Milestones-3: October 31, 2009

October 31. Today morning I looked up Wikipedia to know about the milestones of the day. Wikipedia had a lot to say about Oct 31. But I chose only the names known to me and thought I would reminisce about them.

1. SARDAR VALLABHAI PATEL
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First comes Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the Iron Man of India, who prevented India from going to pieces immediately after Independence. Unifying and Integrating India was his greatest achievement. Thinking of the India of today, I wish he were there. Selfish politicians have encouraged fissiparous tendencies for their own selfish interest. We don't know how long India will hold together. What is there to stop India going the USSR way?

The great Sardwar was born on this day in 1875 and passed away on December 15, 1950 at the age of 75. Like Gandhiji, he hailed from Gujarat.

For a detailed article from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patel

For another article from PIB, the Govt of India's portal:
http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr98/fe1098/f1510981.html


2. INDIRA GANDHI
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She was Prime Minister of India for 15 years, till she was assassinated on this day in 1984 at the age of 66.

Bold, strong-willed, she stood up to the male politicians and showed the world her capabilities. My grievance is she did not bother about ways and means, which has resulted in damaging the democracy carefully built up by people like her father, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhai Patel. She paved the way for hereditary rule at the centre and in the states.

She visited India and her helicopter landed in our office campus. She also delivered a talk to the staff members of our organisation. This was the only occasion when I could see her in person.

For a detailed article on Indira Gandhi from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi

For an article about her assassination from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1119.html


3. SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI
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One of the great spiritual leaders of India and founder of the Arya Samaj. According to Wikipedia, he was the first to give the call for Swarajya in 1876. He championed equal rights for women and supported educating women of India. He translated the scriptures from Sanskrit to Hindi so that the masses can read them.

According to Wikipedia, he was poisoned to death on this day in 1883 at the age of 59. It was Diwali. He magnanimously forgave the man who poisoned him and helped him to escape the wrath of the king.

For a detailed article from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Dayananda_Saraswati

4. JOHN KEATS
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The famous English poet was born on this day in 1795 and passed away on February 23, 1821 at the young age of 25. He was one of the heroic figures of Romanticism along with Byron and Shelley. Tennyson and Wilfred Owen were influenced by his works.

I studied his poem, 'On his first looking into Chapman's Homer', as a prescribed text in college. Later I also read his 'To Autumn' and "Ode to a Nightingale'.

For reading a detailed article on Keats from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats

For reading his poems from Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/pkt1710h.htm
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23684/23684-h/23684-h.htm

For a List of Poems by Keats from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Poems_by_John_Keats


5. CHIANG KAI-SHEK
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One of the powerful leaders of Kuomintang and an associate of Sun Yat-sen, father of Nationalist China, was born on this day. He was the first and third Chairman of the Nationalist Govt of China. He fought a long-standing war with Mao's communists and retreated to Taiwan, which he ruled with an iron-hand.

He passed at Taipei, Taiwan, on April 5, 1975 at the age of 87.

For a detailed article from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek


6. SEMMANGUDI SRINIVASA IYER
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The great legendary Carnatic vocalist, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, passed away on this day in 2003 at the ripe age of 95. He received many honours and accolades like 'Padma Bhushan', 'Padma Vibhushan', 'Sangeetha Kalanidhi', 'Isai Perarignar' and 'Kalidas Samman'. He was considered as the grand-sire of Carnatic music.

For a detailed article from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semmangudi_Srinivasa_Iyer

For his interview which appeared in 'Frontline' of Oct.24-Nov.6, 1998:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1522/15220650.htm

7. SACHIN DEV BURMAN
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Popular Hindi Film Music director, singer and father of Rahul Dev Burman (equally famous as a composer of Bollywood) passed away on this day in 1975 at the age of 69.

I have enjoyed some of his beautiful songs from films like 'Tere Mere Sapne', 'Guide', 'Abhimaan', 'Aradhana', 'Sharmilee', 'Jewel Thief' and many more. Some of the films I have seen just for the sake of his songs.

He has won several national awards and the Filmfare award several times. He was awarded 'Padma Sri' in 1969.

For a detailed article from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_Burman


8. HARRY HOUDINI
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Magic shows have a charm not only for children. Hungarian, Harry Houdini was the greatest magician the world has seen. He was a skeptic and did not believe in the supernatural.

It is said that he died when a student delivered several blows to his abdomen when he was reclining without allowing him to prepare himself for it. As a result of this, he died of peritonitis on this day in 1926.

For a detailed article from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini

Grateful thanks to Project Gutenberg, PIB, Govt of India, 'Frontline' and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Milestones-2: October 25

1. PABLO PICASSO:
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October 25 is the birthday of Pablo Picasso, the Spanish painter and sculptor; a giant of a creative genius in the world of art. He was born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain and passed away at the age of 91 on April 8, 1972 at Mougins, France.
To read a full article about Picasso from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso

2. GEOFFREY CHAUCER:
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Geoffrey Chaucer, English poet and author of The Canterbury Tales passed away on October 25, 1400 at the age of 56.
To read a full article about Chaucer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer

To read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Other Poems in Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2383/pg2383.html

3. EVANGELISTA TORRICELLI:
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Torricelli, the Italian mathematician and physicist and inventor of mercurial barometer and Torricelli's Law, passed away on October 25, 1647 at the young age of 39.
To read more about him in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelista_Torricelli

Grateful thanks to Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Reminiscences-2: "Dr Deepak Chopra"

Today is October 22, the 63rd birthday of the renowned endocrinologist, popular speaker and author of many bestselling books, Dr.Deepak Chopra. I am a great admirer of Dr Deepak Chopra and like him, an enthusiast of alternative medicine.

First of all, let me convey my hearty greetings to Dr Deepak Chopra: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your, Sir! May God grant you a long, happy and purposeful life!!

My introduction to Dr Deepak Chopra was through my friend, Professor S.Raghunathan, who was the Director of Computer Center, Alagappa University for a time. He told me about him and lent me his best-selling book, 'Quantum Healing'. It is a memorable and wonderful book, which I loved. I read the book through at one stretch and thereafter, started taking notes. Reading the book was all right, but taking notes proved to be very difficult. For it nearly amounted to copying the entire book! The book is studded with gems through and through , especially for people like me, who are deeply involved in Homeopathy. It helped me to gain a lot of insight into Homeopathy, though Dr Chopra himself has been an admirer of Ayurveda.

Later whenever I saw a secondhand bookshop, I would enquire whether they had any book by Dr Chopra. Thus I started my own collection of his books (Quantum Healing, Unconditional Life, Ageless Body and Timeless Mind and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and started reading them one by one. With every book, my admiration for him started growing.

Then thanks to YouTube, I started hearing his famous video interviews and talks: The 30-part video talk on Quantum Healing the 11-part Quantum Health; Jesus: Story of Enlightenment; His interviews with Richard Dawkins and Alan Steinfeld ; and many more (which I have embedded in my video page at Orkut for the benefit of my friends). Watching them was an enlightening experience.

He has written more than 45 books and has won many awards and accolades. His latest book is "Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul".

The Chopra Center for Wellbeing was opened at Carsbad, California, in 1996 by Drs.Deepak Chopra and David Simon to help people experience physical healing, emotional freedom, and higher states of consciousness. It offers a wide variety of programs, retreats, and teacher training programs that integrate the healing arts of the East with the best in modern Western medicine. Its goal is to guide people about healing principles that they can use to nurture their own health, restore balance, and create greater joy and fulfillment in their lives.

Chopra Centre's official site:
http://www.chopra.com/

Then there is THE CHOPRA FOUNDATION dedicated to improving health and well-being, cultivating spiritual knowledge, expanding consciousness, and promoting world peace. Its mission is to advance the cause of mind/body spiritual healing, education, and research through fundraising for selected projects.

Dr Deepak Chopra's official website:
http://deepakchopra.com/

In the above site, the most interesting feature his answers to our questions. Some regular features include: 'Ask Deepak', 'I am currently reading...', 'Daily Inspiration', 'Upcoming Events'.

For a detailed article on Dr Deepak Chopra from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Chopra

Kindest regards to Dr Deepak Chopra and Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Diwali Greetings!

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL OF YOU!

With Love

Suri

Gandhiana-10:

Himself love-incarnate, Gandhiji has shown by his own example how to achieve victory over the forces of darkness and destruction, and convert even the so-called enemies into friends by power of love and by suffering in one's own person. Jesus' suffering had always drawn his deepest admiration, and he, too, walked the same thorny path for redeeming the humanity of its sins and sorrows.

Excerpt from the Preface by Anand T.Hingorani to the book "The Law of Love", a compilation from Gandhiji's writings. Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai.

Gandhiana-9:

A very touching incident from Gandhiji's life (Reproduced from the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol.1):

When Gandhiji was 15, he had removed a bit of gold from his brother’s armlet to clear a small debt of the latter. He felt so mortified about his act that he decided to make a confession to his father. Parental forgiveness was granted to him in the form of silent tears. The incident left a lasting mark on his mind. In his own words, it was an object-lesson to him in the power of ahimsa.

The original not being available; his own report of it, as found in An Autobiography, is reproduced here:

"I wrote it on a slip of paper and handed it to him myself. In this note not only did I confess my guilt, but I asked adequate punishment for it, and closed with a request to him not to punish himself for my offence. I also pledged myself never to steal in future."

According to Mahatma Gandhi : The Early Phase, p. 212, one of the sentences in the confession was : “So, father, your son is now, in your eyes, no better than a common thief.”