==============================Alfred Nobel

For more than 100 years now, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to outstanding achievements. It is regarded as the most prestigious award in the world. The man behind the prize is Alfred Nobel. He was born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden. (October 21 also happens to be my own birthday.) He was a chemist and armaments manufacturer. He invented the dynamite.

His father was Immanuel Nobel and mother, Andriette Nobel. He was their third son. His father was also an inventor; he invented the modern plywood.

Though he founded Nobel Prize in 1895 and award of the prize started in 1901. The prize honoured outstanding achievers in the area of Chemistry, Physics, Medicine and Literature. It is said that as the inventor of dynamite which was used in war to kill people, he felt guilty and instituted the Nobel Peace Prize.

He died on December 10, 1896 at the age of 63.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "ALFRED NOBEL":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel

"ALFRED NOBEL - THE MAN BEHIND THE NOBEL PRIZE" from NobelPrize.org:

http://nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/

Grateful thanks to NobelPrize.org and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

============================George Marshall

George Marshall, American Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and Chief of Staff of the Army, was born on December 31, 1880. He is also the author of the famous 'Marshall Plan' for the rehabilitation of the ravaged European countries after the Second World War. Marshall Plan won him the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1953.

I came to know of him through reading Robert E.Sherwood's beautiful three-volume book 'Roosevelt and Hopkins' and Harry Truman's 'Memoirs'.

He was born in a middle-class family in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and served the army, where he rose from First Lieutenant to Chief of Staff of Army. He was also a distant relative of American Chief Justice John Marshall.

He was the recipient of many national and international honours, besides the Nobel Peace Prize.

He passed away on October 16, 1959 at the age of 78.

Detailed Wikipedia article on 'GEORGE MARSHALL":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Marshall

George Marshall Foundation:

http://www.marshallfoundation.org/

Grateful thanks to Marshall Foundation and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

===========================David Ben-Gurion

David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, was born on October 16, 1886. He was also one of the pillars and founders of Israel. I learnt about him from my dad, from whom I learnt about the birth of Israel, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir.

He was born in Poland and his father was a lawyer. He lost his mother at an young age. He studied at the University of Warsaw, where he became a political activist. He was jailed twice and then moved to Palestine in 1906. He moved to Turkey in 1912 and studied law at the Istanbul University. After studying law he moved to Palestine again and was expelled from Palestine in 1915 and came to the US and settled in New York City. He married Paula Munweis and they had three children.

Besides being the first Prime Minister of Israel, he had also served Israel as its Minister for Defense and Minister for Transportation during different periods.

He passed away on December 1, 1973 at the age of 87.

In commemoration of his services to Israel, the international airport at Tel Aviv and the university of the Negev have been named after him.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "DAVID BEN-GURION":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ben-Gurion

David Ben-Gurion Knesset Website:

http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=684

Grateful thanks to Knesset Ben-Gurion Website and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

============================Guenter Grass

Guenter Grass, German novelist, playwright and poet, was born on October 16, 1927 at Danzig, Poland. His father Willy Grass was a German and his mother Helene Grass was of Polish origin. He had his schooling in Danzig. He has been living in Germany since 1945.

'The Tin Drum' is his most famous novel. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999.

Around 1970, I had the opportunity to learn German in my office premises. As a bachelor who had not much to do, I availed the opportunity and studied German. I studied up to the Second level of the Elementary course; for a time, my colleagues and myself used to converse in our half-baked German and I earnestly tried to master the language and got a lot of books. It was during this period that I was on the lookout for books by great German authors like Heinrich Boll, Herman Hesse, Thomas Mann and Gunter Grass. I picked up copies of English translations of 'Siddhartha', 'Steppenwolf' and 'The Tin Drum' from second-hand platform booksellers at Trichy, which I used to visit mainly for buying books and seeing Hindi movies. I also read a booklet of short-short German stories in the original.

Though I can't say I liked the novels, I had the patience to read them till the finish. They were different, that is all I can say about them.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "Gunter Grass":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunter_Grass

Biographical Notes on "GUNTER GRASS" from NobelPrize.org:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1999/bio-bibl.html

Grateful thanks to NoblePrize.org and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

============================Eugene O'Neill

Eugene O'Neill, American playwright, was born on October 16, 1886 at New York City, USA. His plays are often compared to that of Chekhov, Strindberg and Ibsen. His turbulent life was filled with depression, disease and alcoholism. He married thrice and all of them were failures. From the first marriage he had one child and from the second, two children. His only daughter, Oona, married the famous English actor, Charlie Chaplin. Both his sons committed suicide.

He died in Boston on November 27, 1953 at the age of 65.

Some of his famous plays are:

The Emperor Jones

The Iceman Cometh

A Moon for the Misbegotten

The Hairy Ape

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "EUGENE O'NEILL":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_O%27Neill

Works of Eugene O'Neill from public domain in Canada:

http://wikilivres.info/wiki/Eugene_O%27Neill

Autobiography of Eugene O'Neill from Nobelprize.org:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1936/oneill-autobio.html

Works of Eugene O'Neill from Project Gutenberg Australia:

http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty-n-z.html#letterO

Grateful thanks to WikiLivres, NobelPrize.org, Project Gutenberg Australia and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

=============================Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde, playwright, poet, novelist and short-story writer, was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland.

His father Sir William Wilde was a successful physician and mother, Jane Wilde, was a popular writer. He was their second son. He did his schooling in Portora Royal School and studied classics in Trinity College, Dublin.

He married Constance Lloyd in 1884 and they had two sons.

'The Importance of being Earnest" and "Lady Windermere's Fan" were his famous plays and his only novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is read even today.

He was a celebrity and well-known wit during the Victorian era till his downfall following imprisonment on charges of homosexuality. After two years of hard labour, he was released. He left Britain never to return.

He died of cerebral meningitis at the age of 46 on November 30, 1900. His mortal remains are buried in Paris.

His letters and manuscripts are kept in William Andrews Clark Memorial Library.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "OSCAR WILDE":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde

Works of Oscar Wilde from Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/w#a111

Works of Oscar Wilde in audio format from LibriVox:
http://librivox.org/newcatalog/search.php?title=&author=Oscar+Wilde&action=Search

Selected Poems of Oscar Wilde from PoetryX.com:
http://poetry.poetryx.com/poets/131/

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde from ArtPassions.net:
http://wilde.artpassions.net/

Essays and Lectures of Oscar Wilde:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/sandl10.txt

The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/hpaot10h.htm

Grateful thanks to Project Gutenberg, LibriVox, PoetryX.com, ArtPassions.net and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

=============================Mario Puzo

Maria Puzo, the Italian American writer, was born on October 14. His most popular novel, "The Godfather" made him world-famous. This novel was later adopted into a most successful movie. Like many great people, he also rose from humble origins to the highest acclaim as a novelist. His other novels are: The Dark Arena, The Fortunate Pilgrim and Fools Die.

The Godfather was made into a super-hit movie and I saw it either in a cinema theatre at Madurai/Trichy or in TV. If I remember right, there were two sequels also, which also I saw. I saw "Dharmatma" also, which is the Hindi remake of the same theme; Feroze Khan produced and directed the film, besides playing the lead role with two heroines viz., Hema Malini and Rekha.

Mario Puzo passed away on July 2, 1999 at age of 78 at Bay Shore, New York, USA.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "MARIO PUZO":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Puzo

Mario Puzo interviewed by Larry King of CNN:

http://www.newyorktimesbestsellerlist.org/archives/category/authors/mario-puzo

Grateful thanks to Larry King of CNN and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

==========================Akbar the Great

October 15 is the birthday of Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, popularly known as Akbar the Great. He is the greatest of Mughal emperors. He was a many-sided personality and with many talents: artist, artisan, blacksmith, carpenter, general, inventor, animal trainer and much more. Akbar's courage, strength and other great leadership qualities are extolled in various historical literature. He was a great patron of arts and literature. Many great constructions, which stand even today, were carried out during his reign like Fatehpur Sikri. He encouraged religious dialogue between Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians. He passed away at the age of 63.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "AKBAR THE GREAT":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbar_the_great

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

==============================Lermontov

Lermontov, the Russian poet and writer, was born on October 15, 1814. He is often compared to Shelley. His poems influenced many other Russian writers, including Boris Pasternak. Next to Pushkin, he is considered to be the greatest Russian poet. There are many similarities between him and Pushkin. They grew up in identical atmosphere, an intellectual atmosphere. Like Pushkin, he wrote poems with passion and like Pushkin, he also died in an unfortunate duel. Thus, two of the greatest poets of Russia died in a duel. It is believed both the duels were tsarist conspiracy. Lermontov died on July 27, 1841.

His novel, 'A Hero of Our Time', is considered to be autobiographical in many respects.

His important novel, 'A Hero of Our Time' in English translation is available in Project Gutenberg.

Wikipedia articles on "LERMONTOV" and "A HERO OF OUR TIME": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lermontov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Hero_of_Our_Time

Full-text of the novel, "A Hero of Our Time" from Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/913/913-h/913-h.htm

Full-text of poems of Lermontov from Friends and Partners.org:

http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/literature/19century/lermontov3.html(opt,mozilla,pc,english,,new)

Grateful thanks to Friends and Partners.org, Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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

==============================Nietzsche

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, the great German philosopher, was born on October 15, 1844 in Rocken, near Leipzig. He was a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. He was appointed to head the Classical Philology department at the University of Basel at the young of age of 24. His health had been a problem from youth. Mental illness played havoc with his life and he had to be taken care by his mother and sister.

His most famous book, "Thus Spoke Zarathusthra" was written during the period 1883-1885. An English translation of the book by Thomas Common is available in Project Gutenberg. Some of the other important works of Nietzsche are: Daybreak, Beyond Good and Evil, The Will to Power and Anti-Christ.

Various reasons are attributed for his mental illness including syphilis and brain cancer. Finally, it killed him at the age of 55.

Detailed Wikipedia article on Nietsche:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche

Full-text of "THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTHRA" by Nietzsche translated into English by Thomas Common from Project Gutenberg:

http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/spzar10.txt

Friedrich Nietsche Society Website:

http://www.fns.org.uk/

The Mole (Official Blog of the Friedrich Nietzsche Society):

http://friedrichnietzschesociety.wordpress.com/

Grateful thanks to Friedrich Nietzsche Society, Thomas Common, Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

=====================John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith was born on October 15, 1908 at Iona Station, Ontario, Canada. He was an economist, writer and diplomat. As Ambassador of the US to India, he helped to bring India and USA closer. The then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had a high regard for him. He was a liberal and loved by many in India and USA. His books on economics, generally considered a dry subject, were best-sellers.

I am an admirer of Galbraith and had the pleasure of reading his memoir, "A Life in our Times", which I have borrowed from the Madurai-Kamaraj University Library. It is a great book. His two other books, "Ambassador's Journal" and "A China Passage", I picked up from a secondhand bookshop at Trichy and read them. I also possessed copy of his "The Affluent Society". It is one of his very famous books and a bestseller.

Galbraith wit and humour are very famous. He was close to many Presidents and other Heads of State. He received many honours nationally and internationally.

He died on April 29, 2006 at the ripe old age of 97.

Detailed Wikipedia article on JKB:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galbraith,_John_Kenneth

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

==============================C.P.Snow

C.P.Snow, the British physicist and novelist, was born on October 15, 1905. I had the pleasure of reading his novels in the "Strangers and Brothers" series as well as "The Search". However, my favourite is the non-fiction, "Variety of Men" and his article "On Magnanimity". From the Variety of Men, I read about the fascinating article on Srinivasa Ramanujan and G.H.Hardy. 'On Magnanimity' is a wonderful article about Newton and his teacher, Professor Barrow. Professor Barrow felt his student, Isacc Newton, was better qualified than himself to occupy the Lucasian Chair. So he stepped down from professorship on the condition that Newton be appointed in his place. It was accepted and Newton occupied the Lucasian Chair.

I also read with joy his play, "The Masters". All these made me a great fan of C.P.Snow, who was knighted and became Lord Snow.

He married the novelist, Pamela Hansford Johnson.

He occupied many prestigious public offices with grace and was a great success. He died at the age of 75 on July 1, 1980.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "C.P.Snow":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._P._Snow

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

=========================Sai Baba of Shirdi

The Sai Baba of Shirdi, the great Indian holyman, was born on September 28, 1835. He is regarded as an incarnation; incarnation of Shiva, Dattatreya and Kabir. His devotees include Hindus and Muslims. His philosophy is Advaita and he preached a life of love, forgiveness, helping others, chairty, contentment, inner peace and devotion to God and guru. He taught to his followers religious harmony. He attained 'maha samaadhi' on October 15, 1918. So this is his 90th memorial day(Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi). Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust is celebrating Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi Mahotsav today.

Detailed article from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirdi_Sai_Baba

Homepage of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan:

http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/

A Website dedicated to Shri Sai Baba:

http://www.saibaba.com/

Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi Mahotsav 2008:

http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/saibaba/picturegallery/90th_punyatithi2008/index.htm

Grateful thanks to Shri Sai Baba Sansthan and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

===================================Virgil

October 15 is the birthday of Virgil, the classical Roman poet. His all-time great epic, "Aeneid" is read with great interest even today and it is in the curriculum of many an university.

He was born on October 15, 70 BC and passed away on September 21, 19 BC.

Detailed Wikipedia articles on "VIRGIL" and "AENEID":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeneid

For complete texts of some of the works of Virgil from Project Gutenberg:

The Aeneid (English translation):

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/228/228-h/228-h.htm

The Bucolics and Eclogues(English translation):

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/230/230-h/230-h.htm

The Georgics(English translation):

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/232/232-h/232-h.htm

Grateful thanks to Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

======================Dr A P J Abdul Kalam

October 15 is the birthday of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam. He has adorned many top positions including the Presidentship of India and has won many laurels like Bharat Ratna. Above all, he has won the hearts of majority of Indians, especially the younger generation. He is one of the best popular Presidents of India. From humble origins, he rose to the highest position of the country. He is an inspiration to the younger generations.

His books "Wings of Fire" and "Ignited Minds" are still popular and sows hopes in the minds of the young.

We feel happy to wish him a Happy Birthday - May God bless him with a long and healthy life and may he continue to inspire the younger generation!

Detailed Wikipedia article on Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Kalam

Dr.Kalam's Website: http://www.abdulkalam.com/kalam/index.jsp

He loves children and likes to interact with them. If you want to write to Dr.Kalam:

Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam,
No 10, Rajaji marg,
New Delhi -110011.
Phone: 011 23793601
Email : apj@abdulkalam.com

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

=================Achievers-3: "P.G.Wodehouse"

A great master of the English prose and humour and a prolific writer. Acknowledged and admired by other great writers, he lived for more than 93 years. He was writing almost till his end. He wrote about nearly 80 books, comprising short stories and novels.

Personally I have been a Wodehouse aficionado. Many a time he saved me from cares, depression and misery. My friends and myself, we used to imitate his delightful style in our letters. In our office, we sort of had a Wodehouse Club and when one of us got an Wodehouse, after reading. we would pass it on to others. We found joy in sharing his books and his jokes.

Some of his memorable and lovable characters are: Jeeves, Lord Ickenham, Sir Galahad Threepwood, Bingo Little, Pongo Twistleton and the potty Lord Emsworth. Of his novels, my favourite is, "A Damsel in Distress"; of his short story collections, "The Man Upstairs". "The Man with Two Left Feet" and the Jeeves series.

His name came under a cloud when he unwittingly allowed himself to be used by the Nazis for their propaganda during World War. But that cloud did pass away and he was knighted by the Queen herself. When I was going through old paper clippings searching for material for my blog, I came across a piece, "The Unknown Wodehouse" by S.Ramachander in the Literary Review of The Hindu, April 3, 2005. I would like a share with you a brief excerpt from it:

"Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (Plum) is a colossus amongst literary geniuses of the recent century... it is not that he is other-worldly or unworldly so much as that he is a-worldly, a born neutral."

Project Gutenberg has rendered yeoman service to Wodehouse fans by providing full text of many of his books and they deserve our gratitude and congratulations. The list with links:

The Adventures of Sally (English)
The Clicking of Cuthbert (English)
The Coming of Bill (English)
A Damsel in Distress (English)
Death at the ExcelsiorAnd Other Stories (English)
The Gem Collector (English)
The Girl on the Boat (English)
The Gold Bat (English)
The Head of Kay's (English)
Indiscretions of Archie (English)
The Intrusion of Jimmy (English)
Jill the Reckless (English)
The Little Nugget (English)
The Little Warrior (English)
Love Among the Chickens (English)
Love Among the Chickens (English)
Love Among the ChickensA Story of the Haps and Mishaps on an English Chicken Farm (English)
A Man of Means (English)
The Man Upstairs and Other Stories (English)
The Man with Two Left Feet And Other Stories (English)
Mike (English)
Mike and Psmith (English)
My Man Jeeves (English)
Not George Washington — an Autobiographical Novel (English)
Piccadilly Jim (English)
The Politeness of Princesand Other School Stories (English)
The Pothunters (English)
A Prefect's Uncle (English)
The Prince and Betty (English)
Psmith in the City (English)
Psmith in the City (English)
Psmith, Journalist (English)
Right Ho, Jeeves (English)
Right Ho, Jeeves (English)
Something New (English)
The Swoop! or How Clarence Saved England A Tale of the Great Invasion (English)
Tales of St. Austin's (English)
Three Men and a Maid (English)
Uneasy Money (English)
The White Feather (English)
William Tell Told Again (English)
A Wodehouse MiscellanyArticles & Stories (English)

Detailed Wikipedia article on "P.G.WODEHOUSE": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.G.Wodehouse

List of Books by P. G. Wodehouse:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_by_P._G._Wodehouse

List of Short Stories by P.G.Wodehouse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_short_stories_by_P._G._Wodehouse

Grateful thanks to the inimitable Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

=======================Gandhi Jayanthi 2008

Gandhi Jayanthi (Gandhiji's birthday) is being celebrated today not only in India but all over the world. The world is slowly realizing the relevance of Gandhiji and the magnitude of his greatness. However, the younger generation, who are the makers of tomorrow's history, don't seem much aware of his life and greatness. It is a sad fact.

Today in commemoration of Gandhi Jayanthi, I pay tribute to the Mahatma by reading his writings and also by posting a few passages from him.

* "I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good - wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. It is a painful climb, but the pain of it is a positive pleasure to me. Each step upward makes me feel stronger and fit for the next."

* "To see the universal and all-pervading spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of creation as oneself. And a man who aspires after that cannot afford to keep out of any field of life. That is why my devotion of Truth has drawn me into the field of politics; and I can say without the slightest hesitation, and yet in all humility, that those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means."

* "The instruments for the quest of Truth are as simple as they are difficult. They may appear quite impossible to an arrogant person, and quite possible to an innocent child. The seeker after Truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after Truth should be so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of Truth."

* "Experience has taught me that silence is a part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word."

* "What a great thing it would be if we in our busy lives could retire into ourselves each day for at least a couple of hours and prepare our minds to listen to the Voice of the Great Silence."

* "Silence is a great help to a seeker after Truth life myself. In the attitude of silence, the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth, and the soul requires inward restfulness to attain its full height."

Courtesy: "TRUTH IS GOD" (Selection from the Writings of Mahatma Gandhi), Published by Navajeevan Press, Ahmedabad-380014. Grateful thanks to the Navajeevan Press.