Uniting India
Archive for January, 2012
Mahathma Gandhi- The Father of India
Jan 30th
Sixty four years back at 5.36 PM on this day i.e Jan. 30, 1948, Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a rabid Hindu fundamentalist, shot Mahatma Gandhiji three times at point blank range. As the Mahatma died, he held his palms together in prayer and uttered the name of the Hindu Lord, “”Ram, Ram”". Witnesses report that he fixed his eyes on those of his assassin and whispered with his final breath, “”God bless you, my son.”"
Gandhiji has been described as the father of India; it is fair to say that the epithet has some validity. He managed to rally millions of people from wildly disparate cultures and religions to follow a shared vision of an India free of foreign oppression and at liberty to create her own destiny. His followers were Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews and atheists. They shared not only his vision of an India free of British rule, but his belief that such freedom could be attained while following his principles of non-violence and unflinching resistance to injustice.
During the peak of a campaign, his followers slept on cots in bamboo huts, he slept on a mat on the floor of a mud hut or, frequently, in a prison cell. More >
God’s Own Country – Kerala
Jan 30th
Whenever we think of beautiful places in India the places generally come to our mind are Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Kerala is a small state in India, very famous for its scenic beauty. Thiruvananthapuram is its Capital. Kankyakumari, which is in Tamil Nadu is very near to Thiruvananthapuram. Tourists visiting Thiruvanthapuram can take the opportunity to visit Vivekananda Rock and Gandhi Museum in Kanyakumari. Many tourists including foreigners love to visit Kerala time and again. It’s one of their favourite destinations. Malayalam is spoken here.
Kerala is simply a visual treat and the people are friendly. The train journey from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram makes us feel the heaven is no where but here and right here. The typical houses with Mangalore tiles and plenty of coconut trees and greenery all around presents an immense joy. One only needs to get rid of the daily never ending work pressure and take the family on a trip to the Paradise. One has to simply enjoy the pleasure of sailing in Kerala backwaters and watch the very attractive snake boat race during the season.
The population of Kerala is 33 million, approximately 1.5 times the population of Mumbai. Its area is 38,863 square More >
The Second Buddha – Acharya Nagrajuna
Jan 30th
Acharya Nagarjuna is a renowned philosopher, mathematician and alchemist. He was a leader with profound spiritual insights and propounded the Madhyamika ( “the Middle Path” ) philosophy and wrote the treatise Pratitya Mulamadhyamika Karika. He described the concept of Sunyata or “Emptiness”. Acharya Nagarjuna is a Buddhist philosopher. Before the Buddha left his mortal body on the earth, he made a prediction that another soul would be born to uphold the teachings of Buddha in the land of Bharath. True to that prediction, 400 years after Buddha, the second Buddha had arrived. Aswaghosha preached Mahayana Buddhism and the Madhyamika principles of it was written by Acharya Nagarjuna. This Madhyamika Tatwa spread in China as three texts. Acharya Nagarjuna was responsible for the spreading of Mahayana Buddhism. Pragna Parimita Sutras were also written by him. He preached Buddhism in Nalanda University. With his preachings at Nalanda he became famous as an acharya. . Nagarjuna is also referred as the second Buddha.
Very little is known about the life of Acharya Nagarjuna. His biography was written in Chinese and Tibetan languages centuries after his death. Based on some proofs available. Nagarjuna was born in a vaidika Brahmin family belonging to Andhra region. After the birth of Nagarjuna, His parents were More >
Andhra Bhoja Srikrishna Devarayalu
Jan 28th
When we think of Vijayanagara kingdom, it reminds us of four prominent names viz. Sri Krishna Devaraya, Maha Manthri Thimmarusu, Hampi and the Ashta Diggajas( 8 Poets). Undoubtedly Sri Krishna Devaraya was the most successful ruler of Vijayanagara dynasty and was one of the most famous kings in the history of India and is considered as the greatest Hindu king to have ever lived. With Hampi as his capital, Sri Krishna Devaraya ruled the Vijayanagara kingdom during 1509-1529 AD. He was a dynamic and multifaceted personality, a great warrior, a great leader and a good administrator.He was ably assisted by his mentor Sri Thimmarusu, affectionately called as Appaji, and popularly known as Maha Manthri Thimmarusu. He was also his (Krishna Devaraya’s) Prime Minister who was known for his tactical skill. Sri Krishna Devaraya was associated with the great Madhwa saint and philosopher Sri Vyasarajaru (Vyasarayaru) who was his Raja Guru and helped Sri Krishna Devaraya to pass through a crisis in his life by ascending the throne for a brief period.The present Rayalaseema (The land of Krishnarayalu) of Andhra Pradesh forms the core of Krishnarayalu’s Empire. A lot of information about his reign comes from the accounts of Portuguese travelers More >
Happy Republic Day 2012!
Jan 26th
26th January is the Republic Day of India. Although India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, The Constitution of India came into effect only on January 26, 1950. So Republic Day is a very special day in Indian history and the greatest festival celebrated in the country. It is celebrated every year on January 26, in New Delhi with great pomp, fanfare and pageant. While in the capitals of the States and other headquarters, it is marked with patriotic fervor. The most spectacular celebrations are marked by the Republic Day Parade that takes place in the capital of New Delhi at Rajpath. It includes march past of the three armed forces, massive parades, folk dances by tribal folk from different states in picturesque costumes marking the cultural unity of India. Further, the streak of jet planes of Indian Air Force, leaving a trial of colored smoke, marks the end of the festival.
It was the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress at midnight of December 31, 1929 – January 1, 1930, that the Tri-Color Flag was unfurled by the nationalists and a pledge was taken that on January 26 every year, “Republic Day” would be celebrated and that More >
Salute to the Forgotten Hero- Netaji
Jan 23rd
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is a Noble selfless fighter against Imperialism and is a legendary figure in India even today. Subhas Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897. His father was Rai Bahadur Janakinath Bose, a prominent lawyer of Cuttack, Orissa. His mother was Prabhavati Bose, a remarkable example of Indian womanhood. Later, the world came to know him as Netaji. After completing his early studies at the European Protestant Collegiate School in Cuttack, he came to Calcutta to study at Presidency College in 1913. He completed his graduation with a first class in philosophy. He left India for England in 1919 to appear for the civil services examination. He was declared 4th in order of merit for the exam conducted in 1920. He was disturbed by the Jalianwallah Bagh massacre. So he left the apprenticeship of civil services midway in 1921. Thus he resigned and returned to India on the call of Chittaranjan Das.
Subhash Chandra Bose was very much influenced by the Mahatma Gandhi. So he joined the Congress party and even became President of Congress party in 1938 and 1939. He believed in the complete unconditional independence of India. The Congress party believed in achieving freedom in More >
The Modern Prophet of India- Swami Vivekananda
Jan 12th
Today marks one of the most important days of the year for our motherland.. The re-juvenator of Indian thought in modern times, Swami Vivekananda, was born 149 years ago on this day. Sri Swamiji’s 150th anniversary year celebrations start today till 12th Jan next year and with this continues the rise of glory of Bharat. A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Vivekananda crammed immense labor and achievement into his short life, 1863-1902. Vivekananda is well known outside India due to his inspirational speech during the ”Parliament of Religions ” held at Chicago, America in 1893.
Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta on 12th January 1863 in the Datta family of Calcutta. The youthful Vivekananda embraced the agnostic philosophies of the Western mind along with the worship of science. He is considered to be the key figure in the introduction of Indian Philosophy and Yoga to the western world. He is said to be a major force in the revival of Hinduism in modern India. He is credited with raising interfaith awareness.
He showed an inclination towards spirituality and God realization even when he was a child. Vehement in his desire to know the truth about God, he questioned people More >
The Great Indian Culture and Heritage
Jan 8th
“India is my Country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my Country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always try to be worthy of it.” This is the pledge we take in our schooling-Of course no one remembers it now. No one understands its meaning in their childhood; when we grow old we don’t have a need and trail to. Do we really have?
Our pledge in the school literally means: India is Very rich and has varied heritage of which we should be proud of. What it explains is no one’s concern today. The fault lies with our Education system. We find no patriotism and National interest being taught throughout our studies. It never advises us, suggesting us to take care of one’s own Country. Instead, it’s sniffing us towards foreign Countries exhibiting paradise in our fingers. Education system was very effective. Not a single student’s education went in vain unlike present day education- we learn and get educated about something; do something else. India had a great culture and heritage. It was destroyed in foreigners’ attacks and invasions. Let’s have a look at those conditions once.
One among the many destructions More >
Vaikunta Ekadashi
Jan 1st
Vaikunta Ekadashi falls every year in the Krishna Paksha Ekadashi that occurs during the Dhanurmasa period in the Hindu calendar in the month December-January. Ekadasi is the eleventh day in both the halves of the lunar month – Shukla Paksha(brighter half) and Krishna Paksha(darker half). Approximately there are as many as 24 Ekadasis in a year. The Ekadasi in Mrugasira Shukla Paksha is known as Vaikunta Ekadasi. Vaikunta is the abode of Lord Vishnu. On this day, thousands of devotees perform special poojas in Vishnu Temples.This year it falls on January 4th or 5th 2012. This is observed with all solemnity in the temples of Lord Vishnu. Please check your local calendars to see if it falls on 4th or 5th 2012.
Vaikunta Ekadashi is of great significance at the Tirupati Balaji Temple and also all other Vishnu temples around the world. The devotees firmly believe that whoever dies on this auspicious day directly goes to the Vaikuntam. They believe that ‘Vaikunta Dwaram’ or ‘The Gate to the Heaven‘ gets opened on this day.
During this month Sun transits through Dhannus Rasi. Ancient texts recommend that the mornings in this month are ideal for worship of the Lord Vishnu. People fast during More >
