Essays

The full name of Sardar Patel was Vallabhbhai Patel. The title 'Sardar' was, given to him by Mahatma Gandhi. Sardar Patel was one of the most illustrious sons of India. He was one of the greatest freedom fighters of our country. After Independence, he became the Deputy Prime Minister of India. He is generally called the "Iron Man of India". It is mainly because of his strong will and firm determination in the service of his motherland. He was born in Karamsad village in Gujarat one October, 21, 1875. The name of his father was Jhaver Bhai Patel who was a brave, patriotic man, having fought in the army of Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi against the British in 1857. Sardar Patel got his early education in his village. Later, he went to Nadiad and then to Baroda to get higher education. His father was a poor peasant. Still, Sardar more...

Gone is the age of steam. We are now in the age of hydrogen bombs and electricity. The most fantastic dreams of H.G. Wells in his novel the Dream have come true. Thus, in this space age, where the wonders of science excel the wonders of nature, science affects our day-to-day life. Science has surpassed the old cobwebs of mythology and yesterday's faith has proved to be toddy's superstition in the crucible of science. Yet the problem is whether science is a boon or bane to society. Science is truth, truth is beauty and beauty is God. Science nurtures intelligence but leaves the will and emotions uncared for. It is said that knowledge comes but wisdom lingers. Science triumphs in automating processes but now it reigns over man. Automation is the order of the day. The spectre of war and destruction haunts , the world and nobody is safe. Controlling more...

Raja Ram Roy was born in Radhanagar village in Bengal's Hooghly district on May 22, 1772, to conservative Bengali Brahmin parents. Ram Mohans' parents, Ramakanta Roy and Tarini Mukherjee, were devout Hindus. His father was a worshipper of Lord Vishnu. Ram Mohan showed a religious disposition from an early age. At the age of 14 he wanted to be a "sanyasi" hermit, but his mother persuaded him otherwise. Another example of his devoutness was his habit of not even having water each morning until he had recited a chapter from the Bhagvata Purana. Ram Mohan was reputed to have a "tenacious memory", and showed signs of intelligence at an early age. He learnt Bengali at school first. He also went to Tibet to learn about Buddhism. He learnt persian, which was the court language. This gave him the ability to read the mystic poetry and philosophy of the Persian Sufis. more...

Dr. Norman Ernest Borlaug developed a new dwarf variety of wheat seed while he was in-charge of The Wheat Development Programme in Mexico in the 1950s. Even in the late forties, he along with Dr. Hassan had worked on the breeding programmes to find out the best genes of wheat in the world. Thus by 1956, Mexico became self-sufficient in food. In 1961, another breakthrough appeared when Japanese wheat variety NORIN-10 was crossed with the improved Mexican one. Such findings heralded the Green Revolution in wheat, which was also caught by rice due to great work by International Rice Research Institute (1RR1), Manila. Thus began the great Green Revolution in the early 50s in Mexico which became a worldwide revolution, gradually. Yet the term 'Green Revolution' was first used by William S. Gand on March 8, 1968 in Washington D.C. while he was addressing the society for International Development. In more...

Mira Bai was born in 1450 (?), Kudaki, India and died 1547(?), Dwarka, Gujarat, India. Hindu mystic and poet whose lyrical songs of devotion to the god Krishna are widely popular in northern India. Mira Bai was a Rajput princess, the only child of Ratan Singh, younger brother of the ruler of Merta. Her royal education included music and religion as well as instruction in politics and government. An image of Krishna given her during childhood by a holy man began a lifetime of devotion to Krishna, whom she worshipped as her Divine Lover. Mira Bai was married in 1516 to BhojRaj, crown prince of Mewar. Her husband died in 1521, probably of battle wounds, and thereafter she was the victim of much persecution and intrigue at the hands of her brother-in-law, Ratan Singh, when he ascended the throne, and by his successor, Vikram Singh. Mira Bai was something of more...

An earthquake is defined as 'a movement of the ground surface which can range from a quaint, negligible tremor to a wild shaking capable of great destruction.' Geographically, it can be understood as 'a form of energy wave motion transmitted through the surface layer of earth in widening circles from a point of sudden energy release called the focus'. The intensity or the magnitude of the earthquake is measured on the Richter Scale. The world's most intensive earthquake measured until now has been 9.5 on the Richter Scale. As said earlier, the place of the origin or the place of the energy release is called the focus which is usually below the surface. The place perpendicular to the focus on the ground surface is called the epicenter. The seismic waves move away from the epicenter. Hence, an instrument to record the seismic waves is called seismograph. The main reason behind more...

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. He became one of the most respected spiritual and political leaders of the 1900's. GandhiJi helped free the Indian people from British rule through nonviolent resistance, and is honored by Indians as the father of the Indian Nation. The Indian people called Gandhiji 'Mahatma', meaning Great Soul. At the age of 13 Gandhi married Kasturba, a girl the same age. Their parents arranged the marriage. The Gandhis had four children. Gandhi studied law in London and returned to India in 1891 to practice. In 1893 he took on a one-year contract to do legal work in South Africa. At the time the British controlled South Africa. When he attempted to claim his rights as a British subject he was abused, and soon saw that all Indians suffered similar treatment. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 21 years working more...

It all began ages and ages ago when the savage and barbaric Man by chance created fire by striking two pieces of flint. Suddenly, he could do a lot many things - he could cook his food instead of eating it raw, heat water, keep animals and beasts away and melt metals. Then, as if destiny was kind one day, he discovered the wonderful wheel. After it there was no looking back, Man marched forward on k the road to civilization and development with confidence and power. The first thing that Man learnt to do was to conquer nature. He can now sail the vast oceans, fly in the air, travel underground, extract precious stones, metals, minerals and other useful products and do a lot more things. With the passage of time, science took larger and bolder strides. There is practically nothing left untouched by science in this universe. Man more...

Lala Lajpat Rai was born on January 28, 1865 in village Dhudike, in present day Moga district of Punjab. He was the eldest son of Munshi RadhaKishan Azad and Gulab Devi. His father was a great scholar of Persian and Urdu. Lalaji's mother, a strict religious lady, inculcated in her children strong morals values. Lalaji was brought up in a family background that allowed freedom of having different faiths and beliefs. Since childhood he had a desire to serve his country and therefore took a pledge to free it from foreign rule. In 1884 his father was transferred to Rohtak and Lala Lajpat Rai came along. He was one of the foremost leaders who fought against British Role in India. He was popularly known as Punjab kesari (Lion of the Punjab). He became the secretary of Arya Samaj in Rohak. In 1886 he passed his Law exams and He started more...

Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, popularly known by its abbreviation AIDS is a fatal disease that attacks and destroys the immune system of the body. It is caused by a virus called Human Immuno Deficiency Virus or HIV in short. This virus is even invisible under a microscope and can remain in the body for years together without showing any visible symptoms. AIDS is the last stage of infection of the virus. It takes at least 10 years of period between getting infected with HIV and reaching the stage of developing AIDS. The first ever case of a person with AIDS was detected in America in 1959 and it later emerged as a dreadfully widespread disease in the 1980s in countries like France, Belgium, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe etc. In India, it was first reported in 1986. HIV is a fast spreading disease in the world which—if not controlled—can take epidemic more...