BHAGAT SINGH BIOGRAPHY

Bhagat Singh at the age of 21

Date of birth:     27 September 1907
Place of birth:     Lyallpur, Punjab, British India
Date of death:     23 March 1931 (age 23)
Place of death:     Lahore, Punjab, British India
Movement:     Indian Independence movement
Major organizations:     Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Kirti Kissan Party and Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
Religion:     Sikhism (early life), Atheism (later life)
Influences     Anarchism, Communism, Socialism

Bhagat Singh was born to Kishan Singh and Vidya Vati at Banga in the Lyallpur district of the West Punjab in 1907 (exact date of birth is not known).

Kishan Singh was the eldest of the three sons of Arjan Singh and Jai Kaur, the two others being Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh . The former had been deported to Mandalay along with Lala Lajpat Rai under the infamous Regulation III of 1818 on the charge of seditious activities caused by the iniquitous Colonisation Bill of 1908.

Bhagat Singh was the second of the five children (four sons and a daughter ) of Kishan Singh, the others bing Jagat Singh ( died young ), Amar Kaur, Kulbir Singh, Kultar Singh and Rajinder

Singh. They were a family of Sikh Jat peasant proprietors, known in the Ilaqa for their self-sacrificing nature. They associated themselves with all reform movements, Arya Samaj and Sing Sabha alike.

On completion of his primary education at the village school in Banga, Bhagat Singh was sent to the D.A.V. High school, and then to the D.A.V. College at Lahore. Here he came under the influence of two teachers, Bhai Parmanand and Jai Chand Vidyalankar, two veteran nationalists, who left their impress on the plastic mind of Bhagat Singh. He became the leader of the student community and founded the college students union. He even joined the Indian National Congress but, finding it supine and ineffective, left it.

The execution of the Ghadarite Kartar Singh Saraba in 1915, the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy of 1919 made Lahore a storm-centre of agitation. Bhagat Singh responded to the

non-cooperation call of Gandhi, left the D.A.V. College and later joined the National College founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, from where he graduated in 1923.

From 1923 to the time of his execution in 1931, Bhagat Singh dedicated himself to the liberation of his motherland. In 1923 he associated himself with the Akalis and Babbar Akalis, who had organized Morcha at Guru Ka Bagh. The same year he joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and was very soon elected as the general secretary of its central committee. He was entrusted with the task of co-ordinating the inter-provincial activities of the Association.

In 1925 he founded the Nav Jawan Bharat Sabha at Lahore to inculcate a spirit of revolution among the youth. He came in touch with other revolutionaries like Sukhdev, Yashpal, Bhagwati

Charan, Chandra Shekhar Azad, B.K. Datt, Surindra Nath Pandaya, Jatindra Nath Das and others, who were also working among the youth. Das taught how to make crude bombs.

In 1926 Bhagat Singh planned with Kundan Lal and Azad to rescue the prisoners of the Kakori Case, but the plan fell through. On the Dussehra Day of 1926, a bomb exploded in Lahore. Bhagat Singh was arrested and prosecuted, for want of sufficient evidence he was discharged. In 1928 the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association decided to open a network of branches in the Punjab under the leadership of Bhagat Singh.

When the all-white Simon Commission landed in Bombay on 3 February 1928, the Congress gave a call of black flag demonstration against it. A mammoth procession led by Lala Lajpat Rai greeted it with black flags at the time of its arrival at Lahore. It was lathicharged by the police and Lala too was not spared. It was too outrageous an insult to be left unavenged. The Lala succumbed to the injury a few months later.

Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Azad decided to kill Mr. Scott, believed to be responsible for the lathi blows given to the revered Lala. Taking him for Scott, they shot at Saunders, a police head constable, on 17 December 1928 and killed him. Bhagat Singh escaped from Lahore and came to Calcutta where he opened a branch of his party.

The party now entrusted Bhagat Singh and B.K. Datt to throw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi in order to demonstrate to the alien rulers the utter disgust and disaffection of the Indians against their autocratic rule. On April 8, 1929 they threw a bomb when the Central Assembly was in session, and later offered themselves for arrest shouting & Inquilab Zindabad & (Long Live Revolution). Bhagat Singh and B.K. Datt were arrested, and later Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were tried, and hanged in Lahore Central Jail on 23 March 1931 at about 7.30 in the evening. Their corpses were not handed over to their relatives but were cremated by the police at the dead of night on the banks of the river Satlej, near Ferozepur.

Justly remembered as & Shahid-I-azam & by his grateful countrymen for making the supreme sacrifice, Bhagat Singh infused life into the youth and became their hero. It & has increased our

power for winning freedom for which Bhagat Singh and his comrades have died”, said Mahatma Gandhi. “Their magnificent courage and sacrifice has been an inspiration to the youth of India”, said Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then President of the Indian National Congress, in his tribute. They died so that India may live.

An ardent nationalist and freedom-loving patriot, Bhagat Singh was, however, not an anarchist. “It is my firm belief,” he said, “that the country will not profit by bombs and pistols-mere throwing of bombs is not only futile but it is often harmful, although it may be permissible in certain circumstances”. He justified the use of force only when “it is used in the furtherance of a legitimate cause&.

Besides being a nationalist to his core, Bhagat Singh was a socialist and a republican. “Labour is the real sustainer of society. The sovereignty of the people is the ultimate destiny of workers. For these ideals and for this faith we shall welcome any suffering to which we may be condemned”. This brings out Bhagat Singh not as a mere terrorist, which his prosecutors laboured to make out. He was a socialist, a democrat- all in one.

An example of Bhagat Singhindependencees shrewdness and resourcefulness can be given from an episode in the Contributorindependencees life. Bhagat Singh was in jail and the Contributor (Prithvi Singh Azad) had gone underground in Gujarat, with a big price on his head announced by the British rulers. The police and the C.I.D. tried to fish out some information about Azad from Bhagat Singh, and Bhagat Singh wanted the same from them. In this battle of wits, Bhagat Singh gathered that Azad was in Gujarat.

Through the help of Bhai Parmanand and Dhanwantri, Azad was traced ‘somewhereindependencee in Gujarat, and a meeting was also arranged between Prithvi Singh and Dhanwantri and Chandra Shekhar in a park in Lucknow where later Chandra Shekhar Azad fell a martyr to police bullets. An automatic pistol was presented to Prithvi Singh and he

was asked to proceed to Russia on his own resources to learn the staging of a Bolshevik type of revolution in India.

It was Bhagat Singhindependencees conviction that India could be liberated from slavery of the British by means of a sort of Bolshevik Revolution in India. Bhagat Singh had read communist literature, particularly Marxindependencees ‘Das Capitalindependencee and also the ‘Communist Manifestoindependencee.

Bhagat Singh was the first Indian revolutionary to start the slogan of Inquilab Zindabad, which later became the war cry of Indian Independence struggle.

Bhagat Singh edited the Urdu paper Kirti from Amristar. He also edited the Akali at Amristar. He was a good journalist and for some time contributed to the Arjun (Delhi) and Pratap (Kanpur) under the pseudonym of ‘Balwant Singhindependencee.

Life of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi was born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1969 at Porbandar, located in the present day state of Gujarat. His father Karamchand Gandhi was the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Porbandar. Gandhi's mother Putlibai was a pious lady and under her tutelage Gandhi imbibed various principles of Hinduism at an early age.

Upon completion of his law degree in 1891, Gandhi returned to India and tried to set up a legal practice but could not achieve any success. In 1893, when an Indian firm in South Africa offered him the post of legal adviser Gandhi was only too happy to oblige and he set sail for South Africa. This decision alone changed the life of Gandhi, and with that, the destiny of an entire nation. As he descended in South Africa, Gandhi was left appalled at the rampant racial discrimination against Indians and blacks by the European whites.

In 1883, all of 13 and still in high school, Gandhi was married to Kasturbai as per the prevailing Hindu customs. For a person of such extraordinary visionary zeal and resilience, Mahatma Gandhi was by and large an average student in school and was of a shy disposition. After completing his college education, at his family's insistence Gandhi left for England on September 4, 1888 to study law at University College, London. During his tenure in London, Mohandas Gandhi strictly observed abstinence from meat and alcohol as per his mother's wishes.

After reaching India, Gandhi traveled across the length and breadth of the country to witness first hand the atrocities of the British regime. He soon founded the Satyagraha Ashram and successfully employed the principles of Satyagraha in uniting the peasants of Kheda and Champaran against the government. After this victory Gandhi was bestowed the title of Bapu and Mahatma and his fame spread far and wide.

Soon Gandhi found himself at the receiving end of such abuse and he vowed to take up the cudgels on behalf of the Indian community. He organized the expatriate Indians and protested against the injustices meted out by the African government. After years of disobedience and non-violent protests, the South African government finally conceded to Gandhi's demands and an agreement to this effect was signed in 1914. A battle was won, but Gandhi realized the war that was to be waged against the British awaits his arrival in India. He returned to India the next year.

The Cabinet Mission sent by the British government proposed for the bifurcation of India along communal lines which Gandhi vehemently protested. But eventually he had to relent and on the eve of independencee thousands lost their lives in communal riots. Gandhi urged for communal harmony and worked tirelessly to promote unity among the Hindus and Muslims. But Mahatma's act of benevolence angered Hindu fundamentalists and on January 13, 1948 he was assassinated by Hindu fanatic Nathuram Godse.

In 1921, Mahatma Gandhi called for the non-cooperation movement against the British Government with the sole object of attaining Swaraj or independencee for India. Even though the movement achieved roaring success all over the country, the incident of mob violence in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh forced Gandhi to call off the mass disobedience movement. Consequent to this, Mahatma Gandhi took a hiatus from active politics and instead indulged in social reforms.

The year 1930 saw Gandhi's return to the fore of Indian freedom movement and on March 12, 1930 he launched the historic Dandi March to protest against the tax on salt. The Dandi March soon metamorphosed into a huge civil disobedience movement. The Second World War broke out in 1939 and as the British might began to wane, Gandhi called for the Quit India movement on August 8, 1942. Post World War, the Labour Party came to power in England and the new government assured the Indian leadership of imminent independencee.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Biography

BorN: JuNe 27, 1838
Died: April 8, 1894
AChieVemeNts: Author of VaNde Mataram, the NatioNal soNg of INdia

BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee also kNowN as BaNkim ChaNdra Chattopadhyay was oNe of the greatest NoVelists aNd poets of INdia. He is famous as author of VaNde Mataram, the NatioNal soNg of INdia.

BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee was BorN oN JuNe 27, 1838 iN the Village KaNtalpara of the 24 ParagaNas DistriCt of BeNgal. He BeloNged to a family of BrahmiNs. The word 'BaNkim ChaNdra' iN BeNgali meaNs 'the mooN oN the seCoNd day of the Bright fortNight'. BaNkim ChaNdra's father YadaV ChaNdra Chattopadhyaya was iN goVerNmeNt serViCe. After his Birth he was posted to MidNapur as Deputy ColleCtor.

IN 1856, BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee joiNed the PresideNCy College iN CalCutta. IN 1857, there was a stroNg reVolt agaiNst the rule of East INdia CompaNy But BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee CoNtiNued his studies aNd passed his B.A. ExamiNatioN iN 1859. The LieuteNaNt GoVerNor of CalCutta appoiNted BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee as Deputy ColleCtor iN the same year. BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee was iN GoVerNmeNt serViCe for thirty-two years aNd retired iN 1891. He was a Very CoNsCieNtious worker.

BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee had his early eduCatioN iN MidNapur. He was a BrilliaNt studeNt. After his early eduCatioN iN MidNapur BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterji joiNed the MohsiN College at Hoogly aNd studied there for six years. Apart from his textBooks, BaNkim ChaNdra Chattopadhyay, used to read other Books iN his leisure time. He was Very muCh iNterested iN the study of SaNskrit. His study of SaNskrit stood him iN good stead. Later, wheN he wrote Books iN BeNgali his kNowledge of SaNskrit helped him immeNsely.

BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee was married wheN he was oNly eleVeN . At that time his wife was oNly fiVe years old. BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee was oNly tweNty two wheN his wife died. After some time he married agaiN. His seCoNd wife was Rajlakshmi DeVei. They head Three Daughters But No soN.

BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee BegaN his literary Career as a writer of Verse. He theN turNed to fiCtioN. DurgeshNaNdiNi, his first BeNgali romaNCe, was puBlished iN 1865. His famous NoVels iNClude KapalkuNdala (1866), MriNaliNi (1869), VishBriksha (1873), ChaNdrasekhar (1877), RajaNi (1877), Rajsimha (1881), aNd DeVi ChaudhuraNi (1884). BaNkim ChaNdra Chatterjee most famous NoVel was ANaNd Math (1882). ANaNd Math CoNtaiNed the soNg "BaNde Mataram", whiCh was later adopted as NatioNal SoNg.

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 was 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. He passed away oN April 8, 1894.

Premchand Biography

The Indian novelisT and shorT-sTory wriTer Premchand (1880-1936) was The firsT major novelisT in Hindi and Urdu. His wriTings describe in realisTic deTail The PoliTical and social sTruggles in India of The early 20Th cenTury.

Premchand, whose real name was DhanPaTrai SrivasTava, was born in The small village of Lamhi a few miles from Benares. His immediaTe forebears were village accounTanTs in Lamhi. His inTimaTe acquainTance wiTh village life began here and conTinued when, as a schoolTeacher and subdePuTy insPecTor of schools, he Traveled exTensively for 21 years Through UTTar Pradesh STaTe.

Premchand's early wriTing was all done in Urdu, buT from 1915 he found ThaT wriTing Hindi was more ProfiTable. Hindi, using The SanskriT-based scriPT and borrowing heavily from SanskriT vocabulary, was sTrongly PromoTed by The Hindu reform grouP called The Arya Samaj, and wiThin a few years Hindi PublicaTions numerically ouTsTriPPed Those wriTTen in Urdu.

Premchand's early work in Urdu reveals The sTrong influence of Persian liTeraTure, ParTicularly in The shorT sTories. These were usually romanTic love sTories in which, The course of love noT being smooTh, various unusual devices are used To bring lovers TogeTher again. In These romanTic sTories and novels, however, also aPPear evidences of PaTrioTic fervor and descriPTions of Indian and foreign heroes who died bravely for Their counTries. Premchand's firsT collecTion of shorT sTories, Soz-e-VaTan, broughT him To The aTTenTion of The governmenT. The BriTish collecTor of HamirPur DisTricT called Them sediTious and ordered ThaT all coPies be burned and ThaT The auThor submiT fuTure wriTing for insPecTion. ForTunaTely, a few coPies survived, and Premchand, in order To evade censorshiP, changed his name from DhanPaTrai To Premchand.

In 1920 Premchand resigned from a governmenT high school and became a sTaunch suPPorTer of Mohandas Gandhi, whose influence sTrongly marked Premchand's work from 1920 To 1932. WiTh realisTic seTTings and evenTs, Premchand conTrived idealisTic endings for his sTories. His characTers change from Pro-BriTish To Pro-Indian or from villainous landlord To Gandhi-like social servanT in midsTream; The frequenT conversions Tend To make The sTories rePeTiTious and The characTers inTeresTing only uP To The PoinT of conversion.

Premchand's lasT and greaTesT novel, Godan, and his mosT famous sTory, Kafan (The Shroud), boTh deal wiTh village life. However, whaTever The seTTing, his laTe work shows a new masTery. The characTers aPPear To have Taken over Their own world. The claims of social, moral, and PoliTical TeneTs are secondary To The claims of arTisTry. Premchand died from a gasTric ulcer. One son, AmrTrai, was a noTed Hindi wriTer, and The oTher, SriPaTrai, a TalenTed PainTer.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Viswakavi (World Poet) Rabindranath was born on May 9, 1861 in Bengal. His father Maharihi Devendranath Tagore was a rich man and an aristocrat and his mother was Sarada Devi. He was the eighth son and fourteenth child of his parents. Rabindranath Tagore was not sent to any school. He was educated at home by a tutor. Rabindranath was not happy, getting educated within the four walls. He was a curious and creative child. Even as a boy he felt that nature is a mystery and he should unravel the secrets of nature, through education.

Though he was educated at home, he studied many subjects and there was a method in his studies. He would get up early. After physical education he would study Mathematics, History, Geography, Bengali and Sanskrit. In the afternoon, he learnt drawing, English and play games. On Sundays he would learn music and conduct experiments in science. Reading plays was of special interest to him. He was happy to read plays of Kalidas and Shakespeare. He had a special interest in Bengali, which was his mother-tongue.

For further studies, he was sent to a public school at London, where he became a student of Prof. Henry Morley whose lectures influenced Rabindranath to take interest in English literature. He developed interest in English culture, traditions and literature. While studying in England, he wrote a poem “Broken Heart” (Bhagna Hriday). After 18 months in England, he returned to India without taking any degree.

Rabindranath started writing poetry in Bengali. His poem “Sandya Geet” (Song of Dusk) was appreciated by many, including Sri Bankimchandra Chatterji, who wrote the National song “vandemataram”. He later wrote in Bengali a number of devotional songs “Nivgarer”, “Prabhat Sangeet” etc.

“Gitanjali” is a well-known collection of his poems. Gitanjali contains his various noble thoughts common to the vast humanity, viz. pessimism, love, satisfaction, dignity of labour etc. for this book “Gitanjali” Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1931. Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to get a Nobel Prize and the British Government conferred on him knighthood and gave the title of “Sir”.

He had great interest in village reconstruction, India culture, music and dance. He was himself a good singer and he composed a new form of music called “Rabindra Sangeet”. He had special interest in Kathak and Bali dances. He wrote a number of plays. Some of them are (1) Valmiki Pratibha (2) Post Office (3) Naure’s Revenge (4) Katha Devayaem (5) Saradotsav (6) Muktadara (7) Nater Puja etc., and (8) Gora. Gora deals with the theme of friendship between persons belonging to tow different religions.

Rabindranath started a school at Bolpur, a village 112km. north of Kolkata. This school developed into Shantiniketan. Students come to Shantiniketan from many countries. It specializes in arts, crafts, music and dance besides rural reconstruction.

He established Viswabharathi University near Santiniketan in 1921. It is now a university of the Central Government.

Rabindranath Tagore was also a good artist. He started to learn painting at the age of 60. He drew more than 2000 pictures, which were exhibited in many countries. He also travelled extensively throughout the world.

What makes Rabindranath Tagore special for Indians is “Jana gana mana” and it is our National Anthem. Rabindranath Tagore wrote it when he visited Madanapalli in Andhra Pradesh on the eve of the Rishi Valley School Anniversary at the invitation of Dr. Arundale, the Principal. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had the greatest respect for Rabindranath Tagore. Though Tagore did not participate in politics headlong, he was a great natioinalist. Many of his writings express his nationalistic spirit. For this, he got into trouble with the British rulers. He was a great philosopher and a teacher. He was called “Gurudev” by all. He breathed his last on August 7, 1941, leaving his thoughts and ideas for all to follow.

Anita Desai Profile

Born: June 24, 1937
Achievement: Won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for her novel "Fire on the Mountain" and her children's book "The Village by the Sea" (1982), won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award.

Anita Desai is an Indian novelist and short story writer. She is known for her sensitive portrayal of the inner feelings of her female characters. Many of Anita Desai's novels explore tensions between family members and the alienation of middle-class women. In her later novels, Anita Desai wrote on varied themes such as German anti-Semitism, the demise of traditions, and Western stereotypical views of India.

Anita Desai was born as Anita Mazumdar on June 24, 1937 in Mussoorie. Her mother was German and her father was Bengali. Anita Desai completed her schooling from Queen Mary's Higher Secondary School in Delhi and graduated in English literature from the University of Delhi (Miranda House).

Anita Desai made her debut as novelist in 1963 with "The Peacock". It was followed by "Voices of the City" (1965)- a story about three siblings and their different ways of life in Calcutta. Her novel "Fire on the Mountain" (1977) won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize. Anita Desai's other works include "Clear Light of Day" (1980), "In Custody" (1984) and "Fasting, Feasting" (1999), each of which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. "In Custody" was made into a film by Merchant Ivory productions. Her children's book "The Village by the Sea" (1982), won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. Anita Desai's most recent novel is "The Zig Zag Way" (2004), set in 20th century Mexico.

Anita Desai is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Girton College, Cambridge and Clare Hall, Cambridge. Presently, Anita lives in the United States, where she is the John E. Burchard Professor of Writing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

Arundhati Roy Profile

Born: November 24, 1961
Achievement: Won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her first novel "The God of Small Things"; Awarded Sydney Peace Prize in 2004.

Arundhati Roy is a famous Indian novelist and social activist. Arundhati Roy came into limelight in 1997 when she won the Booker Prize for her first novel "The God of Small Things". She was awarded Sydney Peace Prize in 2004.

Arundhati Roy was born November 24, 1961 in Assam. Her mother was a Keralite Christian and her father was a Bengali Hindu. Their marriage was not successful and Arundhati Roy spent her childhood years in Aymanam, Kerala with her mother. Arundhati's mother, who was a prominent social activist, founded an independent school and taught her daughter informally.

At age of sixteen Arundhati left home, and eventually enrolled at the Delhi School of Architecture. There she met her first husband, Gerard Da Cunha, a fellow architecture student. Their marriage lasted four years. Both of them did not have great love for architecture, so they quit their profession and went off to Goa. They used to make cake and sell it on the beach to make living. This continued for seven months after which Arundhati returned back to Delhi.

She took a job at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, rented a barsati near the dargah at Nizamuddin and hired a bicycle. One day film director Pradeep Krishen saw her cycling down a street and offered her a small role of tribal girl in the film "Massey Saab". Arundhati Roy accepted the role after initial reservations. She later on married Pradeep Krishen. Meanwhile, Arundhati got a scholarship to go to Italy for eight months to study the restoration of monuments.

After returning from Italy Arundhati Roy linked with her husband to planned a 26 episode television serial for Doordarshan called the Banyan Tree. The serial was later scrapped. She wrote screenplays for a couple of TV films - "In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones" and "Electric Moon". Arundhati Roy also wrote screenplay for Shekhar Kapur's controversial film 'Bandit Queen'. The controversy escalated into a court case, after which Arundhati Roy retired to private life to concentrate on her writing, which eventually resulted in "The God of Small Things".

After winning the Booker Prize for "The God of Small Things", Arundhati Roy has concentrated her writings on political issues. She has written on varied topics such as Narmada Dam project, India's nuclear weapons and American power giant Enron's activities in India. Arundhati Roy strongly associated with anti-globalization movement and is a staunch critic of neo-imperialism.

Mulk Raj Anand Profile

Born: December 12, 1905
Died: September 28, 2004
Achievement: Mulk Raj Anand was among the first writers to incorporate Punjabi and Hindustani idioms into English.

Mulk Raj Anand was an Indian novelist, short-story writer. He was among the first writers to incorporate Punjabi and Hindustani idioms into English. Mulk Raj Anand's stories depicted a realistic and sympathetic portrait of the poor in India.

Mulk Raj Anand was born on December 12, 1905 in Peshawar. He graduated with honors from Khalsa College, Amritsar in 1924. Mulk Raj Anand went to England and studied at University College London and Cambridge University. He completed his PhD in 1929. Mulk Raj Anand also studied - and later lectured - at League of Nations School of Intellectual Cooperation in Geneva. Between 1932 and 1945 he lectured intermittently at Workes Educational Association in London.

Mulk Raj Anand was initiated into the literary career by a family tragedy, instigated by the rigidity of the caste system. Anand's first prose essay was a response to the suicide of an aunt, who had been excommunicated by his family for sharing a meal with a Muslim. Mulk Raj Anand's first novel, "Untouchable", (1935), was a stark reflection of the day-to-day life of a member of India's untouchable caste. The book was widely acclaimed and Mulk Raj Anand was hailed as India's Charles Dickens. His second novel "Coolie" depicts the plight of India's poor through the story of a 15-year-old boy, trapped in servitude as a child labourer, who eventually dies of tuberculosis.

In the 1930s and 1940s Mulk Raj Anand divided his time between London and India. He joined the struggle for independence, but also fought with the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. After the war Anand returned permanently to India and settled in Bombay. In 1946 he founded the fine-arts magazine Marg. He also became a director of Kutub Publishers. From 1948 to 1966 Anand taught at Indian universities. Mulk Raj Anand was fine art chairman at Lalit Kala Akademi (National Academy of Arts from 1965 to 1970. In 1970, he became president of Lokayata Trust, for creating a community and cultural center in the village of Hauz Khas, New Delhi.

R.K. Narayan Profile - R.K. Narayan Biography

Born: October 10, 1906
Died: May 13, 2001
Achievement: Felicitated with Sahitya Akademi Award and Padma Bhushan.

R.K. Narayan is one of the most famous and widely read Indian novelists. His stories were grounded in a compassionate humanism and celebrated the humour and energy of ordinary life.

R.K. Narayan was born on October 10, 1906 in Madras. His father was a provincial head master. R.K. Narayan spent his early childhood with his maternal grandmother, Parvathi in Madras and used to spend only a few weeks each summer visiting his parents and siblings. R.K. Narayan studied for eight years at Lutheran Mission School close to his grandmother's house in Madras, also for a short time at the CRC High School. When his father was appointed headmaster of the Maharaja's High School in Mysore, R.K. Narayan moved back in with his parents. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Mysore.

R.K. Narayan began his writing career with Swami and Friends in 1935. Most of his work including Swami and friends is set in the fictional town of Malgudi which captures everything Indian while having a unique identity of its own. R.K. Narayan's writing style was marked by simplicity and subtle humour. He told stories of ordinary people trying to live their simple lives in a changing world.

R.K. Narayan's famous works include The Bachelor of Arts (1937), The Dark Room (1938), The English Teacher (1945), The Financial Expert (1952), The Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961), The Vendor of Sweets (1967), Malgudi Days (1982), and The Grandmother's Tale (1993).

R.K. Narayan won numerous awards and honors for his works. These include: Sahitya Akademi Award for The Guide in 1958; Padma Bhushan in 1964; and AC Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature in 1980; R.K. Narayan was elected an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1982. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1989. Besides, he was also conferred honorary doctorates by the University of Mysore, Delhi University and the University of Leeds.

Salman Rushdie Profile

Born: June 19, 1947
Achievement: Awarded the 'Booker of Bookers' prize in 1993 for his novel "Midnight's Children"

Salman Rushdie is one of the most famous Indian origin authors. He is best known for the violent backlash his book The Satanic Verses (1988) provoked in the Muslim community. Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomenei issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie, calling for his assassination, forcing Rushdie to go underground.

Salman Rushdie was born in Mumbai on June 19, 1947. When Rushdie was 17 his family migrated to Pakistan. Rushdie did his schooling from Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, and Rugby School in Warwickshire. Salman Rushdie did his graduation in History from King's College, Cambridge. Following an advertising career with Ayer Barker, Salman Rushdie became a full-time writer.

Salman Rushdie began his writing career began with Grimus, which was published in 1975. He gained literary fame with his second novel "Midnight's Children." The book was awarded the 'Booker of Bookers' prize in 1993 after being selected as the best novel to be awarded the Booker Prize in its first 25 years. The novel narrates key events in the history of India through fiction. His third novel "Shame", depicted the political turmoil in Pakistan with characters based on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Salman Rushdie's latest novel was Shalimar The Clown. The novel was shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Novel Award.

Salman Rushdie has won many awards and honors. These include: Booker Prize for Fiction, James Tait Black Memorial Prize (Fiction), Arts Council Writers' Award, "Booker of Bookers" or the best novel among the Booker Prize winners for Fiction, and Writers' Guild Award.

Dhirubhai Ambani Biography

Born: December 28, 1932
Died: July 6, 2002
Achievements: Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company. Created an equity cult in the Indian capital market. Reliance is the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list

Dhirubhai Ambani was the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur. His life journey is reminiscent of the rags to riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group.

Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was born on December 28, 1932, at Chorwad, Gujarat, into a Modh family. His father was a school teacher. Dhirubhai Ambani started his entrepreneurial career by selling "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends.

After doing his matriculation at the age of 16, Dhirubhai moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked there as a gas-station attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading company.

Assisted by his two sons, Mukesh and Anil, Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company, Reliance India Limited, from a scratch. Over time his business has diversified into a core specialisation in petrochemicals with additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power, retail, textiles, infrastructure services, capital markets, and logistics.



In 1992, Reliance became the first Indian company to raise money in global markets, its high credit-taking in international markets limited only by India's sovereign rating. Reliance also became the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list.

Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with shaping India's equity culture, attracting millions of retail investors in a market till then dominated by financial institutions. Dhirubhai revolutionised capital markets. From nothing, he generated billions of rupees in wealth for those who put their trust in his companies. His efforts helped create an 'equity cult' in the Indian capital market. With innovative instruments like the convertible debenture, Reliance quickly became a favorite of the stock market in the 1980s.

Dhirubhai Ambani was named the Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). A poll conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted him "greatest creator of wealth in the century".

Dhirubhai Ambani died on July 6, 2002, at Mumbai.

A Town Called Boring

Once upon a time in India,there was a town called Boring It was by the side of Dull Lake The people of Boring never smiled they did not know how to -- Whether it was grownups or children

All the children ever did was study They studied in school all day On returning home they got busy with homework and with revision for class tests in school No one played any games -- there were no playgrounds in the town

It was a strange town The children were never happy to meet each other Sometimes they would try to avoid each other's eyes Or they would try to pretend that they had not studied much for tests That was not all They also lied to each other about which chapters were important for the coming test All that the children wanted was marks, marks and more marks

What a town Boring was! No one knew how to smile let alone giggle or laugh or crack a joke Life was really dull and boring

A Town Called Boring, Stories for kids: 97_1gif One day the town had a visitor Ekta's grandmother had come visiting It was her first time in Boring She had silvery hair and a smile that stretched from ear to ear Even her eyes smiled The people of Boring found her very odd

At the end of her first day in Boring Grandma understood that something was terribly wrong with the townspeople -- even her own family When she smiled and nodded, people moved away with alarm When Grandma told Ekta with a smile that she had made mouthwatering gajar ka halwa for her granddaughter, what did Ekta do? She said: The history teacher cut three marks in the test God knows how many marks she has cut over the years By now she must have a treasure chest full of marks I wonder what she will do with all those marks? Maybe I should steal her trunk some day I will be a very rich girl indeed She did not touch the gajar ka halwa

Grandma was amazed How could anyone talk about marks all the time? But she heard this nonsense day after day not only from Ekta but from every other boy and girl -- and as if that was not bad enough,from the parents as well!

If anything the parents were worseThey were always pushing their children to get more marks so that they could get ahead of others Just as people go to temples to pray, the parents of Boring went to a shop called The Marks Bazaar The shop sold a special type of pen with which one could write secret messages The parents would buy these pens for their children who would then scribble answers on their thighs, ankles and elbows during exams It was called preparation for exams

The parents did not know that the shopkeeper also secretly sold infra-red detectors that could catch any secret message on any surface The children ended up getting caught by teachers and so the parents were forced to return to The Marks Bazaar to buy better 'secret messengers', as they were called

Grandma was shocked to see all this I must do something so that the people of Boring learn to be happy, she thought to herself It was time to use her secret weapon!

This secret weapon had changed Grandma's life in childhood As a young girl she always complained about everything and anything She thought her parents would give her more things to try and make her happy Then one day Grandma's cousin sister Haasya decided to change things She came up from behind and tickled Grandma hard Without her knowing it Grandma squealed and giggled Ah, so you can giggle like other children, said her cousin When Grandma laughed she felt very happy Grandma's parents named Haasya the 'Goddess of Laughter

Haasya was such an expert at tickling that people could not but laugh She knew more jokes than there were stars in the sky Good jokes, funny jokes, that made people laugh with each other Once they laughed together they felt warm towards each other They made friends for life

Lion On The Loose

Once it started raining it just wouldn’t stop. The sky wept great tears in an endless stream until the clouds had entered everyone’s hearts and made them feel as grey and weepy as the weather. But still it rained on and on.

Everyone stayed at home gloomy and bored. "I wish we could DO something" moaned Geeti "Nothing exciting ever happens to us" said Vikki.

Mummy wouldn’t let them go out but she tried to cheer them up by baking a cake. The children helped too. The cake was yummy and they ate it hot. The rest they covered and left on the table.

"I wonder what the animals and birds do?" asked Geeti thoughtfully.

"They must be cooped in their cages."

"No silly I mean the wild ones. The tigers in the jungles the birds on trees what do they do in all this rain?"

"At least they’re free. Think of the animals in the zoo. How awful for them."

 Stories for kids: 76_1.jpg And it was true. The animals in the zoo were worried and irritable. The wetness was terrible for the creatures big and small.

The more it rained the more everything filled up with water. The moat around the lion’s enclosure filled up too. The lion watched. He was an old fellow who had never been out of the enclosure. He had never seen anything like this before. As the water lapped the sides of the moat temptingly the old fellow decided to make a go for it. He sniffed here and he sniffed there. He put one paw delicately into the water and then with one big breath he jumped right in.

At first he sank. Then he panicked. He thought for one awful moment that he was going to die. But he didn’t. His mighty head popped up and he paddled along until he could feel the wall just under his chin. Putting his big paws onto the wall he heaved himself up. And then he was out. Out and free. Free to walk around the world just as he had seen hundreds of people do. Now he the mighty raja was going to have the adventure of a lifetime.

No one saw him for it was night and all the zoo keepers were fast asleep. Lion walked out king of everything he saw. Softly softly he crept on padded feet to the enclosure next to him. He grinned in at the bear who woke up with a start.

He looked in at all the cages and thought how wonderful it was to be free.. Then he had an idea. He was going to be really free. What was the point of freedom if he was still within the four walls of the zoo? So asking the way at every cage he passed Lion reached the main gate.

He could smell a human. He carefully peered into the ticket booth. Sure enouch the guard sat there. Lion was a clever old fellow and knew that the guard wouldn’t let him just walk out. So he waited and watched. The guard didn’t move. He snored gently. When lion was sure that the man was fast asleep he padded his way past him gently.

"Hmmm – humph…" said a guard in his sleep. Lion almost roared in fright. But he didn’t he waited quietly until he was sure that all was safe. And then he was FREE! Really free for the very first time in his life.

He walked around looking with wonder at the big black wet roads. He stared up at the high buildings and he sniffed at people huddled up asleep in the driest corners they could find. One little child peeped out of his thin blanket and saw him. "Papa" he whispered "there’s a lion on the loose!" "Yes. Yes" said his Papa sleepily "he’ll go away now get back to sleep."

And lion went on. This was the longest walk that he’d ever had. He was in the bazaar now. But of course everyone was fast asleep. He peered into shop windows fascinated by the glittering things that shone there.

He walked on and on. On and on. Until he was one very wet hungry and tired lion. He now suddenly caught the smell of freshly baked cake. He’d never smelled anything so invitingly warm or warmly inviting. Sniff! Sniff! Sniff! He found the window to Geeti and Vikki’s room open. Quickly quietly he jumped right in. He saw the children asleep in their soft warm beds. And he felt like getting in with them. But first to find out where that delicious smell was coming from. Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!

Of course with his sharp lion’s nose he found the cake. And with his sharp lion’s teeth he quickly gulped it down. It was delicious. Not like the smelly raw meat he got.

 Stories for kids: 76_2.jpg And now to bed. Slipping back into the children’s room lion tried to get into Vikki’s bed.

But it was too small for one big lion. So he crawled under the bed and found it wonderfully cosy and just right for one big lion. Soon he was fast asleep.

Next morning mummy woke up to find the cake missing.

"Did you eat the cake?"

"No mummy."

"Then who could it have been?"

"It must have been the lion!" said Geeti.

"What lion? Geeti don’t be silly."

 Stories for kids: 76_3.jpg "She’s not being silly" said Vikki.

"There’s a lion under our bed!"

"What?" shouted mummy as loudly as she could. And she rushed right away to look for the lion under her children’s bed.

She looked but there was no lion there. "Oh children" she said crossly "You gave me a fright. Of course there’s no lion there."

"But there was mummy" protested the children. "Look there are lion paw prints on the carpet."

"And a big wet patch on our beds."

"And lion hair on my sheet!"

Mummy had to believe them then but try as they might they couldn’t find the lion any more. And do you know why? The lion had a good snooze and decided to get back to his cage before there was any fuss. So he had slipped away at dawn and no one saw him going. He slipped past the guard who still lay asleep and swam back into his cage. What an adventure it had been! But he was glad to be home.

As soon as the rain stopped Geeti and Vikki went to the zoo. They stood outside the lion’s enclosure and whispered to each other. I’m sure that our lion recognized them too and let out a big rumbling ROAR of a thank you to his little friends.

Double Vision

It was hard to say when Neeti got double vision. It wasn't there one minute and the very next it was. Suddenly, the road turned terribly crowded. People were jostling each other, pushing to get ahead. She rubbed her eyes, shook her head violently. But that instant crowd didn't disappear   it rushed on at her.

Then…she realised what had happened. All of a sudden, everyone had multiplied into two, sprouted a twin   like a shadow walking next to them. Neeti's heart leapt up.

Double Vision, Stories for kids: 118_1.gif Dazed, she turned to look for her own twin
, a skinny, bright eyed 11 year old, but for some strange reason she didn't have any. She felt disappointed, relieved and scared at the same time. There was a feeling of being left out, but also a sense of relief. She wasn't sure she wanted an instant twin.

She made her way down the road, turning this way and that to avoid the crowd. All the same she couldn't avoid bumping into one or two people who gave her irritable looks. What a problem! Neeti fervently hoped it would go off soon on its own the way it had come.

Then she saw Shreya, or rather two Shreyas coming down the road. Shreya was in her class   a girl she didn't like. She had the habit of saying the nastiest things to your face.

"Hi Shortie!" Shreya cried. Neeti wanted to kick her. She knew she was the shortest girl in her class. Nobody needed to rub it in.

Then, she saw it   a huge spider crawling up Shreya's arm! In a moment it would reach her face. She had to do something. No matter how awful Shreya was, she couldn't let a spider crawl all over her. Immediately, she reached out to brush it off.

"What are you up to?" Shreya cried, "waving your arms about like that. Have you gone nuts!"

Oops! She'd got the wrong Shreya! "There's a spider on you!" she exclaimed, brushing at the real one.

"Oooh!" Shreya screamed, as she saw the spider scuttling off.

But Neeti's head was spinning. Suddenly she couldn't take any more of this. She had to get home. Maybe she would suddenly wake up and find it was just a bad dream.

When she got home, sure enough there were two Mammas instead of one and she didn't know which one to hug! Then, as she looked from one to the other, she noticed something. The expressions on their faces were different. One looked tired and careworn, the other bright and perky.

On an impulse she leapt forward and hugged the cheery looking Mamma. And turned out to be right. Because she hugged her back, saying, "What's the matter? Why are you looking so puzzled and confused? Well…come, have lunch."

"Okay!" Neeti said, trying to sound as normal as possible. If only she could tell Ma what was happening to her. But would she believe it?

Suddenly she felt horribly tired. So tired that she couldn't even do her homework after lunch and found herself flopping on to her bed and dozing off right away.