Mahatma Gandhi - short biography

Mahatma Gandhi - short biography 

 

Mahatma Gandhi, or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was born at Porbandar in Gujarat, on October 2, 1869. His father was the Dewan of the Porbandar State.

Early Life and Career: He married Kasturba when he was only thirteen. He was very truthful from his boyhood days. He went to England to be a barrister. He did not do well as a lawyer. In South Africa he began a movement against the British rulers. In India too he led the freedom movement and at last won independence in 1947.

Non-violence and Gandhism: Gandhiji believed in non-violence and love. He was against untouchability and all sorts of injustice in society. He lived a saintly life and suffered a lot to see truth triumph. His heart bled for the poor and the oppressed. He said that all men were equal. He wanted them all to live in peace. He dreamed of a Ram Rajya in which everybody would live in peace. He was against the modern civilization. Instead, he wanted his countrymen to live in the villages.
Freedom Struggle in India: After spending 21 years in South Africa, Gandhiji returned to India in 1915. While fighting against the British rule in India, he always maintained his principles of truthfulness, peace and non-violence. In 1942, he launched the ‘Quit India Movement’ to drive the British out of the country and gave the famous slogan of ‘do or die’ to his countrymen. Though, the movement didn’t prove to be an immediate success, the British had to grant independence to our country in 1947.
Death and Memory: This great son of India was shot dead on January 30, 1948. But he will live forever in our heart for what he has done for India.

 

APJ Abdul Kalam - short biography

APJ Abdul Kalam - short biography

 
Dr. APJ abdul Kalam’s  full name was Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. He was born in a Tamil Muslim family  on 15th October 1931. His birthplace was Rameshwaram in Ramnad district of Madras presidency under British India. This place is presently in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu.

He was a mediocre student at school and he had average grades, though he used to be highly appreciated for his will to study. He completed his school education from Schwartz higher secondary school at Ramanathapuram. After that he studied his Bsc Degree education from Saint Joseph College in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. He had his major in Physics. He finally graduated from college in the year 1954. Then he moved to Madras in 1955 to study aerospace engineering in Madras Institute of Technology.

Though as a child he had a dream of becoming a fighter pilot, he missed his chance very narrowly. But it didn’t break him down . His contributions are immense. He was responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, the SLV- 3, development and operation of strategic missiles and building indigenous capability in critical technologies. He was appointed as the chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment council (TIFAC). He guided a number of Technology projects and missions to take India into the 21st century.

APJ Abdul Kalam was elected as the 11th president of India in 2002  and stayed in his position for 5 years. Widely referred to as the people’s President, he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service after a single term. Abdul Kalam held various positions under ISRO and DRDO and became Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government Of India holding the rank of a Cabinet Minister.

He has received honorary doctorates from 30 universities and the country’s three highest civilian honours – Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990) and Bharat Ratna (1997).

This great personality had his last breath while giving a lecture at IIM, Meghalaya on 27th July  2015. He had a sudden cardiac arrest and he died on the spot. Whole country was in shock and mourned the death of him. He maynot be present physically but his works will always be remembered. And all we can do is to contribute our part as a new generation kid in making India a developed country. This is what he expressed in his book” India 2020- A vision for the New Millennium”.