. He is kind and loving towards the poor, the downfallen and the wretched. He is ever determined to help them and to protect them. What is more, he regards all women as mothers. Surely when he grows up into manhood, not only will he save our land but also will uphold our Dharma. Therefore let us all stand by him.

Don’t you wish to know who this young prince was? He was none other than Shivaji. At the time of this incident he was just fourteen. His small kingdom comprised the few small villages that skirted the township of Poona. His father was Shivaji who served as general under the Sultan of Bijapur. The father knew only too well the nature of his son. He felt joyous when he thought of the fearless lion-like disposition of his son, which would never let him, bow down to any foreigner. How the father became aware of this fearless nature of his son is itself and interesting story.

On a certain occasion Shahaji took his son to the court of the Sultan of Bijapur. Shivaji was then not even twelve years of age. Shahaji touched the ground thrice and saluted the Sultan. He asked his son to do the same thing. But…Shivaji only retreated a few steps. He stood erect with his head unbent. His dazzling eyes seemed to carry with them his determination that he would not bow down to a foreign ruler. He walked back from the court with a lion-like gait and bearing.

Till then no one had dared to behave in that manner at the court of the Sultan of Bijapur. All were wonder-struck at the boldness of the young boy.

Did such acts of the son enrage Shahaji? They did not. On the contrary he was mightily pleased at heart. He had not been fortunate enough to be an independent ruler. He sent his son to Poona, blessing him that at least he might become an independent ruler.

You may ask. How did Shivaji acquire all these noble virtues courage, heroism, love for the motherland and love of Dharma? Even when he was a little child his mother Jijabai used to tell him stories of heroes, of saints and sages who appear in the Ramayana, the Mahabharatha and the Puranas. As Shivaji listened to these tales of heroism and Dharmic deeds, he grew more and more eager to be like Rama or Krishna, Bheema or Arjuna. He was further blessed in that he had for his teacher and guides such a great man as Dadaji Kondadev was. He was also inspired by the memories of the glorious empire of the Vijayanagara Kings in Karnataka.

A Fortress Of Fortresses - For The Goddess Of Independence

Shivaji was born in the fort of Shivneri in 1630. Strangely enough, his task of building up an independent kingdom too was to be accomplished with the help of forts only. Even at the young age of sixteen he captured one of the forts. It was the fort of Toranagadh. Torana! What a beautiful name, full of meaning and significance! It was as though he had woven an auspicious garland for independence. The saffron colored sacred banner, the Banner of the Lord, ‘Bhagavajhenda’, fluttered on the fort. Shivaji ordered his soldiers to strengthen the fort, this first fort that was to lead to independence. When the ground was being dug in the fort, the diggers saw hidden treasures. Was that the first gift of the goddess of Fortune to the Goddess of Independence? Strangely, the poor diggers who came by so much wealth were not in the least move by thoughts of greed. The carried the entire treasure to Shivaji handed it over to him. They knew it was wealth granted for the struggle for independence. It belonged to the lord and they were not to touch it.

After Toranagadh Shivaji began to capture one fort after another. The news that Shivaji was capturing forts reached the Sultan of Bijapur. In order to crush Shivaji the Sultan hit upon a treacherous plan. He got Shahaji captured by deceitful means; then Shahaji was brought to the Sultan’s presence and was thrown into prison. A rumor spread that Shahaji would be tortured and executed. This news was like a thunderbolt to Shivaji who was rejoicing in the birth of an era of independence. His other Jijabai was heart-broken. She felt as if the God of Death himself was about t snatch her sacred ‘mangalya’ (The symbol of a life-long partnership with the husband). On the heels of this news came tow other bits of frightening news: one, that Fateh Khan, the valiant Sardar of Bijapur, was proceeding against Shivaji with a large army; another, that Farrad Khan yet another valiant general was attacking Sambhaji, the elder brother of Shivaji, It was clear the Sultan was posing these threats only to see that Shivaji gave up fighting and surrendered to him. If he did not surrender, if the continued to fight, his father’s life would be in danger. Shivaji was worried, not knowing what he should do. At this juncture his fourteen year-old wife, Sayibai, said to him; "why do you worry yourself over this? See that your father is freed. See to it also that you retain this state of independence. Destroy your enemies." She was a worthy wife of hero like Shivaji, wasn’t she?

Shivaji came to a decision. The commander of Purandaragadh was in the employ of the Sultan of Bijapur; Shivaji won his heart with soft-spoken, friendly words. He stationed a small army there. The soldiers of Shivaji fought against Fateh Khan who attacked the fort. This was the first test of the battle for independence. So valiant were the men of Shivaji that Fateh Khan had to retreat and run away. Elsewhere Sambhaji to broke the back of the attack of Farrad Khan.

All this was victory. But how was he to save his father? Shivaji was deeply trouble by this thought. Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, a plan occurred to him. His intellect was as sharp as his arms were supple. Shahjehan was the Emperor in Delhi at that time. So he wrote to Emperor: "My father is kept captive by the Sultan of Bijapur. As soon as he is released my father and I will willingly serve you. We are very eager". The Sultan of Bijapur came to know of this. He knew well that the Emperor of Delhi was waiting for an opportunity to attack him. He feared what would happen to him if the Emperor decided to attack him. So with all due honor the released Shahaji. With his valor and his diplomacy, Shivaji thus overcame the first great danger to freedom.

Shivaji was twenty-eight. By then Kondana, Purandara, Kalyan, Raigadh and other forts numbering forty flows the flag of freedom. It was also at this time that on the West Coast the English, the Portuguese and other foreigners set foot. Shivaji was apprehensive that some day these foreign armies might occupy the whole land. Intent on containing them he began building fortresses by the sea. He began to equip himself with warships and trained the navy. Shivaji was the first among those who in their farsighted vision saw the lurking dangers of foreign domination, and acted to check such aggression.

The Terror Of The Enemies

Sultan Adilshah saw how Shivaji’s dream of Swaraj would come true, and felt both anxious and helpless. Every day he received news of some fort or the other falling into Shivaji’s hands! The Sultan had a foster mother, by name Uliya Begum. She hated Shivaji like poison. One day she herself held a Durbar. The far-famed heroes of Bijapur all attended it. At that Durbar Uliya Begum threw out the challenge to all present: "if there is one amongst you who can capture and bring Shivaji captive here, let him accept this token gift of ‘pan’." So saying she held out the silver platter in which was place the ceremonial ‘pan’ and betel-nut offering. A sever-foot tall robust general stood up and accepted the gift. The general was Afzal Khan. He was a Pathan general who was as brave as he was cruel and deceitful. The Sultan sent a strong force of 25,000 soldiers to help him.

Afzal Khan first proceeded to destroy Bhavani of Tuljapur, the family deity worshipped by Shivaji. His axe broke. The idol of the Goddess Bhavani of Tuljapur to pieces. The Khan desecrated this idol and another in Pandharpur. Shivaji was being informed of all these happenings daily. The Khan knew that as long as Shivaji was safely behind his fortresses and was in the jungle areas, it was difficult to defeat him. He hopped that Shivaji would come into the open plains and offer battle if he indulged in such desecration of temple, slaughter of cows and the molestation of women. Then it would be easier for him to defeat Shivaji.

Shivaji was not slow to understand this scheme; he knew that the Khan would overpower him if the came down from the forts and offered battle. So he made up his mind to proceed to the new fort of Pratapgadh which he had built in the forest of Javali. He then planed to attract the Khan to this place and fight him there. Just at this time he had a dream’ in this dream Goddess Bhavani appeared to them and blessed him saying that he would be victorious.

Afzal Khan wanted to make Shivaji come down from the fort of Pratapgadh and meet him on the plains. Towards this end he sent a representative of his with secret instructions. He met Shivaji and politely informed him that Afzal Khan was a great of his father and that he did not intend any harm and Shivaji should come down to meet him. In reply, Shivaji sent a flattering letter through his own representative. He wrote, ‘You are like an uncle to me. You must forgive all my crimes. You should come to Pratapgadh and uplift me and take me to the Sultan of Bijapur." The humble and pleading tone of Shivaji’s letter deceived the Khan. And the representative sent by Shivaji praised the courage of the Khan and made fun of Shivaji’s cowardice. So the Khan was very much pleased.

The Khan arrived at the forest of Javali with all his forces. He stationed himself right at the foot of Pratapgadh. It was decided that Shivaji and Afzal Khan should meet as friends. It was also agreed that as Shivaji was a little terrified, Afzal Khan alone should meet Shivaji and the body guards of both should remain at some distance.

It was the night before this meeting. Who could sleep on such a night? Netaji, Tanaji, Kanoji and other trusted lieutenants of Shivaji came down from the fort and with their battalions, hid in the forest; they stood ready for action. They had been instructed that they should fall upon the enemy ranks and destroy them the moment they heard the booming cannon on the fort. The day dawned. As usual Shivaji bathed, and worshipped Lord Shiva. He put on a metallic helmet to protect the head and a metallic cost to protect he chest. In the scabbard at his waist were the dagger ‘Bhavani’ and a sharp knife. Meditating on Goddess Bhavani he went down from the fort, to meet Afzal Khan. They were to meet halfway down the hill; the place was hidden from view from the came of Afzal Khan. In the shamiana the Khan waited for Shivaji. He rose as soon as he saw Shivaji. Their eyes met for short while. Pretending to offer him the customary embrace of friendship, the Khan invited Shivaji. He stretched both his powerful and long arms in an act of embrace of friendship, the Khan invited Shivaji. He stretched both his powerful and long arms in an act of embrace. It seemed as though it was an embrace of death itself. But whose embrace of death itself. But whose death? Shivaji too came forward and embraced him. At once the Khan drew out his sharp knife and biting his lips in anger thrust it into the side of Shivaji. Shivaji’s steel vesture with a grating noise, Quickly Shivaji released himself from the hold of the Khan and dragging out his own sharp knife thrust it deep into the entrails of the Khan. The Khan tried to run away. But Shivaji flung his sword at him and at one stroke the head of the khan fell down severed.

Shivaji stuck the severed head of the Khan on his sword and ran up the fort. Simultaneously the cannon also boomed as if it I would cut opens the skies. The Khan’s soldiers were rejoicing, forgetful of the situation in the thought that the Khan would have caught Shivaji. Suddenly the soldiers of ‘Shivaji punched upon them like leopards. Godess Tulaja Bhavani was now fully avenged. The Khan’s forces were completely destroyed. Shivaji was all-victorious. He sent Jijabai a gift. Can you guess what gift was? The head of Afzal Khan!

Shivaji fame as the slayer of Afzal Khan spread everywhere in our own country and abroad. A dark and dismal gloom descended on the Sultan of Bijapur. But Shivaji did not grow careless in the joy of victory. Taking advantages of this temp of victory he proceeded to other places and annexed quite a few forts of the Sultan of Bijapur.

The Sultan of Bijapur again chose another general and sent him to attack Shivaji with a force seventy thousand strong. The general, Siddi Jauhar, tried hard to capture Shivaji who was then in Panhalgadh. Even the English came to his assistance with their artillery. The attack gathered more and more strength. Shivaji hoped that the attack would lose its force and strength as soon as the monsoon set in. But in this Shivaji was disappointed. At the same time, in answer to a request from the Sultan of Bijapur, the Badshah of Delhi sent his uncle Shaista Khan with an army, a hundred thousand strong, to attack Shivaji. All thought that the hopes of Swaraj and the survival were completely blotted out.

During this period of great danger Shivaji’s mother Jijabai took charge of the administration in the place of her son and managed the affairs ably. In the meanwhile Shivaji came to the decision that he should few himself from this encirclements. But how? For Siddi Jauhar guarded the fort from below. Shivaji thought of the less dangerous mode of escape. He sent to Siddi Jauhar through his envoy a letter offering to surrender. He had appealed earnestly that he would surrender unconditionally the next day and that he should be given pardon. The moment news of this surrender reached the soldiers of Jauhar they spent the whole night in great merriment. They hardly knew that such letters from Shivaji were sweet only to deceive. It was night of pouring rain, and terrible thunder and lightning. Just at that moment Shivaji and 800 of his men got down the fort and proceeded stealthily towards Vishagadh. The soldiers posted to watch the enemies were no doubt in their tents, by they were lost in merriment thinking of the surrender of Shivaji. Even the slightest suspicion would have resulted in utter destruction. Hence Shivaji’s men were anxious at every step. But Bhavani’s blessings wee with this mall battalion. They were able to Escape unnoticed.

The group of Mavali soldiers carrying Shivaji in a palanquin ran faster and faster. As they ran the whole area was lit up with a large streak of lightning. One of the spies of Siddi Jauhar noticed the party and he ran to inform Siddi Jauhar of this escape. On hearing this Jauhar was thunder-struck. Still he did not lose heart. He sent for his son-in-law Siddi Masood. He was entrusted with the cavalry and was sent in hot pursuit of Shivaji. Shivaji too felt that it would be difficult to escape from this case. But once again he thought of plan. He sat in another palanquin and traveled in a different direction. There was a man in the army who was like Shivaji. These man put on the clothes of Shivaji and sat in the first Shivaji’s soldiers, captured him and proceeded to Siddi Jauhar. But when the captive was questioned it was found that he was a ‘Shivaji’ by name and was just a barber of Panhalgadh! All were put to shame.

So Siddi Masood again took up the chase. By that time Shivaji and his soldiers had already covered twenty-five miles and were now near the valley of Gajapur. Vishalgadh was a few miles from there. Five thousands soldiers of Masood raced towards the group. Shivaji had a brave lieutenant, a man strong like Bheema. He was Baji Prabhu Deshpande. He asked Shivaji to proceed to Vishalgadh taking half the force with him. With the remaining half he was their face the mighty battle on of Siddi Masood. It was a sight to see Baji Prabhu wielding two swords in both his hands.

In that narrow valley Baji Prabhu began cutting down the Pathan soldiers who rolled in again and again like waves. In the battle he too was wounded all over the body and blood was flowing out. In spite of this he gave battle till the evening. Many of his soldiers too fell in this battle. Finally Baji Prabhu fell a victim to an enemy’s sword that severely wounded him. At the same time Shivaji had overpowered the soldiers who were attacking Vishalgadh, and climbing up the fort let the cannon resound in Victory. As Baji Prabhu lay dying he heard this sound. He died in peace, happy that his efforts for his master had not been in vain. The valley was made scatted by the blood of this martyr. From hence this valley came to be known as Pavan Khindi or the Sacred Valley.

The news that Shivaji escaped from Panhalgadh and reached his capital fell on the ears of the Sultan of Bijapur. He felt like one who was struck by a thousand thunderbolts at once. He could not summon again the courage to attack Shivaji. But Shivaji had the other danger from Shaista Khan to attend to. How was he to free himself from this? For this Shivaji chose the month sacred to the Muslims when they observe Ramzan. It was a time when the community would fast all day and then eat sumptuously and be fast asleep at night. The day also was the anniversary of the coronation of Aurangzeb. Need it be said that on that day there would be all the revelry and merriment of a great feast? On that day Shivaji came down from Raigadh with an army of two thousand soldiers. He stationed himself at a distance of some two miles from Poona. Shaista Khan was then camping in the Lal Mahal at Poona, Where Shivaji had been brought up as a boy. In and around Poona a hundred thousand soldiers of the Moghul Emperor were stationed.

A childhood friend of Shivaji by name Babaji moved towards the Moghul camp with a small force of soldiers. Behind him proceeded Shivaji with another small troop. Babaji entered the city, chatting and shouting. The sentries stopped him and his men. But without a moment´s hesitation, Babaji said, "We too, are the Khan´s men-, we just went out to keep watch and are now coming back." He and his men disregarded the sentries and quietly entered the city. Shivaji´s soldiers followed them. Shivaji went directly towards the gates at the rear of the Lal Mahal. From there he went to the Kitchen and cut down all who were there. From there he proceeded to the place where Shaista Khan was sleeping. He had to pull down a small wall that obstructed his entry. A servant heard the wall collapse and went to inform the Khan of what was happening. But the Khan was so sleepy ´ that he drove the servant away saying that it must be some rat in the kitchen.

Shivaji and his men rushed in. By that time the entire Lal Mahal was never be rating with shouts which announced that the enemy had broken in. The wives of Shaista Khan hid him behind a curtain. Shivaji burst in and flung his sword. Three fingers of the Khan, one as it were for the three syllables of the name of Shivaji, were chopped off by this throw.

The Khan jumped down from the window. By then the Moghul army had surrounded the Lal Michel. In this utter confusion Shivaji and his men shouted, "Catch the enemy, cut him into piece ´ s!" They opened the doors of the Lal Mahal and went away. They´ escaped and raced to Simhaoadh on the horses that were waiting for them in readiness, This incident convinced Shivaji´s enemies that he was not just a mountain rat´ but some sort of a fiend or demon, of superhuman powers. Aurangzeb was put to unbearable shame and even transferred Shaista Khan to Ben gal as a punishment.

To build up such a vast kingdom independently and to rule it with an army and a navy, Shivaji needed lots of money. Where could he hope to obtain so much wealth for the purpose? He decided to extract this money from Aurangzeb himself who was enjoying the wealth of this country. In those days Surat was known to be almost the city of Kubera, the God of Wealth. So he attacked Surat on one occasion and then emptied the city of its great wealth.

In The Clutches Of The Moghul Emperor

This was the limit of Aurangzeb´s patience and he was in a great fit of rage. But he checked himself from leading an army against Shivaji. He had known well how sharp the tearing nails of this $mountain rat´ were. So he thought of a plan. He decided that he should send a ´Lion´ to overpower this lion. He chose for task the King, Raja Jayasimha. (Incidentally, ´Simha´ means a lion.) Jayasimha was a great warrior and a hero. He was also a clever general. What a shame that a man like him should he be subservient to a foreigner who was ruling the land! Jayasimha proceeded south with his large army. He won over the Sultan of Bijapur to his side. The battle against Shivaji began. All of a sudden Shivaji wrote a letter to Jayasimha informing him that he would agree to a friendly compromise. What was more, he met Jayasimha and told him that he would remain loyal to the Badshah at Delhi.

Shivaji was a lion that had grown up independently in the mountain ranges of Sahyadri. How then did he all of a sudden agree to bow down to the Badshah? All were baffled. Many thought -that there lay behind this some secret plan. It is possible that Shivaji had planned to go to Delhi on the pretext of serving the Badshah as a dependent and then to put an end to the life of Aurangzeb in a direct encounter. This was perhaps a venture of greater heroism and sharper strategy than ever before in his life. Accordingly, Shivaji proceeded to meet the Emperor, Aurangzeb. His son Sambhaji also accompanied him. At home, in the land of freedom, all were filled with great anxiety. As the proceeded, the Hindu community welcomed him and With great respect Dowed down to him. Shivaji reached Agra in order to meet Aurangzeb. The latter too was equally tactful. He never let Shivaji approach him. He bid him stay at a distance in the court. This ´was a great disappointment to Shivaji´s hopes. Aurangzeb also acted in a manner ´ that insulted Shivaji. Aurangzeb did not , keep the promise that he would treat him with respect. Naturally Shivaji was greatly enraged. Ignoring Aurangzeb he left the court.

Shivaji was now in great danger. For Aurangzeb was not such a fool as to let an enemy who had come within his reach escape easily. He ordered Shivaji to be imprisoned and to be executed also.

In spite of the gravity of the situation Shivaji did not lose heart. At this critical hour his intellect and his courage shone more brightly. Suddenly Shivaji ´took ill.´ He soon grew worse´. Shivaji begged of Aurangzeb that his Maratha soldiers might be allowed to return. Aurangzeb felt relieved ´and permitted them to go. Shivaji began distributing sweets to the Fakirs, mendicants and ascetics of the town hoping that his ill ness may be cured. He began sending gifts ´also to the wealthy in the town. Aurangzeb permitted all these. Even, such a very clever man as Aurangzeb had no doubts. No Vaidya or Hakim could improve Shivaji´s ´condition´. The day of Shivaji´s execution had been fixed. On the previous day * Shivaji´s ´illness´ grew very serious, and he lost ´consciousness´.

As usual the baskets that would carry the sweets were brought in. Shivaji who was lying on his ´sickbed´ suddenly jumped into one of the baskets and so did his son Sambhaji. Immediately the servants put on the lids and carried the baskets away.

The sentries who had been examining the baskets were convinced by long custom that they contained nothing but sweets. Even on that day the chief of the sentries, Polad Khan, examined a few of the baskets. They contained merely sweets. Luckily the Khan did not chance upon the baskets in which Shivaji and Sambhaji were hidden. That was by the grace of Goddess Bhavani, coupled with the forgetfulness of the Khan. He must have meant ´Let him live´ when he said, ´Let the baskets go.´

Inside the prison where Shivaji had been lying a little while before, a friend of Shivaji by name Hiroji lay down. He put on the royal ring, which Shivaji had given him. He lay down, with his hand, which showed this ring thrust out. The rest of the body had been covered with the blanket. Madari, an innocent looking lad, was massaging the limbs. Polad Khan used to peep in now´. and again just to find out how´ ". Shivaji fared. T W day came to a close and it was nightfall. The ´Shivaji´ who was lying there all the time got up_ He made up the blankets and the pillows to look like a man on the couch. Putting on his usual clothes, he came out and announced to the sentries that the condition of Shivaji was very serious and that it was a matter of a few hours for Shivaji. He said he- was going to bring some medicine. So saying he went out. Madari too quietly followed him. Both went away never to return. Inside, on the couch, lay the huddled imitation of Shivaji. Outside the prison the sentries stood with swords drawn.

The day dawned. That was the day appointed for the execution of Shivaji. Polad Khan came in. There was a strange silence. He grew suspicious. As he stepped in the saw ´Shivaji´ asleep. For a moment this sight put some comfort into his heart. But there was no movement. Thinking that Shivaji, might have died the Khan came near and pulled back the blanket. He was shocked to see just the bare bed and the pillows! Shivaji had disappeared. You can imagine the feelings of Polad Khan, and more important still, of Aurangzeb. They must have felt the agony of being stung at once by a thousand scorpions. Aurangzeb at once ordered his army to capture Shivaji and the army set out in all directions.

By this time Shivaji and Sambhaji had already mounted the horses that were kept in readiness for them and proceeded south. They dashed away at great speed. On the way they were sheltered comfortably in the Maths established by Swami Samarth Ramdas.

Like a holy man in the robes of a ´sanyasi´, Shivaji finally reached Raigadh. For a while even his mother Jijabai could hot recognize her son. But when she understood who it - was, what a shock of recognition! Who can describe the ecstasy, at such a moment, of a mother who had born such a noble son?

When the news of Shivaji´s escape from Agra reached the ears of his enemies in the south, they were all speechless and helpless. Not just that Shivaji´s fame spread all over India. Shivaji had thrown dust into the eyes of the greatest schemer and politician like Aurangzeb and had escaped from the latter´s capital where all the twenty-four hours of the day sentries stood with drawn swords. He had evaded the gaze of the Moghul soldiery for a distance of a thousand miles. The world had never before heard of such daring and cleverness.

Shivaji The Emperor -The Protector Of The Land And Its Dharma

Shivaji established an independent empire that was a source of inspiration to all the Hindus. Yet he had not been crowned in accordance with the rites of the Shastras. Many, therefore, did not feel that he was truly the - King. So a great pundit from Kashi came down south to remedy this shortcoming in the life of Shivaji. This great pundit, Gagabhatta, crowned Shivaji King by name, in accordance with the rites of the Shastras. This great event took place in 1674. Shivaji was then 44 years of age. The towering fort of Raigadh became the capital. After touching his mother´s feet and obtaining her blessings, Shivaji sat on a golden throne on the fort. Gagabhatta held over his head the golden umbrella, The symbol of Kingship, and proclaimed that Shivaji had become the Chatrapati. Women offered ´arati´. Sages and saints blessed him. The people assembled shouted in great joy "Victory to Shivaji Maharaj!" The cannons over the forts resounded. The Sultan of Bijapur and the English acknowledged Shivaji as an independent King and sent him gifts. Samarth Ramdas sang in praise of this great event: "The land and its Dharma have been uplifted. A kingdom of bliss has arisen.

Shivaji did not just content himself with establishing an independent kingdom by defeating his enemies. He also undertook reforms to make his people happy and contented. To him the people were the gods and he would let no one harm them. His soldiers had to go far to defeat the enemies. To these soldiers he had laid down a firm rule: "No harm should come to the people whom you meet on the way. Their standing crops should not be touched." Shivaji would always mete out severe punishment to those who disobeyed his orders. Shivaji was all affection for the poor farmers of villages. They were all, at that time, groaning under the injustice of wealthy Zamindars. Shivaji took over the land of such Zamindars and distributed them among the tillers of the soil.

Untouchability too was rampant, among the Hindus at that time as it is today. Society had branded some amongst its own members untouchables and had kept them at, a distance from the others. Shivaji loved them also. He invited them to join his army and promoted them, to high positions and offices in it. They too served Shivaji and looked up to him with great devotion. They struggled hard for the establishment of Swaraj. Many of them gave up their lives too fighting. Shivaji set an example to all Hindus that they belonging to the same faith should not hate one another.

Shivaji was also greatly interested in the education of the people. Sanskrit language had lost its glorious position. Everywhere Persian was being held up to esteem. Shivaji saw to it that Sanskrit words were substituted for Persian words.

Sometimes, Hindus who had been forced to become Muslims wished to go back. But the Hindus refused to take back such converts. Shivaji felt that this- was not right. So he reconverted all those who wished to return to their old faith. He also cast aside the foolish belief that it was sinful to undertake a journey on the seas. He undertook expeditions on the sea and established forts.

Shivaji was very angry with people who were corrupt or who worked against their country. He hated those who betrayed the land. He would have punished even his own son if the son had turned against his country. Shivaji was an embodiment of justice. He never showed any special favors to his relatives. He always encouraged those who were virtuous and meritorious. This enabled those who were virtuous to progress and occupy high places. There was no scope for selfish contrivers in his kingdom. In this manner Shivaji revolutionized every department. of life.

This is the thrilling tale of how Shivaji won Swaraj. As we read it don´t we feel that we too should follow the example of Shivaji? Why is this so? It is because Shivaji underwent all hardships for the sake of his country, for the sake of its Dharma. He did not care for his own life and quite often entered the very jaws of death. Till his last breath he lived for his country and for the Dharma of the Hindus. It is nearly three hundred years since he died but the memory of this great man lights up the torch of inspiration.

TELUGU FAMOUS PERSONALITIES

2007-12-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

Abburi Varada Raajesvara raavu, (1923-1993)
[Abburi Varada Rajeswara Rao]
Prominent poet, critic and educator. On the editorial staff of several literary magazines. Taught for some time at Univ. Wisconsin, Madison.

Harikathaa Pitaamaha,

Ajjaada Aadibhatla Naaraayana Daasu (1864-1945)

[Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Dasu]
The foremost modern exponent of the literary and performing arts genre "harikatha." Great musician and scholar of Telugu, Sanskrit and Persian. Principal of Maharaja Music College, Viziyanagaram.

(1922-)
[Ajanta -Penumarti Viswanatha Sastry]
Eminent poet and editor. Made a very big impact on modern Telugu poetry even though he wrote only a few verses in all his life in a highly individualistic tone.

(1889-1942)
[Akkiraju Unakantam]
Eminent scholar of Telugu, Sanskrit, English, etc. Writer. Influenced early Telugu literary criticism.

padakavitaa pitaamaha, harikeertanaacaarya,
(1424?-1503)
Tallapaka Annamacharya
One of the greatest composers of South Indian classical tradition. World-class. Wrote more than 32000 compositions known as 'padam' as well as other major works. More than 14000 have been discovered to date on copper plate and stone inscriptions. He was the head of an astonishingly brilliant lineage. Seems to have influenced some other great composers of that time, e.g., Purandara Dasa.

( 1925-1998)
[Arudra -Bhagavatula Siva Sankara Sastry one*, ]
Major modern poet, critic, movie lyricist and literary historian. His "tvamEvaahaM" and the encyclopedic work on Telugu literature "samagraaMdhra saahityaM" are very influential.

( 1933-)
[Bapu -Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana one*, two*, ..]
Eminent painter, cartoonist, movie director, writer, journalist. World class artist. Uniquely personalized style blending to perfection the classical Telugu lines and modern techniques. Had an enormous impact on contemporary Telugu arts, movies, etc.

(1874-1905)
[Bhandaru Achchamamba]
Writer and early pioneer of women's issues. Published a well known biographical work on prominent national and international women, "abalaa satcaritra ratnamaala" (1901).

Caaso ( 1915-1993)
[Chaganti Somayajulu]
Eminent writer of short stories and poetry. Although he wrote sparingly, many of his short stories have been translated into other languages. His indirect contributions include his influence on his friends such as Sri Sri and Narayana Babu. He was a long time president of Progressive Writers Association, arasaM.

(1870-1950)
[Chellapilla Venkata Sastry]
Brilliant and highly influential poet in the classical genre. Prolific literary genius. Trained a large number of famous writers. The second of the great duo tirupati vEnkaTa kavulu. Honoured as the first poet laureate of Andhra.

(1890-1952)
[Chilukuri Narayana Rao]
Well-known lexicographer, historian and scholar. Published "aandhra Bhaashaa caritraM" (1937) and a revised version of Sankaranarayana's English-Telugu Dictionary, etc.

Sinaare -1931
C. Narayana Reddy
Well-known poet, educator, critic, administrator, and song writer for the movies. For his epic poem viSvaMbhara in modern style the highest literary award in India j~naanapeetha, was given to him in 1987. He also produced several other major works, e.g., karpUra vasaMta raayalu.

Arthur Cotton (1803-1899)
Perhaps the most beloved western personality in Telugu history. Knighted. One of the finest civil engineers of 19th cent. Built the anicut on Godavari at Dhavaleswaram among other things. His irrigation works and plans transformed the economy of the coastal districts and very strongly influenced its current domineering position.

Charles Philip Brown (1798-1884)
Brilliant scholar of Telugu. Although he was not an Indian, he was intimately connected with Telugu literature for nearly sixty years and immensely contributed to its progress.

(1897-1925)
[Damerla Rama Rao]
Brilliant artist. Became well-known within a very short life span. Founded the Andhra School of Art at Rajamundry. There is an art gallery named after him at Rajamundry today.

(1872-1919)
[Divakarla Tirupati Sastry]
One of the greatest classical poets in the modern era. Excelled in several genres. The first of the famous duo "Tirupati Venkata kavulu."

( 1902-1975)
Gora -Goparaju Ramachandra Rao
Highly influential thinker and social reformer. Dedicated his life to developing atheistic thought in Andhra and beyond. Authored several works. Founded the Atheist Center, Vijayawada. His son lavaNaM is also a well-known atheist and thinker.

navayuga vaitaaLikudu,
(1862-1915)
Gurajada Appa Rao,
Perhaps the greatest modern writer in Telugu. Commands tremendous respect. Uncompromising intellectual and a social reformer in his own way. More than any one else's, his works defined the beginning of modern Telugu drama, poetry and short story. The Kanyasulkam drama and much of his poetry are world class. His contributions lay not only in the techniques but also in the refreshing, original and modern outlook and a deep humanistic spirit that he instilled in Telugu literature.

Visva daata, Desoddhaaraka,
(1868-1937)
[Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao]
Great philanthropist, scholar, editor, journalist and entrepreneur

(1833-1897)
[Mandapaka Parvatriswara Sastry]
Brilliant scholar of Sanskrit and Telugu. Authored 23 Satakas, several maalikas, and kaavyas. Well known for his travelogue yaatraa caritra.

(1930-)
Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna
Brilliant musician in the South Indian classical style. Perhaps the finest from Andhra in his generation. Composer, vocalist, and music scholar.

(1879-1945)
[Mutnuri Krishna Rao]
Great editor and journalist. His Krishna Patrika was instrumental in shaping the Telugu Literary scene for four decades beginning 1907.

(1933-)
Nataraja Ramakrishna
Very influential dancer, scholar and writer on Telugu dance forms. Single handedly revived the forgotten art form "aaMdhra naaTyaM." Although he was born in Bali, his service to Telugu, his ancestral language and its culture is very meritorious.

(1882-1955)
[Oleti Parvatisam]
Pioneering modern writer. The second of the famous duo "vEMkata paarvateeSvara kavulu." Authored major kavyas, children's literature and novels. Produced several translations.

Naada Brahma,
Kaakarla Tyaaga Raaju (1767-1847)
Perhaps the most famous of all the South Indian composers. Part of the great trio of Carnatic music. Great writer. Devotee of Lord Rama. He has a very large lineage of brilliant pupils (Sishya parampara). Greatly praised and revered as a saint. Hailed as "on whose art no human hand can improve!"

(1927)
Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma
Famous exponent of the kUcipUDi style dance drama. Well-known for his portrayal of female roles, e.g., satya bhaama in bhaamaa kalaapaM. Influenced several other artists.

Telugu caitanyOdyama saarathi,
(1848-1919)
[Kandukuri Viresalingam]
One of the most brilliant and profoundly influential writers in Telugu. One of the greatest social reformers of 19th century India.

(1932-)
Vecheru Narayana Rao,
Eminent literary critic and educator. Krishnadevaraya Professor of Languages and Cultures of Asia, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison. Produced several well-known translations of medieval Telugu poetry in English. Collaborated with many western scholars. His seminal work "telugulO kavitaa viplavaala svarUpaM" is highly influential.

(1930)
Vempati China Satyam
Eminent dancer, scholar and dance composer in the kUcipUDi style. Founded the Kuchipudi Art Academy, Madras and a trained several top performers.

kavi samraa,
(1890-1976)
[Visvanatha Satyanarayana]
The greatest classical style writer in modern times. A literary institution all by himself. His work and personality invoked just about every superlative (positive as well as negative) from various critics. Prolific writer and critic. Eminent educator. Significantly contributed to many diverse literary genres . Received India's highest literary award j~naanapeeTha for his raamaayaNa kalpa vRkshaM. His novels such as Veyi paDagalu are equally famous.

SAMARDHA RAMADASA SWAMI

2007-12-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Shivaji's preceptor and guide, Ramadas imparted to him the message that till we fulfil the required duty towards the motherland. he provide succour and guidance to thousands.

SamarthaRamadas
Samartha Ramadas The night was calm and serene. That night there was a religious discourse by Tukaram. People from all the surrounding villages had gathered to hear the discourse. Shivaji Maharaja was also present. People would forget themselves when listening to the discourses of Tukaram. It would be so enchanting.

At last Tukaram sang the mangala. Shivaji Maharaja got up from his seat, moved a step or two and bowed down at the feet of Tukaram. "Blessed I am by the nectar of your words. I realized that this kingdom and my rule over it are all insignificant compared to Sankeertana (glorification) of Lord Vittala. Maharaja, release me from the barren responsibility of this sword and armor. I too would like to spend the rest of my life in the Sankeertana of Vittala. Teach me the Nama-Sankeertana."

Sant Tukaram, saint among saints, was neither happy nor surprised at the words Of Shivaji Maharaja. On the other hand he was very much hurt. "How could it be? What would happen if Shivaji were to abandon his sword and adorn his hands with Tamboora!"-Tukaram thought. Patting Shivaji on the back, he said, "Up, up! Only Samartha Ramadas can be your worthy Guru. He will tell you what your next course of action is to be. See him, and follow his advice. He is your real guide and Guru."

Who is this Samartha?
Known everywhere as Samartha Ramadas, Narayana was born in the village Jamb, on the bank of river Godavari in Aurnangabad district. The Shanbhog of that village was Sooryaji Pant Thosar. His wife was Ranoobai. Sooryaji Pant worshipped the Sun God. Gangadhara. Pant was the eldest son of Sooryaji Pant. Narayana was born next to him.

Narayana took birth on Sri Ramanavami, that is, the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the year 1530 of Shalivahana Era (1608 A.D.). It was this Narayana who later became the famous Samartha Ramadas.

"I Will Think Over it, Ma"
Narayana was growing as the darling son of his parents in Jamb. Unlike his brother Gangadhara, Narayana was very mischievous. There was no end to his pranks.

Disgusted with his mischievous son, his mother once said, "How long can you go on like this, Narayana?"

"What else can I do, mother?"

"Narayana, have you ever given thought to your future?"

"That is all right Ma, I will now think over it."

'"What do you do next, my son?"

"Let me think over it, mother."

"Think over what?" She asked him again.

"Think over this world. About the future of this universe."

Ranoobai laughed at her son's words. "He is always mischievous she thought and kept quiet. Narayana would get over his mischievous tendency when he is married, some said. In those days, it was customary to perform marriage of boys by the age of 8 or 10. Why not find a suitable bride forNarayana? - Thought his parents. But Narayana declared, "I shall not marry". Narayana would run away from the spot, whenever people raised the topic of his marriage and hide himself somewhere.

One day he was hiding in the temple of Lord Anianeya, outside the village. He did not know how long he was hiding. His thoughts were enveloped in LordAnjaneya. Life-long celibate Hanuman was the devout servant of Sri Rama.

Hanumanta - unsurpassed in intellect. Anjaneya, who had traced Seeta, wife of Sri Rama. Mighty Maruti! The very idol of Maruti inspired Narayana. "I must also lead a life of celibacy, life-long Brahmacharya. I must also become strong and sturdy, like Hanumanta," he thought. Born on Rama- navami, Narayana saw from his mind's eye the purpose of his life, by the darshah of Maruti

An Ideal
From that day onwards Narayana was a changed man. All these days he was talkative. He suddenly became mum. He appeared to be thinking over something always.

Brother Gangadhara got married. Father Sooryaji Pant died. Mother Ranoobai began worrying about the future of her son Narayana: "My son seems to have lost even his power of speech. He has become dumb. What should be done now?"

"All will be right, if you celebrate his marriage" - well wishes told her.

People had suggested such a remedy earlier when Narayana was very boisterous. Now he had become very sober and silent.

Now also people suggested the same remedy.

Ranoobai also agreed to this. But her son would kick a row if anybody raised the subject of his marriage.

One day, Ranoobai asked her son. "My son, will you heed my words or not?"

Narayana did not break his silence.

I am pleading, as your mother. Please fulfil my one request."

Narayana looked up as if to know what his mother had to say.

"You get married. Please fulfil at least this one wish of your mother," she appealed.

It was difficult for Narayana to say ‘no’ to his mother. Though his mind was saying ‘no’ his tongue refused to say so to his mother who was the very embodiment of love and affection.

"All right, mother," he said.

Ranoobai felt immensely happy, as if the very heaven was within her reach. She sent word to her elder brother Bhanaji, who resided in the neighboring village Asangaon.

'Will you marry your daughter to my son Narayana?" She asked him. Bhanaji was ready for the alliance. Preparations for the marriage began fast.

Changed Narayana
The muhurta (auspicious time fixed) was fast approaching. The bride and the bridegroom were standing face to face. Only a yellow cloth screen (Antahpata) was separating them. The priest was uttering the 'Mangalashtaka' in a loud pitch. Narayana became suddenly alert when he heard the last few words of 'Mangala shtaka': "Sumuhurte Saavadhaana."

The word 'Saavadhaana' made him doubly alert. "I must not be caught in the web of marriage. The very purpose of my life will be lost by it. I must run away before the
screen (Antahpata) is remove," he thought.

Priests were chanting 'Mangalashtaka' verses. People who had gathered in large numbers to bless the couple were getting ready to throw mangalakshata on their heads. In the meanwhile Narayana had disappeared from the scene.

The cry, 'Where has Narayana gone, where is he?" echoed in the marriage pandal.

Sumuhurte Saavadhaana
Panchavati is a sacred place. In the Tretayuga, Prabhu Sri Ramachandra and Seetadevi had spent their days in these parts and sanctified them.

From the marriage pandal, Narayana went straight to Panchavati on the bank of the river, Godavari. The purpose of his life and the path to attain it became clear to him in
this sacred place, Nasik.

He spent twelve years of his life at auspicious Panchavati in meditation and penance. Here, he would leave his bed two hours before dawn, have a dip in the Sangama and perform Sand- ayavandana, Meditation and Japa.

Standing in knee-deep water for five to six hours a day from the minute of sunrise till midnoon, he would deeply engage his mind over God. Fish would sometimes bite his legs, he would not mind them. After meditation he would visit some houses and beg for food. He would divide the day's collection into three parts. He would set apart one portion to the cows, another to the fish and third for himself. The rest of the day he would spend in reading religious books, and in 'hearing religious discourses and devotional songs.

The rigorous routine of austerity of this thirteen-year-old boy would surprise everyone. These intense Tapas made his body shine like gold and his mind became
razor-sharp.

Has not his personal God, Prabhu Sri Ramachandra said that one's mother and one's country were superior even to heaven? "Janani Janma-bhoomischa swargadapi gareeyasi." His love for his mother and motherland Bharata-varsha overflowed his mind. Narayana felt: I am Ramadasa, servant of Rama. I shall obey every word of Sri Rama and follow his footprints." Thus Narayana became Ramadasa.

Where is Narayana? What happened To him?
Ramadas wanted to go round the whole country and study the conditions of the people. What is the meaning of going round the whole country? Should he visit every nook and corner of it? No, it is enough if one visits the holy places, which represent the entire country and its people.

An interesting thing happened in Paithan. That was the reason, people say, why Ramadas was begun to be called "Samartha Ramadas."

By then well known for his impressive discourses and Keertans, (singing of hymns, one day Ramadas was walking on the banks of Godavari. He was carrying a bow in one hand and some Brahmins saw it.

One of them asked, 'Do you know the use of the bow?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Then aim at the bird there," said some of them, pointing to a bird flying high in the sky.

One shot of Ramadas brought the bird down to the earth.

"You are a sadhu, you say. Should you kill an innocent bird? What a sinful act you have committed!" the Brahmins commented.

"You asked me to kill it!"

"Can you commit a sin because some one asks you to do so?"

"Yes, true, one should not," said Ramadas.

"You must repent for the sin of killing the bird. Otherwise you will have to suffer for it," warned the Brahmins.

Ramadas accepted to repent, and performed some sacrifice. Then he-asked the Brahmins, "Am I now free from the sin?"

Brahmins said, "You are free."

"Then how is it that the bird is still dead?"

"But how can a dead bird come back to life?"

"If the bird cannot come to life, then how am I to be sure that I got rid of the sin?" Ramadas asked them.

Ramadas took the bird in his hands, prayed with great devotion to Lord Sri Ramachandra. The bird began breathing. Lo, it fluttered and flew away! From that day onwards people began to address Ramadas as Samartha Ramadas. Thus goes the story.

Then Ramadas traveled to Kashi in the North. On the way he would take rest in villages and fill his stomach by begging for food. Ramadas keenly observed the prevailing conditions, customs and manners of people, during his journey throughout the length and breadth of the country.

In one of his poems, Ramadas has given the following picturesque description of the conditions that existed then in the country.

"Subjected to foreign. Invasions, the villages are deserted, lands are left uncultivated. Even in places where people managed to live, they appeared to be living as if faced with an impending deluge. High prices of day to day necessities of life have made their lite most miserable. Many have put an end to their lite by taking poison. People are disgusted with life.

He was heartbroken by the sight. "Is there no salvation for these people?" He implored God.

In this frame of mind Ramadas entered the temple of Lord Vishwanatha at Kashi (Banaras). Kashi is a holy place, a great pilgrimage center. People flock there in
thousands from all parts of Bharat.

One day Ramadas was taking rest outside the temple after the darshan of Lord Vishwanatha. His imposing personality attracted the attention of the devotees visiting the temple. He entered into conversation with them. An important aspect of life he came to realize from these talks.

Visit To Holy Places
As you know, the temple of Kashi Vishwanatha is built on the banks of the river Ganga. Steps are built to facilitate bathing. But nowhere was there to be seen a statue of Hanuman.

People requested Ramadas: "Maharaj, the statue of Maruti has to be installed at the Ghat if it is to be called really Hanuman Ghat."

Ramadas thought: "Yes, this place cannot be called Hanuman Ghat without Hanumanta." He succeeded in installing an idol of Anjaneya there.

Waves of thought rose in the mind of Ramadas. "What is this? Who am I? What should be the will of God that I should be brought here from such a far-off place and
ordered to build the temple? There must be some purpose. What can it be?" Ramadas began to ponder over it. Then the purpose of his life, the message of God, became clear to him like crystal.

"It is true that Bharatavarsha is greater than heaven. But that is of no use without freedom-like the Hanuman Ghat without Hanuman. Hanuman is well known for his
strength and valor, ‘Buddhimataam Varishthah'- the wisest among the wise.

"He was also a tower of strength. He possessed unsurpassed intellect. It was his effort, which enabled Ramachandra to get back his wife Seeta. To worship Hanumanta means worshipping strength and valor. This goal of freedom should have a firm foundation in the minds of the people of Bharata. Then alone could they have independence, the Seeta of freedom.

"It is true that Bharateeyas are as intelligent as Hanuman. If they can make up their mind, there could be none to equal them both in strength and intellect. They could cross the seas and Climb Mountains.

The idol of Hanuman must be installed in the minds of the people, like installing the statue of Hanuman in Hanuman Ghat."

Hanuman At Hanuman Ghat
Ramadas had a clearer picture of his life's mission at the holy Kashi.

Ramadas visited many places in North India. Then he turned his mind towards South. He went up to the holy Rameswara and then to Tirupati, and came to Pampakshetra on the banks of the river Tungabhadra. He had the darshan of Lord Virupaksha. Hardly a few decades had passed since the Vijayanagar Empire had been razed to the ground. In his restless efforts to climb the heights of spiritual glory, sage Vidyaranya had realized the importance of preserving Dharma. He had striven hard, day and night, for the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Likewise the pontiff of Sri Vyasaraya mutt provided necessary advice and guidance to Krishandevaraya of Vijayanagar in building the empire.

While the nation and the character of its people are in grave danger, spiritual aspirations and efforts at personal salvation by the heads of religious institutions and individuals should be kept aside for the time being. The first and foremost concern of all citizens should be to resolve the challenges confronting the nation.

Shivaji was at the time faced with similar situation.

When Vijayanagar was on the verge of an attack by enemies, spiritual activities alone could not be sufficient to defend the country. Strength of arms and ammunition and the determination to drive out the enemy were needed. Mere love of one's motherland is not enough, might of the muscles is necessary. It should be acquired by hard effort, and nurtured and developed. Irrespective of whether one is a family man or a monk or a soldier, every one should be prepared to die indefending the motherland. Ramadas saw this need.

Ramadas came to Pandharapur, the abode of Lord Vittala. When Pundalika, a great devotee of God Vittala, wasengaged in the nursing of his aged parents, God himself came to give darshan to his devotee and test him. But to Pundalika, the darshan of God Vittala was not of as much importance as his service to his parents.

"My first duty is to my parents. Without fulfilling it I have no time to welcome you," he told Vittala. "Till then please be waiting on the bricks," he added, throwing two bricks. This is the story of Vittala of the famous Pandharapura. One can see even to this day God Vittala standing on the two bricks with arms akimbo.

Ramadas derived a lesson even from this legend. It is the first and foremost duty of every person to attend to the needs of his parents and not to forget them with the
excuse that worship of God should come first.

One's motherland is one's true mother. Swadharma, duty, is one's father. It is not right to go to the Himalayas and perform penance in search of God forgetting one's duty to one's mother and motherland. One should first discharge one's duty to the land of one's birth; then one could turn his thoughts towards otherworldly things or heaven.

These were the thoughts that coursed through the mind of Ramadas. From his pilgrimage all over the country Ramadas realised that the nation was in grave danger.

Vow To Protect Motherland
Ramadas sent word to Shivaji Maharaja as soon as he returned to Maharashtra.

Prostrating at the feet of Ramadas, Shivaji begged of him: "I seek your advice. Show me a path to salvation. You are my Guru. You alone must save me."

Ramadas felt immensely happy when he saw Shivaji. In him he saw the person who could fulfil the high ideals he had set forth.

"Shivaji is not an ordinary person. He has all the qualities of becoming the man of the age," Ramadas thought.

"Shivaba, I have heard you have taken an oath before Rohideswara to free the country from the foreign bondage. From my recent tour I have fully realised the danger the country is facing. The people should be freed and their glorious heritage should be restored. Then alone could this great land be smiling with plenty and happiness. Why think of God and other world now? You have to do much to free your people from the fear of foreigners. God is waiting to help such people. Do not forget the oath you took before Rohideswara. Service to your people is service to God."

Shivaji Maharaja heard his Guru with rapt attention and devotion.

The Right Disciple
Shivaji Maharaja worshipped the feet of Ramadas. In return Ramadas gave to Shivaji a coconut, a fistful of mud and two fistfuls of sandstone.

The coconut signifies suspiciousness, according to Hindu belief. The mud symbolizes one's motherland. And the sandstone is the sign of strength of defense, an impenetrable fort. To be doubly ready to defend one's country and countrymen is what is meant. That was the message of Ramadas.

"Maharaj, be like a strong fort to your people. May you be successful in your endeavour to defend the country and drive away the enemies." With these words Ramadas blessed Shivaji Maharaja.

Ramadas discussed the ways and means of helping and co-operating with Shivaji Maharaja in his struggle to free the country. Ramadas gave a gist of the principles of his teachings to Shivaji when they parted. These words are included in the 'Dasabodha' which Ramadas wrote later.

Those words are:

"Put down mercilessly those who carry tales and also those who rebel against you.

Leave no work half-done. He is unfortunate who shows disregard for the task entrusted to him. What is the use of a coward? One who cannot face danger is not a soldier. Courage is the stepping- stone to success. Go ahead with your task in the name of God."

Shivaji Maharaja returned to his pi with these words of advice.

"Be a Strong Fort"
Ramadas began to think of the next course of action. He decided to move to the banks of Krishna from Godavari. Adil Shah was the principal enemy of freedom that Shivaji was contemplating to restore. Therefore Ramadas thought that his stay on the banks of Krishna which was in the occupation of Adil Shah would be an ideal place to be of assistance to Shivaji. Before settling there, Ramadas wished to have the darshan of his mother at Jamb village.

Ramadas came to Jamb, stood in front of his house, and shouted, "Jaya Jaya Raghuveera Samarth!"

Brother Gangadhara's wife came out with alms (Bhiksha). She could not recognize Ramadas.

Laughing, Ramadas said, "Sister-in-law, I am not a beggar, I am your Narayana."

She lifted her head and saw Ramadas. She then recognized him. She ran into the house to convey the information to her mother-in-law. Ranoobai, mother of Ramadas, was overjoyed to hear that her son who had run away from the marriage pandal had returned.

Ramadas entered the house. He fell at the feet of his mother. She was taken aback to see her son in the saffron robe, long beard and long hair.

She could say nothing at first as she was dumb-founded. But then she uttered, Narayana, my Narayana!"

"Yes, ma, I am your Narayana."

"True, you are my Narayana. But what is this? Which devil has taken hold of you?" She asked.

Ramadas laughed heartily at his mother's remark. "Mother, it is true a devil has taken hold of me. But you do not know what sort of devil it is!"

"The divine force that is in Vaikunta descended to earth. Born to Kousalya, it finished Tataki "Ramadas went on singing in his melodious voice. "The force that has taken hold of me is Prabhu Sri Ramachandra," he said jocularly.

Tears of joy rolled down the eyes of his mother on hearing these words. Ramadas narrated his wanderings in detail.

Finally he said: 'I went round* the country and saw decadence of morality and virtue (Dharmaglani) in men."

"What? Have men abandoned Dharma?" she said aghast. "Oh, very bad; very very bad," she muttered.

"Good will come out of this evil, mother; good will certainly come out of it," Ramadas consoled his mother, speaking as if in a dream.

"Am I Your Narayana?"
After spending a few days with his mother, Ramadas went down South to select his field of activities. On the way he installed idols of Anjaneya at Taakali, Maahulli,
Mahableswar, Vai, Karad and many other places.

He had gymnasiums (Vyayamashalas) built in front of those temples. It was to present the ideal qualities of courage and character before the people. He composed inspiring stotras in simple Marathi for their daily chanting.

Bheemaroopee Mahaarudraa Vajra
Hanuman Maruti!

Vanaaree Anjaneesutaa Raamaduta Prabhanjana!!

By chanting these verses daily, one can acquire unsurpassed strength and intellect.

Ramadas thought of settling in Chaphal village on the banks of the river Mand situated amidst sylvan surroundings. He requested the villagers for a piece of land to build a temple of Prabhu Ramachandra.

Their rough answer was: "Go away and build the temple in the burial-ground on the outskirts of the village."

"Very good", said Ramadas. He made up his mind to build a beautiful temple in the burial-ground itself. For one who was dreaming of creating a heaven out of ruins,
building a temple in a burial-ground would hardly present a problem!

The work of construction began and in a few days the temple was ready. In the depths of Krishna River he searched for the stone image of Prabhu Ramachandra and installed it in the temple.

Near by at Pratapgadh Shivaji Maharaja had his palace. This news reached him, He went to Chaphal, met Ramadas and offered his deepest respect. He provided Ramadas all the assistance needed for the construction of the temple

The Temple Of Sri Rama
Shivaji was growing strong day by day. The area under his control was extending. It gave Ramadas great joy.

Ramadas learnt that Afzal Khan, trusted lieutenant of King Adil Shah, was marching southwards with the challenge that he would bring back Shivaji either dead or alive. He also learnt that Afzal Khan, on the way, had destroyed many holy places like Tulajapur and Pandharapur. Afzal Khan was about to attack Shivaji with a strong force. Like death personified, Afzal Khan waited at the gates, eager to finish off Shivaji.

It worried Ramadas greatly. Day in and day out he thought over it. How would Shivaji safely escape from this mortal danger? He prayed to goddess Tulaja Bhavani.

"None but you could save my Shivaji from the savage enemy. I should have the fortune to see Shivaji safe after routing the enemy." That was the incessant prayer Ramadas fervently offered to goddess Tulaja Bhavani.

Afzal Khan had come to kill Shivaji but it was he who was killed by Shivaji. With the death of Afzal Khan the throne of Adil Shah began to shake. Shivaji's might, name and fame spread far and wide.

Ramadas were immensely happy at the turn of events. He blessed Shivaji with all his heart.

In humility Shivaji told Ramadas that the vast kingdom he had acquired was on account of the guidance, good wishes and the blessings of godly men like him. "I place all this at your feet" he offered.

Overjoyed by these words, Ramadas said: "Shivaraya, what use is this wealth and kingdom to me? Do not think your task is over with this. It has to be further extended. Ananda-Vana-Bhuvana (Heaven on Earth) is to be established. Success is surely yours. May God Almighty ever stand by you."

Shivaji prostrated before Ramadas.

Same Shivaji
The death of Afzal Khan was a decisive turning point in the life of Shivaji Maharaja. All these days his enemies had thought that Shivaji was a nuisance, a rebel and
guerrilla. With the strength of arms he built up, the area under his power began expanding.

In 1674 Shivaprabhu ascended the throne at Rajagadh. Samartha Ramadas was present on the occasion. Shivaji Maharaja got built a special room for Ramadas at
Rajagadh.

It stands there even to this day.

The coronation of Shivaji Maharaja was not an achievement of any one individual. It was a proud day for every Indian. There was no end to the joy and merry-making of
people that day. And there was no limit to the joy and happiness of Ramadas.

He named this kingdom of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja asAnanda-Vana-Bhuvana.

Ananda-Vana- Bhuvana
The death of Afzal Khan was a decisive turning point in the life of Shivaji Maharaja. All these days his enemies had thought that Shivaji was a nuisance, a rebel and
guerrilla. With the strength of arms he built up, the area under his power began expanding.

In 1674 Shivaprabhu ascended the throne at Rajagadh. Samartha Ramadas was present on the occasion. Shivaji Maharaja got built a special room for Ramadas at
Rajagadh.

It stands there even to this day.

The coronation of Shivaji Maharaja was not an achievement of any one individual. It was a proud day for every Indian. There was no end to the joy and merry-making of
people that day. And there was no limit to the joy and happiness of Ramadas.

He named this kingdom of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja asAnanda-Vana-Bhuvana.

The Writing Of 'Dasabodha'
Shivaji requested Ramadas to settle at Sajjangadh instead of Chaphal. Sajjangadh is a beautiful place at the foot of the Sahyadri Mountains. "Gadh" means a fort on a hill.

"What am I to do at the fort Ramadas asked Shivaji.

"It is a place with beautiful natural surroundings. It is best suited for your meditation and penance. I will see that the temple at Chaphal is kept undisturbed. My humble prayer is that you settle at Sajjangadh," Shivaji said.

"Yes, as you please" Ramadas answered.

As desired by his disciple, Rama came and settles at Sajjangadh.

At Sajjangadh Ramadas finished book 'Dasabodha.'

In 'Dasabodha' Ramadas has recorded his reflections on worldly life and on spiritual life. He has shown the way to a peaceful life. He has classified his teachings in
fourheadings: (1) Harikatha, (2) Politics, (3) Eternal Vigilance, and (4) Intelligent Living.

"First a person should learn to lead a life of righteousness, discharge one's duties to one's self and to one's neighbors and then think of the other world, that is, the spiritual side of life. There is no place for a lazy man. One who strives to establish Dharma is alone a godly person." This Ramadas preached in 'Dasabodha'.

The Light That Went Out
In 1680 A.D. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja died. It was an irreparable and unbearable loss to Ramadas. The entire Sajjangadh was drowned in sorrow. Ramadas could not bear the loss of Shivaji and he was very much dejected.

That was not all. Many more unpleasant events were waiting for Ramadas.

Sambajiraje Bhonsle ascended the throne after Shivaji. Though bold and chivalrous like his father Shivaji, Sambaji was vain and stubborn. He was after pleasure and pomp. He did not trust his officers and treat them well. Often, for no fault of theirs they were severely punished.

Ramadas could not stand such ill treatment by Sambaji. He wrote a long letter to him advising him in the matter.

The gist of it is as follows:

"Material happiness should be looked upon as worthless. We should live in such a way as to be praised and remembered in this world and welcomed in the other. We
should be ever vigilant in our thoughts, words and deeds. We should never think low. One should sit alone and think deeply. One should be less severe and more liberal in judging others. One should take one's officers into confidence. Always think of Shivaji Maharaja and his great deeds. Think of his form, think of his valor. Think of his bravery, his tact, and his administrative capacity. How noble were his words, his conduct! What warmth of personality! He should be an inspiration in every walk of your life. It should be your constant endeavor to better him if possible in every respect. Then alone will you be worthy of praise. What else can I write?"

These words of advice of Ramadas opened the eyes of Sambaji. He tried his best and thenceforward did his utmost to mend his ways.

The health of Ramadas worsened day by day, as days passed by. His one desire had remained unfulfilled, namely the installation of the idol of Sri Rama at Sajjangadh. The beautiful image of Sri Ramachandra from Thanjavoor was brought and installed at Sajjangadh.

All his wishes were completed after this event. His mind remained concentrated always on Prabhu Sri Ramachandra.

"God ever dwells in the minds of his devotees, observing their thoughts, words and deeds. He blesses all with happiness, wealth and emancipation. Sri Rama will never let down his devotees."

With this song on his lips, Ramad breathed his last.

Ramadas died on the ninth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Magha in the year 1682 A.D. (1604 of Shalivahana Saka.) There is tombstone of Ramadas at
Sajjangadh built by Sambaji. His devotees observe the day of his death as "Dasanavami " even to this day.

The religious discourses and Keertans of Ramadas inspired and thrilled the people. Their life was purified in the sacred Ganga of the Lord's Name. Ramadas etched these words in their hearts

"Do not search for Moksha for getting your country. Lead a pure life. First you owe a duty to your family and to your motherland. Then alone should you turn your thoughts
towards Moksha or Salvation."

AUDI SANKARACHARYA

2007-12-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest philosophers and savants of Bharat. Though he lived for only thirty-two years, his achievement was unparalleled. He propounded the vedantic tenet that Brahman the Supreme and man are of one essence and that all people should strive to cultivate this vision of oneness. He established four spiritual centres in the four corners of the country, thus' upholding the underlying unity of the holy land of Bharat.

Shankaracharya

Amala-kamalaadhivasini

maanaso vaimalyadaayini manoine i

sundara-gaatri susheele

tava charanaambhoruham

narnaami sadaa ii

(O Goddess, You live in the lotus of purity,

You make the mind pure, and You are known by the inner mind.

You are beautiful as well as virtuous. I offer my salutation at Your lotus feet at all times.)

This hymn on Goddess Saraswati, so well known and familiar in our country, was composed by Sri Shankaracharya. "it is not possible to describe His form in any specific way. But great is His Glory."

This statement is made about God. It occurs in Vedas. The same thing may be said of sages, seers and philosophers-the most glorious personages who were responsible for the growth and development of our national culture. They did not want to fill the pages of Indian history with physical and material information such as dates, place, birth, period of life, etc. This is the characteristic of our culture. Their vital spirit is still present all around us. Their works alone testify to their spiritual, intellectual and creative powers. These great men will appear to us as God-men, when we understand their works. Their actions appear as superhuman. As they are beyond our ability to understand, we tend to think of them as miracles. But these extraordinary men are far above those miracles also. Leaving aside these miracles, if we just take their life story, even that would be wonderful and interesting. The lives of such persons with their pristine purity . reveal the very heart of Indian culture. Sri Adi Shankaracharya belongs to the galaxy of such men. The history of Indian culture, in fact, is the stream of lives of such great souls. In order to recover from the crises-the religious, moral, that crop up ideological or political in the society from time to time, the country anxiously awaits the help of inspiring and glorious personalities. It may be said that Sri Shankaracharya's birth took place in the same way, as a result of India's spiritual longing for redressal of its all-round suffering. It is the opinion of scholars that he belonged to the period between 788 and 820 A.D.

God's Grace

It is stated that Sri Shankaracharya was born of God's Grace to his parents. Kalati is a beautiful village Kerala. Even today this fine village may be seen on the bank of river Poornaa. There lived a couple It name Shivaguru and Aryamba. Theirs was an orthodox Namboodri brahim family. Though rich, they led simple life Both the husband a wife were well educated. More than that, they were devoted to God. They were worried only about not having any children even after long time. They made vows an appeals to all gods. At last, suggested by close friends, they we to Trichtir for rendering devotional service to God Vrishaachaleshwara. The divinely graceful idol of the God attracted them. They spent many days there with a feeling that serving Him is the only way known to them One night Vrishaachaleshwara appeal in their dream. It was a wonder experience.. God posed a question to them.. I am pleased with your steadfast devotion. I shall- grant your prayer. But there is one question, Does it suffice if you are given only one son of short life who will be a great teacher of the whole world, or do you want many children of long life but dull wits?"

Would the God who is not easily accessible put an easy question? The couple who had such boundless faith in God found completely a different way out. They left everything to His decision only. Then the Lord said, "Your son, born as an aspect of Shiva, will become an universal teacher." So, saying, He disappeared. Shivaguru and Aryamba felt very happy and stayed there for several more days offering their worship and service to god Ishwara. Afterwards they returned home.

A son was born to Aryamba by the full Grace of Ishwara. The baby was named Shankara. Calculating according to solar calendar, the auspicious day has been said to be the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Vaishakha. The devotees celebrate - "Shankara Jayanti On that- day every year.

Shankara, being a divine incamation grew up right from his childhood as a prodigy in every respect. It is said that at the age of eight he had understood the four Vedas. By the time he was twelve years of age, he had understood all branches ofknowledge. And by sixteen he had written commen- taries on those Vedanta which are considered to be his major works. Sharp as his intellect was, so was his heart very broad. Even at a young age Shankara, had become proficient in Prakrit Magadhi and Sanskrit languages. At The first year of his age he had learnt both Malayali, his mother tongue, and Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas. During his second year he was able to read and write in these languages. During his third year he was able to read and explain epics and mythology. Thus is it stated in some books written about him. Considered from an ordinary standpoint, one might feel that much of this may be an exaggeration. But instances of child prodigies endowed with a divine gift of brilliance are not uncommon.

At Gurukula

At the age of five Shankara's Upanayana was performed. By that time his father Shivaguru was dead. Only the mother had to bear the responsibility of bringing up the child pupil. Shankara was sent to the nearby Gurukula on the banks of river Poornaa. Under the guidance of Guru he studied the Vedas and its branches and also all other subjects. His brilliance brought credit to the entire Gurukula. From an incident that happened during his stay at the Gurukula one can understand his deep concern for the poor and distressed persons.

There is a convention that the pupils in a Gurukula should get their food by begging. Accordingly the boy Shankara went round to beg. He stood at the door of a house and shouted, "Mother, please give alms. He repeated the appeal twice. There was no reply. He repeated it several times. Then a woman came out and stood with a sad face. There was nothing in the house to offer to this boy. Hence that piteous look. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Shankara understood the situation. "Mother, I shall be content with whatever you give me. Thereby may there be no scarcity in your house," he said. But how to give anything when there was nothing? What is there to give? At last she remembered the gooseberries grown in the backyard. She brought some gooseberries and gave them to Shankara. Shankara then prayed to Shreedevi, the Goddess of Wealth, to show her mercy on this humble and virtuous woman. Then, as Written in the books, there was a shower of golden gooseberries in the house. This means that as a, result of Shankara's prayer to the Goddess, that family became rich and Prosperous.

Shankara stayed in the Gurukula for eight years. By then he made such a thorough study of all the subjects that he had them at his finger-Ups. More than any other subject, he was greatly interested in the Vedanta, the most advanced part of the Vedas, which is said to be the very came of spiritual truth. This is the highest and the culminating point of all knowledge. "By knowing which everything will be known, and that is what the Vedanta aims at," say the learned. Even at such a tender age Shankara was attracted towards that goal. This shows the greatness of his personality.
For The Sake Of Mother

Many instances that reveal the divine spirit of great men are available at every stage of their lives. It was so in the case of Shankara also. After completing his education in the Gurukula, it was the time when Shankara was at home rendering service to his mother and also teaching some pupils. Aryamba had fallen ill. But still she insisted on having her daily bath in the river Poornaa. Though the river-bed was in front of her house, it had dried up because of summer, and the slender flow of water was far away. Aryamba had to cross the vast sand-bed to reach the water. One day she managed to finish her bath and was returning home. While crossing that sand-bed, not being able to withstand the sun and strain, she fainted and fell down on the way. Shankara got the news and rushed to the spot. He attended to her. When she recovered a little, he brought her home.

The summer might be unbearable and the water might be flowing at a distance across a broad bed of sand. But Aryamba would never agree to change her routine. So the next day, would she not go again to the river for bath? this worried Shankara. He folded his hands in salutation to the river goddess, Poornaa Devi. He prayed to her to flow in full, extending her waters up to their house, in order to facilitate his mother's ritualistic bath. Maybe in answer to his prayer, or maybe by a seasonal phenomenon or due to both, there was a continuous downpour of rain throughout the night. The next morning river Poornaa was found flowing fully over the breadth of her sands in all her grace and majesty. This is as good a miracle as having brought the distant river very near.Whether spirituality has or has not the power to awaken the static power latent in Nature and make it dynamic is a matter for thought. All the people of Kalati joined the ailing Aryamba in praising and blessing Shankara. Mother's Longing And Anxiety

Who is not astonished at the routine of an eight year old boy being engaged in Vedic studies, contemplation on Vedantic thoughts and teaching the same to others? In addition to this he had to attend on his aged mother.

As days were passing like this, one day two Brahmin’s who were both old in years and in wisdom came to Shankara's house. Aryamba and Shankara received them with respect and treated them hospitably. The guests found the atmosphere of the house extraordinary. They were enchanted by Shankara's brilliance, modesty and godly qualities. They felt that only to work for the welfare of the world God must have endowed this boy at such a tender age with all those abilities and achievements. While departing, those old men told Shankara's mother: "May your son live long. May he become a stalwart in establishing the Vedic tradition firmly and gloriously in Bharat which is now passing through a crisis, and may he thereby accomplish the welfare of the world."

The mother's heart was also yearning for the same. She prayed to Ishwara to grant her son a long life and to make the blessings of those Magis come true. But how is it that God Ishwara Himself appearing in the dream told, "Your son may have a short life but he will be the teacher of the world"? Then what does the blessing of these old Magis mean? Aryamba was puzzled. But she consoled herself saying, "May it be as He wills it."

The son seems to have understood her anxiety. He tried to comfort her by saying, "Mother, don't you see that incidents of everyday life point only to the transitory nature of life? If we make use of all the time at our disposal in the service of God, is there a better fortune than that?"
Shankara,The Ascetic

There is not the slightest doubt about an unseen hand shaping the life of Shankara. As if to confirm this, there happened an incident.

One day Shankara was bathing in the river Poornaa. A crocodile caught his leg and began to pull him into the river. However strong one might be one can't fight with a crocodile in water and succeed. What could the plight of boy Shankara be then? He felt that his life had come to an end. He loudly called out to his mother. She came running. He told her, "Death isapproaching, mother, as I have been caught by a crocodile. I am unable to free myself from its grip. I see only one way out. I must take sannyasa before I die. Please permit me to take 'instant sannyasa'. (Taking sannyasa in essence means to give up one life' and get a new one. So by the decision to take sannyasa he would get over the death caused by the crocodile. Either way he would attain an exalted state. If he survived he would have a new life. If he should die, even then he would have a new life after casting away his body.) The son’s plight and his pathetic appeal moved the heart of the mother. She wasconfused. If he could live at least by becoming a monk, may it be so. She only wanted him to live. So, with a firm faith in Ishwara she gave her consent saying, "My child, may it be according to His will."

Probably it was the will of God that Shankara should be freed from worldly life. The crocodile left Shankara unhurt and swam away in the water! Shankara. Crossed over the sorrow and misery of worldly life. By mere resolution of the mind, he became a Sannyasi and attained a new life.

Mother was grieved about his becoming an ascetic. A few days after this incident, the boy-monk told her about his life’s mission.

He requested her to permit her to leave Kalati.

He was her only son. And was a gift of God to her.

But when she realised that he was born only to render service both to God and to humanity, she blessed him and bade him farewell saying, "Attain great fame, my dear son."

Shankara requested the elders and his dear friends of neighborhood to have good care about his mother and then he got ready to leave Mother could not control her grief "Shankara," she said, "will I see yet again once at least before I die? Shankara, having understood mother., heart, assured her, "Mother, remember me at the time death. I will come to you wherever I may be. I am praying to God to grant me the ‘good fortune of serving my mother during her last days." This was a reply of one who had supreme faith in God. To divert his mother's attention towards God, he installed at home an idol of Sri Krishna. Leaving his mother to his gracious care, Shankara left Kalati. 'O, Mother Parvati, Give Me Alms'

After visiting many pilgrim centres of this holy land of Bharat, Sri Shankara came to Kashi. His object was to have darshan of God Vishweshwara on the banks of sacred Ganges. His march of religious conquest was to start in Kashi.

Shankara in Kashi felt that his first and foremost duty was to have darshan of Sri Annapurna, the presiding deity of the city of Kashi, that she should give him the first alms. But the alms that Shankara begged of her was unusual:

Jnaana-vairaagya-siddhyartham

bhikshaam dehi cha Parvati

"O Mother Parvati, give me alms such as will enable me to attain wisdom and austerity." The humility and the intense feeling with which he was appealing to the mother of the universe, the radiance which far exceeded the tender age of that handsome boy-monk surprisedeverybody. If some thronged around him to listen to the ecstatic songs dominated by a note of devotion which Shankara sang in his divine voice, many others came to listen to his enlightening discourses on Vedanta. Still many more experienced peace in his company under a spiritual influence. In this way, before long the boy-ascetic won a place in the hearts of the people.

During Shankara's stay in the city of Kashi an incident happened as ill to test his inner development.

The day was about to dawn. Shankara was on his way to the river for bathing. A man whom people called pariah (of a low caste) came across the road. Shankara, it seems, shouted at him, "0, untouchable, keep away." The answer the other man gave was startling. "To which are you referring as untouchable, this body or the Self? Is not this body also made of dust in the same way as your body? Does the Self ever get polluted? And how can the Self which is present everywhere keep itself at a distance? Is there any difference between you and me the way it has pervaded?" It is a situation in which any one might get confounded. But Shankara’s reaction was entirely different. Throwing away all his pride, he fell prostrating at the feet of that man. "This is not an ordinary man. One who has ‘described the nature of the Self in such a simple and lucid language is really not ordinary: He is no other than God Himself. Is not this inner enlight-enment a form of Vishweshwara’s Grace?" he said to himself and felt happy. Shankara even after experiencing the Advaita doctrine was caught for a moment in the illusion of high and low. He offered his salutation to that God in human form who had dispelled his illusion.

One Vishnu Sharma at Kashi prayed with great devotion. "I wish to be freed from the bondage of worldly life, please show me the way, Sir." He became the first disciple of Shankara. It is this person who later became known as ‘Padmapadacharya’. Commentaries

Shankara, a scholar of tremendous capacity, had one important task to do. The Upanishads, BhagavadGita and Brahmasutras are sacred scriptures of the Hindus; but it is not easy to understand them. Shankaracharya decided to write commentaries on these texts. He wrote first on the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. They became very popular. He was to write the commentary on BrahmaSutras. Hindus believe that Bhagavan Vyasa is still alive in Badari, the pilgrim centre. This centre is located at the foot of the Himalayas, at an altitude of 12,000 feet. Travelling was not easy in those days, about 1200 years ago. ButShankaracharya went to Badari itself to write his commentary on the BrahmaSutras.

Dedicating himself to the service of Ishwara and Bhagavan Vyasa, he launched upon his work. The writing of commentary went on smoothly. It is said that Vyasa himself gave darshan to Shankara and blessed him. As it happened, according to his expectation Shankara continued his work with a new vigour. This doubled his life-span as it were. Mainly this new vigour-call it longevity - was needed for the fulfil- ment of Shankara’s project. The heavy task of spreading the meaning of these great texts was also waiting. Shankara’s mission in life would not be completed without doing this. So in order to carry out this responsibility, a new vigour in the form of God’s Grace and Guru’s blessings was needed. Shankara, having got this, devoted the rest of his life to carry out his mission. This, as may be called, was the period of Shankara’s conquests.

As the first step of his conquests Shankara came to the city of Ruddha. There he was to encounter one Kumarila Bhatta in argument and win over him. Kumarila said, "If you want to debate on Vedanta you should go to MandanaMishra; and if you win over him in an argument, then surely you can expect victory for Vedanta everywhere."

Mandana Mishra was an outstanding scholar. Even the most learned men would feel nervous to argue with him. He lived in a town called Mahishmati. Shankaracharya went there. Mandana Mishra agreed for a debate.

What is the stake?

The loser should become the winner’s disciple.

Both were stupendous scholars. Who should be the judge competent to decide as to who had won and who had lost?

The wife of Mandana Mishra was Ubhaya Bharat. She too had astounding scholarship. She was regarded as the incarnation of Saraswati (the Goddess of learning). She was made the judge.

The debate with thundering argument and counter-argument on for several days.

Mandana Mishra at last accepted his defeat. As per the agreement he became a sannyasi and disciple ofShankaracharya.

This victory of Shankara was of tremendous consequence, we should say. It was the triumph of Shankara Charya's teaching. Besides, he got a brilliant person like Mandana Mishra as his disciple. It was this disciple who rendered memorable service to Vedanta and became known as 'Sureshwaracharya.'

After this event Shankara went to the sacred Srishalila. His intention was mainly to defeat Ugra Bhairava who was notorious in Tantric field such as witchcraft and black magic. That Kaapaalika could not win over Shankara's pious and spiritual Vedic doctrines. He with his black art even attempted to kill Shankara, but fell himself a prey to it. From Srishaila Shankara went to Gokarna, another famous pilgrim-centre. And then he proceeded along the Sahyadri range to the Mookambika Temple at the foot of Sahyadri hills.
A Matchless Guru For A Matchless Disciple

Now Shankara's main aim was to search for a Guru. His intense desire was to have as his Guru only a person who had realised Brahman. If this is the expectation of a disciple, is not that Guru most fortunate? . Shankara went towards North. He came to the banks of river Narmada after passing through many hermitages. There he found the hermitage of a Mahayogi. And this was Govinda Bhagavatpada. Seeing him in a state of deep samadhi, Shankara's heart was filled Iwith satisfaction. His expectation had been fulfilled. What did Govinda Guru see when he woke to his conscious state? A boy-ascetic with a bright and radiant face, standing there with folded hands. The inner spiritual development was writ large on his face. After prostrating before the Guru, Shankara introduced himself. He requested that he may be accepted as a disciple. Govinda Yogi felt happy at the very first meeting as h e had found the very type of person - the fittest disciple – for whom he had been waiting. Let alone teaching the pupil the mysterious secrets of the Vedanta, was it not a great pleasure for the Guru to find there a disciple who had not only digested the very philosophy of Vedanta but looked every inch the embodiment of that philosophy? Taking initiation from the Guru in a regular way to ascetic life, Shankara carried on his studies with all devotion.

For the boy Shankara who had obtained a marvellous success in comprehending the Advaita philosophy, "The spiritual Yoga" was very necessary. A person who at his will could forget himself and the world and enter the indescribable state of supreme peace! Such was the Guru. And the disciple was one who was qualified to attain that state. This was a preparatory step of Shankara in getting dynamic power which would facilitate the great work he was to do in future. Understanding the truth is different from experiencing it. Govinda Bhagavatpada enabled Shankara to attain this state of glorious experience. The wise who have attained this state call it the experience of the Infinite. This experience gave rich nourishment to Shankara's personality. The entire world appeared to be full of Brahman to him. After this the only thing that remained to be done was to communicate the bliss he had known and experienced to one and all through Vedanta. This work was assigned also to him by his Guru Govinda Bhagavatpada. He was asked to write, in the light of truth he had realised, commentaries on the three basic texts, namely the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahmasutras which are the spiritual treasure troves of Bharat. The Guru blessed him saying, "Whatever you wish, it shall be fulfilled by the power you have acquired from yogic practices." The next period of Shankara's life was devoted to the propagation of Vedanta.
'Hastamalaka'

Here he was to get one more great disciple. Prabhakara was a brahmin. He had a son who was a dumb boy. He appeared to be dull. But Shankara felt that he was a yogi. Instead of asking the parents who had brought the boy ‘Why is the boy like this? since when?’ he asked the boy straightaway : "Who are you, my boy?" What else could be so sacred a place as the one where the divine master was standing for the yogi to break his silence? One who was dumb poke in answer, "I am the eternal self and not dead matter." This was the simplest form of expressing the nature of the self. By the grace of the master, the dull and the silent son of that couple revealed himself to be a great and wise sage. The master felt happy and taking him as disciple, named him 'Hastamalaka'.
The Four Regional Monasteries

The next important event in Shankara’s life was his coming to Shringeri. This place is situated on the bank of river Tunga in Karnataka. It is the loveliest of spots. Long, long ago, great sages like Vibhan- daka, Rishyashringa and such others had carried on their penance there. Since then it had been a very sacred place.Enchanted with the tranquillity of that place, Shankara established his first Vedanta JnanaPeetha. He installed there the idol of Sri Sharada, the Goddess of Learning, and placed Sureshwara as the Head of that Sharada Peetha.

In Acharya Shankara’s view the entire Bharat was a holy land. Its welfare and unification was to be based on Dharma only. In connection with this unification, Acharya’s plan was to establish four centres in four corners of Bharat for spreading Vedanta and for guiding persons practising Vedanta. The founding of Sharada Peetha was the first step in this project. This was meant to provide guidance for South India. He established the Govardhana Peetha in Jagannath for the East, the Kalika Peetha in Dwaraka for the West, and the Jyotih Peetha in Badarikashrama for the North. These Peethas are called ‘Amnaya Peethas.’
The Disciples

How at Shringeri during his stay Shankara showered his blessings on a disciple called Giri is very interesting. The co- students used to look down upon Girl thinking that Vedanta for him was a hard nut to crack. Once Shankara at the time of his lecture said, "Let us wait for Giri." The other pupils said, "Why should we wait for him, Sir? A wall is much better than that dullard."

Shankara felt pained when such a student as was devoted to the service of his master was jeered at. "What do you know about his nature and spiritual achievements? His ability will reveal itself shortly," said the Master. "Isn’t it enough if Master knows my merit? Should it be made known to others also? Let me not have such conceit" - so Giri used to feel within himself and was serving his master silently. On that day as usual he came late and did obeisance to Acharya. Acharya said with a smile, "Look Giri, We want you to give a discourse on the Self and its nature. We have been waiting for you."

It was the master’s command as well as blessing. The so-called dullard Giri, in a very modest way and full of devotion expressed in his eyes, presented the very gist of Vedanta in Trotaka Vritta, a highly complicated metrical form, but very enlighteningly as if he was making with all reverence as offering to the Master. The other students felt ashamed of their folly. They apologised to both Acharya and Giri. Shankara, thus revealing the literary ability latent in Giri, called him "Trotakacharya" to make this incident remembered for a long time.

Among the disciples of Shankara the most prominent are four Padmapada, Sureshwara, Hastamalaka and Trotaka. Shankara nominated them as the chiefs of the four Vedanta centres he had established: Sureshwara for shringeri the South zone center, Padmapada for Kalika Peetha of a, Trotaka for Jyotih’ peetha Dwarak of Badari, and Hastamalaka for Govardhana Peetha of Jagannath. He told that at their lives should be dedicated to re-organise ancient Hindu Dharma.
Service To Mother

Meanwhile Shankara felt that the end of his old mother Aryamba was nearing. Accordingly he returned to Kalati. When Shankara came to know that she was to die shortly, he offered ‘Shiva Bhujanga Stotra’ and ‘Vishnu Stotra’ which have a power to save the soul, and prayed that she might die peacefully and attain heavenly abode.

Shankara’s mother died. Her body was to be cremated. But none of Shankara’s relatives came forward to help. A monk cannot perform the funeral rites of anyone, not even of his parents. Still Shankara- charya felt, is it not a sacred duty to perform the funeral rites of the dead when required to? Shankara had to carry" the body himself with great difficulty to the burning place and light up the pyre. By doing this last service to his mother, he felt gratified.

Shankaracharya paid a visit to Sharada Nilaya in Kashmir known as Sarvajna Peetha (the seat of the all knowing). Those who are not all-knowing are not entitled to sit on it; no one could claim to be an expert in any religion or philosophy without sitting on it. Shankara did not wish to show himself off as Sarvajna. He felt that Sri Sharada Nilaya with Sarvajna Peetha was by itself a place worthy of visit by all devotees. Besides, Kashmir is the crown of Bharat. So he resolved to g 0 there, lest the ancient Hindu religion should perish there.

There are four gates in four directions for entering Sharada Nilaya. Eminent scholars and philosophers had entered it from various directions and had established their scholarly merit But no one so far had adorned this chair of Sarvajna. And also till their no one had even attempted to enter the temple through the Southern gate May be this gate was waiting for Acharya Shankara. only who was from the South! Scholars of many group and communities were waiting for him in ‘ the premises of Sir Sharada Nilaya All were filled with a feeling of reverence to see him who was learned in both Jnana and Vijnana Yet the scholars in religious philosophies of Jaina, Bouddha, Samkhya, Yoga, Nays and Vaisheshika confronted him at the time of his entry to the temple, Shankara defeated all of them in philosophical debate and then entered the temple through the Southern gate.

Acharya went to ascend Sarvajna Peetha. Sri Sharada, the presiding deity of all learning, herself set a test for him. Shankara passed this test also. After this the Goddess Herself blessed him, proclaiming his omniscience. So say the ‘Shankara Vijayas’.

We can take this to be an allegory of all the struggles Shankara had to face in his life. Ascending the seat of Sarvajna situated in Kashmir of the North is a symbol. The meaning of it is that Shankara reached the peak of spirituality. We can get an idea of his greatness from the fact that a person of just thirty had ascended the throne of all knowledge.
The Path That Shankara Showed

By that time the Acharya had probably gone round the whole of Bharat two times. He had travelled from Rameshwara and Kanyakumari of the South to Kashmir of the North, from Jagannath of the East to Dwaraka of the West, and had visited many places of pilgrimage. He got many temples renovated and inspired many to a righteous living.

Sri Shankaracharya showed I example how a man should live. The life should shine forth with pious qualities like knowledge, devotion and asceticism. He preached the way Advaita. That means everything in the world is Brahman and all are one. The world is constantly changing. These changes are neither important nor real. The reality that lies behind all these things and activities Brahman. One should develop an eye to see God everywhere and in everything. People who have that vie, take the whole world for the mother- land, and treat all human beings as their brothers.

Shankara wrote philosophical book to help the people understand Hindi Dharma. Alongside he wrote man, hymns that nourish devotional feelings in people. The hymn ‘ Bhaja Gowindam composed by him has been a very popular song all over Bharat . "If you want to get rid of the miseries of life and fear- of death, pray to Govinda."
The Guiding Light

It cannot be said definitely where the Acharya spent his last days. It is common and natural for people everywhere to take pride in saying that such and such a Mahatma was born in their own town or visited their town and sanctified that place by walking on it, or that he entered eternal peace in their place.

People claim the signs of Shankara’s Mahasamadhi in the holy towns of Kanchi, Trichur and Kedar. There is nothing surprising in this. The Acharya was in all such sacred places and he had gone beyond them. If the samadhi of the Southern Acharya is in Kedar of the North, it only signifies that his personality had extended over the whole of Bharat.

Acharya Shankara, at the early age of 32, cut asunder all bonds of relation with the ‘world and attained the state of Brahman. Ordinary people will have to spend 32 years even for being able ask "What is the meaning of life?" But the Acharya during his brief life-time had brought about a great religious renaissance all over Bharat. By his memorable works on religion and philosophy he had pointed out the unique feature of our ancient religion. He found fulfilment of his life by consolidating the history of Bharat from the point of view of culture. He gave a concrete form to the truth that the whole of India was one by establishing spiritual centres in various zones.

May the divine life of such great men be a guiding light to us.

MAHARANA PRATAP

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Born: May 9, 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan
Father's Name: Maharana Udai Singh II
Mother's Name: Rani Jeevant Kanwar
Died: January 29, 1597 in Chavand

Maharana Pratap was born on May 9th 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. His father was Maharana Udai Singh II and his mother was Rani Jeevant Kanwar. Maharana Udai Singh II ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital at Chittor. Maharana Pratap was the eldest of twenty-five sons and hence given the title of Crown Prince. He was destined to be the 54th ruler of Mewar, in the line of the Sisodiya Rajputs.

Maharana Pratap

Over the next half-century, most other Rajput rulers allowed themselves to be wooed the Mughals; Mewar alone held out. In 1567 Emperor Akbar decided to teach it a lesson: he attacked Chittorgarh razed it to the ground. Five years later Maharana Pratap (reigned 1572-97) came to rule Mewar - a king without a capital. He continued to defy Akbar, and in 1576, confronted the imperial armies at Haldighati.

The battle ended in a stalemate and Maharana Pratap and his followers withdrew to the craggy hills of Mewar, from where they continued to harrass the Mughals through guerilla warfare for the next twenty years. Maharana Pratap made his descendants vow that they would not sleep on beds, nor live in palaces, nor eat off metal utensils, until Chittorgarh had been regained.In fact, right into the 20th century the maharanas of Mewar continued to place a leaf platter under their regular utensils and a reed mat under their beds in symbolic continuance of this vow.

CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI

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One of the most able administrators and ruler in India was undoubtedly Chhatrapati Shivaji. He was the founder of the Maratha Empire in India. With his flawless warrior skills and unlimited courage, he ruled the Deccan region, parts of central India and parts of modern day Pakistan with a firm hand. It was due to his efforts that the Mughals faced a decline in their empire. Using guerilla warfare techniques, he was successful in annexing a major portion of the Mughal Empire. Given here is a short biography about Chatrapati Sivaji that covers his life history briefly.

Shivaji was born in Shivner on 10th April, 1627 to Jijabai and Shahji. His father Shahji was a nobleman in the royal court of Bijapur. Shivaji was named so after Lord Shiva of the Hindu mythology as his mother was an ardent Hindu devotee. Since childhood, Shivaji was brave and never feared anything. There are many instances in his childhood that show he was a born ruler. At the young age of fourteen, he had the dream of building his kingdom. At the age of 20, he took out his very first military attack and captured the Torna Fort of the kingdom of Bijapur.

After that there was no stopping him and he went on to capture Kondana and Rajgad forts and exercised full control over the region of Pune. Around the year 1659, Shivaji took over the forts in Western Ghats and the ones near the Konkan coast. In order to disrupt Shivaji's series of triumphs, Adilshah arrested his father Shahji by unfair means and sent armies against Shivaji and his elder brother Sambhaji. However, the armies were no match for the two strong brothers and were defeated by them and their father was released. However, Afzal Khan later seized an opportunity to kill Sambhaji by deceit.

Shivaji was an efficient ruler and administrator and ruled with a just and firm hand. His government had concepts that we know of now like the Cabinet known as Ashtapradhan Mandal, foreign affairs known as Dabir and also an internal intelligence wing. During Shivaji's reign the army was very efficient and dependable. Since Shivaji ruled a major part of the Western coast area, he also commanded a strong navy force. Shivaji is known for his protective and fatherly attitude towards his citizens. He is remembered till date as a hero who worked for the welfare of his subjects and state. Shivaji breathed his last in 1680 after suffering from fever for three whole weeks.

TENALI RAMAKRISHNA KAVI

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Tenali Ramalinga StoriesBhuvana Vijayam, the royal court of Sri Krishna Deva Rayalu comprised of eight wise and learned men collectively titled as Ashta Diggajas. Tenali Ramalinga was prominently one among them. He was also known as Tenali Ramakrishna.

Tenali Ramalinga was known for his attentiveness, alertness, time tuning, wit, and intelligence. Ramalinga said to be hailing from Tenali town, set it as his surname. In the modern times, Tenali is in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh on the banks of Holy River Krishna.

Ramalinga was popular as Vikatakavi. Right from his childhood, Ramalinga was centre of attraction among the children of his age groups in the region. His versatile mentality, intellect and aggressiveness brought him laurels and fame.

A Saint passing by, one day watched Ramalinga closely and could identify the ‘celestial spark’ shining from within him. The Saint, as he was in the devotional path, also recognised the inherent qualities of command and intelligence interlaced in Ramalinga.

The Saint called Ramalinga by name and asked him to accompany to a place. With the natural quality of fearlessness, Ramalinga accepted the invitation without even asking, “where to?" The Saint and Ramalinga walked little away from the crowd and reached Goddess Mahakali Temple in the woods.

Arranging to perform a divine sacrifice to please the Goddess Mahakali, the Saint told Ramalinga, “My dear child! I am growing old and gradually losing the physical strength to perform puja to seek the blessings of the Goddess Mother.”

He continued, “You are having all the qualities and blessings of the Mother to please Her and receive Her blessings.” Preaching a mantra into Ramalinga's ear the Saint said, “Chant this mantra continuously and pray the Goddess every evening. Put in all your concentration and strength to please the Goddess. Goddess Mahakali will shower many boons on you.”

After the sacrifice, the Saint left the place and never returned there. It had become a routine for Ramalinga to chant the mantra and pray the Goddess Mahakali every evening, at the designated Temple in the woods. Time passed by, and Ramalinga continued his prayers.

One day, Goddess Mahakali appeared in front of Ramalinga in the form of a Motherly figure. She was holding two small silver bowls in her palms. She started speaking to Ramalinga in a blissful tone, “My Child! I am pleased with the prayers you had been offering to me. I wish to bless you with a boon. You see the two utensils on my palms. One is filled with milk and the other with curd.” Ramalinga was looking at her with shining eyes.

Goddess continued, “If you consume the milk, you will be a great scholar. In case, you wish to take the curd, you will be blessed with riches for all your life. However, take caution. You should take only one of them.”

With a lightening speed, Ramalinga not bothered by the Goddess’ words grabbed both the bowls from Her hands and gulped down the contents. Goddess Mahakali was puzzled with his act. “What did you do?” She questioned him. Unmoved Ramalinga answered in a requesting tone, “ Hey Mother! Goddess Jaganmatha! What is the use of becoming a scholar without any wealth? Similarly, there will not be any purpose to the riches without intelligence. Hence, I thought I should have both of them and drank the contents of both the utensils. Kindly pardon me Mother, if I had done any mistake.”

Mother Mahakali was pleased with his frankness and analytical evaluation at that tender age. Imposing some sanctions, She blessed Ramalinga with two boons before She disappeared. She said, “You will have both intellect and wealth. There will be problems with the riches you gather by associating with the rulers. The poetry you author will be filled with uniqueness.”

Ramalinga was extremely happy over the happenings. He thought the boons were apt to his nature and versatile psychology.

There were many occasions wherein Ramalinga emerged as a centre of attraction with his versatile acts, wit, and humour filled conversations. Of course, sarcastic element was the prime composition of Ramalinga.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

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A great sage who embodied supreme purity, wisdom, and other-worldliness, Ramana Maharshi was born Venkataraman Iyer in 1879 in Tiruchuli, South India. During his birth, a blind nurse saw an amazing light and told his mother that he must be a divine being. He grew to be a strong boy who preferred sports to his studies. He was also prone to unusually deep sleep. When Ramana was 12, his father died, and he went to live with his uncle in Madurai. In 1895 he heard a visitor speak of 'Arunachala', which he recognized as the inner sound that had pulsated inside him from childhood, and learned it was a Holy Hill, one of the oldest and most sacred of all India's holy places. Within months, he had a 'Death Experience' at Madurai that spontaneously transformed the young schoolboy into a sage—a sudden Realization of the Self that was both complete and permanent. Several weeks later, he renounced everything and journeyed to the Holy Arunachala Hill in Tiruvannamala where he lived immersed in Samadhi. For the rest of his life he never left Arunachala Hill. A group of devotees gathered around him and an ashram came into being. Lives were transformed by his glance or merely his presence. Eventually, he began writing responses to the questions of his followers. His simple and direct teachings were preserved by his disciples. He passed on in 1950.

HOMI JAHANGIR BABA

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The architect of Nuclear Science in Modern India. He was a painterand worshipped the beauty of Nature.Science and art both enriched his mind an life. He was the ideal personality India needs today

HomiBhabha
Homi Bhabha is one of the pioneers in the field of science in modern India. His role in
the history of science in free India is of great significance. He is the architect of nuclear science in India.

The Boy-Scientist
Homi Jehangir Bhabha was born in Bombay on October 30, 1909. His father Jehangir Bhabha, once a student of Oxford University, was a reputed advocate and served the Tata Enterprises. Meheran, Bhabha's mother, belonged to the petit family. His grandfather was an officer in the Education Department of Mysore State. (Now it is Karnataka)

In his childhood Bhabha used to sleep very little. The worried parents took him to
several qualified doctors. But forsometime the reason for his sleeplessness could not be found out. At last doctors assured the parents that Bhabha was in excellent health. He did not sleep as long as other children of his age, because of his super- active brain and the continuous, rapid flow of thoughts.

His parents took interest in shaping Bhabha's love of science. He was also provided with a small library. The library contained many science books. Bhabha made full use of his library. Books became his friends. Thus a good foundation was laid for his scientific career. Einstein (1879-1955) is one of the greatest scientists of this century. It is difficult
to understand his Theory of Relativity. But, at the age of 15, Bhabha was able to read
Einstein's book on Relativity. He could also digest the contents to some extent.

Even as a boy Bhabha was a lover of Nature. He was deeply interested in painting, music and literature. He took full advantage of his good collection of books and records. But he was not much interested in sports

Education And Research
Bhabha was educated at the Cathedral and John Cannon High School. He was a merit student. He won many prizes at school.

At the age of 15, Bhabha passed the Senior Cambridge Examination.

Later he entered Elphinstone College and the Royal Institute of Science, Bombay. He continued his studies here for two years.

Bhabha loved Physics. Mathematics was also his favorite subject. But his father wanted him to become an engineer. Bhabha respected the wishes of his father. He left India for Cambridge to study Engineering. Bhabha passed the Mechanical Engineering Tripos in
the first class in 1930. He then pursued his studies in Theoretical Physics as a Research Scholar

Devotion To Fine Arts
Bhabha was not a mere bookworm. He had secured many scholarships. He had an inborn taste and a creative urge. During his stay in England and Europe, painting became his hobby. He visited many art galleries, museums, palaces and gardens. He never missed a good musical concert. Many of his paintings now grace the walls of art galleries in England. Devotion to art and the study of science went hand in hand in Bhabha's life

Research Pursued
Bhabha was awarded the Rouse Ball Travelling Studentship for two years in 1932. He worked with W. Pouli in Zurich and Enrico Fermi in Rome. During this period he was awarded the Isaac Newton Fellowship in 1934 and the1851-Exhibition Studentship in 1936.

Bhabha was fortunate to come into close contact with famous scientists like Rutherford, Dirac, Niels Bohr and Heitler. This association greatly influenced his research and way of life

The Study Of Cosmic Rays
Bhabha presented, with Heitler, the 'Cascade Theory of Electron Showers', in 1937. It is called the 'Bhabha-Heitler Cascade Theory'. It is a uniquecontribution to the world of Physics. This research brought fame to Bhabha. This theory explains the process of electron showers in cosmic rays.

Cosmic rays are primary rays, which are fast moving and sub-microscopic particles.They comprise protons,electrons and gamma rays. When some of them happen to approach the earth and enter its atmosphere, they collide with atoms in the air. They then breed new nuclear particles. Bhabha's new theory explains clearly the processes and effects of the mutual reaction. It throws light on one of the most puzzling mysteries of cosmic rays.

Bhabha recognized heavy electron particles in cosmic rays and called them 'Meson'. Bhabha's mastery ofmathematics can be seen in the 'Classical Theory of Spinning Particles'. The importance of his work received wide recognition.

Bhabha's orginal contributions to Physics lie in the fields of cosmic radiation, theory of elementary particles and quantum theory.

Bhabha returned to India for a holiday in 1939. That was the time of the Second World War. Bhabha did not return to England and this was indeed fortunate for India

In Bangalore
Bhabha could have got lucrative posts in any developed country. But he did not think of them. The material pleasures of foreign countries did not attract him. Bhabha decided to devote his life to the service of his motherland.

In 1940 Bhabha joined the Indian Institute of Science as Reader in Theoretical Physics. He shouldered the responsibility of building a new department to undertake research on cosmic rays. In 1941 he was elected a member of the Royal Society. When this great distinction was conferred on Bhabha, he was just 31 years old. Not many have been so honored at such a young age by the Royal Society.

Bhabha became a Professor in theInstitute in 1942. The University of Cambridge also awarded the Adams Prize to him.

The young Bhabha dreamt of the 'great adventure' of building a modern India. In the salubrious climate of Bangalore he studied the background of the great culture of India. He analyzed the socio- economic problems of the country. He was quite convinced that science was the only means for the progress of India.

Bhabha's love of classical music, dance and sculpture deepened. This keen interest made him worship art throughout his life. It also influenced the pattern of his life.

Bhabha had just come to Bangalore. He was asked to deliver a lecture. C. V. Raman presided over the program. The subject of the lecture related to modern physics. The audience who heard the lecture was amazed at his scholarship. In his speech as the Chairman, Raman said: "The lecture was a treat for three persons - the lecturer, the Chairman and one other noted mathematician present here."

Far-Sighted
In those days the equipment and facilities needed for research in Atomic Physics were not available in India. Realizing this, Bhabha formulated a plan to meet this need.

Bhabha was invited to join the staff of Oxford University. But he did not accept the invitation. He expressed his desire to build an excellent institution of research in India.

Bhabha wrote a letter to the Dorabji Tata Trust on March 13, 1944. In the course of the letter he said:

'When nuclear energy has been success- fully applied to power production in, say, a
couple of decades from now, India will not have to look abroad for its experts, but will
find them ready at hand.'

Bhabha wrote this letter almost a year before the atom bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki! This letter clearly illustrates his far-sightedness and patriotism. Bhabha's plan was an embryo from which a school of physics was born

A New Climate Created
The Tata Trust founded the - 'Tata Institute of Fundamental Research' in 1945. The
establishment of the Institute was mainly due to the initiative of Bhabha. The Bombay government and the Government of India gave financial support to the Institute. Bhabha was appointed its first Director, and he assumed theresponsibility of shaping the Institute. India thus took the first step on the journey of nuclearscience.

The Institute first commenced its work in the rented premises at Peddar Road. Later it moved to the extension at the Yatch Club.It is now situated in abeautifully proportioned building.

Research work in pure mathematics, th6oretical and applied physics, computer
technology and geophysics was under- taken at the Institute. The study of the principles of atomic explosion, the production of isotopes and the purification of uranium formed part of the work of the Institute. Thus Bhabha created an intellectual environment in India. He was successful in practicing what he had learnt at Cambridge and Paris.

The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is an outcome of the discussion that Bhabha had with the industrialist J. R. D. Tata, and the far-sighted decision of the Tata Trust to support Bhabha's Project. The hills of Trombay have today blossomed into a fine research complex. The Institute is one of the world's top research centers in nuclear research. It enjoys a great reputation and can be compared with any research institute in
developed countries. Thanks to the guidance and tireless efforts of Homi Bhabha the Institute is indeed a symbol of scientific tradition in India. It is Bhabha's contribution to the country's advancement of science and technology

Towards Deeper Study Of Atomic Energy
India got independence on August 15, 1947. Eleven days later, on August 26, 1947, Bhabha addressed the Atomic Energy Research Committee as follows:

"We meet today at the beginning of a new chapter in our history. We have great hopes that this new chapter will be a glorious one. The development and use of atomic energy is a question of national importance. We hope to establish soon an Atomic Research Center comparable with those in the most advanced countries."

A year later, the Atomic Energy Commission was formed. Bhabha was appointed Chairman of the Commission.

The major responsibilities of the Com- mission were: a survey of Indian soil for the materials required for nuclearresearch, the construction of atomic reactors, the purification of atomic materials, conducting fundamental research and the formulation of training program.

The Commission utilized the services of scientists at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The scope of the work of the Commission was enlarged. The Atomic Energy programme took a concrete shape. The Department of Atomic Energy thus came into existence as a separate department of the Government of India in 1954, under the direct control of Prime Minister Nehru. Bhabha became the Ex-officio Secretary of the Department
Shortly after the formation of the Department of Atomic Energy, it was decided to create the Atomic Energy Establishment for application of atomic energy to peaceful purposes. Bhabha became its first Director. The Establish- ment was formally inaugurated by
Jawaharlal Nehru on January 20,1957.

Thus India began to win new laurels for the study of atomic energy. Bhabha worked
ceaselessly and enriched the sphere of science in the country. Through out his
directorship, he emphasized indigenous know-how to make the country self-reliant in the nuclear field.

J. R. D. Tata and Jawaharlal Nehru gave support and encouragement to Bhabha in his work. Pandit Nehru very much appreciated the efficiency, farsightedness and patriotism of Bhabha. Bhabha was very close to Nehru and enjoyed his confidence. As a result, Bhabha got considerable freedom to carry on his work with ease and efficiency. Bhabha framed administrative rules to suit the tempo, of scientific activity. He helped to get rid
of lethargy and red-tapism which were obstacles to the progress of science. One of Bhabha's achievements was that he persuaded the Government to take greater interest in technology

Reactors
It is a meeting of men and circumstances that sometimes stimulates progress. It is
therefore providential that Nehru had Bhabha and Bhabha had Nehru. As a close personal friend and devoted follower of the Prime Minister. Bhabha shared the great man's dreams, ambitions and points of view.

Bhabha was participating in a conference at Geneva in 1955. Canada came forward to build a Reactor in India. On August 29,1955, Bhabha sent a cable from Geneva to Nehru and requested him to approve the, acceptance of this offer. Within three days, Bhabha received the consent of the Prime Minister. The Canada-India Reactor 'Cirus' was born.

'Apsara', 'Cirus' and 'Zerlina' are the three reactors built by the Trombay scientists and engineers, with foreign assistance. The credit for establishing these reactors goes to Bhabha.

'Apsara', India's first reactor was taken up in 1955 to fulfil the needs in the fields of
neutron physics, radiation, chemistry and biology and also the production of radio isotopes. It became 6critical' on August 4, 1956. The uranium fuel for the reactor
was obtained from the United, Kingdom. The erection of 'Apsara' gave self- confidence to the Indian scientists and engineers.

'Cirus' was built in 1960 -and 'Zerlina' in 1961. The construction of 'Cirus' took some four years, and 1200 engineers and skilled artisans worked for the completion of the reactor.

Having acquired these reactors, Bhabha planned to take up the actual construction of atomic power plants. The atomic power plant of Tarapur in Maharashtra is now
producing electricity. The other two plants are situated at Rana Pratap Sagar in
Rajasthan and Kalpakam in Tamil Nadu. These power plants will appreciably contribute to the production of electricity in India. These achievements are the living symbols of Bhabha's imagination and dynamism.

It has now been possible to produce plutonium, a valuable nuclear material, and other useful fuel at Tomboy. Work on thorium is also in progress. India has the largest reserves of thorium in the world. Thorium is a promising material for India's nuclear power program. More than 250 radioisotopes used in agriculture, industry, medicine and biology are now made available in large quantities. Today, over 350 radioisotopes and other radioisotope products are produced to meet a countrywide demand and also for export purposes. Radioisotopes play an important role in the study of the functions of a normal human body

The Trombay Institute
Bhabha worked very hard for the development of Trombay Institute. His time and energy were entirely devoted to the Institute. Reactors like Apsara, uranium and zirconium plants, the Van de Graff and cyclotron equipment - all are the gifts of Dr. Bhabha. Top priority is given to research relating to the application of radiation to preserve perishable food and protect it from the attacks of parasites. This work has made it possible topreserve fish, fruits, vegetables and other edible products for a long time. The process of curing seeds for better yields is also being studied. A seismic array station has been set up at Gauribidnur, about 80 kilometers from Bangalore, to detect earthquakes and underground nuclear explosions

Atomic Energy -- The Only Foundation
The consumption of energy in the world is on the increase. Naturally available resources of energy like coal and oil are on the decrease. Added to this, there is shortage of hydel energy in certain places. Realizing this, Bhabha declared that atomic energy is the only foundation for the progress of industries in India. He suggested that producing electricity
could effect economy by nuclear methods.

Electronic instrumentation is required in all spheres of atomic energy work. Bhabha
prepared blueprints for various projects relating to electronic instruments. Nuclear
instruments worth a few millions are fabricated at Trombay every year. At present Trombay turns out over 2,000 electronic instruments annually. They include radiation survey meters, amplifiers and spectrometers.

The Electronic Corporation of India also manufactures many electronic instruments. All this has been possible because of the far-sightedness of Bhabha

Assistance To Centres
Bhabha gave generous assistance to a number of centers of science. The Saha Atomic Research Center (Calcutta), the Physical Research Laboratory (Ahmedabad) and other laboratories got assistance from the Department of Atomic Energy. The Tumba Rocket Launching Station of Kerala, the High Altitude Research Center of Kashmir, the Uranium Mine of Bihar and the Heavy Water Plant of Nungal are also the undertakings of the Atomic Energy Establishment. Bhabha gave necessary attention to the advance- ment of fundamental science. He had close contact with the universities and
research laboratories in India and abroad. He offered facilities, like scholarships, grants and equipment to institutions, which needed them. He thus promoted the cause of research in basic -science.

Building Up A Team Of Scientists
The early atomic age of India was a period of transition. At that time Bhabha gave a
clarion call to all young scientists who were staying abroad; "Return to Trombay; return
to the motherland." Many young scientists listened to his call and came to Trombay.
They are today among the reputed scientists in the country. Bhabha took personal care to provide necessary amenities to them.

Bhabha selected scientists with care. He placed them in positions of responsibility. He thus succeeded in building up a team of excellent workers around him. He created a suitable scientific atmosphere for his colleagues. Necessary materials and equipment were provided. He inspired the staff and gave them the freedom they needed to pursue their work. He gave them every opportunity to grow. Spotting scientific talent was his passion.

Discipline in all walks of life and a challenging attitude to accomplish the targets were his special characteristics. He instilled a sense of confidence in his fellow-workers so that project could be successfully completed

His Contribution
On May 18, 1974, India conducted its first nuclear explosion for peaceful purposes, at Pokran in, Rajasthan and joined the galaxy of nations with atomic energy. It thus became the world's sixth nuclear power. The other five countries with the nuclear know-how are America, Russia, Britain, France and China. India'sexplosion of a nuclear device is a great milestone in the path of technological progress. This achievement was based entirely on Indian effort. The success of this achievement is due mainly to Bhabha who put India on the world map of nuclear science.

Honours
Bhabha was a recipient of many honors. He was awarded honorary doctorates by several Indian and foreign universities. Among these universities are London, Cambridge, Padova, Perth, Banaras, Agra, Patna, Lucknow, Allahabad, Andhra and Aligarh. In 1948 he received the Hopkins Prize of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. He was elected the President of the Indian Science Congress in 1951. In 1954 the President of India gave him the Padma Bhushan award for his outstanding contribution to nuclear science. In 1963 he was elected as the President of the National Institute of Sciences of India. He
was an honorary fellow of many earned institutions. Laurels came to Bhabha from all corners of the world throughout his lifetime.

Bhabha was a member of many scientific advisory committees of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency. He also served as the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee to advise the Government of India. In 1955 Bhabha was elected as the President of the first International Conference on the 'Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy', organized by the United Nations atGeneva. The conference was another step in international cooperation. Bhabha was the first to advocate, from international forums, the peaceful uses of atomic energy

A Many-Faceted Personality
Bhabha was not confined to the four walls of his laboratory. He was a lover of art and a good friend of his colleagues.

He made friends, he kept his friends and he made new friends. He was a tender hearted man. He helped many persons who were. in distress. He commanded the loyalty of his colleagues. His was a voice, which never expressed bitterness

The Road To Excellence
Two outstanding virtues of Bhabha's work were his insistence on excellence and his faith in self-reliance. He showed to the world that Indian scientists could reach great heights. He was a practical person. He believed in planning and in executing the plans.

Bhabha liked persons who were active and dynamic. If any one had made mistakes in
the course of his work, he had the generosity to forgive the lapses. But he disliked carelessness, laziness and indifference. He tolerated honestmistakes, but not stupidity. He had always a good word for good work. He was human to the tips of his fingers and always concerned to help in solving the personal problems of others.

Bhabha started a training center to train young scientists in different fields of nuclear science. He invited talented young men and women from all parts of the country and arranged for special instruction. He brought together many famous scientists on the same platform and arranged lectures. He toiled much to bring to light the latent talents of the young scientists in India.

Not only did Bhabha arouse in Indians awareness for the need to study and apply
science, but also inspired the young men to do their work with confidence. He
encouraged them to be industrious. Thus, Bhabha was responsible for creating a band of efficient workers. This indeed is a great asset that Bhabha has left for us.

His duty was Bhabha's first love. It was more pronounced in scientific research, planning and direction. When Bhabha was invited to become the Minister of Atomic Energy in the Union Cabinet, he declined. Science was dearer to Bhabha than the charm of ministership.

Bhabha's ambitions were sky-high but he also worked tirelessly to realize them. He was not a scientist who sat in an ivory tower. He was a man of action. He was a rare blending of idealism and realism.

The future is often misty but Bhabha, an untiring worker had a clear vision. He had
always an open mind on every issue. He respected the views of others

Life Is For Living
Bhabha was a bachelor. When once asked about his marriage, he said: "I am married to creativity."

In 1938 Bhabha wrote in one of his letters: 'You can give a new direction to everything
in life-except death.' These words show clearly the degree of his self-confidence.

Bhabha believed that life was worth living and that one should get out of it that entire
one can. He sought to understand the true values of life. He thought that art, literature
and music enhanced the beauty of life

Scientist -Artist-Leader
Bhabha often said: "A scientist does not belong to a particular nation. He belongs to the whole world. The doors of science should be kept open to all those who work for the welfare of humanity."

Bhabha foresaw that a time might come when production of power may suffer because of the shortage of coal and oil. He firmly believed that the standard of living of our people could be improved only through fuller utilization of nuclear energy.

Bhabha possessed a rare combination of a b reliant mind, a tremendous capacity for
organization and boundless energy. Indians will always remember him as a great scientist, a remarkable administrator and an outstanding leader, He had a feel for creative work. He had the scientist's precision with the artist's exuberance.

Bhabha opened up new vistas of atomic glory. Nuclear Physics attained a new dignity and a new status on account of his personality. India stepped right out of the bullock-cart age into the Atomic age. This 'Atom Man' diverted the atom from the path of destruction to that of construction

Bridging Two Cultures
Bhabha was proud but charming; thought ful but gay. He was soft-spoken and well dressed. He believed in gracious living and loved things, which were beautiful and aesthetic. His interest spread beyond science to culture and art. He had an eye for detail; nothing escaped his penetrating eyes.

Bhabha did not want any friction between scientific culture and artistic Culture. He
always tried to bridge the gap between these two cultures. He believed that both science and art should enrich human life. These thoughts made Bhabha a great humanist of his age.

Bhabha could have become a great musician or expert artist or a renowned writer, but he served the nation as a scientist. What is science for if not for research, truth and beauty?

Bhabha was a great patron of art and music. He once dreamt of a career as a composer. He gave encouragement to modern painters, purchased their works and displayed them on the walls of the buildings of Trombay Establishment. He was a lover of South Indian music and never missed any good performance of leading artists. A man of many talents,
he had a wonderful collection of paintings. He was also a great collector of works of art. He could talk with authority on painting and music and on trees and plants and flowers, which he loved. He was a versatile genius.

He had a great love for trees and flowers. At his instance a number of trees were
transplanted to the new premises of the Tata Institute. He saved many a tree from the clutches of death. He was indeed a 'Friend of Trees.'

When the construction work at Trombay was in progress, Bhabha spent many sleepless nights and finalized the layout for the campus. Today it is a home of loveliness, with vast lawns, shady trees and multi-colored flowers. The Trombay Center faces the sea on one side and a tall hill on the other. Nature is at her loveliest at Trombay. Trombay is undoubtedly a living example of Bhal5ha's taste for good things and love of the beauty of Nature

The Tragic End
Bhabha was going to attend an international conference. He was on a mission of peace. The Air India Boeing 707 'Kanchenjunga' in which Bhabha was travelling, crashed in a snowstorm on January 24, 1966 at Mout Blanc. Bhabha thus met with a tragic end. He died comparatively young and at the height of his fame. It was a loss too deep for tears.
In the death of Dr. Bhabha India lost an eminent scientist and one of her great sons.

Bhabha had disliked the, practice of stopping work when some one passed away. He considered that the best homage was hard work. When the members of the staff at Trombay heard the news of Dr. Bhabha's death, they worked as usual and thus paid their respect to their departed leader.

As a tribute to Dr. Bhabha, the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay, was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, on January 12, 1967.

The progress of mankind is based on the talents and achievements of a few
extraordinary individuals. Bhabha was one such a great man. Birth and death are laws of Nature. But life finds a new meaning in the great accomplishments and achievements of man. Bhabha was in many ways a complete man'.

Dr. P.C RAY

2007-12-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

An Indian Scientist who won fame in many countries. Eighty years ago he began the manufacture of medicines in India. A Great teacher, he gave his salary to students interested in science

Dr.P.C.Ray
A Professor of Chemistry in the University. A pioneer in the field of pharmaceutical industry in India who started making chemicals at home -eighty years ago, to prevent foreign companies making excessive profits at the cost of Indian patients.

A scientist who won international acclaim. His dwelling - a simple room on the first floor of the college in which he was teaching; his household -students who could not afford to stay elsewhere.

His salary - all a donation to thedepartment of Chemistry. The income from this donation to be spent on the development of the department of Chemistry at the
University College of Science and to give scholarships to needy students. And the total amount he donated in this way - two lake rupees.

Such was the Scientist-Professor Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray.

The Disappearance Of A Treasure
Prafulla Chandra was born on 2nd August 1861 in Raruli-Katipara, a village in the
District of Khulna (now in Bangla Desh). His father - Harish Chandra Ray - a landlord with liberal views, belonged to a wealthy cultured family. His great- grand- father Maniklal Ray a Dewan of the Collector of Krishnaagar. He earned plenty of money. Every now and then he used to send home the East India Company's 'sikka' rupees in big earthen pots. He would cover them with some sweets to avoid the suspicion of dacoits. Prafulla
Chandra's grandfather Anandlal Ray was Sharisthadar of Jessore and added considerably to the family estates. In those days there were no banks where people
could keep their money and jewels; so they used to out them in underground vaults or inside brick walls of their houses. Prafulla Chandra's grandfather and great-grandfather had followed the same custom. But Anandlal Ray died suddenly at Jessore. At once Harish Chandra hurried to the place from Raruli, but the father died before he reached Jessore. So the son could not learn from him where the secret vaults were. So he dug up the floor and opened the walls of the old house in several places for the treasure, but to
no purpose. Prafulla Chandra's mother was not superstitious. But even she once sought the help of a diviner and got a place underneath the staircase dug open. However, no one found tile treasure!

Harish Chandra, The Father
Prafulla Chandra's father Harish Chandra was well versed in Sanskrit, Persian and
English languages and acquired a great reputation for his learning, eloquence and social activities. He loved music and could play on the violin with much skill. He placed great value on education.

Prafulla Chandra imbibed many good qualities from his father. A great interest in
education, rational thinking and great sympathy for the poor - all the sons of Harish Chandra got these qualities from their father.

Interruptions In Education
Prafulla Chandra's early education started in his father's village school. But he often
stayed away from school. His teacher, while making a search for the truant in almost every house in the village, would find the culprit resting comfortably on the branch of a tree, hidden under its leaves!

In 1870 Harish Chandra moved his family to Calcutta so that his sons could have higher education. Here, Prafulla Chandra was admitted to the Hare School. He took a great interest in books and read a vast number of them. But a severe attack of dysentery forced him to leave the school. The disease was slowly overcome, but it permanently injured his health; he became a life-long sufferer from chronicindigestion and sleeplessness. In his later days he sometimes thought of this as a blessing in disguise. For the rest of his life he was very strict about his food; and he had regular exercises.

Prafulla was now free from the tyranny of the dreary school routine; so he found time to satisfy his passion for the study of English and Bengali literatures. When barely ten years old, he learnt Latin and Greek (Languages of ancient Europe). He also studied the histories of Ehgland, Rome and Spain.

Two years later, Prafulla chandra resumed his studies and in 1874 joined the Albert
School. He liked the attitude of the teachers of this school and their method of teaching. The teachers in their turn were very much impressed by his knowledge of English literature and other subjects. They were hopeful of his brilliant success in the
examinations. But Prafulla Chandra suddenly left for his village, without sitting for the examinations. He still had a secret desire to return to the Hare School. But if he sat for the examinations. He was sure to win prizes. Then it would be unfair to leave the Albert School. So he left that school before the examinations.

In the village he mixed with the simple villagers and shared their joys and sorrows. He helped them in many ways.

Prafulla Chandra, however, returned to Calcutta in 1876 and resumed his studies at the Albert School. His affectionate teachers made him agree not to leave the school to go back to the Hare School. This time Prafulla Chandra worked hard and got the first place in the examinations. He won a number of prizes. In 1879 he passed the Entrance Examination and joined the Metropolitan Institute (now called Vidyasagar College).

Harish Chandra's financial position was bad. It grew worse and worse. He was forced to sell the ancestral property, to pay his creditors. To save money, he shifted his family back to Raruli. The sons lived in rooms in Calcutta.

The Gilchrist Prize
At the Metropolitan Institute, Prafulla Chandra came under the influence of great
teachers like Surendranath Banerjee and Prasannakumar Lahiri. They instilled in him a burning desire to achieve the freedom of India and to improve the condition of the
people. While pursuing his studies in the Metropolitan Institute, Prafulla Chandra used to attend lectures by Alexander Pedlar on Chemistry, in the Presidency College. Pedlar was an inspiring teacher and a skilful experimentalist. His lectures influenced Prafulla Chandra to take up Chemistry for his higher studies in B.A., although his first love was literature. However, he continued to take interest in literature, and taught himself Latin and French at home. Sanskrit was compulsory in the college. Thus, he learnt several
languages very well.

The London University used to conduct competitive examinations in those days for the ‘Gilchrist Prize Scholarship’. The successful candidate could go abroad for higher studies.

What a chance-if only he could get the scholarship!

Prafulla Chandra started preparing for the examination secretly. He was born in a very rich family, but now all the wealth had disappeared. This was only chance to go abroad. His knowledge of languages was very helpful in this, since one of the requirements was knowledge of Greek, Latin, Sanskrit and French or German. But he had to compete with thousands of others.

Only his brother and a cousin knew about this at first. By and by the secret was leaked out by a classmate, who stood high in the University examinations, He taunted Prafulla Chandra saying "Oh, this very intelligent man's name will soon appear in the special edition of the London University Calendar!"

A few months after the examinations the results were published in the 'Stateman'.
Prafulla Chandra and a Parsee of Bombay by name Bahadurji had won the scholarship. The Principal was overjoyed and showered praises on Prafulla Chandra.

Prafulla Chandra now decided to go abroad. His father readily gave his consent, but Prafulla Chandra was worried about his mother's feelings. He wrote to a cousin of his in Raruli and requested him to convey the news to his mother gently. But his mother quite understood. She did not object to his going abroad. When Prafulla Chandra went to Raruli to bid her good - bye, she was overcome by grief as she thought about the long separation she would have to endure. Prafulla Chandra loved his mother very much. He consoled his mother saying, "When I return from England, I will get a high position. My
first duty will be to repay the debts and to repair our ancestral home."

In England
In 1882 Prafulla Chandra left for Britain. The long journey on the seas was quite
tiresome. Because of seasickness he could not eat enough food and felt very weak.

After a voyage, which lasted thirty-three days, he reached London. The Indian students there helped him in several ways. They equipped him with sufficient woolen clothes to endure the bitter cold of Edinburgh, to which place he had to go.

Edinburgh was four hundred miles from London. Prafulla Chandra joined the B.Sc. Class in the University there. He was very much influenced by the Professor of Chemistry, Mr. Crum Brown, at the University. Chemistry became his first love.

Prafulla Chandra stuck to his very simple diet here also. Whenever he had leisure, he used to go on long walks to the distant woods and hills. This kept him in good health.

For His Country
While Prafulla Chandra was still preparing for B.Sc. Degree Examination, his name
appeared one day in all-important British newspapers and this made him famous. The story behind it is very interesting. It shows his love for his motherland. He was pining for the day when India would be free.

In 1885 the University of Edinburgh announced that a prize would be awarded to the best writer of an article on 'India before and after the Mutiny'. Prafulla Chandra at once decided to compete. He plunged into a deep study of the historical, political and economic conditions of India during this period. He studied all available authentic records and writings on the subject. The article was submitted for the prize. The results were announced. The prize went to another student, but the judges considered Prafulla Chandra's article as an essay of a very high standard. Sir William Muir, the Principal, praised Prafulla Chandra's essay in his inaugural address delivered to the students of the University. The article was full of criticism of the British rule in India, but also had a
touch of humor. Prafulla Chandra got his essay back from the University and got it
printed for private circulation amongst his fellow students and the general public. He
appealed to them for help in the task of liberating India. A copy of this was sent to the great parliamentarian, John Bright, who was regarded as a friend of India. Bright sent a very sympathetic reply and authorized Prafulla Chandra to use the same in any way he liked. Prafulla Chandra lost no time in sending a copy of Bright's letter to the 'London Times' and other leading daily papers of the United Kingdom. One morning these papers
came out with the headline 'John Bright's letter to an Indian student'. This made Prafulla Chandra famous. Even as a student he tried to make Englishmen in England understand what India suffered in slavery.

Prafulla Chandra took the B.Sc. degree in 1885. After this he did research in Chemistry for the D.Sc. degree of the University. In 1887 he was awarded this degree on the basis of a thesis on the results of his original work. He was only 27 years old at the time. He received the Hope Prize Scholarship of the University, which enabled him to continue his work in the University for another year. His income was very small during the time he stayed in Edinburgh. But since his needs were very simple, he managed with this. He was living with another Bengali student, and himself prepared his food.

The Professor - Scientist
In 1888 Prafulla Chandra returned to India. He had obtained letters of introduction from his Principal and Professors. It was his hope that with their aid he would be able to get a good position in theeducation department. But in those days all the high places in this department were reserved for Englishmen. Though Prafulla Chandra had a Doctorate in Science, it became difficult for him to receive recognition in his own country. For about a year he spent his time working with his famous friend Jagadish Chandra Bose in his laboratory.

In 1889 Prafulla Chandra was appointed as Assistant Professor of 4 Chemistry in the Presidency College at Calcutta. His salary was only Rs.250 a month. But he was quite satisfied with his work. He started teaching very enthusiastically. He soon earned a great reputation as a successful and inspiring teacher. With the help of experiments, and with instances from everyday life, he made his lectures easy to follow. His lectures glowed with spicy humor and wit. He would recite poems of Rabindranath Tagore and quote slokas from 'Rasa Ratnakara', a book written by the ancient Indian Chemist
Nagarjuna. To demonstrate that, on burning, a bone becomes pure Calcium Phosphate, free from all animal matter, he would put a pinch of the ashes into his mouth!

Prafulla Chandra was never tired of saying that the progress of India could be achieved only by industrialization.

He advocated the use of the mother - tongue as the medium of instruction in schools. For this, he began to write science texts-books in Bengali. He used to tell the story of the famous Russian Chemist Mendeleef, who is famous for his Periodic Law. He first published the results of his work in the Russian language. This compelled the scientists of other nations to learn Russian in order to know his important discovery. If we develop new knowledge, people of other countries will be forced to learn our languages.

Why Should Our Patients Depend On Other Countries?
Eighty-five years ago Prafulla Chandra came to realize that the progress of India was linked with industrialization. Without this there could be no salvation. Even drugs for Indian patients had to come from foreign countries at that time. This put money into the pockets of the merchants of those countries. This had to be stopped. Drugs had to be manufactured in India. Prafulla Chandra wanted a beginning to be made at once.

But who was to do it?

Prafulla Chandra was not rich. The family estates had been sold to pay his father's
debts. Prafulla Chandra's salary was also meager. Still he ventured upon this pioneering attempt. He prepared some chemicals at home. His work grew so fast that a separate company had to be formed.

But he needed capital - a capital of only eight hundred rupees. But it became difficult to raise even this small amount.

In spite of all these difficulties he founded 'The Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical
Works'.

In 1894 his father died. This was a great blow to Prafulla Chandra. The father was still in debts and thousands of rupees were needed. Only a small part of the property remained. Even this was sold, so that the debts could be repaid.

Prafulla Chandra bravely continued to run the new factory. At first it was difficult to sell the chemicals made there. They could not compete with the imported materials. But some friends, chiefly Dr. Amulya Charan Bose, supported his venture. Dr. Bose was a leading medical practitioner and he enlisted the support of many other doctors. They, too, started using the chemicals made by the new Indian firm. Many graduates in Chemistry joined the staff of the factory and worked hard for its improvement. Bengal Chemical became a famous factory. But Dr. Bose died suddenly in 1898 owing to an attack of Plague. His brother-in-law Satish Chandra Sinha, who was an enthusiastic chemist in the firm, died of accidental poisoning in the- laboratory. Thus one blow followed another and Prafulla Chandra was very unhappy. The entire responsibility of the factory fell on his shoulders. Still he faced everything with courage.

This achievement itself was admirable, but. Prafulla Chandra's contribution to Indian industry was even greater. Directly or indirectly he helped to start many other factories. Textile mills, soap factories, sugar factories, chemical industries, ceramic factories and publishing houses were set up at the time with his active co-operation. He was the driving force behind the industrialization of the country, which began at that time.

Scientist - Author
During all these years, he was also actively engaged in research in his laboratory at
Presidency College. His publications on Mercurous Nitrite and its derivatives brought him recognition from all over the world. He guided many students in their research in his laboratory. Even famous scientific journals abroad began to publish their scientific papers.

There was much that thought that Indians were backward in scientific knowledge and
had received it only recently from theWest. But Prafulla Chandra said that Indians
knew little about there past history. They did not know much about the devotion and
industry with which our ancestors developed knowledge.

Prafulla Chandra was from the beginning interested in the work of the early Hindu
chemists. After reading the famous book 'Greek Alchemy' by the great French scientist Berthelot his interest in Hindu Chemistry grew into a passion. He started reading many ancient books in Sanskrit, Pali, Bengali, and other languages, which contained information on the subject. He wrote an article about a famous Sanskrit treatise 'Rasendrasara Sangraha' and sent it to Berthelot. The French scientist published it with an introduction praising it as an extremely interesting article. He wrote to Prafulla Chandra asking him to continue his research into the ancient texts and to publish a whole book on Hindu Chemistry, After several years of study, Prafulla Chandra published his famous book, - 'The History of Hindu Chemistry' which received great praise from scientists all over the world. In this book he has given a very interesting account to show that Hindu scientists knew about the manufacture of steel, about distillation, salts, mercury sulfides etc., from very
early times.

A 'Doctor Of Floods'
In 1901 Prafulla Chandra met Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in the house of a
mutual friend, Gopala Krishna Gokhale. Gandhiji had just then returned from South
Africa. Prafulla Chandra developed great reverence for Gandhiji at this very first
meeting. Gandhiji's simplicity, patriotism and devotion to duty appealed to him very
much. He learnt that it was easy to talk about truth but that it is far nobler to practice it in one's life. Gandhiji also had great regard for Prafulla Chandra. He knew how hard he worked to help the poor and the needy. When floods caused great suffering and destruction, Prafulla Chandra worked very hard to bring relief to the victims. This made Gandhiji call him a 'Doctor of Floods'!

In 1904 Prafulla Chandra proceeded to Europe on a study tour and visited many famous chemical laboratories. In England, Germany, France and other European countries, he was welcomed by scientists at universities and research institutions. He had useful discussions with them. They praised his famous work on Mercurous Nitrite, Ammonium Nitrite etc. Some universities conferred honorary Doctorates on him. He made the acquaintance of famous scientists like William Ramsay, James Dewar, Perkin, Van't Hoff and Berthelot.

In 1912 Prafulla Chandra visited London again to represent the University of Calcutta at the Congress of theUniversities of the British Empire. He delivered speeches at the Congress and later before the Chemical Society. Sir William Ramsay congratulated him on his fine work.

For The Sake Of Science
Prafulla Chandra said on one occasion that when the people of Europe did not know how to make clothes, and were still wearing animal skins and wandering in forests, Indian scientists were manu- facturing wonderful chemicals. This is something we should be proud of.

But Prafulla Chandra also knew that it is not enough to be proud of our past. We should follow the example of ourancestors and seek knowledge and progress in science.

Prafulla Chandra did not rest content with giving such advice. He worked hard to
practice it. In 1916 he retired from the Presidency College. Sir Asuthosh Mukherjee, the vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, appointed him as professor of Chemistry at the University Science College. Here Prafulla Chandra trained many talented students and with them made famous discoveries.

The University Science College had been started just then. Facilities for experiments
were very meager. Hence it became difficult to do advanced work. According to the rules of the college, all the Professors had to be Indians. Perhaps because of this the British Government did not make adequate grants to the college. However, Prafulla Chandra and his students used whatever facilities were available and did remarkable work. And soon the college became very famous.

Prafulla Chandra worked in this college for twenty years. He remained a bachelor all his life. All these twenty years he lived in a simple room on the first floor of the college. Some of his students who were poor and could not live anywhere else shared his room. In 1936, when he was 75 years old, he retired from the Professorship.

In 1921 when Prafulla Chandra reached 60 years he donated, in advance, all his salary for the rest of his service in the University to the development of the Department of Chemistry and to the creation of two research fellowships. The value of this endowment was about two lake rupees. In addition, he gave ten thousand rupees for an annual research prize in Chemistry named after the great Indian Chemist Nagarjuna and another ten thousand for a research prize in Biology named after Sir Asuthosh Mukherjee.

In recognition of Prafulla Chandra's great work he was elected President of Indian
Science Congress and Indian Chemical Society more than once. Many Indian and
Western Universities conferred honorary doctorates on him.

A Great Scientist A Great Man
Prafulla Chandra was a great scientist. But he had several other interests also, in which he shone equally well.

He had an abiding interest in literature. He knew by heart many passages from
Shakespeare's plays and the poems of Tagore and of Madhusudan Dutt. He was well read in English literature. In 1932 he wrote his autobiography in English and named it 'The Life and Experience of a Bengali Chemist'. It was praised every where. Later, he himself translated it into Bengali. The book was called 'Atma Charita'. In recognition of his service to Bengali literature he was twice elected
President of the Bengali Literary Conference.

Prafulla Chandra was the President of the National Council of Education. He believed
that it was not enough for students to acquire degrees like Bachelor of Science or Master of Science; they should endeavor to acquire real knowledge. In his opinion, to take degrees just to get government jobs was a waste. The students should rather get technical education and start their own business. Young men should enter trade and
industries by themselves. He said that the medium of instruction in schools and colleges should be the mother tongue. It is much easier to acquire knowledge in one's own language.

Social service was a great. Ideal in Prafulla Chandra's life. He used to remember what
he had told his mother in his youth: "I will earn money and regain the Property of the
family". He said a nobler ideal was to spend one's wealth in the service of fellow-beings. He practiced what he taught; he spent all his earnings on his students and the needy people around him.

Prafulla Chandra used to keep only a small portion of his income for his own needs. He spent the rest to help poor students and schools and colleges. He had shares valued at a lake rupees in the Bengal Chemical company; these he gave away as an endowment. The profit from this was used for the benefit of poor widows, orphans, and to help spinning and the production of Khadi. The rest of his property was given to the Brahmo Samaj, a religious organization, and to a high school in Raruli founded in the name of his
father.

It was his strong desire that Hindus should set right the defects in their society like
untouchability, child marriage and the giving of dowry. He severely opposed these evils.

He had a scientific outlook and worked sincerely. He was never satisfied with mere words. When people underwent suffering because of floods, famines or earthquakes, he worked actively to help them. He would organize committees for their relief and with their help procure food, clothes and money for the victims. He worked hard day and night for such causes.

In 1921 there was a famine in Khulna District and in 1922 a severe flood in North
Bengal, Thousands of people lost all their possessions.When they begged for help, the government did not pay muchattention. Prafulla Chandra organized a relief committee which included leading European and Indian citizens of Calcutta. He made his college the center of relief operations. With the help of his students and of the citizens, he collected clothes and food as well Es large sums of money. These were quickly given to the needy
victims. In 1931, there was again a big flood in Bengal. Prafulla Chandra again helped thousands and thousands of people troubled by the flood.

Pratulla Chandra had great respect for the Charaka and Khadi movement started by
Gandhiji. At first he was doubtful whether the crude spinning wheel could achieve what an industry could easily do. But when he saw that the spinning wheel gave both work and earnings to the poor villagers, he was convinced of its usefulness. He himself began to spin yarn with the Charaka at least for an hour everyday. Till the end of his life he used to wear only Khadi clothes. Because of his very great love of Khadi, some of his friends called him 'Charakashri' or 'Sir Khaddar'!

Prafulla Chandra was very affectionate towards his students. He was overjoyed when they received awards of honors. He used to repeat the Sanskrit saying, 'A man may desire victory always but he should welcome defeat at the hands of his own disciples'. Famous Indian scientists like Meghnad Saha and Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar were among his students.

Prafulla Chandra followed a regular timetable. He had strict control over his diet and habits, and was regular in his exercises, He would not waste time. He always wore clean Khadi clothes. But they were often not passed. He would not allow others to serve him. He himself washed his clothes and polished his shoes. But he was very generous in. helping others. One day a student who was taking care of his daily food bought plantains for an Anna and a halt (equivalent to 9 Paise), instead of the usual halt an Anna (3 paise). He had spent more money so that his teacher might have bigger and tastierteacher-Might have bigger scolded him fruits. ButPrafulla Chandra for wasting precious money. The same day a social worker by name Ghosh came to him and appealed for help to an orphanage, which was short of funds.Prafulla Chandra called the same student and asked him to look into his bank Pass Book and see what the balance was. He had Rs. 3,500 at credit. Prafulla Chandra wrote out a cheque for Rs. 3,000 and gave it to Mr.Ghosh. The student was astonished that his teacher, who had scolded him in the morning for the sake of just one Anna, now gave away three thousand rupees without any hesitation!

Prafulla Chandra was very simple in his clothes. He was unhappy when he saw Indians dressed in European style. Sometimes his simple clothes used to land him in difficulties. Once he was appointed as a member of a government committee. The meeting of the committee was held at the Grand Hotel, Calcutta. Prafulla Chandra went there early and was waiting for others. The servant there thought that Prafulla Chandra also was a
servant waiting for his master. He asked him, "When is your master coming?"

The operator of a lift in a hotel once refused to take him in the lift. He said, "People like you should climb the stairs. The lift is for Europeans." Prafulla Chandra would not permit such an insult to Indian clothes. He complained to the management and got the operator warned.

For many years, Prafulla Chandra used to spend an hour or two at Calcutta's large
maiden every evening, in the company of his friends and students. All subjects under the sun were discussed there freely and solutions offered with confidence and finality. Old and young were equally free to participate and give their opinion.

Whenever he got some leisure, Prafulla Chandra used to go to his native village Raruli and spend his time there with the simple villagers. He helped them as much as he could. He never forgot his life in the village.

At the 70th birthday celebrations ofPrafulla Chandra, poet Rabindranath Tagore praised his exemplary life. He said, "in the Upanishads, we learn 'the one became Many". Acharya Prafulla Chandra has devoted his life to his students; he now lives in the hearts of many.

In his 75th year Prafulla Chandra Ray retired from the Professor's post. In 1941 the Calcutta University and the public celebrated his eightieth birthday.

Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray passed away on the 16th of June 1944; he died in the same room he had occupied for twenty-five years. He was 83 years old at the time.

When India was still under foreign rule and when facilities for scientific research were
very meager in the Country, Acharya Ray achieved great fame even in distant countries by his brilliant research. He discovered Mercurous Nitrite, when scientists did not know that such a chemical could exist. When it was thought that Indians were backward and that they should learn everything from the West, he wrote his famous book 'The History of Hindu Chemistry. This book served to open the eyes of many Indians and foreigners. When he grew up, he found the family burdened with debts. He not only repaid the debts but also spent large sums of money earned by him to help students and the poor, and on scientific research. When catastrophes like famine, flood or earthquake struck, this scientist -professor led the way to bring relief to the victims. He did not confine himself to his laboratory. Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray was a great scientist who was endowed
with noble human qualities. He was also a great patriot and social worker.

SATYENDRANATH BOSE

2007-12-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

A renowned Indian scientist. He developed a new branch of physics. He worked with Albert Einstein, Madame Curie and other scientists of world renown.

Sathyendranath Bose
Some students love mathematics. What are the maximum marks they score in it? It
would be a hundred per cent. We would be surprised to be told that some students have secured more than a hundred per cent, wouldn't we! One such student was
Sathyendranath Bose. As a student of the fourth standard he set up a new record by
scoring 110 marks out of 100. This bright youngster later became a scientist and won worldwide fame.

Sleepy
Once the great scientist, Niels Bohr, was delivering a lecture. Bose presided. At one
stage the lecturer had some difficulty in explaining a point. He had been writing on the blackboard; he stopped and, turning to Bose, said, "Can Professor Bose help me?" All the while Sathyendranath had been sitting with his eyes shut. The audience could not help smiling at Professor Bohr's words. But to their great surprise, Bose opened his eyes; in an instant he solved the lecturer's difficulty. Then he sat down and once again
closed his eyes!

The fame of Sathyendranath Bose as a brilliant student of physics and mathematics has spread the world over. In India, which is still a developing country, he strove hard for the dissemination of science. In addition, he did significant work in the fields of education, politics, music and literature, too.

He has come to be popularly known Sathyen Bose (S. N. Bose).

Boyhood And Education
Sathyendranath Bose was born on the first of January 1894 in Calcutta. Surendranath
was his father. He was employed in the Engineering Department of the East India
Railway.

Sathyendranath was the eldest of his seven children; the rest were all daughters. Though Surendranath Bose lost his wife at an early age, without losing heart, he brought up all his children well. It is said that, when Sathyen was hardly three years old, a Bengali astrologer made this prediction: "This child will face many obstacles all through his life; nevertheless he will overcome them with his exceptional intelligence and attain great fame." The father, naturally, took a special interest in his son's progress. Though he had seven children he took care to see that nothing came in the way of the boy's education.
Yet, it did not appear to him that this youngster was quite serious about his studies. He often wondered if the astrologer's prediction would remain a mere dream.

As days passed, a thorough change came about in Sathyendranath. By his own effort he stood first throughout his academic career. Because of his love for and interest in science he did much research. He earned a name both at home and abroad. Surendranath's heart was filled with joy when Sathyen earned honor after honor. Sharing in his son's glory, Surendranath lived up to the ripe old age of 96. Even in the old age his intellect and memory remained sharp to the end. He would often describe to his friends the activities of his son, Sathyendranath, in his boyhood. Now, that the dream of his boy's future had come true, his joy knew no bounds.

Amodini was Sathyendranath's mother. She was sickly. She passed away in 1939.

Exceptional Intelligence
Even in his school days, Sathyendranath had come to be recognized as an intelligent student. As a student of the Hindu High School in Calcutta he established a new record, scoring 110 marks for a maximum of 100 in mathe- matics. He had solved some problems in mathematics by more than one method. That was why his teacher had to give him
more marks than the maximum. So early in life, when he was yet a student at school, his teachers had predicted, 'Bose will one day become as great a mathematician as Laplace or Cauchy.

Zeal for work and eagerness to learn new things had taken root in him even in his
childhood. Young Sathyen loved to improvise apparatus for his experiments. At school, in collaboration with his fellow students, he constructed a telescope and other scientific instruments. No wonder in later life he made many new apparatus one after another.

Sathyendranath joined Presidency College of Calcutta for higher studies.

Guidance From Ideal Teachers
The period of his stay in Presidency College may be called a Golden Age. The company of good friends and classmates and the guidance of ideal teachers shaped his future life. Some of the most renowned scientists - Meghnad Saha, Nikhilranjan Bose, J. C. Ghosh, J. N. Mukherjee and Girijapathi Bhattacharya - were his classmates. He came to be acquainted with Netaji Subashchandra Bose also. Sharatchandra Bose was his contem- porary.

These youths were fortunate in their teachers. Eminent scientists like Jagadishchandra Bose, Prafullachandra Ray and S. N. Maitra were theirprofessors. J. C. Bose taught them physics while P. C. Ray taught chemistry. These great scientists were also great patriots. They inspired their students to understand the real values, of life and to set definite goals before themselves. Bose was thus able to mould his career and later shine in life.

In Bengal, the Swadeshi movement started when Bose was yet a student. And Bose who was a teenager grew with it. This movement made a great impression on his young mind. All the greater was this impression on him because of his close contact with his teachers P.C. Ray and J. C. Bose.

Teaching In Calcutta University
At the age of nineteen, Bose became a graduate. On the 5th of May 1914, at the age of twenty, he married Ushadevi. The
next year, he completed his post graduation, getting the M.Sc. degree. In all the examinations - the Intermediate, the B.Sc. and the M.Sc. examinations - he annexed the first rank.

In 1915, several young men who had secured the Master's Degree pressed for the opening of the post graduate courses in Modern Physics and Modern Mathe- matics in Calcutta University. Among them were Meghnad Saha, Jnanachandra Ghosh, and Sathyendranath Bose. In 1916, the University started M.Sc. classes in Modern Mathematics and Modern Physics. M. N. Saha, J. C. Ghosh and S. N. Bose were all appointed as lecturers. Thus, Bose started his career in 1916 as a Lecturer in Physics in Calcutta University.

He served this University for five years from 1916 to 1921. During this time, his friends and colleagues recognized his exceptional talent. But when he won worldwide fame he was no longer in this University.

The Great Einstein
He joined Dacca University in 1921 as a reader in Physics. While serving in this post he wrote a short article of just six pages in English. It was an article relating to physics, on 'Max Planck's Law' and 'Light Quantum Hypothesis'. This article was sent to Albert Einstein. He had not only won the Nobel Prize but was one of the world's greatest scientists in the twentieth century. The learned professor read the article. This little article brought about a great change in the life of Sathyendranath. When he wrote it he had not yet made a name. He was as just a M.Sc. The university, which had employed him was an infant one and was little known. But this article attracted by Albert Einstein. He appreciated it so much that he himself translated it into German and sent it
for publication to a famous periodical in Germany -'Zeitschrift fur Physik'. He also
explained at length the significance of the subject matter of the article and the great
possibilities the article indicated.

In Europe
Now Dacca University opened its eyes and recognized the worth of Bose. At that time he had only a master's degree in science and had no higher academic qualification. Yet the University readily gave him the money for a tour of Europe.

Bose first visited Paris in 1924. He stayed there for a year. He conducted research in
the Madame Curie Laboratory, which had special facilities. Here he became acquainted with several physicists.

The next year, he left Paris for Berlin to join Einstein and work with him. There he came into close contact with noted scientists like Schroedinger and Heisenberg. He participated in all the meetings and discussions held there.

'Can You Find His Equal?'
While Bose was in Berlin, the post of a professor fell vacant in Dacca University. J. C. Ghosh and other friends persuaded him to apply for the post. Bose had not yet got his doctorate. It was, therefore, difficult for him to secure the professorship. A
recommendation from Albert Einstein to select him would have made things easy for him. So, with great hesitation, Bose approached Einstein. Einstein was surprised. He said, "You are so proficient in you’re subject; is their need for any other certificate or recommendation?" He wrote a letter to the authorities of Dacca University in which he said, "Can you find another scientist as proficient as Sathyendranath? He is quite fit for the post." It had the desired effect. In 1926, Sathyendranath Bose was appointed Professor and Head of the Department of Physics.

Bose served in Dacca University nearly twenty-five years as Professor teacher he was admired by his students was friendly and helpful to his colleagues. They held him in high esteem.

In 1944, when he was the Head of the Science Section in Dacca University, Bose was chosen as the General President of the thirty-first session of the Science Congress. In 1945, he was appointed as Khaira Professor of Physics in Calcutta University.

He retired from Calcutta University in 1956. The University honored him on his
retirement by appointing him as Emeritus Professor. Later he became the Vice
Chancellor of the Visvabharati University. In 1958, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, London. This was indeed, a very great honor. On being appointed a National Professor in 1958 he left the Visvabharati University.

He represented India on manyinternational committees.
His Field Of Reasearch
The scope of his research was vast and varied. His main field of work was mathematical physics. His achievements in many other fields were also considerable.

His first article on theoretical physics was on 'Equation of State’ based on research
conducted and published jointly with Meghnad Saha. Incorporating the Theory of Relativity propounded by Albert Einstein, this equation explained many aspects of the pressure, cubic measure and temperature of gases. This article was published in the 'Philosophical Magazine' in 1918. Scientists now refer to it merely as the 'Saha-Bose Equation'.

The article entitled 'Stress Equation of Equilibrium' was published in 1919 in the popular Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathe- matical Society. Another article with the title 'Herpolhode' was published in the same periodical in 1920. His other article on Rydberg's Principle was also published in the Philosophical Magazine. He enunciated many new theorems in Geometry.

Einstein's Guidance
Mention has already been made of a brief paper written by Bose in 1923 which was
translated into German by Einstein him. This article, as a matter of fact, had been sent first for publication in the Philosophical Magazine of London but was returned to him unpublished as the editor
could not understand the subject matter of the article. Subsequently it was sent to Albert Einstein.

Bose's original approach struck Einstein. Later Einstein systematically adapted Bose's approach in his own work. That is why the particular field of Bose's research has come to be known as 'Bose-Einstein Statistics'. Of late it has come to be known merely as 'Bose Statistics'. Several scientists published papers based on Bose's brief article. Discussions were also held.

Bose sent another article in 1926 to Einstein relating to the same topic. Einstein translated this article into German but also expressed some doubts and points of disagreement. Sathyendranath Bose, therefore, got an opportunity to meet Einstein and substantiate his argument. For about six months he stayed in Berlin holding discussions with great scientists and convincing them of his point of view.

Quantum Statistics, a well-known branch of science today, was yet to see the light of
day. Bose's theoretical exposition developed this branch. Quantum Statistics has enabled scientists to solve several problems scientifically and by cogent reasoning.

Bose sent another paper to Albert Einstein. The distinguished scientist was at a loss to understand how the solution offered by Bose could be used in physics. He published an article giving expression to his doubts. Bose felt it would be more appropriate to meet the great scientist Einstein and discuss the paper with him than to correspond with him. While he was still planning a visit the news of the sudden death of Einstein stunned him.
The 'Guru'
Bose had taken Einstein as his 'Guru' (the master). He had specially prepared a paper for his meeting with Einstein. He had decided to dedicate this article to him. It was a bitter disappointment to him that his Guru was not alive to accept his offering. In a burst of grief he tore into pieces the article itself.

The able guidance of the mighty and celebrated scientist Albert Einstein had enabled Bose to explore fresh fields of research. Bose had accepted Einstein as his Guru. In all the correspondence with him he addressed him so. Einstein, in turn had responded with affection. Every time Bose took a problem to him, Einstein would help solve it, as a teacher solves his students' problems. A large portrait of Einstein always adorned the room where Bose worked.

A Wide Range Of Interests
In those days when there was little encouragement for scientific research, Bose successfully carried on research in physics and discovered Boson and Bose Gas.

Preparing some photo chemicals himself and with the help of X-ray he started the study of the structure of crystals. In 1954, a conference on crystallography was held in Paris. Several students of Bose had done significant research in this field. At this conference Bose arranged an exhibition relating to their work,

It is true that all his great research was in Mathematical Physics. But he was interested in many other subjects, too. He had made a serious and deep study of several other branches of science -chemistry, geology, zoology, anthropo- logy, engineering and others. In biochemistry also, he had attained high proficiency. His interest ranged from the
manufacture of artificial manure to the manufacture of scents from roses.

The Partition Of Bengal
India attained independence in 1947. But the country was split into two and Pakistan was created. Bengal, Bose's home state, was cut into two. This greatly pained him.

From his boyhood, Bose had loved Bengal deeply. He had traveled throughout the length and breadth of Bengal. He was fascinated with its history and literature. He liked the works of Madhusudan Dutt. No less was his attachment to Rabindranath Tagore's stories and poems. The art and music of Bengal were dear to him. He had high hopes about the political and economic future of Bengal.But the partition of Bengal dealt a severe blow and shattered all his hopes and aspirations.

An image of Free India was engraved on his heart. But that image was dimmed. He came to feel that the partition of thecountry had diminished the fruits of freedom. He was afraid that the partition would seriously harm the cause of science. But,fortunately, the partition did not in any way adversely affect scientific work in India.
Interest In Society
Social science was a living ideal in the life of Bose. Without running after wealth, he
offered his all to the cause of science and in the service of students and the poor and the needy. He set a glorious example to others by dedicating his life to the service of the country.

It was his heart's desire that his country- men should set right the shortcomings of their society. He did not merely talk about this but worked actively. Distinctions of caste and creed, the feeling that one caste was superior and another inferior these he hated. He was convinced that hypocrisy had done great harm to society, and he hated it.

He welcomed with open arms all that was good in our ancient history. Whenever he had leisure he read books in Bengali, English and other languages. Buddhism made a deep appeal to him. He had on several occasions openly said, "Of all the persons that have walked on this earth, I have the greatest regard for Gautama Buddha."

He used to say often that every one was -endowed with some talent or the other and that one should find it out and by dint of hard work and constant practice develop it. He was himself a shining example of what he preached.

Bose had great faith in the importance of science. It was his firm belief that the progress of society was bound up with the progress of science and that the progress of mankind had been brought about by the revolution that science had brought about.

He was fond of animals; cats were his favorites. In his old age, he spent his leisure hours playing with cats.

He warmly welcomed everyone who came to him, whatever their problems. It was a
great virtue in him that he treated every one of them with affection and encouraged
them. Even at the ripe age of eighty he participated in social discussions.
Love Of Literature And Music
Though Bose was primarily a scientist, he was a many-faceted personality. His interests lay not in one sphere or two but in many. He was much interested in literature. The study of literature and the practice of art and music were his hobbies. He could read and enjoy poems in Sanskrit, Bengali, English, French and Italian.

Bose had made a deep study of several works in Bengali and English literatures.
Besides, he had a good knowledge of French and German literatures. He also translated some French stories. He had participated in several literary discussions. When he was working with Madame Curie in 1926 his conversations and discussions with her were all in French.

He could play well on a Bengali musical instrument, 'Esraj', which is similar to the violin. Himself a gifted musician and critic of music, he had composed some new ragas (tunes).

Development of Science
Sathyen Bose was not content with solving scientific problems. It was his constant
endeavor to develop scientific knowledge and the scientific attitude in the common man. For this purpose he sought the guidance of experienced elders. He did succeed in this very difficult task of taking science to the masses.

At a time when English had glamour for the majority of educated people, Bose
understood the importance of Indian
languages. He was of the opinion that if science is to be understood by the layman, it has to be taught in his mother tongue.

A science association named 'Bangiya Vijnana Parishat' was founded by him in Bengal in 1948. All its correspondence was carried on in Bengali language. Right from its inception, it has been bringing out a periodical- entitled 'Jnan o' Bijnan'. The Parishat has taken up the difficult task of propagating science among the people in their mother tongue, Bengali. For the past twenty-five years, it has been arranging several science exhibitions, lectures and essay competitions in Bengal for the spread of science. It has its own library. It has brought out some books of science in Bengali. Its Silver Jubilee was celebrated in 1974. Bose spared no pains in developing this institution.

The Mother Tongue
He was one of those champions who fought for the introduction of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction. He wrote some books in Bengali for this purpose. As Khaira Professor in Calcutta University in 1945, he taught physics to the postgraduate students in Bengali. His effort was ultimately successful and Calcutta University at last got the approval of the Government to impart instruction in the mother tongue. Bose had believed that with the advent of freedom everything would run smooth. But to his surprise he found that the people themselves were not willing to learn in their mother tongue. It was not easy to win them over. Many people complained that he was ruining the teaching of science. He had to face stiff opposition. But he did not lose heart. He tried his best to carry out his purpose.
Ever Alert
Sathyendranath was of a stout build. He wore thick glasses. So he always looked sleepy. All the same he was ever alert. At several meetings and functions, though he seemed sleepy, every minute throughout the proceedings he would be keenly attentive.
Stepping Into Politics
Bose tried his best to confine himself to the scientific field. But he soon realized that in this country, to work for the progress of science entry into politics was inevitable. So he was compelled to enter politics.

He became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1952. He utilized this opportunity to work
for the benefit of both science and society. His fight in the political arena was of immense benefit to science and society. He worked untiringly in the political field from 1952 to 1958.

The Ideal Professor
In 1916 he started his career as a lecturer in the Science College of Calcutta University, which had just then been opened. Besides physics, he had to teach his mathematics students several other subjects related to mathematics. In those days there was not a single textbook in English on those subjects. How difficult it is to teach students without books, isn't it? And yet he solved every problem of the students and made everything clear.

Bose used to say that any student should have confidence in himself. He used to give his students this advise often; do not accept a method of solving a problem just because it comes from some one in authority; accept it only if you areconvinced it is correct. He often advised them that they should not be satisfied with reading only the books, which they had to read; he told them they should be interested in several subjects and enlarge their knowledge.

Students could freely approach him after college hours for guidance. Even when he was tired with the day's strenuous work in the college, he cordially welcomed them and taught them.

Disciplined And Fearless
His devotion to duty was exceptional. He never allowed his personal inconvenience and difficulties to interfere with his duty. Once, when he was the Head of the Department of Science in Dacca University, some postgraduate students came to him. They prayed for the postponement of the examinations. Bose did not agree to this. "Examinations cannot
be postponed without valid reasons", he said. The students threatened that they would not work and go on a hunger strike if their demand was not conceded. Bose said, "I am prepared to resign; but, I am not prepared to postpone theexaminations without valid reasons". The students were not prepared for this reply. They did not wish to lose such a good teacher. So they quietly accepted his decision and went back.

It was impossible for Bose to put up with injustice done to the students. Once Asutosh Mukherjee set the same problem for the M.Sc. Examination consecutively for three years. And in those three years, no one attempted to solve the problem. Placing this matter before the examiners, Mukherjee thundered, "Do you not teach the subject properly?" No one else had the courage to answer. But Bose was not afraid of speaking the truth. He stood up and said, "If the problem itself is wrong, how can the candidates solve it?" Many of his friends felt that Bose was indiscreet in having given such a reply. But Asutosh realized his mistake and commended Bose.

Exceptional Brilliance
In India scientists of the calibre of Sathyendranath Bose are rare. His exceptional intelligence solved fresh problems and he kept widening the field of his interest. So he won worldwide fame. Even in Oxford University he was considered as a very great personality. He was the President of the National Institute of Sciences. The Government of India conferred the 'Padma Vibhushan' award on him in 1954 and honored him. On his
retirement from service in 1956, Calcutta University honored him by appointing him as Emeritus Professor.

In 1964, Delhi University honored him with the award of the degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.). Many other universities conferred doctorates on him. He became a scientist revered by one and all.

Bose is the author of 'Light Quanta Statistics', 'Affine Connection Co-effcients' and other works of science. He wrote 'Albert Einstein' and several other books in Bengali. Along with Meghnad Saha, Bose has translated from German into English Einstein's book on the Theory of Relativity. Several of his research papers have been published in well-known and standard foreign journals.

Modest
With all his greatness, he was extraordinarily modest and courteous. He was the President of the Indian Science Congress in 1944. In his presidential address he made a review of the progress of science. Therein he was generous in praising the work of other scientists. He wrote just one sentence about his own work. A writer, Jagjit Singh by name, wished to write a biography of Bose. He went to Bose to get information from him.
"Why do you waste your precious time in writing my biography?" Bose said.

'Indians are incapable of achieving anything great in science. At best, they are experts in subjects like philosophy' - this was the impression people of the West had about us. Bose dispelled that impression. Devoting all his life to the service of the motherland, he did yeoman service in the fields of science, education, politics and social reform.

On the occasion of the celebration of his seventeenth birthday in 1964, a volume was brought out in his honor and many eminent scientists paid homage to him by contributing articles. His eightieth birthday was celebrated in 1974. At the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Quanta Statistics, which was held in the same month, he was felicitated.

Bose Is No More
Within a few days after he completed 80, Bose suffered an unexpected and a severe heart attack. He lay ill for some time and breathed his last on the fourth of February 1974.

The death of Bose was a great loss not only to India but also to the whole world and especially to the world of science.

Bose left behind his wife, two sons five daughters.

Einstein and Madame Curie are among the world's great scientists. Bose worked with
them. This it self clearly means that India has definitely secured a high place in the world of science.

Dr.JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE

2007-12-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

he great biologist who showed that plants, too can 'feel' in their own way. He saved money ;he bought a small laboratory and build his equipment; and scientists in Euorpe and Am
Terica wondered at his discoveries.

Bose

Suppose there is a lush green plant and its leaves are a sparkling green in the shining sunlight. We feel like pulling out a leaf to feel it. But we do not think of what goes on inside the plant. May be, we feel that the plant does not suffer like us. But the plant does suffer. In fact the pulsation of the plant stops where the leaf was plucked. In a short time the pulsation again begins at the spot, but this time very slowly. And then it completely stops. That spot is as good as dead for the plant.

It was Jagadishchandra Bose, an eminent Indian scientist, who explained that plants also suffer pain like us. Though he wored in other fields of science, he is best know for his research into the life of plants.
The Parents

Jagadishchandra Bose was born on the 30th of November 1858 in Faridpur in Dacca District. Faridpur was a part of India until 1947; now it is in Bangla Desh. His mother Abala Bose was a tenderhearted and affectionate woman. His father Bhagawanchandra Bose was a man of excellent qualities. Bhagavanchandra Boise was the Deputy Magistrate of Faridpur. He helped very generally the poor and the needy. He would comfort people in sorrow. There was a famine in Bengal in the year 1880.Bhagavanchandra Bose spent his own money to help the poor villagers. In the year 1874 hundreds of families suffered because of wide spread malaria. Thousands of children lost their parents and became orphans. Bhagawanchandra Bose helped these orphans. He spent money from his pocket to start a factory and provided had to spend a lot of money on these. By the never regretted doing so.
Early Education

In the days of Jagadishchandra Bose’s boyhood, the well educated and the well to do. ; People wee attracted by Western culture. A man was proud if he had learnt English. But Jagadishchandra Bose’s education was really remarkable; it was dye to his father. As long back as a hundred year ago, Bhagawanchandra Bose started schools in which children were taught in Bengali. Jagadishchandra also received his early education in this school. Jagadish mixed with the poor boys freely and played with them; so he gained first hand knowledge of the sufferings of poor people. He learnt much more. He learnt how the fisher folk moved on the broad rivers in their boats, how the fishing rod was cast in the flowing water, how ploughing the land and sowing seeds in it grew the crops and how the cattle were taken to graze on the distant hills. He was all ears when the fishermen and the farmers gave such accounts. He was thrilled by their adventurous life and it made him more courageous in life.

There was another interesting person in his early life. This was a servant who used to take Jagadishchandra to school every day. He had been a dacoit in the past Bhagawanchandra Bose as a judge had sent him to prison. After some time the dacoit came out of prison. But how was he to live? Bhagawanchandra Bose was a very good-natured man. So he employed him as a servant. The dacoit used to tell little Jagadishchandra. events of his past life the robberies he had committed and his cruel deeds. His adventures made a lasting impression on the boy.

Young Bose was all curiosity. He wanted to know about everything that happened around him. What is, a glow-warm? Is it fire or spark? Why does the wind blow? Why does the water flow? He was always ready with a string of questions. His father would answer as many questions as he could. But he never tried to impress upon his son that he knew everything. If he could not answer a question, he would frankly tell his son so. Thus Jagadish chandra's parents took great interest not only in his studies but also in everything that shaped his character. They narrated stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha to him. Kama of Maha- bharatha was an ideal to him. (Karna was a great hero but, more important still, very generous.) He went with his parents to see the performances of folk drama. (These were staged in open-air theatres.) They treated al-I his friends alike. Such was the environment for Jagadishchandra in his boyhood. He grew up to be ' broad- minded, patriotic, obedient to elders, affectionate towards his fellowmen. He never made any distinction between the rich and the poor; all men were equal in his eyes.

Generally it is easy to understand a subject if it is taught in the student's language; it becomes difficult if it is taught in some other language. Jagadishchandra did not face this problem, since he studied the subjects in his own language. He understood them easily. He was in the habit of thinking for himself whenever he studied. He learnt many things on his own by studying at home. But he was not a bookworm. He was very enthusiastic about games too. Cricket was his favorite sport.
In Calcutta

Jagadishchandra began a new chapter in his life at the age of nine. He had to leave his hometown. He went to the big city of Calcutta for further education. He was admitted to Saint Xavier School there. There was a world of difference between the previous school and this one. . In Faridpur he had studied everything in his own language. But here in Calcutta his schoolmates knew only English. The city boys, especially the English boys, teased him. One of them even hurt Jagadish chandra in a bout of boxing. Jagadish was provoked and he taught the boy a well- deserved lesson. That was the end of any teasing.

While he was studying at Saint Xavier's, Jagadishchandra was staying in a boarding house. He had no friends and was lonely here. But he was a born scientist. Even as a boy he had many hobbles which showed his scientific interest. He used to breed frogs and fishes in a pond nearby. He would pull out a germinating plant and observe its root system. He had also a number of pets like rabbits, squirrels and non-poisonous snakes. Even in Calcutta he continued these hobbies to get over his solitude. He grew flower-bearing plants and had animals and birds as pets. He did well in his studies and was in the forefront. The teachers liked him for his intelligence. Jagadishchandra passed the School Final Examination in the First Class.

He joined the B.A. class in the college. In those days, science subjects formed a part of this course. He was most interested in Biology (the science of life). But Father Lafont, a famous Professor of Physics, inspired in Bose a great interest in the science of Physics and Bose became his favourite student. Even so, Bose was always interested in any branch of science. Botany, the science of plants, still attracted him much.
In London

By nineteen, Jagadishchandra was a Bachelor of Arts. He wanted to go to England for higher studies. He wished to try his luck at the Indian Civil Service Examination or to study medicine. If he entered the Civil Service, he would be a government officer. This would mean subordination; his father did not want Jagadish to work under others. And he did not have enough money to send the boy abroad. Besides, he wanted that his son should become a teacher and serve his people and his country. Even Jagadish chandra's mother was not quite willing to send him, because she thought it was against their religion. She was pained at the thought that her son would be far away from her. Jagadishchandra Bose did not wish to do anything against the will of his parents.

Finally, his good mother allowed him to go. She had saved some money. She also wanted to sell her jewels to meet the expenses of her son's voyage. Bhagawan chandra Bose prevented her and he managed to find the money on his own.

At last Jagadish was on his way to England. The year was 1880. Twenty- two-year-old Jagadishchandra Bose stepped into the ship; he was stepping into a new phase of life which laid the foundations of a brilliant future.

In London he first studied medicine. But he repeatedly fell ill. So he had to discontinue the course. He then studied Natural Science in Christ Church College, Cambridge. It was necessary to learn Latin in order to study Natural Science; Jagadish had already learnt it. He passed the Tripos Examination with distinction. In addition to the Cambridge Tripos Examination, he passed the Bachelor of Science Examination of London University also.
The Young Scientist - His Own Smith, Too

Jagadishchandra Bose was back in India. He joined the staff of the Presidency College, Calcutta. There was a peculiar practice in that college. The Indian teachers in the college were paid one third of what the British teachers were paid! So Jagadishchandra Bose refused his salary but worked for three years. He could not even get the scientific instruments he needed for research. He was not shown the respect due to him. This did not continue for long. His deep knowledge zest for work and cultured behavior won over those in charge of the college. They saw to it that he was given the full salary of the post and not one-third.

Teaching the same lessons year in and year out was very tedious to Bose. His was an alert mind, always on the look out for new ideas. He wanted to do research, to widen his knowledge and discover new things.

A laboratory is necessary for research. Many scientific instruments are required. Jagadishchandra Bose had no laboratory and he did not have the instruments. But he was not disheartened. For eight or ten years he spent as little out of his salary as possible, lived a very strict life, saved money and bought a laboratory!

Generally Marconi's name is associated with the invention of wireless. (This made possible the use of the radio.) Jagadish chandra Bose had also conducted independent research in the same field. Marconi was able to announce the result of his work and show how wirelesstelegraphy worked, earlier than Jagadishchandra Bose. So he is called 'the father of the radio'. In the year 1896 Bose wrote a research article on electro-magnetic waves. This impressed the Royal Society of England (which is famous all over the world). He was honoured with the Degree of Doctor of Science. He needed money to continue his work. Bengal,his homeland, came forward to bear the expenses. Those were days when the British Government would not help an Indian to go abroad for studies. Bose had the honour of getting encouragement even from the British Government. And he made excellent use of this.

Bose became famous in the world of science. In India and in other countries there was a strong belief that only Westerners could achieve anything worthwhile in science. Bose proved this wrong concept. He showed that there were geniuses elsewhere too. He visited England again, this time to explain his discoveries to the scientists of the West.

Bose needed scientific equipment. But the instruments he needed were not available. But this did not hamper his work. Early in his life he had learnt to make hisequipment with his own hands. The scientific instruments he took to England were those he himself had made.

Electricity was then his special field of work. He had successfully worked at transmitting electro-magnetic waves from one place to another. He had determined the type of instruments required both at the transmitting end and at the receiving end; he had found out what the distance should be between these two ends. He was using the instruments he had himself made. Bose demonstrated his discoveries at the Royal Society in England. The gathering of scientists were profoundly impressed. They praised this achievement as a singular one from a citizen of India. Our country was until then famous only as the home of philosophy and religion. Bose won respect for Indians in science too. The renowned papers of London namely 'The Spectator' and 'The Times' were all praise for this Indian scientist. For, without proper facilities and with the available material, Bose had achieved wonderful results and he had done his research along with his teaching work.
Fame

After he lectured at the Royal Society, scientific associations in many other countries invited Jagadishchandra Bose. He visited France, Germany, America and Japan besides England. He lectured at several places and explained his discoveries.

When electricity passes through a man, animal or plant, we say there is a 'shock'. When it is passed through a living being the being gets excited, 'irritated'. Bose developed an instrument that would show such a reaction of the organism on agraph. When electricity was passed through zinc, a non-living substance, a similar graph was obtained. So he came to the conclusion that living and non-living things were very similar in certain reactions.

In Paris he gave a lecture on this similarity between the living and the non-living world. Have you heard of 'radar`? This is a very wonderful scientific device. Sailors on the sea use it; it is also used to get information about aeroplanes coming towards a place. So you see how useful it is during a war. If the aeroplanes of the enemy try to attack a city, the radar shows their movement. J.C. Bose worked out some details of very great importance; these are being used in the working of the radar. When Jagadish chandra Bose again visited England, Cambridge University honoured him as a Professor.

Generally, when a man invents something new he declares that nobody can make use of it without his permission. If anybody desires to, make use of it, he will have to pay him money, Why? Because the inventor has worked hard and he has used his time and brains for his invention. It is not right to make use of his work without paying him. An inventor can make lakhs of rupees by just one or two inventions. Bose had invented many instruments. They have since been used by many industries. When he was offered money for these he did not accept it. He was very generous and noble; he felt that knowledge was not any one's personal property. He permitted any one the use of the fruits of his work.

The Davy-Faraday Research Institute is a very famous scientific institute for scientific research in England. This institute requested Jagadishchandra Bose to continue his research there. Many eminent scientists pressed him to do so. Hence tie worked there for some time and discovered new things. When an outside stimulus is applied to the muscles of a man or a non-living thing (says a mineral), they respond to it. Bose wondered whether this could happen in a plant also. To test this he brought a leaf, a carrot and a turnip from the garden. He applied the stimulus, i.e., and electricity. It was confirmed that plants also respond in a similar way. Jagadishchandra Bose explained this at a meeting of the Royal Society. While explaining his discoveries he said that the Indian sages had under stood such principles thousands of years ago. He modestly added that his discoveries were an insignificant part of the great truth that our ancient sages had realized.
Challenges

When anything new is discovered, there will always be people who question it. The results of Bose's work, too, were not accepted by all. There were people who challenged them and even said that there was not much truth in them. Bose gave a lecture at the Linnean Society next year to a gathering of scientists. He explained with suitable experiments how plants respond to stimuli. Even those who had challenged him could not find fault with his experiments or conclusions.

There is an interesting story about a demonstration that Bose gave in England. On that day he wanted to show some new things that he had found out. He had come to the conclusion that plants can feel pain like animals; that when we pinch them they suffer; and that they die in a few minutes after they are poisoned. Bose wanted to show experiments to prove these conclusions. A number of scientists and other leading men and women had gathered to hear him. Bose started the experiments by injecting poison into a plant. The plant should have shown signs of death in a few minutes. On the contrary, nothing happened. The learned audience started laughing. Even at this adverse moment Bose showed admirable calmness. He thought quickly. The poison that he injected into the plant did not kill it. So, he supposed that it would not hurt him also. With full confidence he got ready to inject the poison into himself. At that instant a man got up and confessed that instead of poison he had put similar colored water. Now, Bose conducted the experiment again with real poison, whereupon the plant withered and died as expected.

Jagadishchandra Bose continued his work and made new discoveries. He found that plants shrink a little during the night. He found out why plants always grow towards light even if they have to bend. He also found out the reason why some plants grow straight and some do not. He explained that this was due to the 'pulsation' in plants. This pulsation quickens by heat and slows down by cold in plants.

Jagadishchandra Bose did remarkable work, - and scientists outside India had honoured him. Yet there were people who opposed him. As a result even the Royal Society delayed publishing his valuable work in its publications, But nothing could make him give up his work. He was sure that years of research had led him to the truth. So he did not feel that it was very necessary to depend on scientific journals only. He wrote books and published them on his own.

By this time Bose had made a name for himself as a great scientist. The instruments he had developed were being used in some Western countries too. He visited Europe and America in 1907 and 1914; scientific institutions invited him to explain his discoveries. He visited Japan also.

Most of us have seen a peculiar kind of plant called the mimosa (touch-me-not') which spreads on the ground. It has very small leaves. It is extremely sensitive. If we just touch one leaf, that leaf and the leaves nearby all fold up. The greater the force we use, the larger the number of leaves which fold up. The whole row of leaves of the branch can be made to fold like this by touching it with a little greater force. Why does only this plant react like this? We have often wondered, haven't we? Bose wondered, too. And he went on to find out. He found that other plants also react to a man's touch in the same way. The only difference is this: We cannot see the reaction of other plants but we can see the reaction of the mimosa. But Bose wanted to study the reaction of other plants, too. He designed delicate instruments that would show such reactions in them. When he went abroad he took these instruments and also some of the plants with him. It was very difficult to' keep the plants alive in the, climate of foreign countries. Jagadishchandra Bose showed the experiment in Cambridge and Oxford. The scientists were fascinated by the extreme sensitivity of plants; they were also filled with wonder when they saw the excellent instruments Jagadishchandra Bose himself had made. No one had done work of this kind in Biology. It was news that plants could also experience different sensations like us.

Jagadishchandra Bose continued his search for new knowledge. His achievements were many. The British Government honoured him more than once. In 1915 when retired from service he was made an Emeritus Professor. He was to get Rs. 1500 a month as long as he lived.

He was honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Society (F.R.S) in 1920. In 1927 he presided over the Indian Science Congress.
A New Temple

Bose had worked all along without the right Wind of scientific instruments and laboratory. For a long time he had been thinking of building a laboratory. The result was the 'Bose Research Institute' which is in Calcutta. Even now it is famous as a centre of research. Bose had been collecting funds for this Institute for quite some time. More than sixty-five years ago, he had realized the importance of a research institution in India. While inaugurating the Bose Research Institute he said, "This is not a laboratory but a temple." Such was his devotion to work. He felt everybody must have the same enthusiasm for research in a country. In the Bose Research Institute research is conducted in Botany and Physics - the two branches of science in which Bose had won fame.

He worked in this laboratory for 20 years, up to the very end of his life. We should not depend on others to do our work, we ourselves must do our work; but before we can do this we must get over our pride - this was his firm belief. He confessed that he had learnt this lesson from his parents.
The Questioning Boy-The Great Scientist

Nature had always been a source of attraction right from his early age to Bose. There are flowers on plants; flowers give fruits; the leaves fall off; seeds germinate into new plants - we see all these around us.

But Bose was interested in these happenings, which to many people seem quite ordinary. He asked others questions; he asked himself, too: 'How do these things happen?' Not always could he satisfy his curiosity. But it was his way to try to find answers to any questions arising in his mind.

We may consider here the more important of his discoveries. Plants respond to stimulus from outside. We draw away hand when it touches fire. When it is extremely cold we may even die. Plants also experience heat and cold in this way. This can be measured with a thermometer. At 60 degrees Centigrade a plant will faint because of the extreme heat and at very low temperatures it will react similarly to cold. Plants always react to the rise or fall of temperature in the atmosphere around them. When heat or cold is extreme, plants will faint or may even die. Bose had designed very delicate instruments that could record even this. When a plant is hurt at one point, the shock of this is transmitted to all the other parts and the whole plan gets tired and it bends down. Plants grow every second by 1/50,000th of an inch! How is this to be measured - it is so very, very, very small? Bose himself devised a delicate instrument, which could measure even this length.

Plants do not grow in a perfect straight line. There are small twists and turns, Why? The answer Bose found out is very interesting. He said, that plants have positive and negative charges. If one of these pushes a part of the plant forward, the other pushes it backward. The growth of the plant is affected by these pushes and it becomes slightly curved instead of being straight. Plants grow towards light even when kept in a dark place, why? The roots of plants always grow downwards, why? Bose found answers to all these questions.

We all know that the lovely flower, the lotus, opens up as the sun rises in the sky. When the sun sets the lotus closes its petals. The popular belief is that this is because the lotus loves the sun. But Bose explained this peculiar behaviour of the lotus. It opens when there is a raise in the temperature and closes as thetemperature drops. The same is true of the sunflower. He called this peculiarity 'the thirst for light'. The other peculiar thing he demonstrated was the way plants behave differently at different times of the day. He established that from 6 in the morning to 3 o'clock in the afternoon the, plants behave in one way; and from 3 in the afternoon to 6 in the morning plants behave differently. As an example he choose a palm tree in Faridpur-

This palm in Faridpur would bend down every evening. The people of the place had their own explanation. They believed that the soul of some holy man lived in the tree. Every evening when the temple bells rang, this holy spirit bowed in devotion - this was their belief. But Jagadishchandra Bose discovered the real cause. He gave a scientific explanation. The tree bent down in the evening and raised itself in the morning because of the tall and the rise in the temperature.

Water is very essential to plants. The root of the plant absorbs water. But even without roots plants can take in water. This was demonstrated by Bose. He showed that when the root is cut and the plant stem is placed in, water it starts taking in water. Suppose you remove the plant from the soil, and place it upside down (with the branches below and the roots above); what happens? The leaves and the stem absorb water. Bose proved this by means of experiments.

The cells of a plant function like a man's heart. The heart contracts and expands to pump blood; in the same way, the cells of a plant expand and contract.

This had to be proved by experiments. So, Bose himself devised a new instrument; this could show how the cells worked.
Spirit Of Adventure

Jagadishchandra Bose had to face a number of difficulties and problems in his life. But he never lost courage. His thinking was clear, even in the most adverse situations. This was seen even in his very early years. When he was only five, he used to go to school on horseback. Once there was a local horse race. Young Jagadishchandra was also there to watch the race. Somebody s-aid, "Why don 't you also ride?" The horse should be bridled and the rider should have stirrups, to ride. But young Jagadishchandra's horse was not even bridled. There were no stirrups. Yet he patted the horse and away the horse galloped. The boy's legs were bruised and blood flowed. But the rider and the animal completed one full circle on the racetrack. So young and brave, he was the centre of appreciation.

There was another hazardous ride he undertook early in his youth. He had gone out hunting on horseback. While returning he had an attack of fever. He was all alone. The horse he was riding was rather a troublemaker. He started to run at full gallop. There used to be a bridge on the way. But the floods had washed away this bridge. Jagadishchandra's horse was heading for this broken bridge. Jagadish chandra was very weak because of the fever. But at the very last moment he pulled the bridle very hard. The horse changed his course and crossed the stream on another bridge nearby.
Scientist And Man Of Letters

Jagadishchandra Bose was famous as a scientist. He brought laurels to his motherland. But his interests were many-sided. He was especially interested in literature and fine arts. The great poet Rabindranath Tagore and Jagadish chandra Bose were very good friends. The first time Tagore visited Bose, he was not at home. Tagore left a bunch of champak flowers. This was the beginning of their friendship.

Tagore invited Bose to stay with him for some time. Bose agreed to do so on one condition. The condition was that Tagore should narrate a story to him every day. This is how a number of Tagore's stories came to be written. Have you read the story 'The Cabuliwallah'? It is very fine story; it narrates how a deep and strange friendship grew up between a rough pathan and a tine Bengali girl. This has been translated into several languages and is well known in a number of countries. Tagore wrote this story when Bose was staying with him.

And Bose, the great scientist , was also President of the Bengali Sahitya Parishat.
Patriot And A Good Friend

We have already seen how Bose honoured hte Indian sages of the past. Scientists of other countries praised Bose's important dicoveries; Bose used to say, "The sages of India knew all this long ago".

He loved to visit the various shrines of India. Accompained by his wife he would make these trips whenever he could find time. He used to take photographs of the places he visited and had quite acollection of these photographs. He went to places of historical or mythological interest. The famous sculptures and the temple architecture of our land always thrilled him. He visited Sanchi, Chitorgarh, Ajmer and Nainital as well as the cave temples of Orissa and the famous Ajanta and Ellora Caves. He visited the Puri Jagannatha swamy Temple. He also visited well-known places of pilgrimage of South India like Rameshwaram, Madurai and Tanjore. He visited the shrines at the foot of Himalayas; Kedarnath particularly appealed to him.

Jagadishchandra Bose was not a proud man. He was simple, affectionate and warm. It is not surprising that many great persons of the day were his friends. Prafulla Chandra Ray, another famous scientist, was one of his close friends. Eminent men like Gopalakrishna Gokhale and Mahatma Gandhi knew and respected him. Sister Nivedita was another good friend. She was an Irish lady; her name was Margaret Nobel. She was the disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She settled down in India and spent her life in the service of the people of this country. She recognized the genius in Bose. Bose toiled hard to educate the people about the importance of science, and Sister Nivedita admired his efforts. So she was keenly looking forward to the birth of the Bose Research Institute. In memory of her, Bose placed in front of the Institute the statue of a woman stepping forward with a light in her hand.

He had another good friend, one Mrs.Bull. While touring America he was her guest. She had taken care of him as a mother. When he fell ill in Paris, she traveled to Paris, made arrangements for his treatment and personally looked after him. There were two other friends of his, two giants of the literary world. They were George Bernard Shaw, the English dramatist and Romain Rolland, the French writer. Both of them dedicated one book each to Jagadishchandra Bose.
Abala Bose, A Worthy Wife

Jagadishchandra Bose was very busy throughout his life. He had no time to think of the problems of the household. His wife Abala Bose looked after their home all by herself; he did not have to think of the management of the house. She was herself a student of medicine when her marriage to Bose was settled. Bose's parents were very kind and generous; they had helped many people with money. So, at the time of Bose's marriage the family was in heavy debts. Jagadishchandra Bose had to repay the debts. So Abala Bose was very, very careful in spending money, and saved as much as possible. Unfortunately the Bose couple had only one child, which did not live long. They looked after the students as-their children. Abala Bose started girls' school in Calcutta and took upon herself the responsibility of maintaining it. She went with her husband when he went to foreign countries, and even helped in his scientific work.

Jagadishchandra Bose has a permanent place in the world of science, especially in Botany. He began the Age of Modem Science in India and deserves honour for this. He had all the qualities that research requires. He had keen powers of observation and he was patient. He was also a very good lecturer. His students loved his lectures. He did not teach only for the sake of the examination. Students should study books and study what the teacher teaches; but this is not enough; they should use their brains and think for themselves; they should be eager to discover new knowledge - this is what he taught his students. He encouraged them to observe, to experiment and to think, without depending only on books and teachers.

Jagadishchandra Bose died in November 1937. To the very end he was busy with research.

Wealth and power never attracted Jagadishchandra Bose. He toiled for science like a saint, selflessly. This great scientist is a great example to all.

VIKRAMA SARABHAI

2007-12-15T15:02:00.001-08:00

One of the greatest scientists of India. As Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, he guided research of the greatest improtance to the country. A born scientist and a beloved teacher.

VikramaSarabhai
When a great man dies, the first question people ask is: "After him, who?"Generally, this question is soon answered. But, sometimes, it remains without a answer for a longer time because it may be difficult to find another person of such abilities as the dead man. This shows how great the
dead man was.

Homi Jahangir Bhabha was one such man. He was a world-famous physicist. He was the Chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission. Several countries in the world were making atom bombs. Should India also do so? When this question came up, some people said, "It costs a lot of money to make an atom bomb. India is
a poor country and if she spends such huge amounts, she will be in great trouble for money." At such a time Bhabha calculated the cost of making an atom bomb and showed it would not be too expensive and India could produce it. This great scientist died an untimely death in an airplane crash in 1966. Then "Who, after
him?" -this became a big question. Who could replace such a great physicist?

Four months later, every one's answer was: "Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai."

Thus, in 1966, Vikram Sarabhai succeeded Dr. Bhabha as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

What A Guru!
"He’s coming; tell him."

"I didn’t damage it. You tell him yourself."

"No, I can't. You tell him. I am afraid. "

Two persons were engaged in this conversation. Just then Vikram Sarabhai came to them. "What is the matter?" he asked.

"The Electric Meter has gone out of order, Sir. We allowed too heavy a current to pass through it." "Is that all? Don't mind it too much. Such things do happen when students are learning. If students don't make mistakes, how can they learn? It is enough if you learn to be more careful in future."

The above dialogue took place in a small research laboratory in Ahmedabad in1948. R. P. Kane and another student were conducting some experiments in the Mahatma Gandhi Science Institute, in the - physics laboratory. 'During an experiment, because of the heavy current, the meter was burnt. At that time, it was very difficult to get such meters in the market. For want of one meter, many important experiments had to be suspended for months. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai had started this laboratory in a very recent time. So the
students were afraid of what Vikram Sarabhai would say when he would come to know of what had happened. That is why the two were discussing the matter. But, when Sarabhai was told about it, let alone becoming angry, he did not even show a trace of irritation or annoyance in his f ace. Instead, he spoke to them comfortingly.

Praful D. Bhavsar had taken his B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) Degree. In 1948, he went to Poona to study for the Master of Science Degree. He could not secure admission to any college there. Then, Dr. L. A. Ramdas (of the India Meteorological Department at Poona) told him of the Physical Research Laboratory that Vikram Sarabhai had recently started at Ahmedabad. He told Bhavsar that if he met Vikram Sarabhai his problem would be solved. Bhavsar went to see Sarabhai.

By that time Sarabhai was in a small room, engaged in, blowing a piece of glass tube. He was wearing white Khaddar trousers and a bright green coat. Vikram welcomed Bhavsar with a smile and requested him to wait till his work to be completed. He appeared very simple and free from vanity. Bhavsar had his own mental picture of a great experimental physicist. That picture seemed to have come to life in Sarabhai. Therefore, Bhavsar was ready at that very moment to accept Sarabhai as his Guru (teacher). Sarabhai put him many questions. After finding out why he wanted to study physics, how keen his interest in the subject was and such other details,
he admitted him to the Laboratory.

These incidents show how powerfully Vikram Sarabhai influenced his students.

After India became free, Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was among the few scientists who devoted their entire life to the progress of science in this country.

Early Education
Ahmedabad is the capital of Gujarat. It has a large number of textile mills. The Sarabhais are famous industrialists

and social workers of that city. They are also very rich. In this family was born Vikram on 12th August 1919. It was the Garuda Panchami Day, auspicious for sisters and brothers. His father was Ambalal and his mother, Sarala Devi. They had eight children.

When their first daughter, Mridulaben, was just three years old, they considered how and where she should be educated. No existing school was found suitable. Just at that time, the Montessori System of Education was gaining fame. But there was still no school, which had adopted this system. So the Sarabhais started- such a school in their own house. As the children grew up, the needs of the school also increased. In this school, -there were separate teachers to teach languages, the sciences, the arts, gardening, technology etc. There were laboratories and work shops also. At one time, there were thirteen teachers in the school for the
eight children of the Sarabhai family. Of these, three were Ph.Ds, trained in Europe and three ordinary graduate’s two teachers from Andhra and Bengal were teaching the arts. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore him- self selected an artiste to teach dancing. The children studied in this school up to matriculation and went to government schools for their Matriculation Examination.

Vikram was influenced not only by the school but also by many great men of the land who were well-known to the Sarabhai family. Gurudev Rabindranath, J. Krishna Murthi, Motilal Nehru, V. S. Shrinivasa Shastri, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Maulana Azad, C. F. Andrews, C. V. Raman and such great men used to stay
with the Sarabhai family when they visited Ahmedabad. The greatest of them all, Mahatma Gandhi him, stayed in their house while recovering from an illness. There is no doubt that this close contact with such great men deeply influenced young Vikram. His intelligence developed, and he gained interest in spiritual matters. His teacher, Shri Badami, has said, I never saw Vikram lose his temper and shout at people."

When Vikram was five or six years old, the entire family went to Simla for the summer. There, the little boy noticed that his father was getting many letters every day. He wished he, too, could get letters. So he took some envelopes from his father's office, affixed stamps wrote his own address and posted them in the box. When his father found that Vikram was receiving letters every day, he asked the boy about the letters. Vikram laughingly replied, I am writing letters to myself!"

From his childhood, Vikram loved adventure. When he was eight, he learnt to ride a bicycle. He would astonish his people with many tricks with the bicycle. As the bicycle shot forward, he would raise his hands, stretch his legs forward, close his eyes and pedal. He would not listen to anyone who pleaded him not to perform such dangerous acrobatics.

There was a pool in their compound; there was also a boat. Vikram would take a servant and one or two children for boating. On one occasion, the boat capsized and every one fell into the water and began to shout for help. The gardeners working nearby heard their cries for help, jumped into the water and saved them.

Vikram showed greater earnestness and interest in his studies than the others. He was very enthusiastic about mathematics and science. His teachers have said he would work hard without leisure in the holidays and, when the school reopened, he would be far ahead of other students.

When Vikram was two years old, the poet Rabindranath Tagore visited the family. It appears that when he saw this little child, he predicted that he would become a famous man.

After completing his college education Vikram Sarabhai went to England to continue his studies at Cambridge
University.

For centuries two universities in England have been very famous -Oxford University and Cambridge University. To get a degree from one of these universities is considered an honor. In 1939, when Vikram was only twenty, he passed the Tripos Examination in Physical Sciences.

With C.V.Raman And H.J.Bhabha
The Second World War broke out in 1939. Soon after, Vikram returned to India. Right from his boyhood, Vikram had great love for physics. During the forties, the most famous center for scientific research in India was the Indian Institute of science (the Tata Institute) at Bangalore. Its Physics Department was headed by
the world-famous scientist, Dr. C. V. Raman. The highest award in science is the Nobel Prize. Dr. C. V. Raman was awarded this prize as early as in 1930. When Sarabhai returned to India, he came down to Bangalore to carry on research under Dr. C. V. Raman. The famous Dr. Homi Jahangir Bhabha was also at the institute by that time; he was engaged in research on Mesons and Cosmic Rays.

The Study Of Cosmic Rays
What are mesons and cosmic rays? If we split any substance on the Earth we get only three fundamental particles - electrically charged negative particles (electrons), positive particles (protons) and neutral particles (neutrons). If the weight of the electron is taken as 1, then the weight of protons and neutrons is 1836. But it
has been discovered that there are other types of particles besides these three in space. The weight of particles not belonging to these classes is different from the weights of electrons, protons or neutrons. These other particles are called mesons. Scientists who have done research on mesons are of the opinion that they are produced by cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are very fine and very powerful and come from somewhere outside the Earth. They race to the earth from al directions.

Every minute, day and night, about 600 such cosmic rays pass through the human body. They can pass through rocks hundreds of meters thick.

Vikram Sarabhai conducted research on the changes in the intensity of cosmic rays. His very first scientific paper was on the periodical variation of the intensity of cosmic rays' It was published (1942) in Bangalore in a scientific journal. This research helped him later to take up the studies of interplanetary space (space between planets), the relationship between the sun and the earth and earthmagnetism.

During this period, he did research for sometime a, the Poona Central Meteorological Station. Here he got the
idea of establishing a cosmic ray research institute. In 1943, he went to the Himalayan peaks in Kashmir to study the intensity of cosmic rays at such high places. There he conceived a brilliant idea. This was to establish a research center at a great height above the surface of the earth.

In 1945, the Second World War ended. Sarabhai again went to Cambridge to continue his study of cosmic rays. In 1947 he got his Ph.D. for this work.

A student does not get the Ph.D. Degree by passing an examination. He has to choose a professor to guide him. The professor suggests a subject for deep study and research. The student has to study the subject by himself under the professor's guidance; he has to organize the information he gets from his experiments; he has to draw his own conclusions, and gather all these into a large scientific article or 'thesis'. This thesis is then sent to four specialists in the subject. Only if they agree that the work and the thesis deserve a doctorate will the Ph.D. Degree be conferred on thestudent. It is, therefore, no easy task to secure a Ph.D. Degree.

Although Sarabhai went to Cambridge in 1945, he had started his work for the Ph.D. Degree in 1942. His family used to go to Kashmir every summer. Vikram would carry his cosmic ray research equipment to Kashmir. Apharwat, on the banks of Lake Alpathari, is about 13,000 feet above sea level. It was here, that Sarabhai continued his research. In his Ph.D. thesis he included photographs of the equipment he used there.

Shortly after he returned from Cambridge he established the Physical Research Laboratory (mentioned earlier) at Ahmedabad. A scientist by name Dr. K. R. Ramanathan was appointed as its first Director in 1948. The Institute was started with only a few Students and Laboratory Assistants. In a few years this group developed into a dedicated team of scientists and research workers. In spite of his many duties in later years, Sarabhai
maintained close contact with this Institute till his end. At first he was Professor of cosmic ray research; from 1965 he worked as the Director. This Institute sponsored a cosmic ray research center established in 1955 at Gulmarg, in Kashmir. The work done at this center attracted the notice of the Atomic Energy Department of the Government of India and won its appreciation. This Department established a full-fledged High Altitude
Research Center at the same place -the only research center ' in the world to be set up at such a high altitude. At last, Sarabhai's long dream became a reality. Later on, similar centers were opened at Kodaikanal in Tamilnadu and at Trivandrum in Kerala.

One thousand and two hundred years ago Adi Shankaracharya established four religious centers or Mutts at Shringeri, Puri, Dwaraka and Badrinath for the revival of Hindu Dharma and left his foot prints there. Vikram Sarabhai established centers for scientific research in several places from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and has left his footprints there

Successor To Bhabha
Dr. Homi Bhabha, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, died in 1966. He was a very capable man. Many thought no one in India could replace him. In this depressing atmosphere they found in Vikram Sarabhai the man to continue Bhabha's work at the Atomic Energy Commission. He did his work quite ably and showed his capacity to direct and continue Successfully the work of the Commission.

On 29th December 1971, Sarabhai was in Trivandrum to guide the work at the, Rocket Launching Station, Thumba. He was staying in a hotel there. He talked with every one as usual and went to bed. He never got up again. The man who at birth was blessed by Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, but who worshipped Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning, died when he was busy with his research. He was then 52.

Vikram Sarabhai had married the famous dancer Mrinalini Swaminathan in 1942. They had a son, Karthikeya and adaughter, Mallika.

Scientific Achievements
For a long time, only some individuals were interested in science and devoted themselves to it. That science is important for the development of the country and that the entire nation should take interest in it and help in its progress are modern ideas. In olden days some persons got interested in science, and then they did not think of food or water; they forgot their families and the whole world, and dedicated themselves to scientific research. Archimedes, Newton and Faraday are examples of such dedication. It was only a hundred years ago that nations began to realize the importance of science and scientists, and began to help them. After atomic science developed, it became difficult for any one individual to carry on research, without help from others. So teams of scientists undertook research. In addition, atomic research had to be carried on by several scientific institutes as no one institute could have all the facilities. So scientific research, which was only of individual interest, gained national importance.

In fact, science has now crossed even national boundaries and has attained international status. That is, scientists of several countries share their knowledge and results, and work in cooperation. Space research which began in 1957 is responsible for this international cooperation. Even though one country may be engaged in such research, it cannot progress without the cooperation of other countries. Americans may launch an artificial satellite that revolves round the Earth.

But its movement has to be studied at different points of the world. Only then all the necessary information about the experiment can be put together. So other countries have to put up tracking or observation centers. If it is a communication satellite – one, which receives and sends radio messages and television pictures from one country to another, thousands of miles away -such communication, will not be possible without the cooperation of other countries.

Vikram Sarabhai was one of the leading scientists engaged in space research. During his studies on cosmic rays he discovered that the intensity of the cosmic rays changes twice a day. This discovery helped to understand the nature of inter- planetary space and its elect rd- magnetic properties.

(If a small wire is wound round a piece of iron and electricity is passed through the wire, the iron becomes a magnet. If the magnet is moved about a wire, an electric current is produced in the wire. This production of magnetism by electricity and of electricity by magnetism is known as Electro- magnetic property.)

As stated before, space research was started in 1957. Sarabhai made use of this research to find out if the results of his cosmic ray experiments were correct. America and Japan had set up a joint High Altitude Research Station at Chakaltaya in Bolivia. There they had set up equipment to discover mesons. Sarabhai sent a post-graduate student of his to yielded good results. Sarabhai conducted experiments in Trivandrum, Allbagh, Honalulu and Gulmarg; he showed that the reasons for the changes in the Earth's magnetism which was accepted by scientists till then, were wrong;the changes were due to other reasons. (The Earth behaves as a magnet. The Earth's magnetic power is known as the Earth's Magnetism.)

Personality
Sarabhai was a genius. His fame had spread to many countries. We have to remember him forever for his work on cosmic rays and atomic power. There is also another important reason toremember this great man. He tried to secure for our country an honored place in the scientific world. He was always earnestly thinking how our lives can be improved and our objects achieved through science.

Vikram Sarabhai was a very modest and simple man. He always spoke gently. He was very polite. He was a great scientist and an efficient administrator; moreover, he treated others with friendliness and sympathy. He had very heavy work; his responsibilities, too, were great. He had no leisure at all. But yet, to the last, he remained a lover of beauty. He was not the kind of scientist who sits alone on a mountain peak far from all, living beings and society. For twenty years he looked after the group of the industrial concerns of his family. He had the unique fortune to combine extraordinary learning rich industrial experience and great wealth. Those who have even one of these are usually not modest and friendly. But Sarabhai, who held learning, power and
money in the palm of his hand, was very modest and friendly. Sometimes, people who did not know how busy he was would waste his time with their long tales of difficulties and misfortunes. Sarabhai would listen to them patiently and comfort them. If some one asked, "Aren't they wasting your precious time?", he would reply, "In our vast land people come from many backgrounds. Not every one is lucky enough to have the education we have. So, we have to listen to everything they say to understand what is in their mind."

To be in the company of Sarabhai was itself a pleasure. Even if he did not speak a word, his very smile would encourage his fellow workers. Even if a man carried a number of problems to him the moment the man saw Sarabhai's bright and hopeful eyes and smile, he would feel that he could himself solve his own problems. He
inspired such confidence in his men. He was always ready to help any one who was in trouble or difficulties. One day, a coolie was drawing a handcart loaded with heavy boxes. He was finding it difficult to draw it inside the Institute. When Sarabhai saw this, he ran to his help and pushed the cart. In the early days of the Institute, he would not seek anybody's help to move heavy equipment from room to room. He would do it himself.

He looked 'on all men as equals. Even a servant could approach him freely, without feeling inferior. He would offer him a seat and let him speak frankly and without hesitation. Sarabhai believed that all men, whatever their status, should be treated with respect. He would' not ignore any man just because the man was poor or ignorant or illiterate. He firmly believed that a man should be judged not by his salary but by his work and responsibility. He wanted every one to work hard for the good of the organization of which he was a part.

His clothes were always simple. In the beginning he was fond of loud colored shirts; on one day he wore bright green, on the next day dark blue, on another day red and so on, changing the color every day. Later on he changed over to pyjamas, ordinary kurta and sandals.

With Students
One of the objects of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad, was to train young scientists.Although Sarabhai had various duties and was very busy, he never neglected this training. He encouraged about 20 students to conduct advanced research and get their Ph.D. Degrees.

Sarabhai working in his laboratory even at midnight was a common sight. Even at that hour his uppermost thought was the research work of his students. Even when he was waiting to board a plane he would be seen in a corner of the airport discussing with his students their problems.

In Baroda, there was a big pharmaceutical factory (a factory to produce medicines) of the Sarabhais. Every Friday he would go to Baroda to supervise the work of thefactory and give instructions. He did not wish to
waste his time during the railway journey from Ahmedabad to Baroda. He would take one or two students with him and discuss with them their problems.

He went abroad several times. However busy he was with his own work, he would spare sometime to meet Indian students in foreign countries; he would encourage them to return to India and continue their research in their motherland. But he also encouraged students to go abroad for higher studies, to get acquainted with
the latest developments in science and technology and to return to our country to serve the motherland. He was sure that if a proper atmosphere was created in India for the young scientists to pursue their chosen line of research, they would gladly return. He had such great confidence in our young scientists.

Sarabhai's Hopes & Views
Even when the study of atomic energy was still in its early stages, Dr. Homi Bhabha dreamt a dream. He dreamt of an India, which did not depend on foreign countries for experts. He wanted India to have her own specialists in every field. For this purpose, he established several organizations and research institutes. Vikram Sarabhai also had his dream. That was to use atomic energy for a variety of purposes - for the development of agriculture and industry, for communication satellites, for national integration and the promotion of literacy, for weather forecast and for exploration of mineral wealth etc. To his last breath he worked for the realization of this dream.

It is possible to produce atomic energy independently with our own knowledge, machines, equipment and men. To do so we must have our own heavy water factory and nuclear fuel manufacturing plant. That was his great desire and he took the first steps to establish these factories. But he did not live to see their completion.

A nation's progress and prosperity depend on how well the people use science and technical knowledge for development purposes. Only by the planned use of the fundamental sciences, technical knowledge and industrial experience can there be rapid economic development. Before harnessing our natural wealth and
resources, we should gather enough capital, give good training to our young men and women and produce great scientists. We should find out the needs of the country and prepare a technical plan to produce them. This planning should not take too much time. We should learn the most advanced and new research
techniques from all parts of the world. At the same time, we should encourage the growth of such research techniques in our own country. This was Sarabhai'sapproach to the progress of India.

Greatness Recognized
Usually the President of the All India Textile Research Association would not be a mill owner. Sarabhai belonged to a mill owner's family. But yet, in 1955 the members of the Association requested Sarabhai to be their President.

In 1956, the Productivity Congress met in Japan. The Indian Government selected him as the leader of the Indian delegation. He was only 37; and he was the first Indian to attend this Congress.

The only institution which reviews the progress of science in this country is the Indian Science Congress. Sarabhai presided over the Physics Section of the Conference in 1962. Very few have achieved such a distinction at the age of 40.

The Government of India awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Medal in Physics to Sarabhai in 1962. In 1966 he received the Padma Bhushan Award. In the same year he was appointed as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. When he was the Chairman he prepared a master plan for the development of Atomic Energy and Space Research for the decade 1970-80. In 1968, the United Nations organized a Conference on Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Sarabhai was the Chairman. After his death, the Government conferred on him, in 1972, the title of Padma Vibhushan.

The Creator Of Organization
Sarabhai was immersed in scientific research. He wanted that science and technology should grow together, that

intelligent young men should be trained in science and technology and that the right atmosphere for their work should be created in the country. For this purpose he established several organizations. The very first one was his, own Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad. In this, he formed the 'Group for the Improvement of Science Education', in 1963.

In 1947, when he was only 28 years old, he was entrusted with the organization of the Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association. He ' had then no experience of textile mills or textile technology. Yet, with great confidence, he built up the institution.

In 1963, he established the Nehru Foundation for Development, for the study of social and educational problems. In 1966, under its auspices, he established the Community Science Center, whose object was to spread scientific knowledge, to create interest in science and to promote experimentation among students, teachers and the general public. To train
efficient managers of factories, he started the Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad.

Of all the institutions he established the most important were the Indian Space Research Organization with Centers at Thumba (near Trivandrum), Ahmedabad, Shriharikota (north of Madras) and Arvi (near Bombay). At Thumba and Shriharikota he established Rocket Launching Stations.

There is an organization called Pugwash Continuing Committee whose aim is to establish peace on earth and promote disarmament, particularly of dangerous weapons, all over the world. Sarabhai founded the Indian Branch of this Committee.

In the midst of all this work, he had set apart sometime for the pharmaceutical industry. He was one of those who wanted to preserve the highest standards in the manufacture of drugs.

Capsules Of Wisdom
Vikram Sarabhai used to repeat constantly two sentences. They are capsules of wisdom. Every one should ponder over these sentences:

'No great importance is to be given to mere experience.'

'He who can listen to the music in the midst of noise can achieve great things.'

C.V.RAMAN

2007-12-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

The Genius who won the Nobel prize for Physics, with simple equipment barely worth Rs.300. He was the first Asian scientist to win the Nobel Prize. He won honour as a scientist and affection as a teacher and a man

Raman
One day in 1903, Professor Eliot of Presidency College, Madras, saw a little boy in his B.A. Class. Thinking that he might have strayed into the room, the Professor asked, "Are you a student of the B.A. class?"

"Yes Sir," the boy answered.

"Your name?"

"C.V. Raman."

This little incident made the fourteen- year- old boy well known in the college. The
youngster was later to become a world famous scientist.

A Child Genius
Tiruchirapalli is a town on the banks of the river Cauvery. Chandrasekhara Ayyar was a teacher in a school there. He was a scholar in Physics and Mathematics. He loved music. His wife was Parvathi Ammal. Their second son was born on 7th November 1888. They named the boy Venkata Raman. He was also called Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman or
C.V. Raman.

Raman grew up in an atmosphere of music, Sanskrit literature and Science. He stood first in every class and was. Talked about as a child genius. He joined the B.A. class of the Presidency College. In the year 1905, he was the only boy who passed in the first class. He won a gold medal, too.

He joined the M.A. class in the same college and chose Physics (study of matter and energy) as the main subject of study. Love of science, enthusiasm for work and the curiosity to learn new things were natural to Raman. Nature had also given him the power of concentration and intelligence. He used to read more than what was taught in the class. When doubts arose he would set down questions like 'How?' 'Why?' and 'Is this true?' in the Margin in the textbooks.

The works of the German scientist Helmhotlz (1821 - 1891) and the English scientist Lord Raleigh (1842 - 1919) on acoustics (the study of sound) influenced Raman. He took immense interest in the study of sound. When he was eighteen years of age, one of his research papers was -published in the 'Philosophical Magazine' of England. Later another paper was published in the scientific journal 'Nature'.

Officer - Scientist
Raman's elder brother C.S. Ayyar was in the 'Indian Audit and Accounts Service'
(I.A.A.S.). Raman also wanted to enter the same department. So he sat for the
competitive examination. The day before this examination, the results of the M.A.
examination were published. He had passed in first class recording the highest marks in Madras University up to that time. He stood first in the I.A.A.S. examination also.

On May 6, 1907, Raman married Lokasundari Ammal.

At the age of nineteen, Raman held a high post in the government. He was appointed as the Assistant Accountant General in the Finance Department in Calcutta. And the same year something happened to give a new turn to his life.

210, Bow Bazaar Street
One evening Raman was returning from his office in a tramcar. He saw the name plate of the 'Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science' at 210, Bow Bazaar Street. Immediately he got off the tram and went in. Dr. Amritlal Sircar was the Honarary Secretary of the Association. There were spacious rooms and old scientific instruments, which could be used for demonstration of experiments.

Raman asked whether he could conduct research there in his spare time. Sircar gladly agreed. Raman took up a house adjoining the Association. A door was provided between his house and the laboratory. During the daytime he would attend his office and carry out his duties. His mornings and nights were devoted to research. This gave him full satisfaction. So he continued his ceaseless activities in Calcutta.

From Accounts To Science
At that time Burma and India were under a single government. In 1909, Raman was
transferred to. Rangoon, the capital of Burma. When Chandrasekhara Ayyar passed away in 1910, Raman came to Madras on six months' leave.

After completing the last rites, Raman spent the rest of his leave period doing research in the Madras University laboratories.

The Science College of Calcutta University was started in 1915.

There a chair for Physics was established in memory of Taraknath Palit, a generous
man. Raman was appointed Professor. He sacrificed the powerful post in the government, which brought a good salary.

The Indian Science Congress was started in 1913. Its aim was to bring together scientists engaged in research; theyshould meet and exchange ideas. Its first session
was held in 1914. Asuthosh Mukherjee was the President. Raman was the President of the Physics section. Later he worked for many years as the Secretary of the Science Congress. He presided over its annual sessions in 1929 and 1948.

Professor Raman
In 1917, at the age of 29, Raman became the Palit Professor. He continued research along with the new assignment.

Raman was very deeply interested in musical instruments such as the Veena, the Violin,the Mridangam and the Tabala. He began to work on them. Around 1918 he explained the complex vibrations of the strings of musical instruments. He later found out the characteristic tones emitted by the Mridangam, the Tabala etc.

Amritlal Sircar, who was devoting all his time to the welfare of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, passed away in 1919. Professor Raman became its Honarary Secretary. Two laboratories - those of the College and of the Association - were under him; and this gave a new stimulus to his researches. Both his body and his mind could do all the work that had to be done. Many students came to him from different parts of the country for post-graduate studies and research. 210, Bow Bazaar Street and the University Science College Laboratory - these became the active research centers of India. Research workers like Meghnad Saha and S.K. Mitra, who became famous later, worked at these centres.

The Great Teacher
That was a time when Raman was completely immersed in experiments and research. According to the terms of the Palit Chair, he could have remained free from teaching work, doing research only. But Raman had great pleasure in teaching. Students were inspired by his lectures. They were eager to listen to him. He would not stick to one particular textbook. His lectures brought the fragrance of fresh research. They reflected Raman's great curiosity about the secrets of nature. Usually the lecture was of an hour's duration. Forgetting the time in the discussion of the subject, Professor Raman would sometimes lecture for two or three hours. Any doubt or question from a student would stimulate new scientific ideas.

Not a Minute to Waste
Absorbed in experiments, it was not unusual for him to forget food and sleep. Sometimes working late at night, he would sleep in the laboratory on one of the tables.

In the mornings too, most of his time was spent in the laboratory. He worked in informal clothes. At 9.30 a.m. he would rush home. After a shave and a bath he would dress up and send for a taxi. He

Would finish his breakfast in two or three minutes and get into the taxi. Racing over a distance of four miles, he would reach the class on time. He never wasted time.

In England
The Congress of the Universities of the British Empire met in 1921 in London. Raman went to England as the represen- tative of Calcutta University. This was his first visit abroad.

Raman lectured in the ‘Physical Society’ of London. People came in large numbers to
listen to him. He was introduced to J.J. Thomson and Ernest Rutherford, the famous English Physicists. Raman visited St. Paul’s Church in London. A whisper at one point of the church tower is heard clearly at another point. This effect, produced by the reflection of sound, aroused his curiosity.

The Blue of the Sea
Raman’s journey to England and back was by sea. In his leisure hours, he used to sit on the upper deck of the ship and enjoy the beauty of the vast sea. The deep blue color of the Mediterranean Sea interested the scientist in him. Was the blue due to the reflection of the blue sky? If so, how could it appear in the absence of light? Even when big waves rolled over the surface, the blue remained. As he thought over the problem, it flashed to him that the blue color might be caused by the scatter- ing of the sun’s light by water molecules. He turned over this idea in his mind again and gains. Immediately after his return to Calcutta, he plunged into experiments. Within a month, he prepared a research paper and sent it to the Royal Society of London. Next year he published a lengthy article on the molecular scattering of light.

Raman never held the wrong belief that research could be carried out only with
foreign-made or very complicated equipment. No doubt, he imported some equipment. No doubt, he imported some equipment. But he prepared much of the equipment he used with the help of his students.

New Contacts
Scientists of many countries appreciated the research papers of Raman and his
colleagues. The Royal Society, the oldest and the most important science society of
England, honored Raman in 1924 by electing his as its ‘Fellow’ (that is, a member).

The annual session of ‘The British Association for the Cultivation of Science’ was held in the same year in Toronto (Canada). Raman inaugurated the seminar on the scattering of light. R.A. Millikan, the famous American Physicist, who also attended, was full of admiration for Raman. They became fast friends too.

At the Mount Wilson Observatory in California (U.S.A), a telescope of 100-inch width was in use. Those were the times when discoveries in the field of astronomy (study of stars and planets and their movements) filled people with wonder. Raman was always eager to learn new things. He spent a couple of days onMount Wilson. During the nights he viewed the Nebula (bright or dark patch in the sky caused by distant stars or a cloud of gas or dust.) Through the telescope and was thrilled.

He went to Russia in 1925 to participate in the twohundredth anniversary of the ‘Russian Academy of Sciences’.

The Guide
Many scholars were working in the Calcutta laboratories to unlock the secrets of sound
and light. To all of them Professor Raman was the 'Guru' and the leader. He had
observed the blue color of the deep glaciers (mass of ice or snow) in the Alps mountain ranges. Taking the clue from this, some of the research workers studied some scattering of light in ice and quartz crystals. They also studied the scattering of light in liquids such as pure water and alcohol, as well as in vapors and gases.

With a complete mental picture of the phenomenon, Raman would proceed to experiment systematically. After that he would write the research paper based on the results of the experiments and arrange for its early publication. Sometimes it would be late in the day by the time the final copy was prepared. Then he would rush to the General Post Office in a taxi to catch the last mail. Then he would enjoy a feast of Rasagulla with his students.

He started 'The Indian Journal of Physics' in 1926 to make the prompt publication of
research papers possible.

Raman wanted the young men working with him to take up indepenent positions and to serve the nation. He felt that his laboratory was a centre of training for young talent, but not a permanent storehouse.

Raman's research on sound became famous allover the world. 'Handbuck der Physic', a German Encyclopaedia of Physics, was published in 1927. Raman was the only foreign scientist invited to contribute an article to it.

Raman Effect
Sometimes a rainbow appears and delights our eyes. We see in it shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The white ray of the sun includes all these colors. When a beam of sunlight is passed through a glass prism a patch of these *color- bands are seen. This is called the spectrum. The Spectro- meter is an apparatus used to study
the spectrum. Spectral lines in it are characteristic of the light passing through the prism. A beam of light that causes a single spectral line is said to be monochromatic.

When a beam of monochromatic light passes through a transparent substance (a
substance which allows light to pass through it), the beam is scattered. Raman spent a long time in the study of the scattered light.. On February 28, 1928, he observed two low intensity spectral line corresponding to the incident mono- chromatic light. Years of his labor had borne fruit. It was clear that though the incident light was monochromatic, the
scattered light due to it, was not monochromatic.Thus Raman's experiments discovered a phenomenon which was lying hidden in nature.

The 16th of March 1928 is a memorable day in the history )f science. On that day a
meeting was held under the joint auspices of the South Indian Science Association and the Science Club of Central College, Bangalore; Raman was the Chief Guest. He announced the new phenomenon discovered by him to the world. He also acknowledged wit h affection the assistance given by K.S. Krishnan and Venkateshwaran, who were his students.

The phenomenon attracted the attention of research workers all over the world. It
became famous as the 'Raman Effect'. The spectral lines in the scattered light were known as 'Raman Lines'.

Is light wave-like or particle-like? This question has been discussed from time to time by scientists. The Raman Effect confirmed that light was made up of particles known as 'photons'. It helped in the study of the molecular and crystal structures of different substances.

World-Wide Interest in Raman Effect
Investigations making use of the Raman Effect began in many countries. During the first twelve years after its discovery, about 1800 research papers were published on various aspects of it and about 2500 chemical compounds were studied.Raman Effect was highly praised as one of the greatest discoveries of the third decade of this century.

After the 'lasers' (devices that produce intense beams of light, their name coming from the initial letters of 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) came into use in the 1960's, it became easier to get monochromatic light of very high intensity for experiments. This brought back scientific interest in Raman Effect, and the interest remains alive to this day.

The World Honours Raman
Raman received many honors from all over the world for his achievement. In 1928 the Science Society of Rome awarded the Matteucci Medal. In 1929 the British Government knighted him; thereafter Professor Raman came to be known as Professor Sir C..V. Raman. The Royal Society of London awarded the Hughes Medal in 1930.Honorary doctorate degrees were awarded by the Universities of Freiburg (Germany), Glasgow(England), Paris (France), Bombay, Benaras, Dacca, Patna, Mysore and several others.

The Nobel Prize, Too
The highest award a scientist or a writer can get is the Nobel Prize. In 1930, the Swedish Academy of Sciences chose Raman to receive the Nobel Prize for Physics. No Indian and no Asian had received the Nobel Prize for Physics up to that time. At the ceremony for the award, Raman used alcohol to demonstrate the Raman Effect. Later in the evening alcoholic drinks were served at the dinner. But Raman did not touch them. He remained loyal to the Indian traditions.

A Keen Eye
However minute the results of an experiment, they could not escape the searching eyes of Raman. And his mind retained every detail of what he observed. An incident, which took place at Walter, the seat of Andhra University, may be mentioned. After the discovery of the Raman Effect, spectra of different substances were being studied there.
On one of his visits there, Raman found the research workers puzzled at not getting the expected spectral lines. Raman examined the plate containing the spectrum and exclaimed with joy, "There it is, you see!" He immediately got a projector and made the weak spectral lines clearly visible on the white screen.

In Bangalore
He came to Bangalore as the Director of the Tata Institute (the Indian Institute of
Science) in 1933. The Tata Institute soon became famous for the study of crystals. The diffraction of light (the very slight bending of light around corners) by ultrasonic waves (high frequency sound waves which we cannot hear) in a liquid was elegantly explained by Raman and Nagendranath. This became known as the 'Raman-Nath Theory'.

Raman's Day
Raman was an early riser and used to take morning walks regularly. The sight of tall
trees against the sky at dawn delighted him. By six in the morning he would be in the chamber where he worked. Up to 9 a.m. he would devote his time to discussion with students who were experimenting and to the study of research papers. At 10 o'clock he would be in the Directors office. He would complete the office work and return to the laboratory. He would be immersed in research till 8.30 p.m. He used to arrange two or three seminars every week. At these seminars all the workers would come together to
discuss various problems of their research.

'Use A 10-Kilowatt Brain'
Whenever students showed new results, Raman was delighted. He would guide them to do further work. If they appeared to be depressed he would inspire them to fresh efforts.

A student was once experimenting with an X-ray tube of one-kilowatt power. He learnt
that a scientist in England was experi- menting on the same problem with a five-kilowatt X-ray tube, and grew depressed. When Raman, who was on his rounds, came to know of this, he said with a smile, "There is a very simple solution; use a 1 0-kilowatt brain on the problem."

Raman possessed supreme self- confidence and he generated -it in his students also.

Raman used to enquire about his students even after they left his Institute. If they had
any difficulty he would help them as best he could

Judging Talent
Raman had his own method of judging the merit of a student. Once he set a question
concerning the vibrations of theMridangam at the Post-Graduate Examination of the
Allahabad University. This was different from the other questions based on textbooks. Only one student answered it and he had spent all the allotted time on this one answer. Raman was pleased with his talent and personally congratulated him.

Once a candidate attended an interview for a research post in the Tata Institute. He had passed in the first class. He was asked, "Are there any scientific problems you would like to work on?" There was no satisfactory answer. Physically also the candidate was weak. Raman advised him, "Research is strange work. Success in it brings limit less joy whereas failure pushes one to deep despair. Joy and despair - both require bodily strength. You should first improve your bodily strength through sports and exercises."

The Indian Academy Of Sciences
In order to encourage scientific research in India, Raman established the Indian
Academy of Sciences in 1934. From that year the science journal 'The Proceedings of the Academy' is being published every month.

The Government of Mysore granted 24 acres of land to promote the activities of the Academy. It was his earnest desire 'to bring into existence a centre of scientific research worthy of our ancient country, where the keenest intellectuals of our land can probe into the mysteries of the Universe'. He fulfilled his wish by establishing a Research Institute atHebbal, Bangalore. He did not seek help from the Government but have away all his property to the Institute. The Executive Committee of the Academy named the centre 'Raman Research Institute'.

The Raman Reasearch Institute
In 1948 this great scientist entered on one more active phase of life when he became the Director of the Raman Research Institute. The Institute became the centre of all his activities. A garden and tall eucalyptus trees surrounded it. He used to say, "A Hindu is required to go to the forest in old age, but instead of going to the forest, I made the forest come to me." At the Institute he could concentrate on things that interested him. He was alone with his work and was happy. At the entrance to the Institute was a board bearing the words, "The Institute is not open to visitors. Please do not disturb US."

He did research on sound, light, rocks, gems, birds, insects, butterflies, sea shells, trees, flowers, atmosphere,weather and physiology of vision and hearing. His study covered such different fields of science as Physics, Geology, Biology and Physiology. Among them sound and colors particularly attracted him. Once he even went round shops to select sarees of different color designs.

Delight In Colour and Light
Raman collected rocks and precious stones. His invaluable collection included hundreds of objects such as sand that melted due to lightning, rock indicating the lava flow during a volcano and diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Many fluorescent minerals (that is,minerals having the property of receiving short invisible rays and sending out long visible rays) were kept in a dark room. There he could create a small twinkling world by switching on the ultra-violet light. Thin layers of some crystals were prepared for study. No color was seen when they were viewed perpendicularly. But the viewer had only to
change the angle – and blue, green and yellow colors delighted the eye. After a deep study of diamonds Raman explained many of their characteristics.

Once in Paris he went shopping for diamonds and crystals. There two beautiful
butterflies with blue wings in a shop window attracted him. He bought them and later collected thousands of specimens.

Raman loved flowers for their colors. He grew many flower plants. He used to visit
flower exhibitions to examine flowers.

Raman used to announce his newscientific discoveries at the annual sessions of the Academy. At the Madras session (1967) he discussed the influence of the earth’s rotation on its gaseous envelope. Next year he put forward his theory of the physiology of vision.

Many countries and institutions continued to honor him. The membership of the
American Optical Society (1941), the National Professorship of India (1948), the
Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute (1951), the International Lenin Prize (1957), the Membership of the Pontifical Academy of Science (1961) -these were some of the honors conferred on him.

The greatest honor the Government of India confers on an Indian is the award of 'Bharat Ratna'. Raman became a 'Bharat Ratna' in 1954.

Interest in Music
Raman was a great lover of music. He used to say, "I should live long, because I have not heard all the music I want to hear." He was a frequent visitor to a shop selling musical instruments in Balepet, in Bangalore. He collected a variety of musical instruments like the Mridangam, the Tabla, the Veena, the Violin and the Nagaswaram.

'The Catgut Acoustical Society' of America is devoted exclusively to the study of violins. It elected Raman as its honorary member.

'A General Practitioner in Science'
When Raman stepped into the field of research, Modern Physics was in its infancy. It developed numerous branches by the time he began working in his own Institute. Then research workers had access to modern equipment and methods, which were not available six decades earlier. They tended to study a small field and to specialize in it. But Raman never limited his activities and interests to a narrow field.

Raman once inaugurated the 'General Practitioners' Conference' in Bangalore. A
general practitioner is a doctor who treats common illnesses. Raman humorously
commented on that occasion that he was a general practitioner in science. He liked all
scientific problems whether they were small or big. His interest and satisfaction lay in finding a solution to the problem.

In 1969, the daughter of Nagendranath (who had been a research student under him thirty years earlier) was married; Raman and his wife attended thereception. Raman drew Nagendranath aside and explained his new problem; he was trying to find a theory of earthquakes taking into account the actual shape of the earth and the wave-like nature of the quakes. Raman was not a person to be satisfied with his past achievements. He was always seeking new and vaster fields of study.

Raman was a delightful speaker. Sprinkled with good humor, his talk was usually
focussed on realities. Raman used to say that the color of the sea interested him more than the fish, which lived in it. He thought that we should have our own ships for oceanographic research (the study of the sea). He often said that India lost her freedom because she took no interest in the seas.

A Lion's Heart
Friends and admirers organized a special function at the Annual Session of the Academy at Ahmedabad to honor him on his eightieth birthday. Many people expressed warm sentiments. Raman never took much interest in birthday celebrations. Still, at the end. He thanked the organizers; and with a twinkle in his eyes, he said, "I wish some one had
said that I had a lion's heart!" All who had spoken forgot to make mention of his great asset, namely courage.

The True Research Student
Raman was studious. He kept in touch with the latest developments in science in the
world around him. He had personal contact with many scientists. He used to read new
books and research papers from different centres. On one occasion he was addressing the students of Presidency College, Madras. Like an elder brother he told them, "How much can you learn in an hour's lecture? Spend more time in the library." Studying and experimenting, he remained a student throughout his life.

"The equipment which brought me the Nobel Prize did not cost more than three hundred rupees. A table drawer can hold all my research equipment’s," he used to say with pride. It was his conviction that if the research worker is not inspired from within an amount of money can bring success in research.

He hoped that scientists of free India would win worldwide fame by their discoveries. "If there are no facilities here, what is wrong with their going abroad and spreading the fame of India? Did not the workers of the East India Company come and rule India?" he used to say.

Raman was not conservative in his outlook. He used to spell out his opinions boldly., When he was called 'India's illustrious scientist' he would correct the description with humility: "I am just a man of science." When scientists were criticized he would retort with confidence that they were the salt of the earth.

His God And His Religion
Raman would not speak much about God and religion. Science was his God and work his religion. He believed that new discoveries confirm the existence of God; if there is God we have to find Him in this universe.

A journalist once asked him, "What do you feel about the long and eventful period of
your scientific work and achievements?" Raman replied promptly, "I have no time to
think of the past and I am not inclined to do so. I spend my life as a scientist. My work
gives me satisfaction."

As he was completing his 82 year Raman organized a weeklong conference of the
members of the Academy in September 1970. On that occasion he invited young
scientists to present papers on different subjects.

Every year he used to deliver a popular science lecture on the Gandhi Jayanthi Day. In 1970, he spoke on the new theories about hearing and the eardrum. This was his last lecture.

A few days before his 83 birthday Raman suffered a mild heart attack. But there was
quick recovery. He never dreamt of a life without work. He had told his doctor, "I wish to live a hundred- per-cent active and fruitful life."

Raman, a seeker of truth throughout his life, passed away on the 21st of November 1970.

Radhakrishnan, his younger son, became the Director of the Raman Research Institute.

Without much encouragement, Raman had entered the field of science in his early years. Deeply attracted by the secrets of sound and light, he marched ahead in the world of science. By his achievements and self-respect he earned a honored place for India in the world of science. He laid the foundations of a scientific tradition in India by building up institutes for research, by publishing science journals and by encouraging young scientists. Truly he was the 'Grand Old Man of Indian Science'.

Raman possessed the curiosity of a little boy to know new things, and the intuition of a great genius in understanding the secrets of Nature. The life of this great scientist was truly the life of a great seer.

MADHAVA SADASIVA GOLWAKAR

2007-12-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

He was well known as ' Guruji' throughout Bharat, and was the second Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. His life was wholly dedicated tot he service of the motherland

Golwalkar
'Guru' is a name familiar to all. Guru was the second Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. His full name was Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar. His was an impressive personality: dignified gait; a long flowing beard reaching down to his chest; curly locks of hair touching the shoulders; a face luminous with innate intellect and learning. His was an inspiring presence. It aroused instant reverence. Whoever saw him spontaneously folded their hands and bowed their heads. Such was Guru. He instilled patriotism in the hearts of millions of youths of the country. He explained to them the Hindu way of life and philosophy in simple words. Like a true friend, he shared in the joys and sorrows of his countrymen. He molded them into Effective instruments for the worship of Bharat Mata as her worthy children. He demonstrated that strength derives from organization. He traveled untiringly through the length and breadth of the country almost a hundred times during the 33 years of his glorious tenure as Sarsanghchalak, kindling in the society the immortal flame of enduring love for the Motherland. He had scaled the highest levels of spirituality through his intense austerity and perseverance. By constant study and reflection he had become a veritable treasure of knowledge. He was a voracious reader even as a boy. He avidly read whatever books he could lay his hands on, from childhood through youth. Several are the disciplines in which he had acquired commendable mastery - History, Art, Religion, Culture, Sciences, Sociology and Economics, to name a few; and he dedicated all his stupendous intellectual faculties to the service of the country. He vastly expanded the network of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in multipledirections, and inspired and guided thousands of efficient dedicated workers spread throughout the country.

Childhood
On 19th February 1906 a child was born in Nagpur to Sadashiv Golwalkar and Lakshmibai. The Golwalkar family originally hailed from Gulwalli village in the Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra. Lakshmibai was endearingly called as 'Tai and Sadashivarao as 'Bhauji by all acquaintances. In the beginning, Sadashivarao served as a clerk in the Posts and Telegraphs Department. Later, he took up the job of a schoolteacher. The boy was named Madhav at birth. It is customary in Maharashtra to append the father's name and the family name after a person's surname. Thus Madhav became Madhavrao Sadashivarao Golwalkar. Madhav had an elder brother named Amrut. Madhav was fondly called 'Madhu' in the family circle. Mother Lakshmibai was a devout lady. Amrut was gentle by nature. Madhu was rather mischievous, but always good in studies as well as in sports. He was agile, though not particularly well built. When Bhauji sat for worship, little Madhu too sat beside him, and quickly learnt the Mantras by heart. Endowed with a stupendous memory, he could recall whatever he once heard with ease and precision. After hearing a story he could narrate it to others with further elaboration added to it. Naturally a large circle of friends would always surround him. He had an unsuitable thirst to learn and understand everything that came his way with alacrity and enthusiasm.

Study
It was Madhu's practice to complete reading his class textbooks in the house itself, and utilize his time in the school to study other general books. However, he never lagged behind in his school studies. In fact, he was always the first to reply to any question asked by the teachers. Bhauji was from time to time transferred from one place to another. The new places provided fresh opportunities for Madhu to enlarge his friends' circle. Marathi of course was his mother tongue. But he soon acquired familiarity with Sanskrit, Hindi and English too. He wrote letters to his friends in English. He was seldom alone; while walking he was invariably accompanied by a group of friends. He never forgot his friends even after leaving that place. He maintained his intimate contact with them through letters. Madhu completed Middle School and High School education creditably. The physical culture instructor in High School was particularly fond of him, as he excelled in physical exercises also. He continued to train Madhu even after he completed matriculation, as Madhu always strove to attain a high level of proficiency in whatever he attempted.

In College
Bhauji's desire was that Madhav should become a doctor. As preparatory to it, Madhav joined the course of First Year Science in Ferguson College, Pune, in June 1922. But that was not to be. On account of a new rule to admit only the residents of that province in the Pune College Madhav returned to Nagpur and secured admission in the Hislop College. He stayed in the house of his maternal uncle and pursued his studies. Madhavrao was a brilliant student in his college days. Once, during the course of a class-lecture, the teacher, Prof. Gardener, wrongly quoted a verse from the Bible. Madhavrao promptly pointed it out, "Sir, what you said is not accurate. The line reads thus." The surprised teacher, who had taught the Bible for years, sent for a copy of the text. It was found that what Madhavrao had recalled was the correct version. The learned professor was all praise for the talent and memory of his young student. On another occasion, while lecturing on a particular plant, the professor of botany said, "This plant is not available in this region." Madhavrao kept silent for the time being. But on the very next day, he displayed his keen observation by producing in the class the said plant, which he had brought from beneath an old bridge in the city. In 1924 he passed his Intermediate Science in First Class. Later, Madhavrao joined Banaras Hindu University for his B.Sc. course.

Won Over By Kashi
On arrival in Kashi, Madhavrao immersed himself in books with an irrepressible passion to know and understand almost everything. He gained proficiency in Sanskrit in order to delve deep into the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. He read and re-read texts of Vedanta for the sake of his friends who gathered around him every day for discussion. He studied extraneous subjects like Sociology, Economics etc., to be able to assist his Universitymates. Alongside, he practiced Yogasanas and swimming, and also learnt to play flute and sitar. He would be so engrossed in study that once, when he was stung by a scorpion, he continued his reading saying, 'It has stung my leg and not my head.' When attacked by fever he would say, 'Fever is there for itself, and I am here for myself' and continue his study. His room was full of books. He was always reading: when not reading he would be engaged in discussions with friends. Swimming in the morning; exercises in the evening. Whenever he went back to his home for short duration, his parents felt inwardly happy to see the glowing face of their son. He had indeed blossomed into a sprightly youth. Madhavrao completed his B-Sc. in 1926, but he did not feel like leaving Kashi; so deep had been its influence on his mind. Under the pretext of pursuing his post-graduation in zoology, he managed to remain there for a further period of two years. During that period he applied himself to a deep study of literature of Ramakrishna Paramahmsa and Vivekananda. He also became a member of a Theosophy Center, which had just then been started in Kashi. This proved to be a turning point in his life, in so far as his attitude,outlook and lifestyle were concerned. It also brought about a complete change in his mode of dress. A white, loose kurta and a slack pyjama became his attire - as was common among theosophists. Madhavrao liked the dress. He completed his M.S. also with distinction in 1928. He had to leave Kashi thereafter, though reluctantly.

In Madras
Madhavrao went to Madras for doing his Ph.D. in the science of fishery. All the while his father had desired that Madhav should become a 'Doctor'. Now he was going to be one, perhaps - though a doctor of a different sort. It was a hard life in Madras. He had to meet all his expenses out of a monthly allowance of Rs.50. He did all the daily chores by himself in his room. The local language was totally unfamiliar to him; and he had no acquaintances. He utilized this opportunity; in a way this served to help him to brush up his English further, as he had to rely on it most of the time. He made full use of the enforced solitude for his contemplative pursuits. The patriotic instinct, which had sprouted in his heart at Kashi, blossomed forth during his stay in Madras, and reinforced his resolve to do anything for the sake of the country. He had clarity in his thought, purposiveness in action, firm faith in mental and physical powers, and a fearless disposition developed through his intellectual integrity. Once he was having breakfast in a hotel with his friends, amidst conversation. There ensued a discussion about the sturdiness of the glass-pane on the table where they were sitting. Some one remarked, "How can such a delicate glass-top withstand rough handling?" "It is not so easy to break it," remarked the hotel owner rather challengingly. "Suppose I break it with a single blow?" countered Madhavrao. "If you do that, all of you can have a free breakfast here from me, "answered the owner, provoked further. By then curious onlookers had gathered around the table. His friends looked askance at Madhavrao. "So, shall I break it?" - asked Madhavrao. "Do so." Madhavrao stood up, raised his hand, clenched his fist, and brought down a hammerlock blow. The glass-pane was reduced to splinters! His friends, the owner, and the onlookers were all amazed. On another occasion, the Nizam of Hyderabad was scheduled to visit the Madras aquarium. They were faced with a problem: should they allow the Nizam without a ticket? Madhavrao insisted, "None should be permitted to break the rule." He did not rest at that, but ensured the entry of the Nizam to the aquarium only on production of a ticket. Only when it was over could the fear-stricken administration heave a sigh of relief. It was natural for a youth in early twenties to think of his future prospects, wife, family life, etc. But such thoughts never crossed the mind of Madhavrao even once. On the contrary, he cherished a desire to cross the bounds of the worldly life, take to sannyas, and retire to the Himalayas for penance. But when he saw the plight of the country at that time, his cherished desire was shaken. "I have decided not to go in search of solitude; let solitude itself come to me" - he wrote to a friend of his. That proved prophetic. About the same time, Bhauji retired from service. The source of income for the family suddenly dried up. Naturally, Madhavrao's pursuit of his studies at Madras became impossible. With a heavy heart, he returned to Nagpur. He then came into contact with Ramakrishna Ashram at Dhantoli in Nagpur. This contact gradually became more and more intimate. It was as if the timeless voice of Vivekananda had begun to beckon him.

Prof.Golwalkar 'Guruji'
In May 1930, a letter came: "Shri M. S. Golwalkar is hereby appointed as professor of zoology in Kashi Hindu Vidyapeeth." The parents were overjoyed that their ambition had been fulfilled. Madhavrao left for Kashi. Prof. Golwalkar was a strict disciplinarian. With his sharp intellect and clarity of thought, he was a class apart from other professors there. His activities now were different from those of his student life. Every single activity in his routine had an assigned place and schedule. Sandhya vandana, then Yogasanas and Pranayama immediately followed the bath.Theduration of meditation and reflection had doubled. Having himself experienced poverty in boyhood, he was ever eager to help the poor and needy students in all possible ways. Although he was professor of zoology, he taught subjects like English, mathematics, economics, philosophy, etc., outside the class-hours withoutexpectation of any return. Because of this habit of engaging himself in extra studies only with a view to helping others, Professor Golwalkar came to be endearingly called as 'Guru'. That epithet stuck to him and became popular not only among the youth in the University but, later, throughout the country.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
By that time, the activities of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had already started in Kashi. Doctor Hedgewar, founder of the Sangh, had asked his close associate Bhaiyaji Dani to initiate Sangh work in Kashi, while he was there for his studies. Guru was very fond of Bhaiyaji. A close kinship developed between them. Guru keenly observed the Sangh activities like the daily prayer, exercises, sports, discussions and other intellectual activities, conducive to nationalist thinking. Guru said, "All these activities are dear to my heart too" and became, one with the Sangh. During his stay at Nagpur after return from Madras, Guru had come to know about the Sangh and Doctor Hedgewar, who could attract any person towards him through his affability and magnetic personality. Guru soon succeeded in securing the blessings of eminent persons like Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya for the Sangh activities. Malaviya had made available a room for the Sangh office and also a ground for Shakha activities in the campus of the University. Malaviya often discussed with Guru about the future of the country. The former was all appreciation for the discipline and dedication of Swayamsevaks. The three years' tenure of Guru's professorship came to an end in 1933. Guru had to return to Nagpur. The parents thought that it would be better if Madhavrao did his Law, as he could thereby earn a lot. In accordance with his parents' wish, Guru joined the Law College. Study for the Law course occupied very little of his time; he spent more time in the Ramakrishna Ashram at Dhantoli.

Karyavaha
In 1934, Guru was made the Karyavaha (executive) of the Kendriya Shakha at Nagpur. Doctor had noticed the inexhaustible enthusiasm and devotion bubbling in this youth, and gradually went on assigning to him more and more responsibilities. On the advice of Doctor, Guru went to Mumbai as Sangh Pracharak (organizer) for a time. Guru's parents naturally felt that Madhav should marry now. But Guru avoided it saying I am willing to marry for your sake. But I don't have the slightest interest in it." The parents did not pursue the matter further. Guru was quite good at law; but it was beyond him to employ false witnesses or evidence, as lawyers are prone to do. Thus Golwalkar became known as an advocate ' who is preferable for cases needing intellectual arguments, but not for the general run of 'appeal' cases. One fine day Guru was missing!

'For Another Cause'
Guru went straight to Saragachi in Murshidabad district of Bengal. Saragachi Ramakrishna Ashram was then headed by Swami Akhandananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and thus a 'Gurubhai' of Swami Vivekananda. Madhavrao desired initiation from Akhandananda who was elderly and a realized soul. Madhavrao served his preceptor whole-heartedly and received the initiation. Akhandananda had developed a very special affinity for this highly talented and well-educated disciple of his. While leading him on his spiritual path, Akhandananda said, "Sannyas is not the destiny of Golwalkar. Another great cause awaits him." Guru Maharaj thus ordained his disciple for service of Bharat Mata. Guru returned to Nagpur after Swami Akhandananda left the mortal coil in 1937. Doctor was the happiest person to see Guru back in Nagpur.

'Sarsanghchalak'
Guru had made up his mind that he should make some concrete contribution for the wellbeing of the country, serving the society in a spirit of worship. This needed a specific field of activity. He began to take greater interest in the work begun by Doctor. A most popular leader Doctor was suffering from a severe attack of typhoid. His health seemed irrecoverable. Guru remained like a shadow with him, nursed him, and served him till his end. Doctor passed on the responsibility of the Sangh work to the able shoulders of Guru and breathed his last on 21st June 1940. Guru assume ' d the office of Sarsangh- chalak of the R.S.S. after the obsequies of Doctor were over. In a message for a hand-written periodical, which was being brought out by the Swayamsevaks of Wardha in those days, Guru said: "Let us not depend on any external instruments or sources of power. Let us draw inspiration from the memory of our beloved leader and his burning patriotism. Let us fulfil our mission with firm faith and let us strive hard to achieve our objective of ensuring a pride of place to Hindu Rashtra on the world stage." Guru pursed this goal tirelessly till the very end.

A Fountain Of Inspiration
Guru had made up his mind that he should make some concrete contribution for the wellbeing of the country, serving the society in a spirit of worship. This needed a specific field of activity. He began to take greater interest in the work begun by Doctor. A most popular leader Doctor was suffering from a severe attack of typhoid. His health seemed irrecoverable. Guru remained like a shadow with him, nursed him, and served him till his end. Doctor passed on the responsibility of the Sangh work to the able shoulders of Guru and breathed his last on 21st June 1940. Guru assume ' d the office of Sarsangh- chalak of the R.S.S. after the obsequies of Doctor were over. In a message for a hand-written periodical, which was being brought out by the Swayamsevaks of Wardha in those days, Guru said: "Let us not depend on any external instruments or sources of power. Let us draw inspiration from the memory of our beloved leader and his burning patriotism. Let us fulfil our mission with firm faith and let us strive hard to achieve our objective of ensuring a pride of place to Hindu Rashtra on the world stage." Guru pursed this goal tirelessly till the very end.Then began Guru's untiring and countrywide tours with meticulously planned itinerary. During the tours, as a wandering mendicant, he would spend each night in a different city or village, ceaselessly participating in camps, rallies, meetings, discussions, training- camps, 'baithaks' (structured organizational meetings) and contacts, inspiring thousands of youths, educating them about the significance of Sangh work and instilling in them a missionary zeal for whole hearted involvement in the task of national rejuvenation. In the meantime, Guru had to protect the growing organization from the hostile British rulers. He skillfully managed each such crisis. In response to the call given by Guru in 1942, thousands of youths all over the country vowed to dedicate themselves entirely for the Sangh work, on a wholesome basis. Thus Sangh Shakhas sprouted even in remote corners of the country. Sangh activities thus grew apace. During tours Guru was very particular about keeping to the time-schedules, totally unmindful ofvagaries of weather, floods, winds, heat or cold. Nothing came in the way of his predetermined programs. Never for a moment did he feel 'superior' as the Sarsanghchalak of such a vast organization. If no conveyance were available, he would walk the whole distance without a murmur. Once rains began to pour right at the time of the Prarthana (Sangh prayer). The Swayam- sevaks were naturally upset. One of them made him bold, opened an umbrella and tried to hold it over Guru. Without disturbing his posture of prayer, Guru closed the umbrella with his left hand and completed the prayer in the torrential rain. While talking to the Karyakartas soon thereafter he said: "If we are scared of even inclement weather, how can we achieve our goal? Those ready to do anything for the cause of the country should pay least heed to the needs of their body. How could we become eligible for worship of the nation, unless we overcome the nature?" The basic endeavor of the Sangh is: to bring a person to the Sanghasthan, observe him closely, inform him about the Sangh work, instruct him in the Sangh thoughts, persuade him, and finally make that person commit himself to the Sangh ideology and patriotism through the daily and periodic programs of the Sangh. Other Sangh activities like games, 'baithaks', discussion-sessions, physical exercise, patriotic songs, Prarthana, etc., are supplementary aids to the above process. Individuals should mix and mingle with one another on the basis- of their shared national outlook and become one with the strong bond of brotherhood and discipline. Only then could the problems faced by the country be solved. This was the essence of fcthe teachings of Guru.

Protective Hand
Along with the intensification of the freedom struggle, the demand for the formation of Pakistan also became louder as a result of the poisonous seed sown by the British. The country witnessed ever increasingincidences of -atrocities, violence, riots, coercion, etc. The Sangh work was expanding to far-off places like Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Punjab-Sindh province. Swayamsevaks engaged themselves in giving succor to the people fallen prey to such violence and loss. These violent riots were then being carried out, strictly according to their pre- determined plans only to impress upon the Government -the irreversibility of the demand for a separate homeland for the Muslims. The Swayamsevaks took up the onerous task of preventing such riots often at the cost of their lives. They arranged for safe migration of thousands at great risk, but with exemplary courage, skill and determination. Camps were organized for the migrants and for their medical care and security needs. Being the moving spirit behind this massive effort, Guru went round these places bringing consolation through hit soothing words, giving them courage, confidence and guidance as also personally supervising the arrangements for food, shelter and security. He presented a living example of humanitarian concern and courage. Once, he unhesitatingly walked across a broken, blown-up bridge over an uproarious river on his way from Jalandhar to Ludhiana. He thus set his own glowing example of uncompromising dedication to the society before the Swayamsevaks. However, the undesirable partition of our country did take place. The agonies and travails of partition accompanied the joy of freedom. 30 January 1948. Guru was in Madras on that day. The evening brought the heart-rending news of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. "The brutal murder of a most revered person of the modern era is a monstrous act. I am extremely aggrieved by it" - Guru condoled.

Fire-Ordeal
The opponents of the Sangh started disturbances. There was stonethrowing in Nagpur and other places on 31st January. They attacked the house of Guru and pelted stones. Totally unperturbed, Guru kept on reciting Bhagavad – Gita with perfect equanimity and poise. The Government arrested Guru under the baseless accusation of Gandhi's assassination. The Sangh was banned, and thousands of Swayamsevaks and workers were dumped behind the bars. Being alarmed by the growing strength of the Sangh, and due to the enormous public approbation Guru had been receiving all over the country, the Government cracked down on the Sangh in a bid to trample and finish it. There was in fact no connection whatsoever between the Sangh and the murder of Gandhiji. The Government had to withdraw the charges barely within a week. The courts of law released the Swayamsevaks and passed strictures against the Government action. The Government released Guru also on 6 August with certain restrictions imposed on him. He entered into prolonged correspondence with the top leaders of the country. He appealed to the Government to lift the ban on the Sangh and to clear it of the charges, since they were all baseless. The restrictions on Guru too were eventually removed. Guru went to Delhi. Thousands of citizens gave him a rousing welcome by showering flowers on him. Talks ensued. A suggestion was put forward for merger of the Sangh with Congress. Guru at once rejected it. Talks and correspondence failed. Preparations for a nation-wide movement to start the Sangh Shakhas in defiance of the ban order were set in motion overnight, with lightning speed. As expected, Guru was re-arrested. Sangh Shakhas was started in hamlets, villages, towns and cities all over the country again. More than a hundred thousand Swayamsevaks offered Satyagraha. They were promptly jailed. They were subjected to untold miseries and torture. People took out protest marches demandingimmediate removal of the ban. Many eminent personages came forward for mediation and began negotiation with the Government, The Swayamsevaks were denied even the minimum facilities that were normally made available to ordinary prisoners in the jails. As a result, their health condition began to deteriorate. Guru never bent before the Government. His cardinal faith was that "Ultimately Truth alone triumphs." On 12 July 1949 the Government removed t the eighteen-month-old ban on the Sangh. Guru advised the Swayamsevaks, "Forget the nightmarish episode of the ban. You should not harbor even the slightest bitterness in your minds about those responsible for causing us harm and injustice. After all they are our countrymen. Remember that both the tongue and the teeth always remain together. Once in a way by accident the teeth may bite the tongue; but on that account we do not knock them down. If one leg trips the other, are we to cut that leg? Those who have harmed us are very much our own people, not outsiders. Hence let us forget and forgive."

In The Service Of People Again
Thousands of Hindus started pouring in from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on account of their forcible conversion to Islam. The Sangh, under the able stewardship of Guru, girded up its loins for the service of the people thus rendered homeless. Guru once again swung into swift action to supervise these arrangements of succor to the refugees. He alerted the Government about their duty towards these unfortunate brethren of ours and gave his guidance for the appropriate course of action under those difficult circumstances. He appealed to the people to extend their helping hand in mitigation of the distress caused by the neighboring State. People of Delhi presented a purse of Rs.101001/- to Shri Guru. Shri J. A. Kurein, a journalist from U.S.A., and Prof. Wilson from Australia came to Bharat to study the Sangh and its working. The name and fame of the Sangh reached to the distant corners of the world. Guru then led a movement against cow-slaughter. He articulated the Hindus' deeply rooted feeling towards the cow, which has been a focal point of our culture and Dharma, in the minds of themultitudes. The movement set a world record of 1,74,89,332 signaturescollected by fifty four thousand Swayamsevaks from 84,000 villages and cities all over the country. Guru never tolerated any insult either to the unity and integrity of the country, to Dharma and Culture, or to the cherished beliefs of people. Narrating the story of a lion-cub that had acquired all the sheepish traits after it strayed into a herd of sheep for a long time and which was later on restored to its innate leonine nature by another lion, Guru exhorted the people to stand up-right and assert themselves once again. Guru stoutly protested against all that was inimical to the integrity of Bharat. He opposed every act of treachery against the nation. Due to inertia on the part of Government, China gobbled up Tibet. There was no reaction from our Government. The Portuguese were torturing our people in Goa, which was a part of Bharat. The Government maintained a sullen silence. Guru cautioned the Government on all such occasions. Guru was the first nationalist thinker to openly warn that the re-organization of the States solely on the basis of language would do many harms to the country. Guru was a fountain of perennial inspiration to thousands of Hindu youths. He was a Karmayogin. His physique was fragile. But spiritual glow and serenity flowed from' his face. Curly locks of hair reaching up to shoulders; a flowing beard; a broad forehead; lips hiding behind the curved moustache; an observant pair of bright eyes; a sprinkle of sweet smile in his talks and conversation; and often bouts of hearty laughter too. His softly couched and aptly delivered cryptic remarks had a drive-home quality about them. He was invariably clothed in a baggy dhoti and loose kurta, and shawl on the shoulders. Seeing his erect chest and fast pace with long strides, one felt tempted to call him 'a saint in a hurry'. His pious Personality reflected the dynamism of a noble commander. His heart emitted concentrated confidence of a thousand lions. With all this, he shunned publicity like poison. Such was his self-effacing nature. 1956 saw the fifty-first birthday of Shri Guru. It was celebrated in a befitting manner. On that occasion, the Sangh workers not only arranged colorful functions, but also conveyed the thoughts Guru held dear to his heart, to every hearth and home in the country. 1963 was the birth centenary of Swami Vivekananda Guru addressed a mammoth public meeting in Madras and at other important cities. He reminded the people of the rousing call of Swami Vivekananda to build a strong organization in Hindu Samaj, for national reconstruction. Guru shaped the Sangh into a protective shield and also as fighting arms of the country whenever it was confronted with external crisis. In 1962, China betrayed Bharat. It pushed its army into our territory. Guru gave a call to the Swayamsevaks to stand by the Government in protecting the nation. "Now that a powerful enemy has attacked our nation, let us set aside our differences and be united as an invincible force. This is the need of the time. All the people of Bharat should stand erect as one Virat-Purusha for safeguarding the national interests." Millions of hearts throbbed in unison with this call of Guru. Swayamsevak responded in full measure and stood as pillars of support to all the governmental and social efforts in this direction. They helped the Government in maintaining internal security of the metropolitan cities of Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad
Even as his concern about the security of the country from external threats was paramount, his anxiety was no less in the reforms to be brought about in the society from within. Most of the Hindus of the world live in Bharat. But millions of them have settled in a number of other countries of the world too. They have gone there for vocation, studies, trade, business, etc., and have stayed back in those countries. Many a great Hindu social thinker felt the need for a forum for bringing the Hindus of the world together. Vishwa Hindu Parishad was thus founded on the Krishna Janmashtami day in 1964. Guru conceptualized the founding of the V.H.P. and continued to guide it for the next few years. The Parishad convened its First World Conference at Prayag (Allahabad) in 1966. The First Karnataka State-levelConference was held at Udupi in 1969. Both these conferences were attended by a record number of delegates and blessed by the Dharmacharyas of all the major religious orders and traditions such as Shaiva, Vaishnava, Veerasaiva, Bouddha, Jain, Sikh, Aryasamaj, etc. The Sant-Sadhus assembled there proclaimed in unequivocal terms the natural brotherhood and equality of all Hindus. They defended the right of the Hindus to self-protection. Guru was the leading light of these conferences. The Dharmacharyas declared with one voice that there is neither prescription nor any sanction for the most heinous practice of Untouchability in our Dharma or in scriptures. When this resolution was adopted unanimously, the eyes of Guru were full with tears of fulfillment. He exclaimed, "Momentous session!" Guru was travelling throughout the country at least twice a year. He was interacting with thousands of Sangh workers and members of the public through various programs like the month-long State-level Sangh Shiksha Vargas (training camps), short-duration camps, 'baithaks', meetings, wide public contacts, etc. He was establishing personal rapport with the associates and the people everywhere, and always discussing about the problems faced by the country and emphasizing our duty to it. He was clearing their doubts and providing constant guidance. Added to this, he had to meet the harassment caused by the Government from time to time.

Declining Health
It is not as if Guru, who had accepted the 'parivrajaka-vrata' (life-style of mendicants) for the national rejuvenation, had no bodily ailments. The malady that began with pain due to a clot in the chest was treated by a number of therapies. But pain did not subside. Guru, however, went ahead with his itinerary unhindered. In 1969, the attending experts identified his affliction as cancer. It was a great shock for the people all over the country. They performed poojas, prayers and homas for his speedy recovery. Guru maintained his calm and poise. He gathered all information about cancer with equanimity and quietly underwent the dreaded operation. The operation, no doubt, was declared to be successful. But he knew that his days were coming to a close sooner than expected. Knowing his approaching end, he hastened tocomplete the tasks on hand. "Treatment during tours, and travel while you treat" - that was how he conducted himself during the rest of his life. There were endless treatments and medicines. He finished every item of the work he wanted to complete. Finally, on 3 April 1973, he wrote three letters as his testament and kept them with instructions to be opened after his demise: the first addressed to all the Swayamsevak brethren, the second about his successor, and the third relating to his posthumous rites.

To Immortal Glory
On 10 April, Guru tumbled down from the chair. It caused him severe pain. On the 11th he observed fast as it was Sri Rama Navami. He sent away all the articles of his daily personal worship to his cousin brother. The 5th day of June 1973: It was the Jyeshtha Shukla Panchami of the Hindu calendar. Breathing trouble became aggravated. He was given a bath. He completed his 'sandhya - vandan' (ablutions) and while sitting on his easy - chair, kept his 'Kamandalu' (water pitcher) on his right side, indicating an onward journey. On other occasions, he used to keep the Kamandalu on his left side always. But today it was different. "Every thing is ready. I can start any time" - he said to a by-standing visitor He joined in the Sangh prayer in the evening. Guru left his mortal coil a p.m., attaining immortal glory.

Thus Spake Guruji
Countless discourses, thousands of letters and hundreds of press statements by Shri Guru are now part of the cherished knowledge legacy of humanity. The life of Shri Guru is lustrous and multi - faceted. His thoughts are a perennial source of inspiration for mankind. Here are a few rays of that brilliance: 1. Fearlessness is the first and foremost virtue of the brave, and the starting point of all sublime qualities. 2. 'This is my Dharma, my Vedanta. This is my Hindu Rashtra. I have to live and strive for its realization. I must live as an example for the entire world to follow'-only such abiding faith would provide a firm foundation for reorganization of theHindus. 3. The will of a person becomes tempered like steel when he prepares himself for the supreme sacrifice for a just and lofty goal. 4. We are not so narrow-minded as to call any one as 'alien' merely because he has changed his mode of worship. We have no objection to the use of any name in addressing God. We in the Sangh are Hindus in every particle of ours. That is why we respect all religious faiths equally. A person with religious intolerance cannot be called a Hindu at all. 5. The most demeaning sin is to remain weak in the world. It not only destroys us, but also incites others to attack us with violence. 6. No doubt it requires two to fight. But both of them need not necessarily be fighters. It is, all the same, a fight, even if one goes on beating and the other gets beaten. There is no guarantee that others would behave properly with us even if we remain peaceful and cordial with them. 7. There must be an axis at the center of a wheel if it has to rotate. No wheel would rotate if its axis were outside it. There cannot be a circle with its center outside it. It is impossibility. Those cherishing extra-national loyalties can only be called traitors. Will it not be treacherous if an individual is drawing inspiration from elements beyond the boundaries of his country? 8. A grain of salt completely dissolves in water, and then retains no separate existence. But the salty taste will beevident in each drop of that water. Likewise an individual should dissolve him in the nation.

RAJA RAMMOHAN ROY

2007-12-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

Raja Rammohan Roy has come to be called the ' Maker of Modern India'. With out giving up what was good and noble in the past he laid the foundations for a great future. HE was a great scholar and a independent thinker.

Raja Rammohan Roy

During the 1965 Indo-Pak War, the tiny ‘Gnat’ manufactured by the ‘Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.’ chased away the powerful bombers supplied by the United States of America to Pakistan.

Sri C.V. Raman won the Noble Prize for Physics. Indian scientists, technologists and teachers are working in different parts of the world.

We have the ‘Hindustan Machine Tools Ltd.’, which manufactures machines which make machines.

When we think of such facts, we feel overjoyed. We feel confident that we shall equal Western nations in the 20th century.

But suppose we knew nothing of modern science, medicine and engineering?

How difficult it would be for us to compete with countries like America, Russia, Japan and Germany!

Suppose we had to depend upon foreigners to teach subjects like English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Engineering-all subjects, except Samskrita (Sanskrit) and Kannada in our colleges! How much more difficult it would have been for us!

About 150 years ago, only Sanskrit and Persian were taught in our schools. There were very few to tell us anything about Western Science. But even they were in English. And our people did not know English.

It was the great Raja Rammohan Roy, who realized that India would be a backward country, if her people did not learn English, Mathematics and Science. He spent his own money and started a college to teach English and Science.

That is why he is called the ‘Maker of Modern India’.

He had a high regard for India and Hinduism and was proud of them.
Birth And Boyhood
It was the last part of the 18th century. Foreigners had invaded India again and again and India has suffered at their hands for centuries. The rule of the Muslims, which had lasted 800 years, was coming to an end. India was filled with poverty and ignorance. The English who came to India for trade gradually conquered kingdoms. Many Indians did not understand their own great religion and culture. There were many castes and creeds. The glorious tradition of Vedic times was like a mirror covered with dust. All round, there was the darkness of ignorance. It was at such a time that Raja Rammohan Roy was born.

Radhanagar is a village in the District of Murshidabad in Bengal; Rammohan was born in this village on the 22nd of May 1772. His father was Ramakanto Roy, an orthodox Brahmin.

Rammohan’s parents were devoted to God. They had great faith in their religion. They performed strictly the duties set down by their religion.

Rammohan was very much devoted to Lord Vishnu. Everyday he would not put down the ‘Bhagavantha’ without completing the reading of Valmiki Ramayana. But when he came to know that his mother also was fasting, he had his food for her sake. In his 14th year he was about to become a monk. But his mother came in his way.
Education
Persian was the language of the government during the Muslim rule. Knowledge of Arabic and Persian was necessary to get employment or to correspond with the government. Rammohan had been educated inSanskrit, Bengali, Arabic and Persian in his own village. Though Ramakanto was very orthodox, he wanted that his son should have higher education. For this purpose, he sent him to Patna in his ninth year. The boy was very intelligent. He studied Arabic and Persian under famous Muslimscholars in Patna. Aristotle and Euclid were two great thinkers who lived in Greece, hundreds of years ago. Rammohan read their works in Arabic. By studying their books, Rammohan developed the ability to think for himself.

Many people in India who believed in God worshipped pictures and idols of God. Rammohan wondered if God hand any form. He was not interested in idol-worship and in festivals at home. He opposed idol-worship. But his father, who was a very firm believer in idol-worship, felt he was doing wrong. He advised him. The son did not change his mind. Owing to differences between Rammohan and his parents, he left the house.
Travels

Rammohan was sensible, though young. The boy who left his house did not wander aimlessly. He joined a group of monks. They wandered about the foot of the Himalayas, and went to Tibet.The Tibetans were Buddhists. They used to worship their teacher. Rammohan understood the principles of Buddhism. He condemned the worship of the teacher. He condemned the worship of the teacher. Therefore, the teacher and his disciples grew angry. There was even a plot to kill this bold boy. But the women there took pity on him and saved his life. They cleverly managed to send him back to India.
Sanskrit Education
The parents lovingly received their son who had gone away. But even now, the father and son could not agree on many matters. Ramakanto celebrated his son’s marriage, hoping that he would change. But the son did not change. Rammohan went to Benaras and studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and Hindu philosophy deeply. When his father died in 1803 he returned to Murshidabad.

Rammohan And Religion
His differences with his father regarding idol-worship and the manner in which he conducted himself in Tibet show clearly one thing. Rammohan was a man who thought for him. In the Vedas and the Upanishads we see great freedom of thought. Rammohan admired this spirit of freedom. He proclaimed that simple living and high thinking should be a man’s motto in life. And he lived accordingly.

Once a man brought a conch for sale. He wanted a price of Rs 500. He said: "This conch can give anything a man wants. He can get all prosperity by possessing it." Kalinath, a friend of Rammohan, wanted to by it. He asked Rammohan for his opinion. Rammohan laughed and said, "If this conch can give all the wealth of the world, it must be Goddess Lakshmi herself. I can’t understand why this poor fellow wishes to sell Goddess Lakshmi!" As soon as the man heard this, he disappeared.
At Rangpur
Rammohan joined service in the Revenue Department of the East India Company. He was an assistant to Mr. John Digby, an English officer, from 1809-14 at Rangpur. Digby appreciated his efficiency.

Though he held a high post on a andsome salary and had property in his village, he did not seek a life of luxury.

Rammohan was six feet tall. He had a well-built body and a handsome and bright face. He was a highly cultured man. He had an exceptional personality.

Rammohan began the study of English in his 22nd year. He used to read books. He also used to read English newspapers received by Digby from England. Therefore, he knew much that many Indians knew nothing about. He knew about the French Revolution (1789 to 1795) which had just then ended. He saw that the stock of knowledge was growing rapidly in Europe. He knew what thepeople and the Scholars of Europe felt about the ideals of Liberty, Equality and Democracy.

Digby used to have visitors from several foreign countries. Rammohan mixed with t hem freely and learnt how to converse fluently and how to write good English. He developed an elegant and forceful English style.

Rammohan loved knowledge. How much knowledge he amassed! With the help of Jain scholars, he studied books on Jainism. From Muslim scholars, he learnt Sufism. He was already well versed in the Vedas. He used to arrange meetings of learned men in his house and exchange ideas. This widened his knowledge.

Rammohan spent his leisure in learning new subjects and doing social service. He translated the Upanishads and other sacred books into English and Bengali and got them printed.

He wished to go abroad and learn more. But his own relatives filed a suit in the court. This came in the way of his visit to other countries.

Digby, who had gained the confidence of Rammohan, returned to England in 1814. Rammohan returned to England in 1814. Rammohan resigned his post and settled in Calcutta. He devoted the rest of his life to public service.

That India should prosper was Rammohan’s ardent desire. But the people had to be cured of ignorance, they needed education. He dedicated himself to this task.

A mighty task calls for earnest mighty preparation, does it not? Rammohan prepared himself in every way toundertake this big task. He had understood the essence of all religious books. He had first to remove the dirt of superstitions and bad customs, which had dimmed thebrightness of Indian culture. Then he had to learn how the educational system had developed in other countries, the ways of life there and what efforts were made to put an end to poverty. What was good in other countries had to be learnt and to be followed here. In this way Rammohan began the work of reformation.

But he did not believe that all old customs in India should be given up and that Indians should blindly imitate the foreigners. He did not condemn all the religious customs; but he said that they should use their discretion in following them. Many times people do wrong things without knowing what has been said in the scriptures. They can read these holy books if they are available in the language of the people. When other people say ‘This is what the scriptures say, that is what the scriptures say’, people can find out for themselves what these books say. The holy books of the Hindus were in Sanskrit. Rammohan translated them into Bengali. In his preface, he said, ‘We should understand correctly what is said in our religious books and what is relevant to our times.’

Rammohan was a firm believer in truth. He would admit his faults. He used to quote the words of Vasishta: Words of wisdom should be accepted even if they come from a child; but even if Lord Brahma utters unwise words, they should be ignored as a blade of straw.
'Atmiya Sabha'
The marriage of girls five or six years old.

Burning the wife with her dead husband whether she is willing or not.

Meaningless observance of festivals and worshipping for show.

The worship of several gods and ranking gods as high and low.

Rammohan was sick of these practices. He had a high regard for Hinduism. But he felt that the Hindus had yet to understand their religion correctly. There should be equality between men and women. People should give up superstitious beliefs.

Many of Rammohan’s friends accepted his line of thinking. An association of such close friends was formed. It was called ‘Atmiya Sabha’ (The Society of Friends). Religious discussion took place there. The members had to give up idol-worship. They had to spread the Society’s views on religion among the people.

Many scholars opposed Rammohan. Rammohan wrote articles in reply. The people read them and understood what was said in the sacred books
Regard For Hinduism
Some Christian priests were overjoyed at Rammohan’s interest in and enthusiasm for Christian doctrines. They suggested that he should become a Christian. These priests did not understand the mind of Rammohan, who was a staunch believer in Hinduism. He had great respect for the Vedas and the Upanishads, which he had studied deeply.

Some men spoke lightly of the Vedas and the Upanishads. Rammohan gave them a very clear answer: "There is only one God in the universe. He has no form and qualities which men can describe. He is full of joy. Every living being has an element of God. These noble ideas sparkle in the Upanishads. Moreover, these books encourage people to think for themselves, they strike out new paths. They do not chain man’s intelligence." Just as he condemned the bad customs of the Hindus he condemned the superstitions of the followers of other religions.
Education For The Progress Of The Country

If we are to be happy we must have good crops. For this purpose, we must learn how to use good manure and machinery. We must build dams and dig canals. We must have good roads, bridges, hospitals and factories to manufacture medicines. Thus, the list of the ‘musts’ is very long.

To fulfil all our needs, we need education, don’t we? We need persons well versed in the Arts and the Sciences. We should learn how knowledge is expanding in foreign countries.

Today, if a county is to prosper, it is not enough if it merely recalls its ancient history and culture. Without forgetting them, the country should develop the knowledge and strength suited to the world of today.

Of course, there were schools in Rammohan’s age also. But they used to teach Arabic and Persian needed for the work of the government. There are people who use languages like Bengali, Marati, Kannada and Telugu, aren’t there? These languages also should grow. There was no scope for this. The methods of teaching were also old-fashioned. Much emphasis was laid upon memorization. If children did not memorize, they were punished cruelly. The subjects taught in the schools were very few. Mathematics, History,Geography, Physics and Botany were not at all taught.

Some people were running English Schools. Even there, the System of education was not satisfactory. English words were taught to children. Those who had memorized them felt proud that they had learnt much.

Rammohan came to Calcutta in 1815. He formed an association of English and Hindu scholars. He started a college also and arranged for the teaching of modern subjects like Science, Political Science, Mathematics, and English.

One of the members of the association was rich and educated man called Radhakanto Dev. He had some followers from the beginning. He did not like Rammohan. He obstinately said that he would not help the association, if Rammohan were a member. To Rammohan, the prosperity of the association was more important than his status. So, he did not become a member of the association, though he himself had started it.

During 1816-17, Rammohan started an English College with his own money. Today it is difficult even to believe that he spent so much money for the spread of education. He understood the condition of the country; he saw that the students should learn the English language and scientific subjects. But in his college, besides Sanskrit also were taught.

Rammohan criticized the government’s policy of opening only Sanskrit schools. ‘Because of this, Indians would have no contact with Western civilization. They would lag behind without studying modern subjects like Mathematics, Geography and Latin were held in high esteem in Europe. But, are the students in England learning only Latin, Greek and the Bible? If Science and Mathematics are necessary for us?’ He argued that the government should examine this point.

Government accepted this idea of Rammohan and implemented it after his death.
With The Poor
When Rammohan was in Calcutta, he used to go for walks all alone at night. He wished to find out for himself the difficulties of the poor.

It was very cold in a slum. Mosquitoes swarmed. People were sweating profusely. There was stinking smell from the dirt all around. Dirty water was flowing near by. The laborers were returning home after the day’s work.

A man was following them.

"Brothers!" he said.

The laborers turned back in wonder.

"How many people live here?" he continued. The wonder of the laborers increased.

Who was this man? Why had he come there? "How much do you work in the days" How many families are here?" So question followed question.

The laborers said, "Why does he want to know all these things? He may be mad. He may be an idle fool." They said to Rammohun, "Have we nothing else to do? Let us go home."

Rammohan bore their mockery and contempt. He followed them. He found out much about their way of life.
Service To Literature
Rammohan was the first to give importance to the development of the mother tongue. His ‘Gaudiya Vyakaran’ in Bengali is the best of his prose works.

His Bengali was terse, simple and elegant. By translating the scriptures of the Hindus into Bengali he gave Bengali a new dignity.

Rabindranath Tagore and Bankimchandra followed in his footsteps.

Rammohan wrote lyrics also.
'Suttee System' or 'Sahagamana'
Rammohan’s brother Jagmohan died. His wife Alakamanjari had to observe ‘Sahagamana’ (that is, she was to be burnt alive with the dead body).All arrangements were made for cremation. All the relatives gathered. Alakamanjari put on a laced-sari and there was ‘Kumkum’ on her forehead. (A mark of Kumkum’ or vermilion on the forehead is considered sacred by a Hindu wife; it is an indication that her husband is alive.) Her hair was disheveled. Fear was written upon her face. The corpse was brought to the cremation ground. Rammohan begged his sister-in-law not to observe ‘Suttee’. Relatives objected to Rammohan’s words. They bound her to the corpse and placed her on the funeral pyre with the corpse. The pyre was set on fire.

Alakamanjari screamed and cried in fear, but she was not set free. Poor woman! She was burnt to ashes along with her husband. All the relatives praised her shouting ‘Maha Sati! Maha Sati!’ (a great wife) and went back.

This heart-rending sight of his sister-in- law’s ‘Suttee’ made a deep impression on Rammohan’s mind. Then and there he took a vow to put an end to this dreadful. Custom. Some people believed that the scriptures said that the wife should die along with her husband. Rammohan referred to all the sacred books. But, nowhere was it laid down that the wife should perform ‘Suttee’. This custom had come into practice in some age. Some people who knew it was wrong did not have the courage to condiment. The brave Rammohan took up this difficult task.

But his task was not easy. Lakhs of people had faith in Suttee system. Many people opposed Rammohan and abused him. Some even tried to murder him. But Rammohan did not flinch. Even the people of the West, who saw all this wondered, when even the government was afraid to interfere in this matter, Rammohan risked his life and fought against this evil practice. In the end, he won and the government made ‘Suttee’ a crime.

Along with fight for the abolition of ‘Suttee’, Rammohan started a revolution for women’s education and women’s right to property. He showed that woman enjoyed equal freedom with man according to Hinduism.
Love Of Independence
Rammohan was an exceptional patriot and lover of freedom. ‘I do not think I shall be fortunate enough to see freedom reign supreme all over the world’, so he used to lament. Like Tilak, Rammohan believed that Liberty was every man’s birthright.

Rammohan was intensely patriotic, but he was generous and broadminded. In 1823, the Spanish colonies in South America became independent. He invited his friends to a party to celebrate this joyous event. A friend of his asked him, "Why are you so elated if people in South America become independent?" Rammohan said, "What! They may be in South America, but are they not our brothers? Their language and religion may be different. Should we not sympathize with them in their troubles?"

Have you heard of ‘The League of Nations’?

The First World War was fought from 1914 to 1918. The object of starting the League of Nations in 1920 was to see that another such war did not break out. Any dispute was to be settled by peaceful methods. (As this did not function effectively, the United NationsOrganization was set up in 1945.)

A hundred years before the League of Nations was started, Rammohan had said that such an organization was necessary. If there is difference of opinion. If there is difference of opinion between two persons, they do not fight; they go to a court and accept its decision. If there is difference of opinion between two countries, their dispute must be settled without a fight. An organization is necessary to see that all nations cooperate with and help each other.
The First Editor
As soon as we get up in the morning, we eagerly wait for the newspaper. No sooner is the paper delivered than every one wants to read it.

Times were when the number of newspapers was very small. And even those few were in English. There was not a single newspaper in any Indian language!

It was Rammohan Roy who first published a newspaper in an Indian language.

Newspapers are absolutely necessary to reform the people. It is possible to make thousands of people understand many things in their own language. Rammohan made the newspaper the means of bringing home his views to many people.

‘Atmiya Sabha’ used to publish a weekly called ‘Vangal Gazette’. Besides, Rammohan was himself bringing out a newspaper in Persian called ‘Miratul- Akhbar’ (the Mirror of News) and a Bengali weekly called ‘Sambad Kaumudi’ (the Moon of Intelligence).

In those days, items of news and articles had to be approved by the government before being published. So, there was no freedom of the press.

Rammohan protested against this control. He argued that newspapers should be free and that the truth should not besuppressed simply because the government did not like it. Newspapers should have the right to uphold the truth. It needed much courage to speak out like this 150 years ago, when India was under the British rule. The press secured freedom by the constant efforts of Rammohan.

In his articles in the papers, Rammohan explained his views and replied to his opponents. He made his words very carefully. He made his comments with tolerance and without wounding anybody’s feelings. He thus set a good example to later editors of newspapers.
For Justice And Equality
In those days, courts conducted trials by jury. Some persons were invited to attend the proceedings of the court. At the end, these persons gave the judges their opinions regarding the case. These men were called ‘the Jury’. Indians were invited only to lower courts. But Englishmen were invited to higher courts.

Rammohan wrote to the government against this practice; he argued that it was an insult to Indians. Finally, the government ended this discrimination.

We now hear the slogan, "Land to the tiller," don’t we?

In those days, the landlords had much freedom and authority. Some used to exploit the farmers. There was no limit to their luxury, pomp and arrogance. The farmers had to give almost all the produce to them in the shape of rent. The poor farmers shed tears of blood. Rammohan, who had seen all this exploitation, had said, even so long ago, that the land should belong to the tiller.
Brahmo Samaj
Rammohan and his followers used to attend prayers in the church of a Christian sect. Chanrashekar Dev, a disciple of Rammohan, and others wondered why they should not have a prayer Hall of their own. Rammohan approved this idea. They hired a building belonging to a man called Ram Kamal Basu and opened a Prayer Hall called ‘Brahma Samaj’. The members used to meet every Saturday. Vedic hymns and hymns from the Upanishads were chanted by scholars. Religious discussions were held. Rammohan recited the religious poems composed by him. Christian and Muslim boys sang songs in English and Persian. Many Hindus and foreigners used to attend these meetings. ‘There is only one God. None equals Him. He has no end. He is present in all living beings’ – this was the faith of the Brahma’s. This was the message of Rammohan. The Brahma Samaj did not recognize differences of caste, creed, race or nationality. It emphasized the idea of universal brotherhood.

Rammohun In England
It is wrong to cross the ocean and go to the other countries! Such a view appears laughable today.

But, a hundred and fifty year ago, it was believed that it was wrong and irreligious for a Hindus to cross the seas.

Rammohan was one of the first Indians who rejected this idea and went to England. The allowances granted by the British to the Mughal King of Delhi, Akbar the Second, was very small. He had t submit a representation to the King of England to increase it. The Mughal King decided to send Rammohan to England at his expense. Before he left for England, the King gave him the title of ‘Raja’.

The second reason for Raja Rammohan Roy’s visit to England was to plead for the abolition of ‘Suttee’ before the Parliament.

Many people objected to Rammohan’s visit to England. Some British officers also opposed his going to England. But his fame had already reached England.

When Rammohan landed at Liverpool, the leading citizens were there to welcome him. The famous historian William Rathbone who was laid up with paralysis sent his son. He fulfilled his last desire by inviting him to his house and by talking to him. Several associations honored him. He visited France also. Everywhere scholars appreciated his learning.

Though the allowances of the King was not finally settled, it was decided that he could be given three lakhs rupees annually. Rammohan’s efforts for the abolition of ‘Sahagamana’ were also successful. On the day when the Bill was passed by the Parliament, the joy of Rammohan knew no bounds.

Rammohan was very rich. He was a great man who spent his money for other people and for his country. In Calcutta, even foreigners borrowed money from him in times of need. Such a rich man was reduced in England to total dependence upon others, even for food. His health broke down. The main reason for his financial difficulties was that the firm in which he had invested his capital became insolvent.

Out of spite, some people filed a suit against Rammohan and his son accusing them of misusing money. Rammohan had to spend money like water to prove that he was not guilty. Though he got justice, he lost his entire honor and status in England. Even the financial help from his son stopped. Moreover, one or two persons in England cheated him. He became worried. He fell ill and became bed-ridden.

Some people, who had respect for him looked after him, like relatives. Reputed doctors treated him. But his health did not improve.

Rammohan passed away on 27th of September 1833.

A friend of Rammohan visited England in 1843. He removed the coffin of Rammohan from Stapleton Grove to Arno’s Vale, the commentary on the outskirts of Bristol, and buried it there. A memorial in Indian style was raised over his tomb.

It is a hundred and forty years since Rammohan died. But his memory is still green in the minds of Indians. He was an intellectual who tried to lead India to modernity. He taught the Hindus to give up meaningless beliefs and customs. He was the lamp that led Hindus to the essence of Hinduism. His memory itself guides us to a noble life.