Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee 

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was one of the great novelists of nineteenth century Bengal. He was a literary pioneer and nationalist who had an exceptional ability to communicate with and arouse the masses.
Bankim Chandra was born on 26th June 1838 in the village of Kathalpara, near Naihati, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He belonged to a distinguished family. Bankim was the yongest of three sons of Jadabchandra Chatterjee and Durgadebi. His father was a Deputy Collector.

Even as a child Bankim showed great courage and virtuosity and never had any fear of the 'gora sahebs'- [the British]. He was always brilliant in his studies and started writing poetry at a young age. Bankim studied law from the Presidency College in Calcutta and was one of the first two graduates of the Calcutta University in 1858. He was immediately appointed- Deputy Magistrate by the British colonial government - a job he grudgingly held for three decades.

A Literary Scholar

However, Bankim continued his literary pursuits. He chose fiction as his theme and the first novel by him to appear in print was Rajmohan's Wife. It was written in English. His first Bengali novel wasDurgeshnandini, and was published in 1865. The next novel Kapalkundala[1866] is one of the best romances written by Chatterjee.
However Bankim Chandra wanted to stimulate the intellect of the Bengali speaking people through his works and bringing about a cultural revival. With this end in view he brought out and edited the monthlyBangadarshan in 1872.


Bamkim was also a nationalist to the core. His goal was the revival of national pride in protest against British rule. In 1882, Anandamath was published. Anandamath became his most famous as well as his most political novel and a source of inspiration for the patriots fighting for the freedom of our country from the British rule. The chant of "Vande Mataram", was coined in this novel and it soon became a patriotic hymn that aroused the entire nation to fight for their freedom. Vande Mataram was later adopted by the Indian government as the nation's National Song.


Throughout his life, Bankim wrote on social and political issues facing the society and the country at that time like widow remarriage, education, lack of intellectual development and freedom. He believed that by communicating with the masses he could unite them against the British.
The British Government honoured him with the title "Ray Bahadur" in 1892. Bankim Chandra passed away on 8th April 1894.

Bankim Chandra -Author of Vande Mataram

National Song of India


Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in Sanskrit, the song Vande Mataram was primarily conceived to serve as a motivation to the people in their freedom struggle. Though it was penned down in 1876, the first publication emerged in the year 1882 in 'Anandamatha' amidst doubts of a ban by the British Raj. Sharing an equal status with Jana-gana-mana [National Anthem of India], the song was first sung in the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. Vande Mataram served as a voice against British rule during the freedom struggle. Initially, people with patriotic fervor flocked the streets of Calcutta and other metropolis, shouting the slogan 'Vande Mataram' or 'Hail to the Mother [land]!' 


Terrified by the impending danger, British banned the expression of song and imprisoned freedom fighters, who disobeyed the command. Vande Mataram initially served as the National Anthem of India, but later Jana-gana-mana was adopted as the anthem of independent India. This was because the Muslim sect in India felt that the song was biased, as it depicted the nation as 'Ma Durga', a Hindu Goddess. Though Vande Mataram aptly illustrated the pre-independence national zeal and passion, it was espoused as the National Song of India. In the following lines, the wordings are provided for the National Song of India and its English translation.


National Song Of India

Vande maataraM
sujalaaM suphalaaM malayaja shiitalaaM
SasyashyaamalaaM maataram ||

Shubhrajyotsnaa pulakitayaaminiiM
pullakusumita drumadala shobhiniiM
suhaasiniiM sumadhura bhaashhiNiiM
sukhadaaM varadaaM maataraM ||

Koti koti kantha kalakalaninaada karaale
koti koti bhujai.rdhR^itakharakaravaale
abalaa keno maa eto bale
bahubaladhaariNiiM namaami taariNiiM
ripudalavaariNiiM maataraM ||

Tumi vidyaa tumi dharma
tumi hR^idi tumi marma
tvaM hi praaNaaH shariire

Baahute tumi maa shakti
hR^idaye tumi maa bhakti
tomaara i pratimaa gaDi
mandire mandire ||

TvaM hi durgaa dashapraharaNadhaariNii
kamalaa kamaladala vihaariNii
vaaNii vidyaadaayinii namaami tvaaM

Namaami kamalaaM amalaaM atulaaM
SujalaaM suphalaaM maataraM ||

ShyaamalaaM saralaaM susmitaaM bhuushhitaaM
DharaNiiM bharaNiiM maataraM |"

English Translation

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Lovilest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!
*********************

Poet,Novelist,Essayist,Journalist

Trivia

• Once Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, playing on the meaning of Bankim [Bent A Little], asked him what it was that had bent him. Chatterjee jokingly replied that it was the kick from the Englishman's shoe.
• After the Vishabriksha [The Poison Tree] was published in 1873,The Times of London observed:

“

Have you read the Poison Tree Of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee?

”

• When Bipin Chandra Pal decided to start a patriotic journal in August 1906, he named it Bande Mataram, after Chatterjee's song..Lala Lajpat Rai also published a journal of the same name.
• Bibliography
  Fiction
  • Durgeshnandini [March 1865]
  • Kapalkundala [1866]
  • Mrinalini [1869]
  • Vishabriksha [The Poison Tree, 1873]
  • Indira [1873, revised 1893]
  • Jugalanguriya [1874]
  • Radharani [1876, enlarged 189])
  • Chandrasekhar [1877]
  • Kamalakanter Daptar [From the Desk of Kamlakanta, 1875]
  • Rajani[1877]
  • Krishnakanter Uil [Krishnakanta's Will, 1878]
  • Rajsimha [1882]
  • Devi Chaudhurani [1884]
  • Kamalakanta [1885]
  • Sitaram [March 188])
  • Muchiram Gurer Jivancharita [The Life of Muchiram Gur]
  
  
  and 
  #Anandamath  is a Bengali novel, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee  and published in 1882. Set in the background of the Sannyasi Rebellion  in the late 18th century, it is considered one of the most important novels in the history of Bengali and Indian literature. Its importance is heightened by the fact that it became synonymous with the struggle for Indian independence from the British Empire.  The novel was banned by the British. The ban was lifted later by the Government of India after independence.
  The national song of India, Vande Mataram  was originally published in this novel.
  However, the value of the novel is in its patriotic nature, and being a significant voice amidst the oppression that inspired struggle for independence in the generations to come. Many of the lines of the novel became immortal and have been quoted by scores of authors, even in present times.
  Film Adaptation
  This was later adapted into a film, Anand Math, in 1952, directed by Hemen Gupta, starring Bharat Bhushan, Pradeep Kumar and Geeta Bali.  Musi was by Hemant Kumar, who gave a version of the Vande Mataram, which became a cult success.
  
  

  

  Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

  Some of the Religious Commentaries are:
  • Krishna Charitra [Life of Krishna, 1886]
  • Dharmatattva [Principles of Religion, 1888]
  • Devatattva [Principles of Divinity, Published Posthumously]
  • Srimadvagavat Gita, a Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita [1902 - Published Posthumously]
  Poetry Collections : Lalita O Manas [1858]
  ******************
  More about Bankim Chandra Chatterjee:
• Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wanted to bring about a cultural revival of Bengal by stimulating the intellect of the Bengali speaking people through literary campaign. With this end in view he brought out monthly magazine called Bangadarshan in 1872.
• Bankim Chatterjee wasalso a superb story-teller, and a master of romance. No Bengali writer before or since has enjoyed such spontaneous and universal popularity as Chatterjee. His novels have been translated in almost all the major languages of India

Homi Jehangir Bhabha

Born: October 30, 1909
Died: January 24, 1966

Achievements


Founded  The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research; Was the first chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission; Was chairman of the first United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva in 1955.


*****************

Dr. Homi Jahangir Bhabha

Homi Bhabha, whose full name was Homi Jehangir Bhabha, was a famous Indian atomic scientist. In Independent India, Homi Jehangir Bhabha, with the support of Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the foundation of a scientific establishment and was responsible for the creation of two premier institutions, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Homi Bhabha was the first chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission.

Homi Jehangir Bhabha was born on October 30, 1909, in Bombay in a rich Parsi family. After graduating from Elphinstone College and the Royal Institute of Science in Bombay, he went to Cambridge University. He received his doctorate in 1934. During this period he worked with Niels Bohr on the studies that led to quantum theory. Homi Jehnagir Bhabha also worked with Walter Heitler on the cascade theory of electron showers, which was of great importance for the understanding of cosmic radiation. He did significant work in identifying the meson.

Due to outbreak of Second World War, Homi Jehangir Bhabha, returned to India in 1939. He set up the Cosmic Ray Research Unit at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore under C. V. Raman in 1939. With the help of J.R.D. Tata, he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research at Mumbai. In 1945, he became director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. 

Apart from being a great scientist, Homi Bhabha, was also a skilled administrator. After independence he received the blessings of Jawaharlal Nehru for peaceful development of atomic energy. He established the Atomic Energy Commission of India in 1948. Under his guidance Indian scientists worked on the development of atomic energy, and the first atomic reactor in Asia went into operation at Trombay, near Bombay, in 1956.

Dr.Homi Bhabha with Nehruji-1952

[Excellent rapport: Dr. Homi Bhabha with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during the inauguration of the Rare Earths factory in Mumbai on December 12, 1952. Indira Gandhi and her two children are also seen in the picture]


Homi Bhabha was chairman of the first United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva in 1955. He advocated international control of nuclear energy and the outlawing of atomic bombs by all countries. He wanted nuclear energy to be used for alleviating poverty and misery of people. 

Homi Bhabha received many honorary degrees from Indian and foreign universities and was a member of numerous scientific societies, including the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. He also authored many articles on quantum theory and cosmic rays. Homi Bhabha died in an aeroplane crash in Switzerland on January 24, 1966.  


Death and Legacy  


He died when Air India Flight 101 crashed near Mont Blanc on January 24, 1966.  Many possible theories have been advanced for the aircrash, including a conspiracy theory in which CIA is involved in order to paralyze Indian Nuclear Weapon Programme.  

Dr. Homi J Bhabha addressing a meeting at the Atomic Energy Establishment at Trombay on the death of late Lal Bahadur Shashtri].

The Atomic Energy Centre in Trombay was renamed as the "Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honour.  In addition to being a famous scientist, Bhabha was also a painter and a classical music and opera enthusiast, besides being an amateur botanist.  


After his death, the Atomic Energy Establishment was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honour. Bhabha also encouraged research in Electronics,  Space, Science, Radio, Astronomy and Microbiology.  The famed radio telescope in Ooty, India, was his initiative, and it became a reality in 1970.  Bhabha has since become known as the "Father of India's Atomic Energy Programme".  The Homi Bhabha Fellowship Council has been giving the Homi Bhabha Fellowships since 1967.  Other noted institutions in his name are the Homi Bhabha National Institute, an Indian deemed University and the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai, India.  

Remembering Homi Bhabha:

“In the very recent past there lived a person amongst many of us here, who in all moments of time available to him, thought of science on ideas which revealed the structure of matter, its grand form and beauty, and last but not the least, how he could make India which had just then become free from foreign control, a powerful country which derived its strength from the knowledge of science”

— Prof. Devendra Lal [excerpt from "Remembering Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, F. R. S"] 

Homi Bhabha inaugurates the 1st atomic reactor-1956

For further Reading:

• 1.  http://www.tifr.res.in/~hbbccc/download/yisc.pdf

• 2.  A Masterful Spirit—Homi Bhabha by Indira Chowdhury and Ananya Dasgupta; Published by Penguin - Pages 240/- [Price Rs 1299/-]

The above Book  is profusely illustrated with rare photographs of Bhabha, his family, his great acquaintances, his sketches of eminent scientists, his paintings and correspondence. Also there are delightful doodles by him.


Homi Bhabha's Leadership

An Eminent Scientist

Dr. Bhabha's leadership of the atomic energy programme spanned 22 years. It began in 1944 with a letter he wrote to the Sir Dorabji Trust proposing the establishment of an institute devoted to fundamental research. He continued his work with passion and commitment right till his untimely death in an air accident in 1966.

Since the setting up of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in December 1945, India has come a long way. This has been possible because of the strong foundations laid by Dr Bhabha during his lifetime.


In August 1955, Dr. Homi Bhabha said "For the full industrialization of the under-developed countries, for the continuation of our civilization and its further development, atomic energy is not merely an aid, it is an absolute necessity. The acquisition by man of the knowledge of how to release and use atomic energy must be recognized as the third epoch of human history."

TIFR: A brief history

JRD Tata

Institutions of higher learning in a society are distinct indicators of its intellectual traditions. With strong traditions of learning, seats of higher education have played a crucial role in the history of India. Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha conceived an institute devoted to basic science, one that would provide the atmosphere for fundamental research to flourish while contributing to the nascent project of nation building. Dr. Bhabha described his vision in a letter to Shri J. R. D. Tata in 1943, and then, with the latter's encouragement, made a formal proposal to the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. The soundness and the need for such a centre of excellence was immediately perceived by the Industry and the Government. Support came from the Trust and from the Government of Bombay Province. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research [TIFR] started functioning on June 1, 1945. Dr. Bhabha was also encouraged by the University of Bombay which recognised the Institute for awarding Master and Doctoral degrees.

TIFR Endowment Fund [TEF]

To promote flexible funding of new initiatives at the Institute in research activities at the forefront of Science, Technology and Mathematics, there is a pressing need to create a substantial corpus.  The TIFR Council of Management approved the establishment of a general purpose Endowment Fund for this purpose in 1997.  Such a Fund could serve to promote extended visits of young and distinguished scientists in different institutions in the country and abroad for collaborative research.  The Endowment fund collected will also be able to strengthen the other activities of promoting academic excellence at the Institute which includes financial support in the form of augmented research scholarships and additional funding to exceptionally talented and highly motivated young students and scientists who would wish to join the Institute for their doctoral and post doctoral research.

Sir Dorarbji Tata Trust made a firm beginning towards the creation of Endowment Fund by donating rupees one crore towards Chair Professorships and Archives, during the Golden Jubilee celebrations [1995-96] of the Institute.

Dr. Homi Bhabha spent his whole life in pursuit of this grand vision. He inspired a generation of scientists with his bold dreams and ambitions for the nation and his selfless service. He was indeed a great scientific pioneer and a great builder of modern India. 

Science management

Bhabha will also be remembered for his innovations in science management. He modified the administrative practices of a colonial form of government, in which most of the power rested with the officialdom. He utilised the help of retired ICS officers, and borrowed officers of the IAS cadre to help him deal with the government. But the final say was his. There are several instances of how he overruled suggestions and markings of those from the pure administrative service.

Dr Homi Bhabha -Scientist, Social Reformer& Diplomat

The  Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education is another example of how basic scientists could expand their creative talent to areas of social concern. This part of the social responsibility was unique in Bhabha. In this respect he was not only a scientific administrator but also a social reformer and a diplomat

About Dr. Homi Bhabha

• Click here for Memories of Dr. Homi Bhabha.
• Click here for some of the Scientific Contributions by Dr. Homi Bhabha.
• Click here for some more photographs of Dr. Homi Bhabha. 

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati - The founder of the Arya Samaj

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati [February 12, 1824 – October 31, 1883] was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer and the founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement, founded in 1875. He was the first man who gave the call for Swarajya - "India for Indians" in 1876 which was later furthered by Lokmanya Tilak. Denouncing idolatry and ritualistic worship prevalent inHinduism at the time, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies, subsequently philosopher and President of India, S. Radhakrishnan, later called him one of "makers of Modern India" as did Sri Aurobindo.

One of his notable disciples was Shyamji Krishna Varma who founded India House in London and guided other revolutionaries. Others Who were influenced and fallowed him were Madam Cama, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Lala Hardyal Madan Lal Dhingra, Bhagat Singh and others. His other disciples were Swami Shraddhanand, Lala Lajpat Rai. His book Satyarth Prakash contributed to the Indian independence movementis one of his great contributions. He was a sanyasi (ascetic) from his boyhood, and a scholar, who believed in the infallible authorityof the Vedas.



Dayananda advocated the doctrine of karma, skepticism in dogma, and emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya [celibacy and devotion to God]. The Theosophical Society and the Arya Samaj were united from 1878 to 1882, when the former adopted the name Theosophical Society of the Arya Samaj.


Among Maharishi Dayananda's contributions are his promoting of the equal rights of women - such as the right to education and reading of Indian scriptures - and his translation of the Vedasfrom Sanskrit to Hindi so that the common person may be able to read the Vedas.

Early life

Dayananda was born on February 12 in 1824, in the village of Tankara near Morvi [Morbi] in theKathiawar region [present Rajkot district] of the princely state of Gujarat, into a affluent and devout Brahmin family of Krishna Lal Tiwari and Yashodabai. Since he was born under Mul Nakshatra, he was named Dayananda Mulshankar and led a very comfortable early life, studying Sanskrit, the Vedas and other religious books so as to prepare himself for a future as a Hindu priest.

A number of incidents resulted in Dayananda's life questioning traditional beliefs of Hinduism and inquiring about God [ Bhagwan] in early childhood. Still a young child on the night of Shivratri(literally: the night for God Shiva) when his family went to a temple for overnight worship, he stayed up waiting for God to appear to accept the offerings made to idol of God Shiva. While his family slept, Dayananda saw a mouse eating the offerings kept for the God. He was utterly surprised and wondered how a God, who cannot even protect his own "offerings," would protect humanity. He argued with his father that they should not be worshiping such a helpless God.

The deaths of his younger sister and his uncle from cholera caused Dayananda to ponder the meaning of life and death and he started asking questions, which worried his parents. He was to be married in his early teens [common in 19th century India], but he decided marriage was not for him and ran away from home in 1846.

Search for knowledge

Dayananda was disillusioned with classical Hinduism and became a wandering monk. He learned Panini's Grammar to understand Sanskrit texts, and learnt from them that GOD can be found. After wandering in search of GOD for over 2 decades, he found Swami Virjananda near Mathura who became his guru (gu: darkness; ru:light- i.e. one who makes you reach towards light from darkness]. Swami Virjananda told him to throw away all his books, as he wanted Dayananda to start from a clean slate and learn directly from the Vedas, the oldest and foundational books. Dayananda stayed under Swami Virjananda's tutelage for two and a half years. After finishing his education, Virjananda asked him to spread the knowledge of the Vedas in society as his gurudakshina [tuition-dues]. It is during his mission, Dayanand Saraswati gave the call.


Maharishi Dayanand's Mission

Dayananda set about the difficult task with dedication despite attempts on his life. He traveled the country challenging religious scholars and priests of the day to discussions and won repeatedly on the strength of his arguments. He believed that Hinduism had been corrupted by divergence from the founding principles of the Vedas and misled by the priesthood for the priests' self-aggrandisement. Hindu priests discouraged common folk from reading Vedic rituals (such as bathing in the Ganges and feeding of priests on anniversaries) which Dayananda pronounced as superstitions or self-serving.

Far from borrowing concepts from other religions, as Raja Ram Mohan Roy had done, Swami Dayananda was quite critical of Islam and Christianity and also of the other Indian faiths like Jainism, Buddhism and Idol Worshiping in Hinduism- as may be seen in his book Satyartha Prakash He was against what he considered to be the corruption of the pure faith in his own country. Unlike many other reform movements within Hinduism, the Arya Samaj's appeal was addressed not only to the educated few in India, but to the world as a whole as evidenced in the 6th principle of the Arya Samaj.

Arya Samaj allows and encourages converts to Hinduism.


Dayananda’s concept of Dharma is succinctly set forth in his Beliefs and Disbeliefs.

He said,


"I accept as Dharma whatever is in full conformity with impartial justice, truthfulness and the like; that which is not opposed to the teachings of God as Vedas. Whatever is not free from partiality and is unjust, partaking of untruth and the like, and opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas - that I hold as adharma"- Satyarth Prakash


He had also said


He, who after careful thinking, is ever ready to accept truth and reject falsehood; who counts the happiness of others as he does that of his own self, him I call just.-Satyarth Prakash


[*The Satyarth Prakash (English title: The Light of Truth) is a 1875 book written by Swami Dayanand, the founder of Arya Samaj, and is considered its central text.]

Dayananda's Vedic message was to emphasize respect and reverence for other human beings, supported by the Vedic notion of the divine nature of the individual - divine because the body was the temple where the human essence [soul or "Atma"] could possibly interface with the creator ["ParamAtma"]. In the 10 principles of the Arya Samaj, he enshrined the idea that "All actions should be performed with the prime objective of benefitting mankind" as opposed to following dogmatic rituals or revering idols and symbols. In his own life, he interpreted Mokshato be a lower calling [due to its benefit to one individual] than the calling to emancipate others.

Dayananda's "back to the Vedas" message influenced many thinkers. Taking the cue from him, Sri Aurobindo decided to look for hidden psychological meanings in the Vedas. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1972.

Arya Samaj


Main article: Arya Samaj

Swami Dayananda's creation, the Arya Samaj, is a unique contribution in Hinduism. The Arya Samaj unequivocally condemns idol worship,animal sacrifice, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, child marriages and discrimination against women on the grounds that all these lacked Vedic sanction. The Arya Samaj discourages dogma and symbolism and encourages skepticism in beliefs that run contrary to common sense and logic. To many people, the Arya Samaj aims to be a "universal society" based on the authority of the Vedas.

Death

According to Indian History, in 1883 Dayananda was invited by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, to stay at his palace. The Maharaja was eager to become his disciple and learn his teachings. One day Dayananda went to the Maharaja's rest room and saw him with a dance girl. Maharaja loved this nautch girl. Dayananda boldly asked the Maharaja to forsake the girl & all unethical acts and follow Dharma like a true Aryan. Dayananda's suggestion offended the dance girl and she decided to take revenge. She bribed Dayananda's cook to poison him. At bedtime, the cook brought him a glass of milk containing poison & powdered glass. Dayananda drank the milk and went to sleep only to wake up later with a burning sensation. He immediately realized that he had been poisoned and attempted to purge his digestive system of the poisonous substance, but it was too late. The poison had already entered his blood stream. Dayananda was bedridden and suffered excruciating pain. Many doctors came to treat him but all was in vain. His body was covered all over with large bleeding sores. On seeing Dayananda's suffering the cook was overcome with unbearable guilt and remorse. He confessed his crime to Dayananda. On deathbed, Dayananda forgave him and gave him a bag of money and told him to flee the kingdom lest he be found out and executed by the Maharaja's men.


"A man of spirit has passed away from India. Pandit Dayananda Saraswati is gone, the irrepressible, energetic reformer, whose mighty voice and passionate eloquence foe the last few years raised thousands of people in India from, lethargic, indifference and stupor Into active patriotism is no more." - Col Henry Steel Olcott

"Swami Dayananda Saraswati is certainly one of the most powerful personalities who has shaped modem India and is responsible for its moral regeneration and religious revival". - Subhas Chandra Bose.


Works

Dayananda Saraswati wrote more than 60 works in all, including a 14 volume explanation of the six Vedangas, an incomplete commentary on the Ashtadhyayi [Panini's grammar], several small tracts on ethics and morality, Vedic rituals and sacraments and on criticism of rival doctrines [such as Advaita Vedanta, Islam and Christianity]. Some of his major works are Bhratnivaran, Sanskarvidhi, Ratnamala, Vedabhasya. The Paropakarini Sabha located in the Indian city of Ajmer was founded by the Swami himself to publish and preach his works and Vedic texts.

• Satyarth Prakash [1875] [Light of Truth] - first English translation.[1908]
• Glorious Thoughts of Swami Dayananda. ed. New Book Society of India, 1966.
• An introduction to the commentary on the Vedas. Jan Gyan-Prakashan, 1973

MOTHER TERESA--The Messiah of Love and Peace

"We should learn how to give. But we should not regard giving as an obligation, but as a desire. I usually say to our co-workers: I do not need your surplus. I do not want you to give me your leftovers. Our poor do not need your condescending attitude nor your pity. The poor need your love and your kindness." There are inspirations in one's life, inspiration towards one's knowledge & wisdom, inspiration towards one's lifestyle & moral ethics, but mainly one should be inspired by those who lived their lives selflessly. Their main reason for being here was mainly spreading love, peace, happiness and compassion.



--- Mother Teresa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This inspiration for us is none other than MOTHER TERESA, the chosen one!


And ofcourse, it shall be a surprise indeed,  if one does not recognize this 'angel of love'.


She was a strong and  independent woman, who followed her own conscience.


Mother Teresa, in her life felt strongly the call of God. She knew she had to be missionary to spread the love of God.


The Missionaries of Charity started by Mother has acclaimed world-wide


Her concern all through her life was poorest of poor, sick and deprived.


"let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work".

Mother was a colossal personality of love and care. She was there for anyone irrespective of caste, creed or race, and everyone was there for her.


She always said " the biggest disease today is not tuberculosis or leprosy, it is the feeling of being unwanted" .


There were criticism also towards her philosophy and  implementation. But, Mother undeterred and unstoppable, she moved on and on till her sainthood.


Mother Teresa was one of the great servants of humanity. She was an Albanian Catholic nun who came to India and founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. Later on Mother Teresa attained Indian citizenship. Her selfless work among the poverty-stricken people of Kolkata [Calcutta] is an inspiration for people all over the world and she was honored with Nobel Prize for her work.

• Born: August 26, 1910
• Died: September 5, 1997
• Achievements: Started Missionaries of Charity in 1950; received Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979; received Bharat Ratna in 1980.

Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, in the former Yugoslavia, she was the youngest of three children. In her teens, Agnes became a member of a youth group in her local pairsh called Sodality. Through her involvement with their activities guided by a Jesuit priest, Agnes became interested in missionaries. At age 17, she responded to her first call of a vocation as a Catholic missionary nun.

She joined an Irish order, the Sisters of Loretto, a community known for their missionary work in India. When she took her vows as a Sister of Loretto, she chose the name Teresa after "Saint Theresa of Lisieux".After a few months of training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin Mother Teresa came to India. On May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography and catechism at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta. However, the prevailing poverty in Calcutta had a deep impact on Mother Teresa's mind and in 1948, she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.

After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, she returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. She started an open-air school for homeless children. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers, and she received financial support from church organizations and the municipal authorities. On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Vatican to start her own order. Vatican originally labeled the order as the Diocesan Congregation of the Calcutta Diocese, and it later came to known as the "Missionaries of Charity". The primary task of the Missionaries of Charity was to take care of those persons who nobody was prepared to look after.

The Missionaries of Charity, which began as a small Order with 12 members in Calcutta, today has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages, AIDS hospices, charity centres worldwide, and caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless and victims of floods, epidemics and famine in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, Poland, and Australia. In 1965, by granting a Decree of Praise, Pope Paul VI granted Mother Teresa permission to expand her order to other countries. The order's first house outside India was in Venezuela. Presently, the "Missionaries of Charity" has presence in more than 100 countries.


Mother Teresa's work has been recognised and acclaimed throughout the world and she has received a number of awards and distinctions. These include the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize [1971], Nehru Prize for Promotion of International Peace & Understanding [1972], Balzan Prize [1978], Nobel Peace Prize [1979] and Bharat Ratna [1980].

On March 13, 1997, Mother Teresa stepped down from the head of Missionaries of Charity and died on September 5, 1997, just 9 days after her 87th birthday. Following Mother Teresa's death, the Holy See began the process of beatification, the second step towards possible canonization, or sainthood. This process requires the documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa. In 2002, the Vatican recognized as a miracle the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following the application of a locket containing Teresa's picture. Monica Besra said that a beam of light emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother Teresa was formally beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the title "Blessed" Teresa of Calcutta. A second miracle is required for her to proceed to *canonization.

*[Canonization or canonisation is the act by which the Catholic Church or another religious group declares a deceased person to be a saint and is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process.  Canonization, whether formal or informal, does not make someone a saint: it is only a declaration that the person is a saint and was a saint even before canonization.]Mother Teresa was a boon to us from the God directly. She will be remembered forever till eternity.





She is immortal, unexplained, unparalleled and unmatched.

Also See:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa.html


Quotes of Mother Teresa

*"Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet especially your family. Be holy – let us pray."

*"I once picked up a woman from a garbage dump and she was burning with fever; she was in her last days and her only lament was: ‘My son did this to me.’ I begged her: You must forgive your son. In a moment of madness, when he was not himself, he did a thing he regrets. Be a mother to him, forgive him. It took me a long time to make her say: ‘I forgive my son.’ Just before she died in my arms, she was able to say that with a real forgiveness. She was not concerned that she was dying. The breaking of the heart was that her son did not want her. This is something you and I can understand."

*"When once a chairman of a multinational company came to see me, to offer me a property in Bombay, he first asked: ‘Mother, how do you manage your budget?" I asked him who had sent him here. He replied: ‘I felt an urge inside me.’ I said: other people like you come to see me and say the same. It was clear God sent you, Mr. A, as He sends Mr. X, Mrs. Y, Miss Z, and they provide the material means we need for our work. The grace of God is what moved you. You are my budget. God sees to our needs, as Jesus promised. I accepted the property he gave and named it Asha Dan [Gift of Hope].


*"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."


*"Like Jesus we belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength."

*"There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic. We believe our work should be our example to people. We have among us 475 souls - 30 families are Catholics and the rest are all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs—all different religions. But they all come to our prayers."




*"There are so many religions and each one has its different ways of following God. I follow Christ:
Jesus is my God,
Jesus is my Spouse,
Jesus is my Life,
Jesus is my only Love,
Jesus is my All in All;
Jesus is my Everything."


*Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.


*I heard the call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to serve Him among the poorest of the poor. It was an order.


*I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them.


*When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her.

*It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.


*You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.


*Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.


*Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me.


*Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world.


*If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.


*A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love. Purity, chastity, and virginity created a special beauty in Mary that attracted God’s attention. He showed his great love for the world by giving Jesus to her.

*There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family.
Find them.
Love them.


*Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.


*Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.

*Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.


*The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not mortification, a penance.


*It is joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy.

*I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery.


*Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.


*A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.

Remembering Mother Teresa

Her passing away, moved the countries irrespective of their secular or religious stature.

#A rare and unique individual who lived long for higher purposes. Her life-long devotion to the care of the poor, the sick and the disadvantaged was one of the highest examples of service to humanity."
Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan

#The Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize panel, Francis Sejersted, said Mother Teresa stood out "as an example of true self-sacrifice in humanitarian work." She was awarded the prize in 1979.

#"Mother Teresa marked the history of our century with courage. She served all human beings by promoting their dignity and respect, and made those who had been defeated by life feel the tenderness of God.''
- Pope John Paul II


#"It is a time of both sadness and joy for all our sisters. It is a time of sadness because we have lost a loved one who supported us in our desire to serve the Lord Jesus…We are joyful in the knowledge that Mother is with Our Heavenly Father." Sister Noreen, Superior at the Missionaries of Charity, Newark, NJ.

#``A heartfelt concern for the poor, the downtrodden and the rejected'' during a special Mass yesterday. ``She saw Jesus Christ in every single person,'' the cardinal said. ``We must carry on her work.'' Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archdiocese of Philadelphia


#"This evening, there is less love, less compassion, less light in the world. She leaves us a strong message, which has no borders and which goes beyond faith: helping, listening, solidarity."
French President Jacques Chirac

#"She helped the poorest of the poor, gave them courage to live and the feeling of their worth, Mother Teresa will remain unforgotten and be an example after her death."
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl

#"She is the United Nations. She is peace in the world."
Former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar

#"A loss to the entire humanity. She will be deeply missed in our efforts to build international peace, and a just, caring and equitable world order."
South African President Nelson Mandela's

You may click on the following Link for the latest on Mother Teresa:


The Hindu : Arts / History & Culture : U.S. releases stamp honouring Mother Teresa


Commemoration

Mother Teresa inspired a variety of commemorations. She has been memorialized through museums, been named patroness of various churches, and had various structures and roads named after her. Various tributes have been published in Indian newspapers and magazines authored by her biographer, Navin Chawla.[94][95][96][97][98][99][100] Indian Railways will introduce a new train, "Mother Express", named after Mother Teresa, on August 26, 2010 to mark her birth centenary.[101]

Film and literature


Mother Teresa is the subject of the 1969 documentary film and 1971 book Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge.


Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor is a 1997 film directed by Kevin Connor starring Geraldine Chaplin. It won an award at the 1998 Art Film Festival.


Mother Teresa's life was portrayed in the 2003 Italian television miniseries Madre Teresa starring Olivia Hussey as Mother Teresa. It was later released internationally as a television film Mother Teresa of Calcutta and received a CAMIE award in 2007.
[Courtesy:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa ]

Also See

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens'_critiques_of_public_figures#Mother_Teresa

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_Nobel_laureates
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_House_of_Mother_Teresa