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1. Maulana Abul Kalam AzadBorn: November 11, 1888, MeccaDied:
February 22, 1958, DelhiMaulana Abul Kalam Azads real name was Abul
Kalam GhulamMuhiyuddin. He was popularly known as Maulana
Azad.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was one of the foremost leaders
ofIndian freedom struggle. He was also a renowned scholar, andpoet.
Maulana Azad was well versed in many languages viz. Arabic,English,
Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Bengali. Maulana Azad was abrilliant
debater, as indicated by his name, Abul Kalam, whichliterally means
"lord of dialogue".He adopted the pen name Azad as a mark of his
mentalemancipation from a narrow view of religion and
life.Following Indias independence, he became the first Minister of
Education in the Indian government.Early Life:Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad was born on November 11, 1888 in Mecca. His forefathers came
from Herat(a city in Afghanistan) in Babars days. Azad was a
descendent of a lineage of learned Muslim scholars, ormaulanas. His
mother was an Arab and the daughter of Sheikh Mohammad Zaher Watri
and his father,Maulana Khairuddin, was a Bengali Muslim of Afghan
origins. Khairuddin left India during the SepoyMutiny and proceeded
to Mecca and settled there. He came back to Calcutta with his
family in 1890.Because of his orthodox family background Azad had
to pursue traditional Islamic education. He wastaught at home,
first by his father and later by appointed teachers who were
eminent in their respectivefields. Azad learned Arabic and Persian
first and then philosophy, geometry, mathematics and algebra.He
also learnt English, world history, and politics through self
study.An avid and determined student, the precocious Azad was
running a library, a reading room, a debatingsociety before he was
twelve, wanted to write on the life of Ghazali at twelve, was
contributing learnedarticles to Makhzan (the best known literary
magazine of the day) at fourteen,In fact, in the field of
journalism, he was publishing a poetical journal (Nairang-e-Aalam)
and wasalready an editor of a weekly (Al-Misbah), in 1900, at the
age of twelve and, in 1903, brought out amonthly journal,
Lissan-us-Sidq, which soon gained popularity.At the age of
thirteen, he was married to a young Muslim girl, Zuleikha
Begum.First Education Minister ofIndia
2. Revolutionary & Journalist:On his return from abroad,
Azad met two leading revolutionaries of Bengal- Aurobindo Ghosh and
SriShyam Shundar Chakravarty,-and joined the revolutionary movement
against British rule. Azad foundthat the revolutionary activities
were restricted to Bengal and Bihar. Within two years Maulana
AbulKalam Azad helped setup secret revolutionary centers all over
north India and Bombay. During that timemost of his revolutionaries
were anti-Muslim because they felt that the British Government was
usingthe Muslim community against Indias freedom struggle. Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad tried to convince hiscolleagues to shed their
hostility towards Muslims.In 1912, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad started
a weekly journal in Urdu called Al Hilal to increase
therevolutionary recruits amongst the Muslims. Al-Hilal played an
important role in forging Hindu-Muslimunity after the bad blood
created between the two communities in the aftermath of
Morley-Mintoreforms. Al Hilal became a revolutionary mouthpiece
ventilating extremist views. The governmentregarded Al Hilal as
propogator of secessionist views and banned it in 1914 under the
Press Act.Maulana Azad then started another weekly called Al-Balagh
with the same mission of propagatingIndian nationalism and
revolutionary ideas based on Hindu-Muslim unity. In 1916, the
governmentbanned this paper too under the Defence of India
Regulations Act and expelled Maulana Abul KalamAzad from Calcutta
and interned him at Ranchi from where he was released after the
First World War in1920.Azad Decided the name of Muslim political
party Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. He was also a friend of SyedAta
Ullah Shah Bukhari founder of All India Majlis-e-Ahrar. When Gandhi
embarked on the Dandi SaltMarch that inaugurated the Salt
Satyagraha in 1930, Azad organised and led the nationalist raid,
albeitnon-violent on the Dharasana salt works in order to protest
the salt tax and restriction of its productionand sale.After his
release, Azad roused the Muslim community through the Khilafat
Movement. The aim of themovement was to re-instate the Khalifa as
the head of British captured Turkey. Maulana Azad
supportedNon-Cooperation Movement started by Gandhiji and entered
Indian National Congress in 1920.He was elected as the president of
the special session of the Congress in Delhi (1923).In 1923, at an
age of 35, he became the youngest person to serve as the President
of the IndianNational Congress.Maulana Azad was again arrested in
1930 for violation of the salt laws as part of Gandhijis
SaltSatyagraha. He was put in Meerut jail for a year and a half.As
the Muslim League adopted a resolution calling for a separate
Muslim state in its session in Lahore in1940, Azad was elected
Congress President in its session in Ramgarh and remained in the
post till 1946.Azad occupied the time playing bridge and acting as
the referee in tennis matches played by hiscolleagues. In the
afternoons, Azad began working on his classic Urdu work, the
Ghubhar-i-Khatir.
3. Partition of India:With the end of the war, the British
agreed to transfer power to Indian hands. All political
prisonerswere released in 1946 and Azad led the Congress in the
elections for the new Constituent Assembly ofIndia, which would
draft Indias constitution. He headed the delegation to negotiate
with the BritishCabinet Mission, in his sixth year as Congress
President. While attacking Jinnahs demandfor Pakistan and the
missions proposal of 16 June 1946 that envisaged the partition of
India, Azadbecame a strong proponent of the missions earlier
proposal of 16 May.Jawaharlal Nehru replaced Azad as Congress
President and led the Congress into the interimgovernment. Azad was
appointed to head the Department of Education.However, Jinnahs
Direct Action Day agitation for Pakistan, launched on 16 August
sparked communalviolence across India. Thousands of people were
killed as Azad travelled across Bengal and Bihar to calmthe
tensions and heal relations between Muslims and Hindus. Despite
Azads call for Hindu-Muslimunity, Jinnahs popularity amongst
Muslims soared and the League entered a coalition with the
Congressin December, but continued to boycott the constituent
assembly.Azad had grown increasingly hostile to Jinnah, who had
described him as the "Muslim Lord Haw-Haw"and a "Congress Show
boy."Post Independence:Indias partition and independence on 15
August 1947 brought with it a scourge of violence that sweptthe
Punjab, Bengal, Bihar, Delhi and many other parts of India.
Millions of Hindus and Sikhs fled thenewly created Pakistan for
India, and millions of Muslims fled forWest Pakistan and East
Pakistan,created out of East Bengal. Violence claimed the lives of
an estimated one million people.Focusing on bringing the capital of
Delhi back to peace, Azad organised security and relief efforts,
butwas drawn into a dispute with the Deputy Prime Minister and Home
Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patelwhen he demanded the dismissal of
Delhis police commissioner, who was a Sikh accused by Muslims
ofoverlooking attacks and neglecting their safety.Elected to the
lower house of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha in 1952 and
again in 1957Azad supported Nehrus socialist economic and
industrial policies, as well as the advancing social rightsand
economic opportunities for women and underprivileged Indians.In
1956, he served as president of the UNESCO General Conference held
in Delhi.Azad spent the final years of his life focusing on writing
his book India Wins Freedom, an exhaustiveaccount of Indias freedom
struggle and its leaders, which was published in 1957.Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad served as the Minister of Education in Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehrus cabinetfrom 1947 to 1958.
4. He oversaw the setting up of the Central Institute of
Education, Delhi which later became theDepartment of Education of
the University of Delhi as a research centre for solving new
educationalproblems of the country.Under his leadership, the
Ministry of Education established the first Indian Institute of
Technology in1951 and the University Grants Commission in 1953., He
also laid emphasis on the development ofthe Indian Institute of
Science, Bangalore and the Faculty of Technology of the Delhi
University. Heforesaw a great future in the IITs for
India:Jawaharlal Nehru referred to him as:Mir-i- Karawan (the
caravan leader), a very brave and gallant gentleman,a finished
product of the culture that, in these days, pertains to fewMahatma
Gandhi remarked him as:The Emperor of LearningCounting him as:A
person of the caliber of Plato, Aristotle and PythagorasHis
Birthday, 11 November is celebrated as National Education Day in
India.He died of a stroke on February 22, 1958.For his invaluable
contribution to the nation, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was
posthumously awardedIndias highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in
1992.
5. Mahatma GandhijiBorn: October 2, 1869,
PorbandarAssassinated: January 30, 1948, Birla HouseAchievements:
Known as Father of Nation; played a key role inwinning freedom for
India; introduced the concept of Ahimsa andSatyagraha.He was born
in his ancestral home, now known as Kirti Mandir. Hisfather,
Karamchand Gandhi (18221885), who belonged tothe HinduModh
community, served as the diwan (chief minister)of Porbander state,
a small princely state in the KathiawarAgency of British India.His
mother, Putlibai, who came from the Pranami Vaishnava community,
was Karamchands fourth wife,the first three wives having apparently
died in childbirth.He was the Youngest of the three sons and was
the last child of Putlibai and Karamchand Gandhi.The Names of the
two elder brothers of Mahatma Gandhi are: Laxmidas &
Karsandas.In May 1883, the 13-year-old Mohandas was married to
14-year-old Kasturbai Makhanji (her first namewas usually shortened
to "Kasturba", and affectionately to "Baa") in an arranged child
marriage,according to the custom of the region.In 1885, when Gandhi
was 15, the couples first child was born, but survived only a few
days. Gandhisfather, Karamchand Gandhi, had also died earlier that
year.Mohandas and Kasturba had four more children, all sons:
Harilal, born in 1888; Manilal, born in1892; Ramdas, born in 1897;
and Devdas, born in 1900.After completing his college education, at
his familys insistence Gandhi left for England on September 4,1888
to study law at University College, London. During his tenure in
London, Mohandas Gandhi strictlyobserved abstinence from meat and
alcohol as per his mothers wishes.Gandhiji completed his Law degree
in 1891 and returned to India. He decided to set up legal practice
inBombay but couldnt establish himself. Gandhiji returned to Rajkot
but here also he could not makemuch headway. At this time Gandhiji
received an offer from Dada Abdulla & Co. to proceed to
SouthAfrica on their behalf to instruct their counsel in a lawsuit.
Gandhiji jumped at the idea and sailed forSouth Africa in April
1893.Father of the Nation
6. Civil Rights Movements In South Africa (1893 - 1914):Gandhi
spent 21 years in South Africa, where he developedhis political
views, ethics and political leadership skills.It was in South
Africa that Gandhijis transformation fromMohandas to Mahatma took
place. Gandhiji landed atDurban and soon he realized the oppressive
atmosphere ofracial snobbishness against Indians who were settled
inSouth Africa in large numbers.After about a week stay in Durban
Gandhiji left for Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, in
connectionwith a lawsuit. When the train reached Pietermaritzburg,
the capital of Natal, at about 9 p.m. a whitepassenger who boarded
the train objected to the presence of a "coloured" man in the
compartment andGandhiji was ordered by a railway official to shift
to a third class. When he refused to do so, a constablepushed him
out and his luggage was taken away by the railway authorities.It
was winter and bitterly cold. This incident changed Gandhijis life
forever. He decided to fight for therights of Indians. Gandhiji
organised the Indian community in South Africa and asked them to
forget alldistinctions of religion and caste.He helped found the
Natal Indian Congress in 1894, and through this organisation, he
moulded theIndian community of South Africa into a unified
political force. In January 1897, when Gandhi landed inDurban, a
mob of white settlers attacked him and he escaped only through the
efforts of the wife of thepolice superintendent. He, however,
refused to press charges against any member of the mob, stating
itwas one of his principles not to seek redress for a personal
wrong in a court of law.Satyagraha:In 1906, the Transvaal
government promulgated a new Act compelling registration of the
colonysIndian population. At a mass protest meeting held in
Johannesburg on 11 September that year, Gandhiadopted his still
evolving methodology of Satyagraha (holding fast to truth or
firmness in a righteouscause), or non-violent protest, for the
first time. He urged Indians to defy the new law and to suffer
thepunishments for doing so.The community adopted this plan, and
during the ensuing seven-year struggle, thousands of Indianswere
jailed, flogged, or shot for striking, refusing to register, for
burning their registration cards orengaging in other forms of
non-violent resistance. The government successfully repressed the
Indianprotesters, but the public outcry over the harsh treatment of
peaceful Indian protesters by the SouthAfrican government forced
South African leader Jan Christiaan Smuts, himself a philosopher,
tonegotiate a compromise with Gandhi. Gandhis ideas took shape and
the concept of Satyagraha maturedduring this struggle.
7. Struggle for Indian Independence (1915 - 1947):In 1915,
Gandhi returned to India permanently.He joined the Indian National
Congress and and on the advice of his political guru Gopal
KrishnaGokhale, spent the first year touring throughout the country
to know the real India.After a year of wandering, Gandhiji settled
down on the bank of the river Sabarmati, on the outskirts
ofAhmedabad, where he founded an ashram called Satyagraha
Ashram.Gandhijis first satyagraha in India was in Champaran, in
Bihar, where he went in 1917 at the request ofa poor peasants to
inquire into the grievances of the much exploited peasants of that
district, who werecompelled by British indigo planters to grow
indigo on 15 percent of their land and part with the wholecrop for
rent. Gandhijis Satyagraha forced British government to set up a
inquiry into the condition oftenant farmers. The report of the
committee of which Gandhi was a member went in favor of the
tenantfarmers. The success of his first experiment in Satyagraha in
India greatly enhanced Gandhijisreputation in the country.In 1918,
Kheda (It is a town in the kheda district of Gujarat) was hit by
floods and famine and thepeasantry was demanding relief from taxes.
Gandhi moved his headquarters to Nadiad, organisingscores of
supporters and fresh volunteers from the region, the most notable
being Vallabhbhai Patel.For five months, the administration refused
but finally in end-May 1918, the Government gave way onimportant
provisions and relaxed the conditions of payment of revenue tax
until the famine ended.Non-cooperation movement:In 1921, Gandhiji
gave the call for Non-cooperation movement against the ills
(Jallianwala BaghMassacre Incident) of British rule. Gandhijis call
roused the sleeping nation. Many Indians renouncedtheir titles and
honours, lawyers gave up their practice, and students left colleges
and schools. Non-cooperation movement also brought women into the
domain of freedom struggle for the first time.Non-cooperation
movement severely jolted the British government.But the movement
ended in an anti-climax in February 1922. An outbreak of mob
violence in ChauriChaura so shocked and pained Gandhi that he
refused to continue the campaign and undertook a fastfor five days
to atone for a crime committed by others in a state of mob
hysteria.Gandhi was arrested on 10 March 1922, tried for sedition,
and sentenced to six years imprisonment. Hebegan his sentence on 18
March 1922. He was released in February 1924 for an appendicitis
operation,having served only 2 years.He became the president of INC
in the year in Belgaum session 1924.For the next five years Gandhi
seemingly retired from active agitational politics and devoted
himself tothe propagation of what he regarded as the basic national
needs, namely, Hindu-Muslim unity, removal
8. of untouchability, equality of women, popularization of
hand-spinning and the reconstruction of villageeconomy.Salt
Satyagraha / Dandhi March:On March 12, 1930 Gandhiji started the
historic Dandi March to break the law which had deprived thepoor
man of his right to make his own salt and to protest against the
salt tax.This was highlighted by the famous Salt March to Dandi
from 12 March to 6 April, where he marched388 kilometres (241 mi)
from Ahmedabad to Dandi, Gujarat to make salt himself.On April 6,
1930 Gandhiji broke the Salt law at the sea beach at Dandi. This
simple act was immediatelyfollowed by a nation-wide defiance of the
law. This movement galvanized the whole nation and came tobe known
as "Civil Disobedience Movement". Within a few weeks about a
hundred thousand men andwomen were in jail, throwing mighty
machinery of the British Government out of gear. This forced
thethen Viceroy Lord Irwin to call Gandhiji for talks.On March 5,
1931 Gandhi Irwin Pact was signed. Soon after signing the pact
Gandhiji went to England toattend the First Round Table Conference.
Soon after his return from England Gandhiji was arrestedwithout
trial.Gandhi Irwin Pact:The GandhiIrwin Pact was a political
agreement signed by Mahatma Gandhi and thethen Viceroy of India,
Lord Irwin on 5 March 1931 before the second Round TableConference
in London.As per the pact, the British Government agreed to free
all political prisoners, in return for thesuspension of the civil
disobedience movement and INC was also invited in the Round
TableConference.Lord Irwins successor, Lord Willingdon, taking a
hard line against nationalism, began a newcampaign of controlling
and subduing the nationalist movement. Gandhi was again arrested,
andthe government tried and failed to negate his influence by
completely isolating him from hisfollowers.Gandhi returned to
active politics again in 1936, with the Nehru presidency and the
Lucknow session ofthe Congress.Gandhi had a clash with Subhas
Chandra Bose, who had been elected president in 1938, and who
hadpreviously expressed a lack of faith in non-violence as a means
of protest. Despite Gandhis opposition,Bose won a second term as
Congress President, against Gandhis nominee, Dr. Pattabhi
Sitaramayya.Gandhi declared that Sitaramayyas defeat was his
defeat.
9. Quit India Movement:As the Second World War progressed,
Gandhi intensified his demand for independence, calling forthe
British to Quit India in a speech at Gowalia Tank Maidan on August
8, 1942.It was a call for immediate independence of India and the
slogan of "Do or Die" was adopted forthe same.Soon the British
Government arrested Gandhiji and other top leaders of Congress.
Disorders brokeout immediately all over India and many violent
demonstrations took place. While Gandhiji was injail his wife
Kasturbai passed away. Gandhiji too had a severe attack of Malaria.
In view of hisdeteriorating health he was released from the jail in
May 1944.Second World War ended in 1945 and Britain emerged
victorious.In the general elections held in Britain in 1945, Labour
Party came to power, and Atlee became thePrime Minister. He
promised an early realization of self Government in India.A Cabinet
Mission arrived from England to discuss with Indian leaders the
future shape of a free andunited India, but failed to bring the
Congress and Muslims together. India attained independence
butJinnahs intransigence resulted in the partition of the country.
Communal riots between Hindus andMuslims broke out in the country
in the aftermath of partition. Tales of atrocities on Hindus in
Pakistanprovoked Hindus in India and they targeted Muslims.This
angered some Hindu fundamentalists and on January 30, 1948 Gandhiji
was shot dead by one suchfundamentalist Nathu Ram Godse while he
was going for his evening prayers. The last words uttered
byGandhiji were Hey Ram.The eminent writer and Nobel Laureate
George Bernard Shaw remarked on Gandhis assassinationwith the
comment:It shows how dangerous it is to be too goodHe always
referred Ahimsa and Truth as his two lungs.The Oscar winner CHARLIE
CHAPLIN for best score for Limelight had a memorable meeting
withMahatma Gandhi In 1931.The farm gifted by the German Jew
Hermann Kallenbach is named after the author LEO TOLSTOY ByGandhiji
as LEO TOLSTOY farmMahatma Gandhi adopted his Iconic loin cloth
attire in the Madurai city.Most of the Ashes of Gandhiji were
immersed at the Sangam at Allahabad on 12 February 1948, butsome
were secretly taken away.He adopted the moderate Gokhale as his
political guru.
10. The date of the Mahatma return to India in Jan 9, 1915, is
now observed as PRAVASI BHARATIYADIVAS (NRI DAY)His chief political
enemy in Britain was Winston Churchill,who ridiculed him as a
"half-naked fakir."His Birthday October 2 is commemorated as Gandhi
Jayanti, a national holiday, and world-wide asthe International Day
of Non-Violence.Gandhis date of death, 30 January, is commemorated
as a Martyrs Day in India.In India he was also called Bapu
("Father").He is known in India as the Father of the Nation, which
is first referred to him as such by famousfreedom fighter Netaji
Subhash Chandra BoseThere are two temples in India dedicated to
Gandhi. One is located at Sambalpur in Orissa and the otherat
Nidaghatta village near Kadur in Chikmagalur district of
Karnataka.Literary Works:Gandhi was a prolific writer. One of
Gandhis earliest publications, Hind Swaraj, published in Gujarati
in1909, is recognized as the intellectual blueprint of Indias
freedom movement. The book was translatedinto English the next
year, with a copyright legend that read "No Rights Reserved".News
Papers:For decades he edited several newspapers including Harijan
in Gujarati, in Hindi and in the Englishlanguage; Indian Opinion
while in South Africa.Young India, a weekly journal published in
English by Mahatma Gandhi from 1919 to 1932.Navajivan, a Gujarati
monthly, on his return to India. Later, Navajivan was also
published in Hindi.Books by Mahatma:1. The Story of My Experiments
with Truth (His autobiography)2. Satyagraha in South Africa (about
his struggle there)3. Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule, a political
pamphlet4. Gandhi translated "Unto This Last" (a book by John
Ruskin) into Gujarati in 1908 under the titleof "Sarvodaya" ("well
being of all"). Valji Govindji Desai translated it back to English
in 1951under the title of "Unto This Last: A Paraphrase".Gandhis
complete works were published by the Indian government under the
name The CollectedWorks of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1960s. The
writings comprise about 50,000 pages published in abouta hundred
volumes. In 2000, a revised edition of the complete works sparked a
controversy, as itconstituted large number of errors and omissions.
The Indian government later withdrew the revisededition.
11. The word Mahatma, while often mistaken for Gandhis given
name in the West, is taken fromthe Sanskrit words maha (meaning
Great) and atma (meaning Soul).Rabindranath Tagore is said to have
accorded the title Mahatma to Gandhi. In his autobiography,Gandhi
nevertheless explains that he never valued the title, and was often
pained by it.In Europe, Romain Rolland was the first to discuss
Gandhi in his 1924 book Mahatma Gandhi, andBrazilian anarchist and
feminist Maria Lacerda de Moura wrote about Gandhi in her work on
pacifism.In 1931, notable European physicist Albert Einstein
exchanged written letters with Gandhi, and calledhim:A role model
for the generations to comein a later writing about himAlbert
Einstein commented on Gandhis assassination:Generations to come
will scarce believe that such a one as (Gandhi) ever in fleshand
blood walked upon this earthLanza del Vasto went to India in 1936
intending to live with Gandhi; he later returned to Europe tospread
Gandhis philosophy and founded the Community of the Ark in 1948
(modeled after Gandhisashrams).Madeleine Slade (known as
"Mirabehn") was the daughter of a British admiral who spent much of
heradult life in India as a devotee of Gandhi.Time Magazine named
The 14th Dalai Lama, Lech Wasa, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez,
Aung SanSuu Kyi, Benigno Aquino, Jr.Desmond Tutu, and Nelson
Mandela as Children of Gandhi and his spiritualheirs to
non-violence.The Mahatma Gandhi District in Houston, Texas, United
States, an ethnic Indian enclave, is officiallynamed after
Gandhi.Jamnalal Bajaj, the Industrialist is known to be the adopted
son of Mahatma Gandhi.Global Holidays:In 2007, the United Nations
General Assembly declared Gandhis birthday 2 October asthe
International Day of Non-Violence."First proposed by UNESCO in
1948, as the School Day of Non-violence and Peace (DENIP in
Spanish), 30January of every year is observed the School Day of
Non-violence and Peace in schools of manycountries, In countries
with a Southern Hemisphere school calendar, it is observed on 30
March.
12. Awards:1. Time magazine named Gandhi the Man of the Year in
1930.2. He was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal for his
contribution to ambulance services inSouth Africa in 1915.3. Gandhi
was also the runner-up to Albert Einstein as "Person of the Century
at the end of 1999.4. The Government of India awards the annual
Gandhi Peace Prize to distinguished social workers,world leaders
and citizens. Nelson Mandela, the leader of South Africas struggle
to eradicateracial discrimination and segregation, is a prominent
non-Indian recipient.5. In 2011, Time magazine named Gandhi as one
of the top 25 political icons of all time for theDANDHI MARCH.6.
Gandhi did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize, although he was
nominated five times between1937 and 1948, including the first-ever
nomination by the American Friends Service Committee,though he made
the short list only twice, in 1937 and 1947.7. Gandhi was nominated
in 1948 but was assassinated before nominations closed. That year,
thecommittee chose not to award the peace prize stating that "there
was no suitable livingcandidate" and later research shows that the
possibility of awarding the prize posthumously toGandhi was
discussed and that the reference to no suitable living candidate
was to Gandhi.8. When the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Prize in
1989, the chairman of the committee saidthat this was:"In part a
tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi"Film & Literature:1.
Ben Kingsley portrayed Gandhi in the 1982 film Gandhi, which won
the Academy Award forBest Picture.Directed by Richard
AttenboroughTag line His Triumph changed the world foreverProduced
by Richard AttenboroughScreen play John BrileyStarring (Role of
Gandhi) Bens KingsleyMusic by Ravi Shankar & George
FentonCinematography Billy Williams & Ronnie TaylorEditing by
John BloomStudio Goldcrest FilmsDistributed by Colombia
PicturesRunning time 191 MinutesTotal Academy Awards &
nominated for 8, 3 moreBest Costume Design Award Bhanu Athaiya
13. 2. The 1996 film, The Making of the Mahatma, documents
Gandhis time in South Africa and histransformation from an
inexperienced barrister to recognised political leader. The film is
basedupon the book, The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma, by Fatima Meer
(who also wrote thescreenplay).Directed by Shyam BenegalWritten by
Fatima MeerStarring Rajit KapurRunning time 144 minNational film
Awards1. Best Actor2. Best Feature Film In English2Rajit Kapur as
GandhiRole of Gandhi Rajit Kapur3. Gandhi is also a central figure
in the 2006 Bollywood comedy Lage Raho Munna Bhai.Directed by
Rajkumar HiraniProduced by Vidhu Vinod ChopraMusic by Shantanu
MoitraCinematography C.K.MuraleedharanEditing by Rajkumar
HiraniRunning time 144 minScreenplayby Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat
JoshiStory by Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod ChopraNOTE Lage Raho
Munna Bhai is the first Hindi film to be shown at the United
NationsThe Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, praised the
film, stating that it "capturesBapus message about the power of
truth and humanism."Role of Gandhi Dilip Prabhavalkar4. The 2007
film, Gandhi, My Father explores the relationship between Gandhi
and his son Harilal.Directed & Written by Feroz Abbas Khan
(Chandulal dalal book & Neelamben Parikh book)Produced by Anil
KapoorMusic by Piyush KanojiaCinematography David McDonaldEditing
by A. Sreekar PrasadRunning time 136 minStarring (Role of Gandhi)
Darshan JariwalaRole of Kasturba Gandhi Shefali shahRole of Gulab
Gandhi Bhumika ChawlaRole of Kasturba Gandhi Rohini HattangadiRole
of Nathuram Godse Harsh NayyarRole of Moulana Azad Virendra
RazdanRole of Acharya Kripalani Anang Desai
14. Role of Harilal Gandhi Akshaye KhannaRole of Kanti Gandhi
Vinay jainNational Film Awards1. Special Jury Award2. Best
Supporting Actor3. Best Screenplay3Feroz Abbas Khan & Anil
KapoorDarshan JariwalaFeroz Abbas Khan5. The 2000 film, Hey ram
explores Indias Partition and His Assassination. The film was
chosenas Indias official entry to the Oscars to be considered for
nomination in the Best ForeignFilm category for the year
2000.Directed by Kamal HaasanProduced by Kamal HaasanMusic by
IlaiyaraajaCinematography TirruEditing by Renu SalujaRunning time
202 min (Tamil version), 199 min (Hindi ver)ScreenplaybyStory by
Kamal Haasan, Manohar Shyam JoshiRole of Gandhi Naseeruddin
ShahRole of Amjad Ali Khan Shahrukh khanRole of Saket Ram Kamal
HaasanSeveral biographers have undertaken the task of describing
Gandhis life.Among them are: D. G. Tendulkar with his Mahatma, Life
of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in eightvolumes, Pyarelal and Sushila
Nayyar with their Mahatma Gandhi in 10 volumes.There is also
another documentary, titled Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 18691948,
which are 14 chaptersand 6 hours long.The April 2010 biography,
Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India by
JosephLelyveld contained controversial material speculating about
Gandhis sexual life. Because of thismaterial, the book was banned
in the Indian state of Gujarat, Gandhis birthplace. Lelyveld,
however,stated that the press coverage "grossly distort[s]" the
overall message of the book."An eye for an eye only ends up making
the whole world blind." Mahatma Gandhi
15. Pandit Jawaharlal NehruBorn: November 14, 1889,
AllahabadDied: May 27, 1964, New DelhiJawaharlal Nehru often
referred to as Panditji is the first PrimeMinister of independent
India.Nehru was elected by the Indian National Congress to
assumeoffice as independent Indias first Prime Minister in 1947,
and re-elected when the Congress party won Indias first general
electionin 1951.He became Congress President under the mentorship
of MohandasKaramchand Gandhi.He was the father of Indira Gandhi and
the maternal grandfatherof Rajiv Gandhi, who were to later serve as
the third and sixth PrimeMinisters of India, respectively.He is
said to be the architect, the maker of modern India.His birthday,
November 14, is celebrated in India as Baal Divas ("Childrens Day")
in recognition of hislifelong passion and work on behalf of
children and young people.Early Life & Career:Jawaharlal Nehru
was born on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad in British India.His
father, Motilal Nehru (1861-1931), a wealthy barrister served twice
as President of the IndianNational Congress during the Independence
Struggle.His mother, Swaruprani Thussu (1868-1938), who came from a
wellknown Kashmiri Brahmin familysettled in Lahore,was Motilals
second wife, the first having died in child birth.Jawaharlal was
the eldest of three children, two of whom were girls. The elder
sister, Vijaya Lakshmi,later became the first female president of
the United Nations General Assembly. The youngestsister, Krishna
Hutheesing, became a noted writer and authored several books on her
brother.He grew up in a wealthy atmosphere at an estate called the
Anand Bhavan (Now Swaraj Bhavan) wasowned by the Indian leader
Motilal Nehru where the future prime minister of India Indira
Gandhi wasborn there but Pandit Nehru was not born there.First
Prime Minister ofIndia
16. Swaraj Bhawan originally belonged to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan,
the 19th century Muslim leader andeducationist.It was donated by
Motilal Nehru to the Indian National Congress in 1930, to serve as
the partys officialheadquarters in the region.The Nehrus built
another house next to the old one and named that Anand Bhavan (lit.
Abode ofhappiness); the old house was renamed Swaraj Bhavan (lit.
Abode of freedom).Some sources claim that the name Anand Bhawan was
coined by the poet Akbar Allahabadi translationof Sir Syeds house
Ishrat ManzilIndira Gandhi, Indias former Prime Minister, donated
Anand Bhawan to the nation in 1970 and turned itinto a museum
housing the books and memorabilia of her father and grandfather.He
did his schooling from Harrow and Nehru went to Trinity College,
Cambridge in October 1907 andgraduated with an honours degree in
natural science in 1910.After completing his degree in 1910, Nehru
went to London and stayed there for two years for lawstudies at the
Inns of Court School of Law (Inner Temple).After returning to India
in August 1912, Nehru enrolled himself as an advocate of the
Allahabad HighCourt and tried to settle down as a barrister.He
married Kamala Nehru in 1916 and the following year saw the birth
of their only child IndiraPriyadarshini (Indira Gandhi).Struggle
for Indian Independence (1912-1947):Anti-moderate leaders such as
Annie Beasant and Lokmanya Tilak took the opportunity to call fora
national movement for Home Rule. But, in 1915, the proposal was
rejected due to the reluctance ofthe moderates to commit to such a
radical course of action. Besant nevertheless formed a league
foradvocating Home Rule in 1916; and Tilak, on his release from a
prison term, had in April 1916 formed hisown league. Jawahar Lal
Nehru joined Home Rule League in 1917.His real initiation into
politics came two years later when he came in contact with Mahatma
Gandhi in1919. At that time Mahatma Gandhi had launched a campaign
against Rowlatt Act. Nehru was instantlyattracted to Gandhis
commitment for active but peaceful, civil disobedience. Gandhi
himself sawpromise and Indias future in the young Jawaharlal
Nehru.Political Apprenticeship:Nehru first met Gandhi in 1916, at
the Lucknow session of the Congress. It was to be the beginning of
alifelong partnership between the two, which lasted until the
Gandhis death. Nehru quickly rose toprominence under the mentorship
of Gandhi. By late 1921, he had already became one of the
mostprominent leaders of the Congress.
17. Nehru family changed its family according to Mahatma
Gandhis teachings. Jawaharlal and Motilal Nehruabandoned western
clothes and tastes for expensive possessions and pastimes. They now
wore a KhadiKurta and Gandhi cap.Jawaharlal Nehru took active part
in the Non- Cooperation Movement 1920-1922 and was arrested forthe
first time during the movement. He was released after few months.He
was elected general secretary of the Congress party for two terms
in the 1920s. His first term beganwith the Kakinada session of the
Congress in 1923.Nehru co-operated with Dr. N.S. Hardiker in
founding the Hindustani Seva Dal in 1923.Nehru was elected chairman
of the Allahabad Municipal Board in 1923.Nehrus second term as
general secretary began with the Madras session of the Congress in
1927.In December 1929, Congresss annual session was held in Lahore
and Jawaharlal Nehru was elected asthe President of the Congress
Party. During that session a resolution demanding Indias
independencewas passed and on January 26, 1930 in Lahore,
Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled free Indias flag. Gandhiji gavea call for
Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930. The movement was a great
success and forced BritishGovernment to acknowledge the need for
major political reforms.When the British promulgated the Government
of India Act 1935, the Congress Party decided to contestelections.
Nehru stayed out of the elections, but campaigned vigorously
nationwide for the party. TheCongress formed governments in almost
every province, and won the largest number of seats in theCentral
Assembly. Nehru was elected to the Congress presidency in 1936,
1937, and 1946, and came tooccupy a position in the nationalist
movement second only to that of Gandhi. Jawaharlal Nehru
wasarrested in 1942 during Quit India Movement. Released in 1945,
he took a leading part in thenegotiations that culminated in the
emergence of the dominions of India and Pakistan in August
1947.World War IIAt the outbreak of World War II in September 1939,
British viceroy Lord Linlithgow committed India tothe war effort
without consulting the now-autonomous provincial ministries. In
response, the CongressParty withdrew its representatives from the
provinces and Gandhi staged a limited civil disobediencemovement in
which he and Nehru were jailed yet again.Nehru spent a little over
a year in jail and was released with other Congress prisoners three
days beforePearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. When Japanese
troops soon moved near the borders ofIndia in the spring of 1942,
the British government decided to enlist India to combat this new
threat, butGandhi, who still essentially had the reins of the
movement, would accept nothing less thanindependence and called on
the British to leave India. Nehru reluctantly joined Gandhi in his
hardlinestance and the pair were again arrested and jailed, this
time for nearly three years.By 1947, within two years of Nehrus
release, simmering animosity had reached a fever pitch betweenthe
Congress Party and the Muslim League, who had always wanted more
power in a free India. The lastBritish viceroy, Louis Mountbatten,
was charged with finalizing the British roadmap for withdrawal
with
18. a plan for a unified India. Despite his reservations, Nehru
acquiesced to Mountbatten and the MuslimLeagues plan to divide
India, and in August 1947, Pakistan was createdthe new country
Muslim andIndia predominantly Hindu. The British withdrew and Nehru
became independent Indias first primeminister.Prime Minister of
India (1947-1964):Once elected, Nehru headed an interim government,
which was impaired by outbreaks of communalviolence and political
disorder, and the opposition of the Muslim League led by Muhammad
Ali Jinnah,who were demanding a separate Muslim state of Pakistan.
After failed bids to form coalitions, Nehrureluctantly supported
the partition of India, according to a plan released by the British
on 3 June 1947.He took office as the Prime Minister of India on 15
August, and delivered his inaugural address titled:A Tryst with
DestinyLord Mountbatten swears in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as the
first Prime Minister of free India at theceremony held at 8:30 am
IST on 15 August 1947.Creating the Planning commission of India,
Nehru drew up the first Five-Year Plan in 1951, whichcharted the
governments investments in industries and agriculture. Increasing
business and incometaxes, Nehru envisaged a mixed economy in which
the government would manage strategic industriessuch as mining,
electricity and heavy industries, serving public interest and a
check to private enterprise.In December 1953, Nehru appointed the
States Reorganization Commission to prepare for the creationof
states on linguistic lines. This was headed by Justice Fazal Ali
and the commission itself was alsoknown as the Fazal Ali
Commission.The efforts of this commission were overseen by Govind
Ballabh Pant, who served as Nehrus HomeMinister from December
1954.On the international scene, Nehru was a champion of pacifism
and a strong supporter of the UnitedNations. He pioneered the
policy of non-alignment and co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement
ofnations professing neutrality between the rival blocs of nations
led by the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.Nehru envisioned the developing of
nuclear weapons and established the Atomic Energy Commission
ofIndia (AEC) in 1948. Nehru also called Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, a
nuclear physicist, who was entrusted withcomplete authority over
all nuclear related affairs and programs and answered only to Nehru
himself.Nehru famously said to Bhabha:"Professor Bhabha take care
of Physics, leave internationalrelation to me".Nehru ordered the
arrest of the Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdullah in 1953, whom he
had previouslysupported but now suspected of harbouring separatist
ambitions; Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad replacedhim.
19. In 1954 Nehru signed with China the Five Principles of
Peaceful Coexistence, known in India as thePanchsheel (from the
Sanskrit words, panch: five, sheel: virtues), a set of principles
to govern relationsbetween the two states.In 1957, Menon was
instructed to deliver an unprecedented eight-hour speech defending
Indias standon Kashmir; to date, the speech is the longest ever
delivered in the United Nations Security Council,covering five
hours of the 762nd meeting on the 23 of January, and two hours and
forty-eight minuteson the 24th, reportedly concluding with Menons
collapse on the Security Council floor.Krishna Menon, routinely
referred to by western publications as "Nehrus Evil Genius".He was
described as the second most powerful man in India by Time magazine
and others.Nehru accepted the arbitration of the UK and World Bank,
signing the Indus Water Treaty in 1960 withPakistani ruler Ayub
Khan to resolve long-standing disputes about sharing the resources
of the majorrivers of the Punjab region.Although the Pancha Sila
(Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence) was the basis of the 1954
Sino-Indianborder treaty, in later years, Nehrus foreign policy
suffered through increasing Chinese assertivenessover border
disputes and Nehrus decision to grant political asylum to the 14th
Dalai Lama. After yearsof failed negotiations, Nehru authorized the
Indian Army to liberate Goa in 1961 from Portugueseoccupation, and
then he formally annexed it to India.Nehrus health began declining
steadily after 1962, and he spent months recuperating in
Kashmirthrough 1963.Upon his return from Kashmir in 27 May 1964,
Nehru suffered a stroke and later a heart attack and died.Two years
later Nehrus daughter, Indira Gandhi, became prime minister. With
an interruption of onlythree years, she held the post until her
assassination in 1984. Her son Rajiv was prime minister of
Indiafrom 1984 to 1989, but he too was assassinated.Nehru was
cremated in accordance with Hindu rites at the Shantivana on the
banks of the YamunaRiver,During his prime minister term (15/8/1947
27/05/1964), Monarch was George VI (until 26 January1950).President
Rajendra Prasad and Vice President S. Radhakrishnan Governor
general C.Rajagopalachari(until 26/01/1950).Deputy PM was Sardar
Vallabhai Patel, Succeeding PM was Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting).Indian
newspapers repeated Nehrus own words of the time of Gandhis
assassination:"The light has gone out of our lives and there is
darkness everywhere."
20. In 1955 Nehru was awarded Bharat Ratna, Indias highest
civilian honour.Films on Him:1. The canonical performance is
probably that of Roshan Seth, who played him three times:in Richard
Attenboroughs 1982 film Gandhi, Shyam Benegals 1988 television
series Bharat EkKhoj (53 episodes), based on Nehrus The Discovery
of India, and in a 2007 TV film entitled TheLast Days of the Raj.2.
In Ketan Mehtas film Sardar, Nehru was portrayed by Benjamin
Gilani.Written by Vijay TendulkarRole of Sardar Patel Paresh
RawalRole of Mahatma Gandhi Annu KapoorRole of Jawaharlal Nehru
Benjamin gilaniRole of Mohd Ali Jinnah Sri vallabh vyasRole of H.M.
Patel H.M patel himselfRole of Lord Mountbatten of Burma Tom
Alter3. Girish Karnads historical play, Tughlaq (1962) is an
allegory about the Nehruvian era. It wasstaged by Ebrahim Alkazi
with National School of Drama Repertory at Purana Qila, Delhi in
1970sand later at the Festival of India, London in 1982.Writings:1.
Discovery of India2. Glimpses of World history3. Toward Freedom
(his autobiography)
21. Muhammad Ali JinnahBorn: December 25, 1876, KarachiDied:
September 11, 1948, KarachiMuhammad Ali Jinnah was born December
25, 1876, in Karachi,Pakistan. In 1906 he joined the Indian
National Congress. Seven yearslater, he joined the India Muslim
League. The independent state ofPakistan that Jinnah had envisioned
came to be on August 14, 1947.The following day, he was sworn in as
Pakistans first governor-general. On September 11, 1948, he died
near Karachi, Pakistan.He is known as the Founder of Pakistan.He is
revered in Pakistan as Quaid-i-Azam (Great Leader) and Baba-i-Qaum
(Father of the Nation) and his birthday is observed asa national
holiday.Early LifeMuhammad Ali Jinnah was born in a rented
apartment on the second floor of Wazir Mansion in Karachi,Pakistan
(then part of India), on December 25, 1876. At the time of his
birth, Jinnahs official name wasMahomedali Jinnahbhai. The eldest
of his parents seven children, Jinnah was underweight andappeared
fragile at the time of his birth. But Jinnahs mother, Mithibai, was
convinced her delicateinfant would one day achieve great things.
Jinnahs father, Jinnahbhai Poonja, was a merchant andexporter of
cotton, wool, grain and range of other goods. As a whole, the
family belonged to the KhojaMuslim sect.When Muhammad Ali Jinnah
was 6 years old, his father placed him in the Sindh
Madrasatul-IslamSchool. Jinnah was far from a model student. He was
more interested in playing outside with his friendsthan focusing on
his studies. As the proprietor of a thriving trade business,
Jinnahs father emphasizedthe importance of studying mathematics,
but, ironically, arithmetic was among Jinnahs most
hatedsubjects.When Jinnah was nearly 11 years old, his only
paternal aunt came to visit from Bombay, India. Jinnahand his aunt
were very close. The aunt suggested that Jinnah return with her to
Bombay; she believedthe big city would provide him with a better
education than Karachi could. Despite his mothersresistance, Jinnah
accompanied his aunt back to Bombay, where she enrolled him in the
Gokal Das TejPrimary School. Despite the change of scenery, Jinnah
continued to prove himself a restless and unrulystudent. Within
just six months he was sent back to Karachi. His mother insisted he
attend SindMadrassa, but Jinnah was expelled for cutting classes to
go horseback riding.Founder of Pakistan
22. Jinnahs parents then enrolled him in the Christian
Missionary Society High School, hoping he would bebetter able to
concentrate on his studies there. As a teen, Jinnah developed an
admiration for hisfathers business colleague, Sir Frederick Leigh
Croft. When Croft offered Jinnah an internship in London,Jinnah
jumped at the chance, but Jinnahs mother was not so eager for him
to accept the offer. Fearfulof being separated from her son, she
persuaded him to marry before leaving for his trip. Presumably
shebelieved his marriage would ensure his eventual return.At his
mothers urging, the 15-year-old Jinnah entered into an arranged
marriage with his 14-year-oldbride, Emibai, in February 1892.
Emibai was from the village of Paneli in India, and the wedding
tookplace in her hometown. Following the marriage, Jinnah continued
attending the Christian MissionarySociety High School until he left
for London.He departed Karachi in January of 1893. Jinnah would
never see his wife or his mother again. Emibaidied a few months
after Jinnahs departure. Devastatingly, Jinnahs mother, Mithibai,
also passed awayduring his stay in London.AttorneyAfter
disembarking at Southampton and taking the boat train to Victoria
Station, Jinnah rented a hotelroom in London. He would eventually,
however, settle at the home of Mrs. F.E. Page-Drake ofKensington,
who had invited Jinnah to stay as a guest.After a few months of
serving his internship, in June of 1893 Jinnah left the position to
join Lincolns Inn,a renowned legal association that helped law
students study for the bar. Over the next few years, Jinnahprepared
for the legal exam by studying biographies and political texts that
he borrowed from theBritish Museum Library and read in the
barristers chambers. While studying for the bar, Jinnah heardthe
terrible news of his wife and mothers deaths, but he managed to
forge on with his education. Inaddition to fulfilling his formal
studies, Jinnah made frequent visits to the House of Commons, where
hecould observe the powerful British government in action
firsthand. When Jinnah passed his legal exam inMay of 1896, he was
the youngest ever to have been accepted to the bar.With his law
degree in hand, in August 1896 Jinnah moved to Bombay and set up a
law practice as abarrister in Bombays high court. Jinnah would
continue to practice as a barrister up through the mid-1940s.
Jinnahs most famous successes as a lawyer included the Bawla murder
trial of 1925 and Jinnahs1945 defense of Bishen Lal at Agra, which
marked the final case of Jinnahs legal career.StatesmanDuring
Jinnahs visits to the House of Commons, he had developed a growing
interest in politics,deeming it a more glamorous field than law.
Now in Bombay, Jinnah began his foray into politics as aliberal
nationalist. When Jinnahs father joined him there, he was deeply
disappointed in his sonsdecision to change career paths and, out of
anger, withdrew his financial support. Fortunately, the twohad
mended fences by the time Jinnahs father died in April 1902.
23. Jinnah was particularly interested in the politics of India
and its lack of strong representation in BritishParliament. He was
inspired when he saw Dadabhai Naoroji become the first Indian to
earn a seat in theHouse of Commons. In 1904, Jinnah attended a
meeting of the Indian National Congress. In 1906 hejoined the
congress himself. In 1912, Jinnah attended a meeting of the All
India Muslim League,prompting him to join the league the following
year. Jinnah would later join yet another political party,the Home
Rule League, which was dedicated to the cause of a states right to
self-government.In the midst of Jinnahs thriving political career,
he met a 16-year-old named Ratanbai while on vacationin Darjeeling.
After "Rutti" turned 18 and converted to Islam, the two were
married on April 19, 1918.Rutti gave birth to Jinnahs first and
only child, a daughter named Dina, in 1919.As a member of Congress,
Jinnah at first collaborated with Hindu leaders as their Ambassador
of HinduMuslim Unity, while working with the Muslim League
simultaneously.Gradually, Jinnah realized that the Hindu leaders of
Congress held a political agenda that wasincongruent with his own.
Earlier he had been aligned with their opposition to separate
electoratesmeant to guarantee a fixed percentage of legislative
representation for Muslims and Hindus. But in1926, Jinnah shifted
to the opposite view and began supporting separate electorates.
Still, overall, heretained the belief that the rights of Muslims
could be protected in a united India. At that stage of hispolitical
career, Jinnah left Congress and dedicated himself more fully to
the Muslim League.By 1928 Jinnahs busy political career had taken a
toll on his marriage. He and his second wife separated.Rutti lived
as a recluse at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay for the next year,
until she died on her 29thbirthday.During the 1930s Jinnah attended
the Anglo-Indian Round Table Conferences in London, and led
thereorganization of the All India Muslim League.Independent
PakistanBy 1939 Jinnah came to believe in a Muslim homeland on the
Indian subcontinent. He was convincedthat this was the only way to
preserve Muslims traditions and protect their political interests.
Hisformer vision of Hindu-Muslim unity no longer seemed realistic
to him at this time.During a 1940 meeting of the Muslim League at
Lahore, Jinnah proposed the partition of India and thecreation of
Pakistan, in the area where Muslims constitute a majority. At this
juncture, Jinnah was bothdispleased with Mohandas Gandhis stance at
the London Round Table Conference in 1939, andfrustrated with the
Muslim League. Much to Jinnahs chagrin, the Muslim League was on
the verge ofmerging with the National League, with the goal of
participating in provincial elections and potentiallyconceding to
the establishment of a united India with majority Hindu rule.To
Jinnahs relief, in 1942 the Muslim League adopted the Pakistan
Resolution to partition India into
24. states. Four years later, Britain sent a cabinet mission to
India to outline a constitution for transfer ofpower to India.
India was then divided into three territories. The first was a
Hindu majority, which makesup present-day India. The second was a
Muslim area in the northwest, to be designated as Pakistan.
Thethird was made up of Bengal and Assam, with a narrow Muslim
majority. After a decade, the provinceswould have the choice of
opting out on the formation of a new federation. But when the
Congresspresident expressed objections to implementing the plan,
Jinnah also voted against it. The independentstate of Pakistan that
Jinnah had envisioned came to be on August 14, 1947. The following
day, Jinnahwas sworn in as Pakistans first governor-general. He was
also made president of Pakistans constituentassembly shortly before
his death.Death and LegacyOn September 11, 1948, just a little over
a year after he became governor-general, Jinnah died oftuberculosis
near Karachi, Pakistanthe place where he was born.Today, Jinnah is
credited with having altered the destiny of Muslims in the Indian
subcontinent.According to Richard Symons, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
"contributed more than any other man toPakistans survival." Jinnahs
dream for Pakistan was based on the principles of social
justice,brotherhood and equality, which he aimed to achieve under
his motto of "Faith, Unity, and Discipline."In the wake of his
death, Jinnahs successors were tasked with consolidating the nation
of Pakistan thatJinnah had so determinedly established."There is no
power on earth that can undo Pakistan." Muhammad Ali Jinnah"My
message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence." Muhammad
Ali Jinnah
25. Lal Bahadur ShastriBorn: October 2, 1904, MughalsaraiDied:
January 11, 1966, TashkentLal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime
Minister of the Republic ofIndia and a leader of the Indian
National Congress party.Shastri joined the Indian independence
movement in the 1920s.Deeply impressed and influenced by Congress
leader MahatmaGandhi, he became a loyal follower, first of Gandhi,
and thenof Jawaharlal Nehru.Following independence in 1947, he
joined the latters governmentand became one of Prime Minister
Nehrus principal lieutenants, firstas Railways Minister (195156),
and then in a variety of otherfunctions, including Home
Minister.Shastri as Prime Minister continued Nehrus policies of
non-alignment and socialism. He became anational hero following the
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965.His slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan ("Hail
the soldier, Hail the farmer") became very popular during thewar
and is remembered even today.The war was formally ended in the
Tashkent Agreement of 10 January 1966; he died the following
day,still in Tashkent, of a heart attack.Early life:Shastri was
born in Mughal Sarai in the Chandauli district of the United
Provinces, British India in Britishruled India.His father, Shri
Sharada Srivastava Prasad, was a school teacher, who later became a
clerk in theRevenue Office at Allahabad. Shastris father died when
he was only a year old.His mother, Ramdulari Devi, took him and his
two sisters to her fathers house and settled down there.Shastri ji
was educated at East Central Railway Inter College in Mughal sarai
and Varanasi. He graduatedwith a first-class degree from the Kashi
Vidyapeeth in 1926 and he was given the title Shastri
("Scholar").The title was a bachelors degree awarded by the Vidya
Peeth, but it stuck as part of his name.On 16 May 1928, Shastri
married Lalita Devi of Mirzapur.He had five children, including
Hari Krishna Shashtri, Anil Shastri and Sunil Shashtri, who were
allCongress politicians.His son Anil Shastri is still a senior
leader of the Congress party.Shastri, who belonged to the Kayastha
caste, dropped his surname Srivastava as it indicatedhis caste and
he was against the caste system, a major principle of the Gandhian
movement.Second Prime Ministerof India
26. There is a very famous incident regarding Lal Bahadur
Shastris childhood which took place when he wassix years old. One
day, while returning from school, Lal Bahadur and his friends went
to an orchard thatwas on the way to home. Lal Bahadur Shastri was
standing below while his friends climbed the trees topluck mangoes.
Meanwhile, the gardener came and caught hold of Lalbahadur Shastri.
He scolded LalBahadur Shastri and started beating him. Lal Bahadur
Shastri pleaded to gardener to leave him as hewas orphan. Taking
pity on Lal Bahadur, the gardener said,"Because you are an orphan,
it is all the more important that you must learnbetter
behavior."These words left a deep imprint on Lal Bahadur Shastri
and he swore to behave better in the future.Independence
Activism:Lal Bahadur stayed at his grandfathers house till he was
ten. By that time he had passed the sixthstandard examination. He
went to Varanasi for higher education.In 1921 when Mahatma Gandhi
launched the non-cooperation movement against British
Government,Lal Bahadur Shastri, was only seventeen years old. When
Mahatma Gandhi gave a call to the youth tocome out of Government
schools and colleges, offices and courts and to sacrifice
everything for the sakeof freedom, Lal Bahadur came out of his
school. Though his mother and relatives advised him not to doso, he
was firm in his decision. Lal Bahadur was arrested during the
Non-cooperation movement but ashe was too young he was let
off.After his release Lal Bahadur joined Kashi Vidya Peeth and for
four years he studied philosophy. In 1926,Lal Bahadur earned the
degree of "Shastri" After leaving Kashi Vidya Peeth, Lal Bahadur
Shastri joined"The Servants of the People Society", which Lala
Lajpat Rai had started in 1921.The aim of the Society was to train
youths that were prepared to dedicate their lives in the service of
thecountry. In 1927, Lal Bahadur Shastri married Lalitha Devi. The
marriage ceremony was very simple andShastri ji took only a charkha
(spinning wheel) and few yards of Khadi in dowry.In 1930, Gandhiji
gave the call for Civil Disobedience Movement. Lal Bahadur Shastri
joined themovement and encouraged people not to pay land revenue
and taxes to the government. He wasarrested and put in jail for two
and a half years.After Second World War started in 1939, Congress
launched "Individual Satyagraha" in 1940 to demandfreedom. Lal
Bahadur Shastri was arrested during Individual Satyagraha and
released after one year.On 8 August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi issued the
Quit India speech at Gowalia Tank in Mumbai,demanding that the
British leave India. Shastri, who had just then come out after a
year in prison,travelled to Allahabad. For a week, he sent
instructions to the freedom fighters from Jawaharlal Nehruhome,
Anand Bhavan. A few days later, he was arrested and imprisoned
until 1946.
27. Shastri spent almost nine years in jail in total. During
his stays in prison, he spent time reading booksand became familiar
with the works of western philosophers, revolutionaries and social
reformers. Healso translated the autobiography of Marie Curie into
Hindi.Political career (1947-1964):State ministerFollowing Indias
independence, Shastri was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in his
home state, UttarPradesh of Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant, the then
chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.He became the Minister of Police
and Transport under Govind Ballabh Pants Chief Ministership on
15Aug 1947 following Rafi Ahmed Kidwais departure to become
minister at centre.As the Transport Minister, he was the first to
appoint women conductors. As the minister in charge ofthe Police
Department, he ordered that police use jets of water instead of
lathis to disperse unrulycrowds. His tenure as police minister (As
Home Minister was called prior to 1950) saw successful curbingof
communal riots in 1947, mass migration and resettlement of refugees
and break-in and putting ofidols in disputed Babri Masjid - Ram
Janmabhoomi complex on 22 Dec 1949.Cabinet minister:In 1951,
Shastri was made the General Secretary of the All-India Congress
Committee with JawaharlalNehru as the Prime Minister.He was
believed to be retained as home minister of UP, but in a surprise
move was called to Centre asminister by Nehru. He was elected to
Rajyasabha from Uttar Pradesh w.e.f. 3 April 1952.He served as the
Minister of Railways and Transport in the Central Cabinet from 13
May 1952 to 7December 1956.In Sep 1956, he offered his resignation
after a railway accident at Mahbubnagar that led to 112
deaths.However, Nehru did not accept his resignation. Three months
later, he resigned accepting moral andconstitutional responsibility
for a railway accident at Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu that resulted in
144 deaths.In 1957 elections, Shastri returned to the Cabinet
following the General Elections:First as the Minister for Transport
and Communications, andThen as the Minister of Commerce and
Industry.He became the Home Minister in 1961, after the death of
Govind Vallabh Pant. As Union Home Ministerhe was instrumental in
appointing the Committee on Prevention of Corruption under the
Chairmanshipof K. Santhanam.
28. Prime minister of India (1964-66):After the death of
Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri was unanimously
elected as the PrimeMinister of India.In his first broadcast as
Prime Minister, on 11 June 1964, Shastri stated:"There comes a time
in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross-roads of
history and mustchoose which way to go. But for us there need be no
difficulty or hesitation, no looking to right or left.Our way is
straight and clearthe building up of a socialist democracy at home
with freedom andprosperity for all, and the maintenance of world
peace and friendship with all nations."Domestic policies:Shastri
retained many members of Nehrus Council of Ministers. T. T.
Krishnamachari was retained asthe Finance Minister of India, as was
Defence Minister Yashwantrao Chavan. He appointed SwaranSingh to
succeed him as External Affairs Minister. He also appointedIndira
Gandhi, daughter ofJawaharlal Nehru and former Congress President,
as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting.Gulzarilal Nanda
continued as the Minister of Home Affairs.Shastris tenure witnessed
the Madras anti-Hindi agitation of 1965. The government of India
had for along time made an effort to establish Hindi as the sole
national language of India. This was resisted bythe non-Hindi
speaking states particularly Madras State.Economic policies:Shastri
continued Nehrus socialist economic policies with central planning.
He promoted the WhiteRevolution a national campaign to increase the
production and supply of milk by supportingthe Amul milk
co-operative of Anand, Gujarat and creating the National Dairy
Development Board.While speaking on the chronic food shortages
across the country, Shastri urged people to voluntarilygive up one
meal so that the saved food could be distributed to the affected
populace.During the 22-day war with Pakistan in 1965, Shastri
created the slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" ("Hailthe soldier, Hail
the farmer"), underlining the need to boost Indias food production.
Shastri alsopromoted the Green Revolution. Though he was a
socialist, Shastri stated that India cannot have aregimented type
of economy.Foreign policies:In 1964, Shastri signed an accord with
the Sri Lankan Prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike regardingthe
status of Indian Tamils in the then Ceylon. This agreement is also
known as the Srimavo-Shastri Pactor the Bandaranaike-Shastri
pact.Under the terms of this agreement, 600,000 Indian Tamils were
to be repatriated, while 375,000 were tobe granted Sri Lankan
citizenship. This settlement was to be done by 31 October 1981.
However, afterShastris death, by 1981, India had taken only 300,000
Tamils as repatriates, while Sri Lanka had granted
29. citizenship to only 185,000 citizens (plus another 62,000
born after 1964). Later, India declined toconsider any further
applications for citizenship, stating that the 1964 agreement had
lapsed.After the declaration of ceasefire with Pakistan in 1965,
Shastri and Pakistani President MuhammadAyub Khan attended a summit
in Tashkent (former USSR, now in modern Uzbekistan), organisedby
Alexei Kosygin. On 10 January 1966, Shastri and Khan signed the
Tashkent Declaration.The Tashkent Declaration of 10 January 1966
was a peace agreement between India and Pakistan afterthe
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.Death:Prime Minister Shastri died in
Tashkent due to a heart attack the day after signing the
TashkentDeclaration.He was eulogized as a national hero and the
Vijay Ghat memorial established in his memory. Upon hisdeath,
Gulzarilal Nanda once again assumed the role of Acting Prime
Minister until the CongressParliamentary Party elected Indira
Gandhi over Morarji Desai to officially succeed Shastri.An epic
poetry book in Hindi titled Lalita Ke Aansoo written by Krant M. L.
Verma was published in 1978.In this book the tragic story about the
death of Shastri has been narrated by his wife Lalita
Shastri.Memorials:Shastri was known for his honesty and humility
throughout his life.He was the first person to be posthumously
awarded the Bharat Ratna.Institutes named after him:Lal Bahadur
Shastri National Academy of Administration (Mussorie,
Uttarakhand)The Shastri Indo-Canadian InstituteIn 2011, on Shastris
45th death anniversary, Uttar Pradesh Government announced to
renovateShastris ancestral house at Ramnagar in Varanasi and
declared plans to convert it into a biographicalmuseum.The
International Airport at the City of Varanasi is named after him.A
Monument and a street are named after him in the city of Tashkent,
Uzbekistan.A stadium is named after him in the city of Hyderabad,
AndhrapradeshIn 2005, the Government of India created a chair in
his honor in the field of democracy and governanceat Delhi
University.
30. Indira GandhiBorn: November 19, 1917,
AllahabadAssassinated: October 31, 1984, New DelhiIndira
Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian politician who served asthe
3rdPrime Minister of India for three consecutive terms (196677)and
a fourth term (198084).Gandhi was the second female head of
government in the worldafter Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka and
she remains as theworlds second longest serving female Prime
Minister as of 2012.She was the first woman to become prime
minister in India.She was the first woman to Receive Bharat Ratna
Award in 1971.Gandhi was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the
first prime minister of independent India.She was also the only
Indian Prime Minister to have declared a state of emergency in
order to rule bydecree and the only Indian Prime Minister to have
been imprisoned after holding that office.She was assassinated by
her bodyguards in retaliation for ordering Operation Blue
Star.Early Life and Career:She was born on November 19, 1917 at
Anand Bhavan in Allahabad.Her father Jawaharlal Nehru and
grandfather Motilal Nehru were at the forefront of Indian
freedomstruggle and her mother was Kamla Nehru.She attended primary
school in a variety of institutions in India and Europe, including
EcoleInternationale in Geneva, Ecole Nouvelle in Bex, St Cecilias
and St Marys convent schools (both inAllahabad), before graduating
from the Pupils Own School in Poona and Bombay. In 1936,
Nehruenrolled at Somerville College, Oxford, University of Oxfordin
United Kingdom.While preparing for the entrance exam, she suffered
a personal tragedy after her mother died from aprolonged battle
with tuberculosis in Switzerland.Despite the setbacks, Gandhi chose
to continue studying in England.During her time in Europe, Nehru
was plagued with ill-health and was being treated by the famed
Swissdoctor Auguste Rollier in 1940.Indira Gandhi married a Parsi
named Feroze Gandhi in 1942.First Female PrimeMinister of
India
31. Shortly after their marriage both Indira Gandhi and Feroze
Gandhi were arrested and jailed fornationalist activities.Indira
Gandhi was released after eight months and Feroze Gandhi after an
year. After the release FerozeGandhi became editor of The National
Herald, a newspaper founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mrs.Indira
Gandhi became the principal confidant and assistant of her father
during the period of Nehrusprime ministership (1947-1965).In 1959,
Indira Gandhi became President of the Indian National
Congress.Meanwhile, the death of Feroze Gandhi (from a heart
attack) in 1960, and the subsequent death of herfather in 1964,
caused Indira Gandhi to withdraw into a shell and limit herself to
her immediate family.After the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964,
she was appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha (upperhouse) and
became a member of Lal Bahadur Shastris cabinet as Minister of
Information andBroadcasting.After Lal Bahadur Shastris untimely
death in 1966, she was selected as prime minister by party
bosseswithin the Congress Party as a compromise candidate. Her
candidature was opposed by Morarji Desai, aveteran nationalist and
prime ministerial aspirant himself.Legislative Career:When Indira
became Prime Minister in 1966, the Congress was split in two
factions, the socialists led byGandhi, and the conservatives led by
Morarji Desai.Rammanohar Lohia called her Gungi Gudiya, which means
Dumb Doll.In the fourth general elections held in 1967, Congress
suffered a major setback. Congress majority wasgreatly reduced in
parliament and non-Congress ministries were established in Bihar,
Kerala, Orissa,Madras, Punjab, and West Bengal.She had to
accommodate Morarji Desai as Deputy Prime Minister of India and
Minister of Finance.War with Pakistan in 1971:The Pakistan army
conducted atrocities against the civilian populations of East
Pakistan. An estimated 10million refugees fled to India, causing
financial hardship and instability in the country.The United States
under Richard Nixon supported Pakistan, and mooted a UN resolution
warning Indiaagainst going to war. Nixon apparently disliked Gandhi
personally, referring to her as a "witch" and"clever fox" in his
private communication with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (now
released bythe State Department).Gandhi signed the Treaty of
Friendship and Cooperation, resulting in political support and a
Soviet vetoat the UN.
32. Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation:The IndoSoviet Treaty
of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation was a treaty signed between
India andthe Soviet Union in August 1971 that specified mutual
strategic cooperation.Foreign Policy:Gandhi invited the Pakistani
President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Shimla for a week-long summit. The
twonational leaders eventually signed the Shimla Agreement on July
2, 1972.It followed from the war between the two nations in the
previous year that had led to the independenceof East Pakistan as
Bangladesh., which bound the two countries to resolve the Kashmir
dispute bynegotiations and peaceful means.Due to her antipathy for
Nixon, relations with the United States grew distant, while
relations with theSoviet Union grew closer.Nuclear weapons
program:Gandhi contributed and further carried out the vision of
Jawarharalal Nehru, former Premier of India todevelop the
program.Gandhi authorized the development of nuclear weapons in
1967, in response to the Test No. 6 byPeoples Republic of China.
Gandhi saw this test as Chinese nuclear intimidation, therefore,
Gandhipromoted the views of Nehru to establish Indias stability and
security interests as independent fromthose of the nuclear
superpowers.The program became fully mature in 1974, when Dr. Raja
Ramanna reported to Gandhi that India hadthe ability to test its
first nuclear weapon. Gandhi gave verbal authorization of this test
and preparationswere made in a long-constructed army base, the
Indian Army Pokhran Test Range.In 1974, India successfully
conducted an underground nuclear test, unofficially code named as
"SmilingBuddha", near the desert village of Pokhran in Rajasthan.
As the world was quiet by this test, avehement protest came forward
from Pakistan. Great ire was raised in Pakistan, Pakistans
Primeminister Zulfi Ali Bhutto described this test as "Indian
hegemony" to intimidate Pakistan.Gandhi directed a letter to Bhutto
and, later to the world, describing the test as for
peacefulpurposes and Indias commitment as to develop its programme
for industrial and scientific use.Test No 6:Test No. 6 is the
codename for Chinas first test of a three-staged thermonuclear
deviceand,also its sixth nuclear weapons test. The device was
detonated at Lop Nur Test Base, or oftendubbed as Lop Nur Nuclear
Weapon Test Base, in Malan, Xinjiang, on 17 June 1967.
Withsuccessful testing of this three-stage thermonuclear device,
China became the fourth countryto have successfully developed a
thermonuclear weapon after the United States, SovietUnion and the
United Kingdom.
33. Smiling Buddha:Smiling Buddha, formally designated as
Pokhran-I, was the codename given to the Republic ofIndias first
nuclear test explosion that took place at the long-constructed
IndianArmy base, Pokhran Test Range at Pokhran municipality,
Rajasthan state on 18 May 1974 at 8:05a.m. (IST).It was also the
first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the five permanent
members ofthe United Nations Security Council. The explosive yield
of the bomb was reported to be 8 kilo tons.Green Revolution:Rather
than relying on food aid from the United States headed by a
President Gandhi dislikedconsiderably (the feeling was mutual: to
Nixon, Gandhi was "the old witch"), the country became a
foodexporter. That achievement, along with the diversification of
its commercial crop production, hasbecome known as the "Green
Revolution".At the same time, the White Revolution was an expansion
in milk production which helped to combatmalnutrition, especially
amidst young children. Food Security, as the program was called,
was anothersource of support for Gandhi in the years leading up to
1975.Established in the early 1960s, the Green Revolution was the
unofficial name given to the IntenseAgricultural District Program
(IADP) which sought to insure abundant, inexpensive grain for
urbandwellers upon whose support Gandhias indeed all Indian
politiciansheavily dependedBank nationalizations:In 1969, fourteen
major banks were nationalized as a means of encouraging economic
development1971 Election Victory and Second Term:Indira Gandhi
campaigned fiercely on the slogan of "Garibi Hatao" (eliminate
poverty) during the fifthgeneral elections in March 1971 and won an
unprecedented two-third majority.Verdict on electoral
malpractice:On 12 June 1975, the High Court of Allahabad declared
Indira Gandhis election to the Lok Sabha void ongrounds of
electoral malpractice. In an election petition filed by Raj Narain
(who later on defeated her in1977 parliamentary election from Rae
Bareily), he had alleged several major as well as minor instancesof
using government resources for campaigning. The court thus ordered
her to be removed from herseat in Parliament and banned from
running in elections for six years.Thus, this decision effectively
removed her from office. Mrs Gandhi had asked one of Indias best
legalminds and also one of her colleagues in government, Mr Ashoke
Kumar Sen to defend her in court. Ithas been written that Mrs
Gandhi was told she would only win if Mr Sen appeared for her.But
Gandhi rejected calls to resign and announced plans to appeal to
the Supreme Court. The verdictwas delivered by Mr Justice
Jagmohanlal Sinha at Allahabad High Court.
34. It came almost four years after the case was brought by Raj
Narain, the premiers defeated opponent inthe 1971 parliamentary
election. Gandhi, who gave evidence in her defence during the
trial, was foundguilty of dishonest election practices, excessive
election expenditure, and of using governmentmachinery and
officials for party purposes.After news of the verdict spread,
hundreds of supporters demonstrated outside her house,
pledgingtheir loyalty. Indian High Commissioner BK Nehru said
Gandhis conviction would not harm her politicalcareer.State of
Emergency (19751977):In India, an external state of emergency was
declared two times during wars:In 1962 Sino-Indian WarIn 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971In 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
declared a state of internal emergency after she was indicted ina
corruption scandal and ordered to vacate her seat in the Indian
Parliament, allowing herself to ruleby decree until 1977 and and
jailed al her political opponents.The Emergency lasted till March
1977 andin the general election held afterwards in 1977she was
defeated by a coalition of parties called JantaMorcha.A state of
emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some
normal functions ofthe executive, legislative and judicial powers,
alert citizens to change their normal behaviors.Imprisonment:The
Congress Party split during the election campaign of 1977: veteran
Gandhi supporters like JagjivanRam and her most loyal Hemwati
Nandan Bahuguna and Nandini Satpathy, the three were compelled
topart ways and form a new political entity CFD (Congress for
Democracy) primarily due to intra partypoliticking and also due to
circumstances created by Sanjay Gandhi.A coalition of opposition
parties, under the leadership of Morarji Desai, came into power
after the Stateof Emergency was lifted.The Janata governments Home
Minister, Choudhary Charan Singh, ordered the arrest of Indira
andSanjay Gandhi on several charges, none of which would be easy to
prove in an Indian court. The arrestmeant that Indira Gandhi was
automatically expelled from Parliament.These allegations included
that she had planned or thought of killing all opposition leaders
in jailduring the Emergency.However, this strategy backfired
disastrously. Her arrest and long-running trial, however, gained
hergreat sympathy from many people. The Janata coalition was only
united by its hatred of Gandhi (or "thatwoman" as some called her).
With so little in common, the Morarji Desai government was bogged
downby infighting. Desai resigned in June 1979 after Charan Singh
and Raj Narain formed their ownbreakaway party. Charan Singh was
appointed Prime Minister, by President Reddy, after Gandhipromised
Singh that Congress would support his government from outside.
35. In elections held the following January, Congress was
returned to power with a landslide majority.Indira Emerges Once
More:By 1980, the people of India had had enough of the ineffectual
Janata Party. They reelected IndiraGandhis Congress Party under the
slogan of "stability".Indira took power again for her fourth term
as prime minister. However, her triumph was dampened bythe death of
her son Sanjay, the heir apparent, in a plane crash in June of that
year.Operation Blue Star:In the 1977 elections, a coalition led by
the Sikh-majority Akali Dal(is a Sikhism-centric political partyin
India, mainly active in the Indian state ofPunjab and with a small
presence in Haryana) came to powerin the northern Indian state of
Punjab.In an effort to split the Akali Dal and gain popular support
among the Sikhs, Indira Gandhis Congresshelped bring the orthodox
religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to prominence in the
Punjabpolitics.Later, Bhindranwales organization Damdami Taksal
became embroiled in violence with anotherreligious sect called the
Sant Nirankari Mission, and he was accused of instigating the
murder of theCongress leader Jagat Narain.After being arrested in
this matter, Bhindranwale disassociated himself from Congress and
joined handswith the Akali Dal.In July 1982, he led the campaign
for the implementation of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution,
whichdemanded greater autonomy for the Sikh-majority state.
Meanwhile, a small section of the Sikhsincluding some of
Bhindranwales followers, turned to militancy in support of the
Khalistan movement,which aimed to create a separate sovereign state
for the Sikhs.Khalistan movement refers to a secessionist movement
which seeks to create a separatesovereignSikh state, called
Khalistan ("The Land of the Pure") in the Punjab region of South
Asia.In 1983, Bhindranwale and his militant followers headquarted
themselves in the Golden Temple, theholiest shrine of the Sikhs,
and started accumulating weapons.After several futile negotiations,
Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian army to enter the Golden temple
inorder to subdue Bhindranwale and his followers.In the resulting
Operation Blue Star, the shrine was damaged and many civilians were
killed. The Stateof Punjab was closed to international media, its
phone and communication lines shut. To this day theevents remain
controversial with a disputed number of victims;Sikhs seeing the
attack as unjustified and Bhindrawale being declared the greatest
sikh martyr of the21st century by Akal Takht (Sikh Political
Authority) in 2003.
36. The Akal Takht is highest seat of temporal authority of the
Khalsa. The Akal Takht is located inthe Harmandir Sahib complex in
Amritsar, Punjab. It was built by the Guru Hargobind Sahib,stands
witness to the Sikh idea of sovereignty.Assasination:The day before
her death Indira Gandhi visited Orissa on 30 October 1984 where she
gave her lastspeech:"I am alive today; I may not be there tomorrow.
I shall continue to serve till mylast breath and when I die every
drop of my blood will strengthen India andkeep a united India
alive."Indira Gandhi delivered her last speech at the then Parade
Ground in front of the Secretariat of Orissa.After her death, the
Parade Ground was converted to the Indira Gandhi Park which was
inaugurated byher son, Rajiv Gandhi.On 31 October 1984, two of
Gandhis bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, shot her with
theirservice weapons in the garden of the Prime Ministers residence
at 1 Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. Theshooting occurred as she was
walking past a wicket gate guarded by Satwant and Beant. She was
tohave been interviewed by the British actor Peter Ustinov, who was
filming a documentary for Irishtelevision. Beant Singh shot her
three times using his side-arm, and Satwant Singh fired 30
rounds.Afterwards they were taken away by other guards into a
closed room where Beant Singh was shotdead. Kehar Singh was later
arrested for conspiracy in the attack. Both Satwant and Kehar
weresentenced to death and hanged in Delhis Tihar jail.Indira
Gandhi was brought at 9:30 AM to the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, where doctorsoperated on her. She was declared dead at
2:20 PM. The post-mortem examination was conducted bya team of
doctors headed by Dr. T D Dogra. Dr. Dogra stated that as many as
30 bullet wounds weresustained by Indira Gandhi, from two sources,
a Sten gun and a pistol. The assailants had fired 31 bulletsat her,
of which 30 had hit; 23 had passed through her body while 7 were
trapped inside her.Gandhi was cremated on 3 November near Raj Ghat.
Her funeral was televised live on domestic andinternational
stations, including the BBC.Following her cremation, millions of
Sikhs were displaced and nearly three thousand were killed in
anti-Sikh riots.Rajiv Gandhi on a live TV show said of the
carnage:"When a big tree falls, the earth shakes."Gandhis yoga
guru, Dhirendra Brahmachari, helped her in making certain decisions
and also executedcertain top level political tasks on her behalf,
especially from 1975 to 1977 when Gandhi "dissolvedParliament,
declared a state of emergency and suspended civil liberties.
37. The Indira Gandhi National Open University, the largest
university in the world, is also named afterher.Indira point:Indira
point has the name given for the southernmost tip of Republic of
India. It is located in the UnionTerritory of Andaman and Nicobar
Islands whom has named on the point in honour of Indira Gandhi.
Itwas formerly known by various names that including Pygmalion
Point, Parsons Point, and for a briefperiod of time India
Point.Atal Bihari Vajpayee called her the Avatar of Durga.
38. Rajiv GandhiBorn: August 20, 1944, MumbaiAssassinated: May
21, 1991, SriperumbudurRajiv Rotna Gandhi was the sixth Prime
Minister of India (19841989).He took office after his mothers
assassination on 31 October 1984and he himself was assassinated on
21 May 1991.He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he
took officeat the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the eldest son of
Indira and Feroze Gandhi.After dropping out of university, he
became a professional pilotfor Indian Airlines. He remained aloof
from politics, despite hisfamilys political prominence. Following
the death of his youngerbrother Sanjay Gandhi in 1980 Rajiv entered
politics. Followingthe assassination of his mother in 1984 after
Operation Blue Star,the Indian National Congress party leaders
nominated him to be Prime Minister.Early life:Rajiv Gandhi was born
on August 20, 1944 in Bombay (Mumbai) in Indias most famous
political family.His grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru played a stellar
role in Indias freedom struggle and becameindependent Indias first
Prime Minister.Rajeev Gandhi did his schooling from the elite Doon
school and then studied at the University of Londonand at Trinity
College, Cambridge in Britain.At Cambridge he met the Italian-born
Antonia Albina Maino (Now Sonia Gandhi), then a waitress in
arestaurant, whom he later married.In August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru
became the prime minister of independent India, and the
familysettled in Allahabad, and then at Lucknow, where Feroze
became the editor of the NationalHerald newspaper (founded by
Motilal Nehru).In 1952, Indira helped Feroze manage his campaign
for elections to the first Parliament ofIndia from Rae Bareli.After
becoming an MP, Feroze Gandhi also moved to Delhi, but "Indira
continued to stay with her father,thus putting the final seal on
the separation."Youngest Prime Ministerof Indi
39. Relations were strained further when Feroze challenged
corruption within the Congress leadership overthe Haridas Mundhra
scandal. Jawaharlal suggested that the matter be resolved in
private, but Ferozeinsisted on taking the case directly to
parliament:The scandal, and its investigation by justice M C
Chagla, lead to the resignation of one of Nehrus keyallies, finance
minister T.T. Krishnamachari, further alienating Feroze from
Jawaharlal.After Feroze Gandhi had a heart attack in 1958, the
family was reconciled briefly when they holidayedin Kashmir. Feroze
died soon afterwards from a second heart attack in 1960.In 1970,
his wife gave birth to their first child Rahul Gandhi, and in 1972,
to Priyanka Gandhi, theirsecond. Even as Rajiv remained aloof from
politics, his younger brother Sanjay became a close advisor totheir
mother.Entry into politics:Following his younger brothers death in
1980, Gandhi was pressured by Indian National Congress
partypoliticians and his mother to enter politics. He and his wife
were both opposed to the idea, and he evenpublicly stated that he
would not contest for his brothers seat.Nevertheless, he eventually
announced his candidacy for Parliament. His entry was criticized by
many inthe press, public and opposition political parties.He fought
his first election from Amethi Loksabha seat. In this by-election,
he defeated Lokdalleader Sharad Yadav by more than 200,000
votes.Elected to Sanjays Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituency of
Amethi in Uttar Pradesh state in February1981, Gandhi became an
important political advisor to his mother. It was widely perceived
that IndiraGandhi was grooming Rajiv for the prime ministers job,
and he soon became the president of the YouthCongress the Congress
partys youth wing.Premiership:Rajiv Gandhi was in West Bengal when
his mother, Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984by two
of her Sikh bodyguardsTop Congress leaders, as well as President
Zail Singh pressed Rajiv to become Indias Prime Minister,within
hours of his mothers assassination by two of her Sikh bodyguards.
Commenting on the anti-Sikhriots in the national capital Delhi,
Rajiv Gandhi said:When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakesIn
October 1984 he became the Youngest Prime Minister of India at the
age of 40.He called for general elections in 1984 and riding on a
massive sympathy wave led Congress to athumping victory. Congress
garnered 80 percent of the seats in the lower house and achieved
itsgreatest victory since independence.
40. Economic Policy:He founded the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
System in 1986 which is a Central government basedinstitution that
concentrates on the upliftment of the rural section of the society
providing them freeresidential education from 6th till 12 grade.His
efforts created MTNL in 1986, and his public call offices, better
known as PCOs, helped spreadtelephones in rural areas.Security
policy:The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was signed