indiansavants

Tulsidas - "Valmiki-reincarnate" for common people.
Dipen Chakrabarti
Tulsidas was born in the village Rajapur in Banda district near Prayag in 1532 AD. Atmaram Dubey was his father and Hulsi was the mother's name. He was born in the star sign of Mula, considered very inauspicious for the parents. A frightened Hulsi abandoned the newborn child to her maid Chunia and died on the very next day. Chunia also passed away when Tulsi was about five years old. By this time Tulsi, known as Rambola in childhood, had lost his father too and had become a destitute. Somehow he reached Kashi, took shelter in a Hanuman Temple and got his food from a satra. Most probably, his preceptor Naraharidas named him as Tulsidas. After sometime he was taken in the gurukula of Shesh Sanatan, where he studied for fifteen years.In time, Tulsi married Ratnabali and, as per legend, was passionately attached to her. Ratnabali one day rebuked Tulsi for this all-consuming passion and advised him to divert such love to God. This brought a total change in Tulsi. He left home and proceeded on pilgrimage. After visiting Prayag and Ayodhya he went to Jagannath Puri where he prepared a handwritten-copy of entire Valmiki Ramayanam. From there, he went to Setubandha Rameswaram. He then turned towards North and went right upto the famous Manas-sarovar. After his return, he stayed in Kashi for some time and then again started on his second pilgrimage. Ranging from King Gambhirdev of Gaighat to a cowherd Mangru in Kantabramhapur, his qualities charmed everyone he met. His preaching changed the life of many people including a notoriously cunning sadhu Dhanidas of Belapatar. King Raghunathsinha, a saintly Brahmin Govinda Mishra and famous 'bhakta' Moravarsinha were among those who got initiated by Tulsidas at this time. After another pilgrimage, Tulsidas came back to Kashi and founded the famous temples of 'Rampanchayatan' and 'Sankatmochan Hanuman' in Asighat. From time to time he also stayed in Ayodhya and Chitrakoot. Stalwarts like Raja Mansinha, Abdar Rahim Khankhanan and Todarmal of Akbar's 'Nine-gems' fame were great admirers of Tulsidas. There is a beautiful story about his intimacy with Khankhanan. Once Tulsi had sent a poor Brahmin to Khankhanan for help. After coming back, the Brahmin said that while giving money Khankahanan adopted a peculiar pose. He raised his hand towards sky and looked downwards to the floor. Tulsi understood that by raising the hand upwards Khan indicated that the actual donor is God and had his sight downward to indicate his own humility.Ramcharitmanas - the magnum opus of Tulsidas written in Avadhi dialect - has charmed people for more than 500 years now. Tulsidas particularly chose this dialect, as he wanted to spread its message to the lowliest of the low. Although, based on Valmiki Ramayanam, Tulsi has not painted any of its characters including Kaikeyi, Manthara and even the demon Ravan in a totally dark shed. Whatever Manthara and Kaikeyee did was influenced by the gods and happened as they were destined to happen. Ravana is also described as a great devotee of Ramchandra. He did what he did, as he wanted to die in the hands of his Lord. Apart from great Ramcharitmanas Tulsidas wrote a number of other books, such as Vinaypatrika, Dohavali, Geetavali, Parvatimangal, Janakimangal, Vairagna-sandeepani, Barabai Ramayana etc. Out of these Vinaypatrika, written in Brijbhasha is most famous.This great saint-poet left for his heavenly abode on October 23, 1623 at Asighat in Kashi.

Basaveswara - the savant who was far-advanced for his time.
Dipen Chakrabarti
Basaveshwara, the great proponent of Veerashaiva philosophy identified himself as a "servant, watchman and a sweeper of the society" and was amazingly advanced for his time. He was born to a devoted Shaivite Brahmin Madiraj and his wife Madambi in Bagevadi in Bijapur district sometime around 1125 AD. Believed to be born as a boon of Nandi, the carrier-bull of Lord Shiva, he was named as Basava, a derivative from the word Brishava- the bull. Even in his childhood he had independent ideas. When his father arranged for his sacred-thread ceremony, the eight-year old child argued that the sacrament had no relevance at all. A pitcher, which is dirty inside can not be cleaned by ablution from outside. Likewise, no sacrament can purify an impure mind. Ultimately, he agreed to the ceremony only because of emotional entreaty of his mother. Basaveshwara, however, continued to intrigue the orthodox Brahmins of the village by his strong opposition to casteism. When he was just sixteen-year old, both his parents passed away and Basaveshwara and his elder sister Akkanagamma were forced to leave the village. They proceeded to Kudal-sangama at the confluence of the rivers Malaprabha and Krishna. Luckily, Ishanyaguru, the priest-in-charge of the famous Shiva temple known as Sangameswara there, could fathom his brilliance and allowed him to stay in the temple in lieu of plucking flowers and fetching water in the morning. He spent rest of his time by singing songs in praise of Lord Shiva composed by him and others. His mellifluous music soon started attracting many devotees to the temple and Basaveshwara became quite famous. Basaveshwara was also very good in accountancy. This skill got him an appointment under Bijjal, the Shaivite ruler of Mangalbedhe. When Bijjal latter shifted his capital to Kalyan (now known as Basava-Kalyan in Bidar), he elevated Basaveshwara as his Chief Accountant and Treasurer. The ensuing power and wealth now enabled Basaveshwara to work for propagation of Veerashaiva philosophy more effectively. His growing influence over the King, however, soon earned him a lot of enemies as well. His attitude towards casteism also came in handy for them to antagonize Bijjal, who was rather orthodox. Ultimately, Basaveshwara had to flee to Kudal-sangama with some of his followers. King Bijjal was also assassinated as a result of resentment of the Veerashaivas. Basaveshwara's preaching is elucidated in his vachan's of which about 2400 are still available. Their literary excellence is a pride of Kannada literature. He declared that all Veerashaivas are equal and should not have any distinction based on caste, status or gender. A person's character should be the only criterion for ascertaining his place in the society. Veerashaivas, also called lingayats, always carry a small 'shiva-linga' in a metallic casket or pouch around the neck. As the bearer of this 'linga', the body itself is a temple and must always be kept pure. He advised his devotees not to visit temples, as they are "expressions of pride of the wealthy founders and prejudice of religious fanatics rather than abodes of God". Basaveshwara's respect towards the equal rights of women is however most outstanding. Due to his constant encouragement, at least thirty-two women poets from his contemporaries have left their indelible mark in Kannada literature. Apart from his wives Nilochana and Gangambika and elder sister Akknagamma, - Ammabene, Pittabene, Sommabene - all of whom hailed from so-called low-caste - are stellar among them. In fact, Kannada literature is studded with the exquisite works of Veerashaiva woman littérateurs like Akkamahadevi, Ranimahadevi, Muktayakka, Lakhkhamma and many others. This great harbinger of a future era passed away in Kudal-sangam some time near 1167-68 AD.
Dadu Dayal - to whom God's manifestation was in 'love' for everyoneDipen ChakrabartiIt is a pity that there is hardly any authentic biography of Dadu Dayal - the great saint of Rajasthan, who preached for unity of all religions through his immortal "Vani"s. "Sri Dadu Janmaleela Parchi" written by his disciple Jangopal harps on supernatural events and "Bhaktamaal" of Raghodas is more like mythology than historical accounts. Legends and eulogistic panegyrics cloud his message of universal love, which is even more relevant today. Dadu Dayal was contemporary to Akbar, Rana Pratap, Tulsidas etc. As per legends, sometime in 1544 AD, Lodiram, a pious merchant of Ahmedabad, found Dadu as a newborn baby in a basket floating in the river Sabarmati. He and his wife Basibai brought up Dadu with care and affection. Notwithstanding the cloudiness about his birth and ancestry, his "Vanis" are sparkling in their clarity. An incident in the court of Akbar the great gives an essence of Dadu's philosophy. Once Madhavdas, a disciple of Dadu was arrested by Akbar's soldiers and was thrown in a lion's cage by the emperor's order. Unperturbed, Madhavdas sat in meditation in the cage and the lion did not do any harm to him. An amazed Akbar released Madhavdas and wanted to see his guru. But when Dadu arrived, the emperor did not show him even a perfunctory courtesy. Instead, he asked him 3 questions: - a) What is the caste of God? b) How does He appear? c) What is His complexion? A smiling Dadu replied, " Ishque Khuda-ki jaat hai, Ishque Khuda-ka rang/ Ishque Khudai wazud hai, Ishque Khuda-ki Ang." An overwhelmed Akbar understood the greatness of Dadu and showed him great respect. Dadu did not make any difference between Hindus and Muslims. He sang, "Sabhi dekhiya sodh kar, duja koi naahi/ Sab ghat ekahi atma, kya Hindu-Musalmanhi./ Dono bhai haat-pag, dono bhai kaan/ dono bhai nayan hai Hindu-Musalman." - I have found out that there is no difference between Hindus and Muslims. Everyone has the same soul. Just as there are two hands, two legs and two eyes in the same body - Hindus and Muslims emanate from the same Supreme Being. When people asked him about his whereabouts, Dadu told them that he came from a place where there were neither temples nor mosques nor the fetters of rituals. "Na tahan Hindu devara, na tahan Turk maseed / Dadu apay ap hai nahi tahan rahe reet." About his path Dadu said, "Bhai re aisa panth hamara / Dweshrahit panthagahi pura avaran ek adhara./ Vaad-vivaad kahu se nahi, ma hi jagat thai nyara/ Samadrishti subhai sahaj main apahi apa vichara." According to Dadu, Parmatma permeates Atma like oil in oilseed, fragrance in flower, fat in milk. Why search him in elsewhere? Dadu tried his best to remove all superstitious practices prevalent in his time and implored everyone to keep their mind and conscience clean.About five thousands of Dadu's compositions known as "Daduvani" were compiled by his disciples Rajjab, Jagannathdas and Santadas. Kabir was a great admirer of Dadu and inspired this compilation. Though a majority of these Vani-s are in Rajasthani dialect, Dadu also composed a number of Vani-s in Sindhi, Punjabi, Gujrati, Marathi, Khari-boli, Pharsi and Sanskrit. Vidya Vachaspati Shankar Abhyankar has enumerated some of these compositions in his encyclopedic multi-volume "Bhaktikosh" in Marathi. Dadu passed away in "Bhairanay ke Khol" near Narana in Rajasthan in 1603 AD. A tomb and a few memorabilia like his wooden slippers, Kamandalu (water carrier) etc are respectfully preserved there.

Suradas - who overcame his blindness by his inner vision.
Dipen Chakrabarti
"Tulsi, Meera, Sura, Kabir" are considered as the four pillars of Hindi devotional literature. It is rather tragic that very little authentic biographical accounts of these stalwarts are available at present. Even of this quartet, personal life of Suradas is perhaps least clear and clouded by divergent and contradictory accounts. The only thing dazzling though is the clarity of his inner vision, which by far compensated his physical blindness. As per popular belief, in 1477 AD Suradas was born in a poor Brahmin family in Siri village near Vallabhgarh in Uttar Pradesh. His father's name was Ramdas. Blind from birth, Suradas considered himself as a burden to his poverty-ridden family. He therefore left home at a very tender age and settled in a different village. Soon he became quite known there for his God-gifted faculty of astrology. When about 18 years old, Suradas went for a pilgrimage to Mathura-Brindavan and settled in Goughat near Brindavan. Very soon he became famous there for his devotional songs. In 1509 AD Vallabhacharyya, the founder of Pushtimarg, came there and met Suradas. It was a turning point in his life and Suradas became a disciple of Vallabhacharyya. His songs became brighter in comparison to the sad songs he composed earlier. Vallabhacharyya made him the principal singer in the temple of Srinathji near Brindavan founded by his devotee Puranmal Khetri. Incidentally, the image of Srinathji was shifted to Nathdwara, its present location, much latter. Suradas was 33 years old at that time. From then onwards, he lived in nearby Parsouli village till he breathed his last. For followers of Pushtimarg, Parsouli is the original Brindavan where Lord Krishna had his divine "Rasleela" in satyakalpa era. Vallabhacharyya left this world in 1544 AD and his son Vitthalnath succeeded him. He formed a group of eight great renowned singers known as "Ashtachhap" to help a very aged Suradas.As per legend, in 1571 AD, a young Tulsidas met Suradas. There is a legend that after hearing a song of Suradas from Tansen, Akbar went to meet him with lots of gifts. Suradas however chided him for such enticing and requested him to leave the place. His sermons to Akbar are known as "Surapachchisi". It is said that Akbar got some of these sermons translated in Persian language.Until now, about 60 manuscripts bearing the name of Suradas have been found. Researchers like Dr. Deendayal Gupta have enumerated 25 of them as more or less authentic. Dr. Gupta however termed them as parts of 3 principal works, viz., Surasaagar, Surasaaraavali and Sahityalahari. Out of these, Sahityalahari describes dalliance of Radha-Krishna in a cryptic way and is not in the characteristic devotional style of Suradas. Surasaaraavali contains about 1100 verses and is actually an abridged version of Bhagabata.His most important works, 'Surasaagar', is written in 'Brijbhasha' and contains about 6500 verses of exquisite literary beauty. It is divided in 12 chapters known as 'skandha's The skandhas describe Lord Vishnu's different incarnations. Interestingly, instead of commonly accepted ten avatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu, Suradas has enumerated 24 avatars. It may be interesting here to name the avatars as enumerated by Suradas:- Vyasa, Sanaka, Varaha, Kapil, Dattatreya, Yagnapurush, Hari, Prithu, Rishabhdev, Nrisinha, Narada, Gajamochana, Kurma, Dhanwantari, Vaman, Matsya, Rama, Parashurama, Krishna, Uttarardha, Narayana, Hansa, Buddha and Kalki. This great saint-poet left for his heavenly abode in the year 1582 AD in presence of his devoted admirers like Vitthalnath, Ramdas, Kumbhandas, Govindaswami, Chaturbhujadas and scores of others.
Kabir - the weaver of love and devotion.Dipen ChakrabartiResearchers differ about the time of his birth, parentage, discipleship, marriage or death. The only thing clear about him is the sparkling lucidity and exquisite poetic imagery of his poems, which reveal the realizations of a great mind. Founded on universal love, his path neither closes the door nor shows any special favours to anyone. Understanding Kabir properly would lead to a better understanding between warring communities in India.As per generally accepted belief, Kabir was born sometime in the middle of the 15th century. Found as an abandoned child, he was brought up by a Muslim weaver named Niru living in Varanasi. There is mention in Kabir's writing about his two wives, viz., Loi and Dhaniya alias Ramjaniya. Devotees of Kabir however believe that 'Loi', a derivation of 'Lok', i.e., 'people', indicates the accepted customs, while 'Dhaniya' or 'Ramjaniya' indicates his personal preference for real 'dhan', i.e., wealth of eternal bliss in the name of Ram. They find similar significance in his mention of Kamal and Kamali as his son and daughter respectively. Some people believe that Kabir was a disciple of Ramananda and others consider Shaikh Taki as his Guru. For his livelihood, he wove fine fabrics with artistry and wove his devotion in beautiful strings of words, steeped them in love and dyed them in piety. Kabir's philosophy is a confluence of Vedanta, Vaishnavism and Sufism. He fought all his life against bigotry and orthodoxy. On one hand, Emperor Sikandar Lodi banished him and on the other, Pundits of Varanasi ostracized him. Undaunted by either, Kabir propagated his doctrine of true devotional spirit and decried rituals and ceremonials. To him, the only path to salvation was to conquer one's 'self' and love everyone with sincere devotion. In one of his poems, he stated " Pothi parh parh jag mua pandit hua na koi / Dhai akshar prem ka parhahe so pundit hoi." - real knowledge does not come from books. It comes from loving everyone. "Durbal ko na sataiye, jaaki moti hoi / Bina jeev ki swans me, loha bhasm hoi jai. " - However mighty you are, do not trouble the poor. Remember, sighs of bellows made out dead animal's hide can burn even iron.Kabir's poems are normally classified as "Sakhi", "Pada" and "Ramaini". Different sources put different numbers for his books. "Kabirsagar" published by Venkateshwara Press states them to be numbering 40 while for Dr. Ramkumar Verma the number is 61. Nagari Pracharini Sabha puts the number as 130. Even though not regarding the year of his death or whether he was cremated or buried, researchers are rather unanimous in accepting his place of death as the village Magahar. There is a significance of Kabir himself choosing Magahar as the place for his end. People believed that death in Magahar would result in a rebirth as a donkey. As always, Kabir wanted to fight this superstition as well. In one of his poignant poems he stated, "Kahe Kabira, sunahu re loi, bharami na bhulo koi / Kya Kashi, kya Magahar ukhar hidai Ram jo hoi" - if you have Ram, (the incarnation of love for everyone) in your heart, it does not matter whether you die in Kashi or Magahar. "Ghat-ghat me woi sai ramta, kotuk bachan na bol re" - In every heart the master dwells. Speak not a bitter word to anyone. That was the message Kabir left for everyone.

Sufi Sarmad, whose quest for his Beloved was his solitary pursuit.
Dipen Chakrabarti
The great Sufi saint Sarmad came to India from Iran as a merchant but 'love' for somebody captivated his heart and wrested away as price his honour, wealth and everything which society holds in esteem. He whose gold-worked garments drew admiring attention from crowds everywhere now wandered naked in the streets of Delhi. Emperor Shah Jehan held Sarmad in great respect and appointed him as a teacher of Prince Darah Shikoh. Sarmad taught the prince Upanishads and Bhagwat Gita. The nearness to Dara Shikoh thus gained, became the reason of Aurangzeb's wrath on him. As a result, when fanatic Aurangzeb came to power by imprisoning his father Shah Jehan and killing his brothers, this great saint also attained his martyrdom by the cruel decree of this fanatic emperor.Aurangzeb asked him why he went naked in the streets against the mandates of the Holy Quran. Sarmad replied, "He offered thee dress to hide thy faults, but let me, the faultless one, pass naked." When Aurangzeb ordered his decapitation, the saint was totally undaunted. With his typical disdain for worldly things, he said, "Merciful is He that He ordered my head to be severed from my body! From a serious headache I was suffering, He cut the matter short." Truly he passed "through the lane of God" and cared not if the world called it disgraceful. As per his own admission, from Jewish faith he passed into Islam and wandered further into "the Garden of Sri Rama and Laxmana." Sarmad preached asceticism, quietism, intimate and personal Love of God disparaging mere lip service, formal worship and piety. He humbly acknowledged his debt to Hafiz and Khaiyyam but never had "the wine of pleasure they drank." Sarmad's gospel is beautifully summed up in the anthology of his quatrains in Persian entitled "The Rubayayt Sarmad." Renowned theologian author Bankey Behari has given translations of some of them in his treatise on 'Sufis, Mystics and Yogis of India' published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Let us have a glimpse of a few of these gems of eternal literature. "Men find their happiness in religion and the world, / Deliver me from both; this is my happiness. / To be enamoured of Thee, is my desire in vain, / Drop then the veil and let me look." "Why you seek His abode only in the Chapel and the Mosque? / Don't you see His creation above and below wherein does He not abide? / The whole universe made by Him recites His tale / He alone is wise who is mad for Him." "Few can distinguish between the lover, idolater and the trickster. / The dwellers in Kaba, the mosque and the chapel, of course can not recognize. / Enter thou the realm of Unity and watch oneness pervading all round./ Discriminate the rose from the thorn, and the lover from the beloved, if you can." "Of me the devotee, the quest for my beloved is my solitary pursuit. / I care not for the sacred rosary and the thread. / I despise the garment of wool, which hides a thousand mischiefs. / My shoulders shall never carry its burden."The fanatic did not understand the Truth proclaimed by this great mystic. But like Mansur-al-Hallaj, who was crucified for his cry of 'Anal Haque'(I am the Truth or God), the highest statement of pantheism, Sarmad is a martyr (d. 1657 AD) whose name shall ever be written in the temple of love. He was buried opposite Juma Masjid in Delhi where every year an Urs is held in his memory.

Sri Aurobindo - the pilgrim of the path to "Life Divine"
Dipen Chakrabarti
(November 24 is the 'Siddhi" day of Sri Aurobindo. )Although there was a small band of loyal disciples around him in Pondicherry, till then Sri Aurobindo was better known as Aurobindo Ghose or AG for short. It all changed from November 24 1926. In his biography of Sri Aurobindo, K.R. Srinivas Iyenger writes, " An air of intensity began building up slowly, an air of expectancy; and the sadhakas had the feeling that they were on the threshold of new developments. After Sri Aurobindo's birthday (August 15) the evening talks took on a new fervour and potency....". A.B.Purani records the happening on Novenber 24, 1926 as follows. "There was a deep silence in the atmosphere. Many saw an oceanic flood of light rushing down from above. Everyone present felt a kind of pressure above his head. The whole atmosphere was surcharged with some electrical energy..silence absolute, living silence.. overflowing with divinity." Sri Aurobindo himself clarified the achievement as "the descent of the Overmind Godhead" meaning an intermediary realm, between higher mind and the Supermind, the 'golden lid' that separates mortality from Divinity. November 24, 1926 thus marks the beginning of a new phase in the worldwide action and influence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Let us now have a very brief glance of the earlier life of this great savant of India.Sri Aurobindo or 'Auro' as he was known in his childhood was born in Kolkata on August 15, 1872. His father Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose, wanted his sons to grow-up as 'pucca sahib's and sent five years old Auro with his two older brothers to a missionary school in Darjeeling. Two years later, in 1879, he took them to England. When he returned, young Auro was left in the care of Rev. Druet and his wife. Eventually, Auro got admitted into St. Paul's School and matriculated from there in 1889 with brilliant academic achievements. Aurobindo then joined as a probationer for ICS examination. Simultaneously, he obtained Classical Tripos Degree from Cambridge University in 1892. While in Cambridge he became a member of 'Lotus & Dagger', a secret society of Indian revolutionaries. Soon he became the secretary of this organization. Even after creditably passing all theoretical papers in ICS examination, he did not appear in the 'horse riding' examination to avoid being a part of the oppressive British administration. Accepting a service under Sayajirao Gaikwad of Baroda, he returned to India in 1893. While serving Sayajirao in various capacities, he learnt Sanskrit, Gujrati, Marathi and Bengali. In the meantime, he got closely involved with Indian National Congress and soon became a recognized leader of its extremist faction. Side by side, he started organizing secret revolutionary groups in different parts of the country. When Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal in 1905, Aurobindo actively joined the countrywide movement. Resigning from the highly paid post of Principal of Baroda College in 1907, he joined as the Principal of the College of newly formed National Council of Education in Kolkata at a nominal salary. He also became famous for his fiery articles in "Vande Mataram', a periodical run by Bipin Chandra Pal and his book 'Bhavani Mandir', an inspiration for the revolutionaries. In 1908 he was arrested as the brain behind Muzaffarpur Bombing Case but was acquitted with the skilful defense presented by Chitta Ranjan Das ('Deshabandhu' of latter years). In June 1909 he started an English periodical "Karmayogin" followed by "Dharma" in Bengali from August.From his prison days itself, he was increasingly feeling an urge towards a spiritual life culminating in 'a divine order' to proceed to Pondicherry, a French territory at that time. He reached Pondicherry on April 4, 1910 to turn an entirely new leaf in his illustrious life. From the revolutionary who dreamed of India's freedom as his cherished goal he embarked on the path of achieving "Life Divine" for the entire humanity. This great yogi pursued in his endeavour till his Mahasamadhi on December 5, 1950.

Dayananda Saraswati - the founder of Arya Samaj
Dipen Chakrabarti
Fourteen-year old Moolshankar was awake in a Shiva temple on the occasion of Shivaratri. Suddenly, he saw a rat jumping over the 'Linga'. It was a stunning sight. If the Lord is in the "Linga", how the rat could cross it? His father, Ambashankar, had no answer as well and the boy decided to find it himself. Thus began the conversion of Moolshankar into Dayananda Saraswati - the founder of Arya Samaj. Moolshankar was born in 1824 AD in a Shaivite Brahmin family in Morvi in Kathiwawar. He started learning Sanskrit scriptures when he was just five years old. By the time he was fourteen, he had mastered various scriptures and memorized complete Yajurveda. Increasingly worried about his spiritual inclination, his father now wanted to tie him up in the bonds of marriage. This only hastened up the matter and Moolshankar left home in search of truth and became Dayananda, a sannyasi. For fifteen long years, his search for a Guru continued in the caves and dales of the Himalayas and the Vindhyas. At last, in 1860 Dayananda met a blind but profoundly knowledgeable ascetic, Swamy Virajananda in Mathura and the search ended. Dayananda became a disciple of the Swamy who was an ardent believer in Indian philosophy but contemptuous about the British educational system. For about three years he taught Dayananda various scriptures and Indian philosophic systems in depth. In the end he made Dayananda take an oath for "spread of truth as ingrained in the Vedic scriptures". This would be his Gurudakshina. Dayananda then set out to act accordingly. First he went to Kashi. The pundits of this citadel of idol worship and traditional practices however were unable to appreciate his doctrines. In 1872, Dayananda went to Calcutta, the then capital of India. Eminent Brahmosamaj leaders like Keshabchandra Sen and Debendranath Tagore warmly welcomed him and appreciated much of his doctrines but differed on the issues of "divinity" of the Vedas and rebirth theory. Dayananda, however, learnt an important thing in this encounter Sanskrit would not do. In order to reach common men, he had to speak their language. From then onwards, he started to preach in Hindi. With each passing days, he became more and more convinced about the necessity for a common Indian language - a role, which he believed could be best served by Hindi alone. In a way, Dayananda is the first proponent of Hindi as the National Language. Soon he wrote his magnum opus "Satyartha Prakash" and "Vedabhashya" in Hindi.Though Dayannda's erudition, oratory and particularly his logic soon became famous all over India, there was not much progress in the number of people embracing his ideas. Dayananda understood that to be effective he needed an organization. As a result, in 1875 during his visit in Mumbai, he founded Arya Samaj and the ball started rolling. Particularly in the Punjab, people warmly accepted his ideas. Side by side, a number of Schools were established for the spread of Vedic knowledge to enable every Hindu to study the Vedas. Identifying the ills from which Hinduism suffered, he emphasized against idolatry, child-marriage and casteism. He also started a "shuddhikaran" movement to reconvert the converts. On the social side, he preached in favour of love-marriage and right of education even from foreign countries.In the last few years of his life, Dayananda was busy preaching in Rajasthan. Tragically, his opponents succeeded in poisoning his food in Jodhpur. As a result of this dastardly act, entrusting his unfinished works to his successors, this great reformer breathed his last on October 30, 1883 in Udaipur. Raja Rammohon Roy - a Lighthouse in an era of DarknessDipen ChakrabartiRaja Rammohon Roy was born at a time when the country was steeped in decadent traditions and abject slavery. He fought with ponderous obstacles for rescuing the country from the penury of self-oblivion and to initiate an all-round progress. Rammohon was born in the village of Radhanagar in the district of Hooghly in present West Bengal on May 22, 1772. With his father Ramkanta Roy's efforts, Rammohon became proficient in Bengali, Sanskrit, Urdu and Persian at a very young age. In his later life he also learnt English, Arabic, Latin, French and even Hebrew. Apart from languages, he studied about various religions as well. He studied Koran and Islamic literature in Patna and Upanishadic literature in Benaras. With his vast learning he realized that true religion is not in worshipping idols but realizing the ideals and boldly published his views in a treatise in 1790. Incidentally, this treatise also laid the foundation of Bengali prose and latter he wrote the first authentic Bengali grammar as well. The priest-ridden idolatry of orthodoxy however could not tolerate his outspokenness. This led to estrangement even with his parents and Rammohon moved to Benaras. In 1815 he came back to Kolkata and fully devoted himself to social services in educational, political and religious fields.In educational system, he wanted a synthesis of scientific education on Western lines and moral education on ancient lines. To realize this ideal, with the help of Justice H. East and David Hare, he founded Hindu College (presently Presidency College, Kolkata) in the house of Gorachand Basak in 304 Chitpore Road in 1817. He also helped Alexander Duff in founding General Assemblies Institution (presently Scottishchurch College) in 1830. In 1821, Rammohon launched his Bengali Newspaper Sambad-Kaumudi and thus founded the first Nationalist Press. Very next year, it was followed by his Miratul-Akhbar, the first weekly journal in Persian.Though he had remarkable contribution in the fields of politics and public administration, he is most widely remembered for his efforts regarding social reforms and particularly for the abolition of Satidahapratha. Primarily due to his efforts, in 1829, the government declared this cruel system as illegal. Though he could not succeed in getting a legal sanction against the prevalent curse of polygamy, he was successful in creating a strong public opinion against this nasty social evil as well.In 1829, he founded the Brahmo Samaj to enlighten people about the essence of Upanishadic philosophy. He never initiated anybody in a conventional sense. Yet a galaxy of brilliant personalities who led Indian renaissance of 19th century proudly identified themselves as followers of Rammohon. Stalwarts like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, J.C.Bose, P.C.Roy, Deshabandhu Chittaranjan Das, in fact 19th century Bengali renaissance itself, were all products of Brahmo Samaj. Brahmo Samaj in Mumbai is known as Prarthana Samaj.His comprehensive vision made him realize that the ideal of civilization does not lie in the isolation of independence, but in the brotherhood of individuals and nations in all spheres of thought and activity. Always a champion of the downtrodden and oppressed, he never hesitated to take up their cause. It was this spirit with which he took up the case of the vanquished Mughal Emperor and sailed to England in 1830 as the first Indian Brahmin to do so without caring for the inevitable ostracism from the bigots. Like most great peoples of the world, who were ahead of their respective time in their vision, Rammohon paid for his greatness by inviting bitter enmity of powerful people. Leaving behind his unfinished tasks, the father of Indian Renaissance left this world on September 22, 1833 on the foreign soil of Stapleton Grove in Bristol in England.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan - Pride in Past and Faith in Future.
Dipen Chakrabarti
"If our ancients had a virtue it was courage, and if we have a fault it is timidity. We have lost today the many-sided adventurousness and resilience necessary to face new tasks and reorient our system of thought and practice." -Radhakrishnan's speech at Madras, March 31, 1936. Radhakrishnan himself was, however, always full of adventurousness in new horizon of thoughts. In Gurudev Tagore's words, he was a scholar "the springs of whose mind had not been crushed by the load of scholarship".When Dr. Kagwa, better known as "Gandhiji of Japan" came to India, Gandhiji told him to see "Tajmahal, Sri Aurobindo, Gurudev Tagore and Radhakrishnan" to have a glimpse of 'real India'. Much before he was an official Indian Ambassador, he was the ambassador of 'Indian Heritage and Culture.' As per official record Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on 5 September 1888 at Tirutani, near Chennai. He himself however believed that he was born on September 20, 1887. He was the second son of a poor Brahmin couple, Veeraswami and Sitamma. Educated mainly in Christian charitable institutions in his early student life, he had little exposure to Indian Philosophy. The disparaging remarks of a Christian Professor in his MA class, however, roused Radhakrishnan to examine for himself the religious beliefs of the Hindus and thus began a lifelong pursuit. His first salvo came, when he submitted "The ethics of the Vedanta and its Metaphysical Presuppositions", as the dissertation required for his MA degree. Though the topic was abhorrent to them, his teachers had to mark his intellectual prowess.After obtaining MA degree in January 1909, for about three years, Radhakrishnan had to struggle through financial crisis. He auctioned his university medals, took on sundry jobs and sold all rights of a book published by Clarendon Press for Rs 500. Within this time, he obtained his "Learned Teacher" degree. He then joined Presidency College, Madras in 1911 as additional assistant professor of philosophy and served there for next eight years. Soon this 'boy professor' became very popular for his clarity and comprehensiveness. This trait continued all through the years of his association with various Indian universities as professor or vice-chancellor till 1948. All through, there was a straight ascendancy in his career, adorning various prestigious posts in India and abroad and culminating as the President of Indian Republic in 1962.In 1911, the International Journal of Ethics published his article "The Ethics of the Bhagavad Gita and Kant'. Lokmanya Tilak later affirmed that his own works was on the same lines as Radhakrishnan's. It was however Tagore with whom Radhakrishnan at this time was most fully in accord. In a masterly treatise resplendent with literary grace Radhakrishnan refuted West's claim that Christianity had influenced Tagore's outlook and established that Tagore's thought was essentially in line with the Vedas and the Upanishads.There was a steady stream of brilliant works in years to follow. From the crackling brilliance of the Ethics of Vedanta to the autumnal grace of Religion in a changing world written nearly sixty years later, his thought and writing developed with a steady and consistent assurance. A detailed bibliography of Radhakrishnan's writings upto 1952 is available in "The Philosophy of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan" (New York 1952). His "Indian Philosophy" in 2 Vols is still considered as a masterly treatise on the subject. As a speaker, Radhakrishnan started earning his worldwide fame after joining Calcutta University in 1921. In 1926 Calcutta University nominated Radhakrishnan as its representative at the Congress of Universities of the British Empire in London. This was followed by a series of lectures in UK and US. Like all great seers, Radhakrishnan did not content himself by attempting to fossilize truth. While helping Indians to recover their mental esteem, he also made it clear to them that their long and rich tradition had been arrested and required innovation and further evolution.After retiring from the presidency of the republic in 1967, Radhakrishnan settled in Madras. He breathed his last on 17th April, 1975.

Baba Farid and his yearnings
Dipen Chakrabarti
Baba Farid was a pioneer amongst Indian sufis. Historically famous Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia of Delhi, who was the preceptor of Amir Khusru, was his disciple. Guru Nanak was an ardent admirer of Baba Farid and often sang Baba Farid's compositions. About two scores of Baba Farid's compositions find respectful place in the pages of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Like many other saints and savants of yesteryears, the exact period of Baba Farid is not clearly known. Researchers assume this to be from 1200 AD to 1280 AD. The principal data for this assumption is the fact that Baba Farid nominated Nizamuddin Aulia as his successor in 1268. Apart from information available in well researched accounts of Amir Khusru's biographers, one can get some detail accounts of Baba Farid's life from Urdu and Persian works like Tazkarat Auliyay Hind, Sairul Auliya, Sair-ul-Arfin and Gulshan-i-Hind. According to these accounts, when Timur captured Ghazni, Baba Farid's grandfather left his native place and settled in Multan. Farid was born in Multan. When grown up, he enjoyed favours of the king. Many miracles, such as turning stones to sugar by mere touch, are attributed to him. Most of the anecdotes attributed to Baba Farid emphasize on his total dependence on God. Let us have one such anecdote. One day, while wandering in the forests Farid came to a well and was looking for a rope and bucket to pull water out and quench his thirst. Suddenly he noticed a group of deer coming to the well. As they approached, the water not only rose to the top but also overflowed. The animals quenched their thirst and went away. But as Farid stepped forward, the water went down. Aggrieved Farid prayed, "Lord of creation! Ye allowed the animals to quench their thirst. Why then you are not allowing me, an ardent devotee of yours, to quench my thirst?" Immediately he got the divine reply, "Farid thy thought rested on the rope and the bucket. The deer took my shelter for water." Hearing the rebuke, for forty days, Farid remained hanging in the well to crush his lack of faith in the Lord. The almighty then accepted him.Farid traveled a lot with a view to meet saints. These travels took him to distant places like Baghdad, Bukhara and Badkashan. After coming back to Hindustan, he went to Delhi and got initiation from Khwaja Kutub Uddin Bakhtiar Kaki. Amazingly tough austerities and penance practiced by him soon earned him a great respect from the seekers, who felt rare spiritual elevation in his company. Even Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti of Ajmer became an ardent admirer of Farid. In time, he became so popular that he was called by one hundred names. Adjectives attached to his name signified specific qualities attributed to him. People believed that repeated utterances of these names would ward off all mishaps.According to the accounts given in Tazkarat-Auliyay Hind Vol I, the last part of Farid's life was strangely different. Famous theologian Bankey Behari has mentioned this in his "Sufis, Mystics and Yogis" (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan). Farid, who always eschewed the company of the rich, yielded to the repeated requests of Sultan Ghyasuddin and went to his palace. Consequently, Farid married the Sultan's daughter and six sons as well as three daughters were born to him. Baba Farid remains immortal in his songs. In simple but poignant language these songs are treasure-troves for philosophers and common men alike. Let us have a glimpse of some of these jewels as translated by Bankey Behari. "To what avail is your seeking Him amidst thorns and brambles that prick your feet? He dwells in your heart. Seek him there.""Despise not earth, for none is greater than it. So long as you are alive you tread it under your feet, but on your death it lies over your head." "They who dwelt in the mansions yesterday, and whose arrival and departure was announced by beats of drums, now lie unattended in the grave in the solitary churchyard.""The world is held by Him, and He dwelleth in creation. Knowing this, do not look with disdain on any trivial object for He pervadeth all of them."

Bullah Shah and his agony of separation from the Lord
Dipen Chakrabarti
"Iha jo murli Kanha bajai, mere dil nun chote lagai/ hai naray kar di aai, main rowan jora jari. Ishk divane loka laaian, usne ghaniya satthan paian/ Main han bakri kol kasaian, saham hamesha preeti niyari." - This flute, which Krishna plays, pierces my heart. Like a long-drawn wail it makes me weep and weep. Love makes people mad and crush them. I am like a goat in the hands of the butcher. Love is so strange, so different. One may be surprised to know that these lines are not from the works of any Vaishnav poet, but of Bullah Shah, a Sufi saint. His songs - kafis as they are commonly known - move the hearts of the devotees with the agony of separation and pangs to meet the Lord. Bulla Shah's heart-rending yearning transcended the trammels of the body and the fetters of the formal religions with a vibrant frenzy which can pierce even the toughest heart. On the other hand like a rishi of the Vedas he declared, "Abbal aakhar aap nu jana, na koi duja hore pachhana" - I know I am the beginning and the end.Bullah Shah was born in a respectable Saiyad family of Pirs some time around 1680 AD in Lulani, a village lying between Lahore and Kasur. His father Mohammed was a reputed dervish. Bullah's early years passed in the company of Vedantist and Sufi saints. These contacts created an intense pining in his heart for the Lord. He would retire to lonely places such as graveyards and isolated riverbanks and go on silently repeating the name of the Lord. "Tell me where I can find Thee?" was his constant pursuit. He seemed to hear a reply, which said, "I dwell in the heart of my lover." Everyday the urge grew. One day Bullah left is house and proceeded in search of a guru. At last he met Sufi murshid Shah Inayat. It is said that when Bullah first met, Shah Inayat was planting onions in his fields. Bullah asked him how he could find the path to the Lord. "It is easy. Severe your ties from this end and join at the other", was the reply. There was an immediate bondage between them. The teacher accepted the disciple and the disciple served the teacher with great zeal. Complete surrender and intense devotion soon gained Bullah the grace of the teacher. His progress was fast. Beaming with enthusiasm, one day Bullah expressed his divine experience before an uninitiated. Shah Inayat was very angry at this indiscretion and expelled Bullah from his hermitage. Desperate to win back his place under the Guru's feet, one day Bullah disguised himself as a dancing girl and went to a congregation at Shah Inayat's place. The utter despair in his heart oozed out in his songs. Despite his immaculate disguise, the melody of the voice, the depth of the meaning, the piercing agony of separation made Inayat recognize his disciple. "Is it Bullah?" asked the Teacher. "Not Bullah but bhulla - the erring one." The Teacher and the disciple reunited in a tight embrace. Once again there was no separation between the Guru and the disciple. When Shah Inayat passed away in 1727 AD, no difference lay between the attainments of the two in the spiritual sphere. As per scholars, Bullah Shah left this world in 1752 AD. His kafis, however, continue to sway the hearts of millions, particularly in Sind and both parts of the Punjab. Let us conclude by quoting a few lines from one of his many kafis translated by the renowned theologian Bankey Behari in his masterly work "Sufis, Mystics and Yogis.""Oh Beloved! Come and meet me some time. When I shall hear the news of Thy coming, in joy I shall offer my head to Thee./ In the garden sings the cuckoo and its melody wakes up the notes of love in my heart./ Lord Shyam has wounded me and I pine in separation for him. When will the lord visit me and quench my fire of separation? Asks Bullah."

Rabindranath Tagore - an undying flame shining over creeds and dogmas.(May 7 is the birthday of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore)
Dipen Chakrabarti
The enormous volume of writing and lectures and their luscious exuberance through which Gurudev Tagore elucidated his ideas about religion make any exposition of his ideas about religion within the narrow ambit of a short article rather impossible. Tagore imbibed in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita, the teachings of Buddha, drank deep the religious elixir of mediaeval saints, devout delicacies of Vaishnavism and even the messages of illiterate Bauls of Bengal. This panorama made religion of Tagore the Religion of Man. The idea here is to stimulate an urge for a detailed study of his brilliantly illuminating and persuasive writings, which are mostly vindication of his religious standpoint. For those who do not have access to his enormous volume of works in Bengali, some of his works in English, viz., 'Creative Unity', 'Man', 'Personality', 'The Religion of Man', and 'The Religion of an Artist' and 'Sadhana' may help in this endeavour. Most of the great savants of philosophy and religion based their doctrines on ancient scriptures and their own understanding of these. Tagore is perhaps the only one, who also included scientific thesis of evolution for evaluating natural religion of man, the religion, which is inherent in his evolution. The evolution of life moved on from unicellular life through plants, animals and finally climaxing in human beings. From mere crawling over the surface of the earth, man stood up with his pair of arms flung up into the sky. Man carries in his being the legacy of his past. His earnestness for life shows in him the animal whose sign he still bears in his body. Yet man has attained a new dignity by the quality of his mind, in his craving for the infinite. By the quality of his mind, man posses a duality of existence in form and formlessness - ego and the soul. The ego flourishes in magnitude, the soul in altitude. The true nature of man is to be found in the harmonious unity of the soul and ego.Tagore asserted that "the direct vision of the infinite personality is in the heart of all things". Through each act of knowledge, devotion or love, man reaches God. This reaching is interminable, for God is infinite. Yet God is ever attained. Man is like a river, perpetually united with the ocean and yet flowing in perennial stream into it. Eternally one with the infinite, man is ever moving towards God. With his soul, man is universal- one with all. With his ego, man is completely separate from the rest of the world. Creation being the natural expression of man, even death can not stop it. Impersonal act of man does not cease with death. Life and death are the two points at which man touches God. Unity of the individual with God makes his unity with all souls. But the unity of all souls with God does not dissolve their individualities. It is unity in duality, unity in diversity, which is actually a display of love. Through selfless act and his inherent powers- willing, knowing and feeling - man realizes, at every step, the tranquil, the auspicious and meets the infinite Person. Religion of man is made of three fibres. Success in religion means success in knowledge, success in action and success in love. Man's success in knowledge reveals God as his parents; his success in action wins God as the master of life; and his success in love makes God's revelation as his dearest. Tagore's religion and metaphysics have met in the infinite personality. His religion is love, the equipoise of action, knowledge and devotion - tranquil devotion as he calls it - to the infinite personality. Such devotion drew its inspiration from his thorough training in the Upanishads and a keen faith in humanity.Absolutely free from the smoke of pessimism, religion of Tagore is the undying flame shining over the ashes of creeds and dogmas.

Akha Bhagat - who purified himself in the fires of tragedies.
Dipen Chakrabarti
In Gujarat, as a saintly poet, Akha Bhagat is ranked with Narsi Mehta and Meerabai. His father Rahiyadas was a goldsmith. Originally from Jetulpur, he settled in Gujrat's then capital Karnavati (present Ahmedabad). Akha was born here in 1591 AD. After his father's untimely death, Akha devoted himself to his paternal business. Soon he became famous for his honesty and skill in the craft. A series of tragic incidents however turned Akha's life from a mundane daily existence to a spiritual one.In his childhood, Akha had lost a younger sister, whom he loved dearly. Later he became acquainted with a lady named Jamuna in whom he found the image of his lost sister. Jamuna also had great trust in Akha and had kept her saving of Rs 300/- with Akha for safety. There were a lot of people who were rather jealous of Akha's fame and prosperity. Some of them convinced Jamuna that keeping her money with Akha was not a safe proposition. Ultimately, Jamuna asked Akha to make her a gold necklace with the money. Akha, out of her affection for his 'dear sister' made a beautiful necklace with some more gold from his side. The persons who earlier instigated Jamuna told her that the necklace had lesser amount of gold in it and urged her to get it checked. The truth of course came out and Jamuna was very sorry for all that happened. When Akha came to know about this disbelief of his 'dear sister' he was shell-shocked. At this time emperor Jehangir had established a mint in Ahmedabad. He appointed Akha as the in-charge of the mint. Soon Akha's adversaries started poisoning the emperor's mind about Akha. Ultimately Jehangir arrested Akha. After a thorough inquiry, the emperor got convinced about Akha's honesty and integrity and wanted to reappoint Akha. But a heart-broken Akha politely refused the offer. He even closed down his business and threw all his appliances in a well. At this time his wife also died. Free of all bondage, Akha left home in search of a guru. Ultimately, he became a disciple of Gokulnath and stayed in Gokul. Akha's natural talent of composing beautiful bhajans soon made him famous and popular among common people. This fame made other disciples of Gokulnath quite envious. They started fabricating stories about Akha's misdeeds and reported them to Gokulnath. Their plan ultimately succeeded and Gokulnath asked Akha to leave his Ashram. An utterly dejected Akha left Gokul and started wandering again.In Kashi, he saw varieties of 'gurus'. There were 'jeevagurus' who exploited others for their own benefit and 'matigurus' who could charm people with their eloquence. One day, rather accidentally he met Brahmananda, who had had mastered Vedanta and Adwaitagnan but was totally aloof to worldly affairs and hardly had any disciple. The guru and the disciple recognized each other. Appreciating, Akha's eagerness Brahmananda taught him the way to undertake true sadhana. Akha found the light he was searching for. In his words 'avi achanak Hari pargat bhayo' - suddenly Hari appeared before me. The natural talent of composing songs now turned into an incessant flow. People started to flock around to hear Akha's beautiful songs. There was of course no dearth of jealous people as well. But Akha was a changed man now. He remained unperturbed by all their mischievous acts. Responding to the earnest request of his Punjabi and Sindhi disciples, Akha went to Sind and the Punjab. During his stay there he composed a few Punjabi and Sindhi songs. They are still very popular there and are collectively known as 'Punjabi Jhulna'. Akha had composed a number of 'sakhi's in Hindi as well. Ultimately, Akha again returned to Gujrat and settled in Jambusar near Bharuch. For posterity, Akha left his mark in his numerous works. His 'Chhappay's (a special type of six-lined verses) are very popular even now. Amongst his books, 'Anubhav Bindu', 'Akhe Geeta', 'Guru-shishya Sambad', 'Chitta Vichar Sambad', 'Panchikaran', 'Kaivalya Geeta' etc bear testimony to his literary prowess, depth of knowledge and of course his deep devotion. This saintly poet breathed his last in 1656 AD.

Keshabchandra Sen - an indomitable spirit.
Dipen Chakrabarti
Keshabchandra Sen was born in Kolkata on November 19, 1838. In a short life of hardly forty-five years he became one of the major savants of a new era. Educated in Hindu College (1848 to 1858), he was well versed in History, Literature, Logic and Science but was most interested in Philosophy. In 1857 he joined Brahmo Samaj led by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and soon became highly popular for his erudite eloquence.Even before he became the 'Acharya' of the Brahmo Samaj in 1862, he had established 'Brahma Vidyalay (1859)' and 'Sangat Sabha' (1860) and published fortnightly 'Indian Mirror (1861) and weekly 'Sunday Mirror'. In 1862 he established 'Calcutta College' for bringing positive reformation in the education system. For spreading female education, he started publishing "Vamabodhini' magazine and founded a special women's wing-'Brahmika Samaj' within the Samaj. In 1864 he traveled all over India to propagate Brahmo philosophy. His uncompromising movements against drinking, polygamy and child marriage however created a rift in the Samaj culminating in the founding of a separate 'Indian Brahmo Samaj' in 1866. In 1869 he established 'Brahmo Mandir' for conducting divine service "in such spirit and manner as may enable all men and women, irrespective of distinctions of caste, colour and condition, to unite in one family, eschew all manner of error and sin, and advance in wisdom, faith and religiousness." Keshabchandra went to England in 1870 to spread his doctrine. Apart from being granted a special appointment with Queen Victoria, the elite and intellectuals gave him a tremendous reception there. During his six months' stay he addressed 40,000 persons in 70 meetings. In a sermon at South Place Chapel in London Keshabchandra declared, "The God whom we worship is not only the living God but the loving God. He is not only a majestic reality; He is our loving father."In 1871 he founded 'Indian Reform Association' and "Native Ladies Normal & Adult School" (present Victoria Institution). In 1876, he founded Albert hall, the venue of many epoch-making meetings in the last century. He was also instrumental in enacting the Civil Marriage Act, 1872, which gave legal sanction to Inter-caste marriages.Keshabchandra realized that the Brahmin class was more intent on keeping themselves in power than doing God's Will. By developing an excessive ritualism and ceremonialism, which only they could administer and by limiting knowledge of the scriptures to only their own group, the priests were able to keep themselves in control. To combat this, he stressed on 'moral and spiritual as well as scientific and technological education for all and not restricted to a minority'.Surprisingly ahead of his time, Keshabchandra deeply felt the need of finding the essence of all religions. He entrusted his favourite disciples to study different religions. Upadhyaya Gour Govinda Roy was given Hinduism and produced a monumental commentary on Gita, and the life of Krishna in Sanskrit. Sadhu Aghorenath studied Buddhism and wrote a life of Buddha in Bengali. Girishchandra Sen studied Islam, translated the Koran and other works in Arabic and Persian. Pratapchandra Majumdar studied Christianity and published "The Oriental Christ". Keshabchandra was a great admirer of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. Though a firm believer in "Nirakar" - formlessness of God, meeting with Ramakrishna convinced him that "Hinduism must have in it a deep sense of beauty, truth and goodness to inspire such men as these." He understood that the polytheist gods are the names of different attributes of God. In a lecture delivered in 1876, he declared, "If the ancient Vedic Aryans are gratefully honoured today for having taught us the deep truth of the Nirakar or the bodiless Spirit, the same loyal homage is due to the Puranic Hindu for having taught us religious feelings in all their breadth and depth". "In the days of the Vedas and the Vedanta, India was all communion (Yoga). In the days of Puranas, India was all emotion (Bhakti). The highest and the best feelings of religion have been cultivated under the guardianship of specific deities."This great savant breathed his last on January 8, 1884.

Annie Besant - a devout Indian not by birth but by choice.
Dipen Chakrabarti
Annie Besant (AB) was born in London on October 1, 1847 and had a fairly successful life there. In 1875 Helen Petrovna Blavatsky, Colonel Henry Olcott and a few others started Theosophical Society (TS) in New York Its objectives were 1) Forming a nucleus of' a universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour. 2) Studying of 'ancient and modern religions, philosophies and sciences'. 3) Investigating 'the unexplained laws of the nature and the psychical powers latent within man.' In 1882, the Head Quarters of TS was shifted to Adyar near Madras. In 1887 Madame Blavatsky returned to England and published her second book "The Secret Doctrine". AB's employer requested her to review this book. This contact totally changed her life. She joined TS and came to Adyar in 1893. She became the President of TS in 1907 and led it until her death in 1933.The first of the 3 objectives of TS had a special appeal for her. Her concept of 'brotherhood' got a firm base in the ancient Hindu belief that "the eternal self embodies itself in endless varied modifications" She was convinced that "only the recognition of this Self in everything can bring Universal Brotherhood." This conviction gradually turned her into a champion of the downtrodden class as well. She understood that only education could "be the lever by which to raise them" and expressed her views in a pamphlet titled "The Education of the Depressed Class" (1909). AB believed that an education system should be designed for an all-round growth in physical, moral, intellectual and spiritual areas of individuals. Strongly opposing the 'rote' system, she wanted the curriculum to contain i) knowledge of the past adapted to modern necessities; ii) English type education but more Indian oriented in content and method; iii) Sanskrit as a compulsory subject but taught in a modern way; iv) Moral education. She also advocated taking the University Education out of Government Control. To give a start in this direction AB set up Central Hindu College in Benares in 1898. This formed the nucleus of future BHU founded by Madan Mohon Malavya in 1916. Later a number of schools for technical, religious and spiritual training for boys as well as girls' were founded by TS. AB also wrote books such as "Hindu Ideals' for use as textbooks for the college students. Her active involvement in social causes made her protest strongly against the colour bar introduced by the British rulers. She declared that "the colour bar must go because the welfare of the people demands it, justice desires it and people ask for it in no uncertain voice." "There is no God-given right in the white skin to claim authority over all the coloured nations of the world."The second decade of 20th century saw her more embroiled in political arena. She wrote on "Theosophy in Relations to Politics"(1909), "India's Awakening"(1910), "The Indian Nation"(1910), and started daily "New India" and weekly "The Common Wealth"(1914). Articles such as "Federation" (1914), "Indian Self Government" (1915) appeared in these papers. On August 1,1916 with the active help of Lokmanya Tilak, she formed "Home Rule League". Dadabhai Naoroji became its president. As a result she was interned in a Madras prison in 1917. The Government however was forced to release her due to widespread popular agitation. In the same year she was elected as the President of Indian national Congress and became the first woman to adorn the post. In 1917 itself, she also founded Boy's Scouts Association of India and Women's Indian Association, which became All India Women's Conference in 1926. AB believed that India could perform her predestined role only with national unity and nationhood. A firm believer in spiritual unity and essential identity, she untiringly emphasized on one origin and one goal. Annie Besant was the godmother of celebrated savant J. Krishnamurthy. Recognizing the potential of Krishnamurthy when he was still a child, she adopted and groomed him up to be "the herald of the New age". She believed that JK is the embodiment of "the Divine spirit" This great visionary expired on September 21, 1933.

Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde - a crusader against untouchability.
Dipen Chakrabarti
Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde, alias Annasaheb undertook to eradicate untouchability on a national scale at a time when there was hardly any awareness about the evil nature of this obnoxious practice. His deep religious nature and a striving for unity and integrity was the foundation of all his social and political efforts such as his endeavour to stop the custom of offering girls as Muralis in temples or to make compulsory primary education available to girls. Annasaheb was born as the second child of Ramji and Yamunabai on April 23,1873 at Jamkhandi, the capital of a small princely state, now in Karnataka. After passing Matriculation, Vitthal served as a teacher for a few months. In 1883, Shinde got admission in Fergussion College in Poona. He could sustain his studies with the financial help from Gangaram Bhau Mohite and Sayajirao Gaikwad of Baroda. In 1898, impressed by the lectures of R.G. Bhandarkar and Justice Ranade, he decided to join Brahmo Samaj as a whole time worker. This very year he passed his B.A. and first LL.B. Examinations and proceeded to Bombay for studying second LL.B examination. There, he regularly participated in the meetings of Prathana Samaj.In 1999, Annasaheb was selected by the Brahmo Samaj to study Comparative Philosophy in Oxford. After overcoming many hurdles, Shinde proceeded to Oxford in 1901 and studied there for two years. Shinde returned on October 6, 1903 and visited centers of Brahmo Samaj. In 1905, he established the Young Theists' Union. The members had to vow to adhere to the principles of Brahmo Samaj and never practice idolatry or observe caste distinction. He also helped in editing Subodh Patrika and supervised two schools run by the Samaj for the untouchables. Shinde's speeches against the caste system, however, infuriated the orthodox people. They ostracized his family and compelled them to leave Jamkhandi but Shinde remained undaunted.On October 18, 1906 Indian Depressed Class Mission (DCM) was founded with Shinde as the General secretary. In a period of six years Shinde succeeded in establishing a network of schools, hostels and libraries for the untouchables in various places. Some section of the Brahmo Samaj did not like Shinde spending so much time for the works of DCM. The resentment was further aggravated due to Shinde's closeness to extremist leaders like Lokmanya Tilak. Ultimately Shinde resigned in 1910 as a full time worker of the Samaj. Annasaheb's endeavours succeeded when in 1917 he got a resolution against untouchability passed in the Calcutta session of the Congress presided over by Annie Besant. On March 23, 1918 Shinde organized a conference presided over by Sayajirao Gaikwad to consider the problems of the untouchables. Participants were asked to sign a pledge declaring that they would give free access to the untouchables to all public places such as temples, tanks, schools and dispensaries.In 1919, Poona Municipality intended to make primary education compulsory to both boys and girls. Bravely facing opposition by orthodox people, Shinde mobilized public opinion in support and made the move successful. At this time there was a rift in the DCM as well. In 1923, Shinde bade farewell to the students and office-bearers of the Poona branch of DCM and went to Mangalore as the Acharya of the Brahmo Samaj. In 1924, he participated in the famous Vycome Satyagraha demanding entry of the untouchables in the temple. The pro-government Brahmos of Mangalore did not like this and Shinde had to return to Poona. In 1928 he supported the efforts of Jedhe brothers to organize peasants of Maharashtra against the proposed increase in land revenue. The bill had to be withdrawn. In 1930 Shinde participated in Satyagraha movement and was imprisoned for 6 months.In 1933, Shinde's health totally broke down and he could not participate in active public life as before. He suffered from extreme poverty as well. He was very frustrated about the indifference shown to him by the new leaders of the untouchables. This great soul passed away on January 2, 1944.

Mahatma Jotiba Phule - a saga of a spirited struggle for the downtrodden
Dipen Chakrabarti
Mahatma Jotiba Phule, was born in 1827 as Jotirao. Originally a 'Gorhay', his father Govindrao came to be known as 'Phule' as he was a flower vendor to the last Peshwa in Pune. Jotirao's mother expired when he was hardly one year old. After completing his primary education, Jotirao started helping in his father's business and as per then prevailing custom got married when he was not even thirteen. In 1841, a Muslim teacher and a Christian gentleman persuaded Govindrao to send Jotirao to Scottish Mission School, where he completed his secondary education in 1847. In the school he got Sadashiv Govand, Vitthal Valekar and Sakharam Yeshwant Paranjpye as his friends. Even though, all these three were Brahmins, their friendship with Jotirao lasted lifelong. The turning point in his life came in 1848. Jotirao had gone to attend the wedding of one of his Brahmin friends. There, some relatives of the bridegroom abused him as he was a 'mali'. Jotirao left the place with tears in his eyes and a vow to fight for the human rights of Shudras. He understood that the first requirement was to educate them, particularly the women, and opened his first school in August 1848. As he could not get any teacher, he asked his wife Savitribai to undertake teaching in the school. Stones and brickbats were thrown, when she was on her way to school. The adversaries also threatened his father with dire consequences unless he dissociated with Jotirao. Undaunted, Jotirao left the house with Savitribai but continued in his mission.By 1853, he opened four more schools. One of these was a mixed school for the lower classes, especially for the mahars and the mangs. There was bitter opposition to his efforts. His attack on the stranglehold of the Brahmins on all avenues of education was ridiculed as 'mere echoing of what the Christian missionaries were saying.' His critics also made fun of his inelegant language. They could not understand that it was a spontaneous outburst of a genuine concern for the equal rights of human beings. At that time widow remarriages were banned but child-marriage was most common. As a result, abortions and abandoning of 'unwanted' children were quite common. Jotirao established an orphanage for such children. In 1873, Jotirao himself adopted such a child born of a Brahmin widow. During the construction of a big tank in Khadakvasla, he had a first hand experience of the rampant corruption of the clerks of PWD departments who were invariably Brahmins. Jotirao composed a ballad exposing these officials. In 1968, Jotirao arranged for access to a tank near his house for the untouchables. In June 1873, his book on 'Slavery' was published. Significantly the book was dedicated to the people of the USA for their 'sublime, disinterested and self-sacrificing devotion in the cause of Negro slavery'. His other book, 'Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak' was published in 1891 after his death.In 1873 Jotirao founded Satya Shodhak Samaj, where members had to take oath for treating all human beings as the children of God and worship the Creator 'without any mediator'. By 1876, there were 316 dedicated members of the Samaj. Jotirao's friend Krishnarao Bhalekar was the editor of Deenabandhu - the weekly organ of the Samaj. When a famine struck Maharashtra in 1877, people were forced to leave their villages, sometimes even leaving their children behind. Jotirao founded Victoria Orphanage to give shelter to such unfortunate children. Though generally a supporter of the Government, Jotirao was fearless in his criticism when he felt its action, such as granting more licenses for liquor shops 'detrimental to the society'. When Poona Municipality decided to spend one thousand rupees for the reception of Lord Lytton, Jotirao was the only nominated member among a total of 18 to vote against the proposal. In a meeting arranged to felicitate Duke and Duchess of Cannaught in 1888, Jotirao boldly told them that the 'diamond-studded jewelry bedecked' elite present there do not represent real India', which they could see only in villages and the city-ghettos for the untouchables.Jotirao's struggle on behalf of the downtrodden ended only with his death on November 28, 1890.

Srinivas Ramnujan - to whom God revealed Himself through Mathematics.
Dipen Chakrabarti
To him "an equation had no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God." Undeterred by thorns of poverty, lack of facilities and disease Srinivas Ramanujan continued in his sadhana of seeking his Maker through mathematics. To many, he was a miracle, a gift of heaven. Even after more than 80 years of his untimely death, Ramanujan's works provides many amazing clues to mathematicians. Born on December 22, 1887 to Srinivasa Iyengar and Komalattamal, from childhood, Ramanujan felt a tremendous attraction towards mathematics. While in the third form, he mastered the properties of the three progressions. In the fourth form he finished problems of Trigonometry, which were taught in BA class. When hardly in his teens, he came across the two volumes of "A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics" by George Shoobridge Carr published in 1880 and 1886. He worked out all the six thousand and odd theorems pertaining to algebra, trigonometry and calculus, given in it without proof. The sheets of paper in which he recorded his findings and concepts later became famous as his Notebooks. They are still intriguing researchers across the globe.After passing the matriculation examination in 1903, Ramanujan joined the local Government College. But mathematics was now absorbing all his time leaving little interest in anything else. As a result, he failed in the FA examination. His father was very angry at his 'infatuation' with mathematics. To avoid his anger, Ramanujan used to hide under a cot and continued in his pursuit of mathematics. In 1909, the exasperated parents got him married to saddle him with responsibility. Ramanujan felt the responsibility but did not want his mathematics to suffer. After a lot of efforts, he got a job in Madras Port Trust in 1912 at Rs 25/- per month. The wheel began to turn when in 1913, Ramanujan had sent a letter with accounts of some of his findings to G.H. Hardy, Professor of Mathematics in Cambridge University. The letter took Cambridge by storm. In reply to Hardy's encouraging letter Ramanujan wrote, "To preserve my brains, I want food, which is now my first consideration. Any sympathetic letter from you may help me to get a scholarship here from University or Government." Hardy realized that Ramanujan had been carrying "an impossible handicap, a poor and solitary Hindu pitting against the accumulated wisdom of Europe" and asked Ramanujan to come to Cambridge. Ramanujan, afraid of religious obstacles, declined. In the mean time, mathematical circles of Madras also had become aware of this extra-ordinary genius among them. With their efforts, the Madras University sanctioned a scholarship of Rs 75/- p.m. for a period of 2 years to this 'non-graduate'.In 1914 Professor E.H. Neville, a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge came to Madras to deliver a series of lectures. Prof. Hardy asked him to bring Ramanujan with him. After many dramatic developments, Ramanujan reached London on April 7, 1914 and proceeded to Cambridge to work with Hardy and Littlewood in Trinity College. Soon these two stalwarts were busy going through the works of Ramanujan and were making surprising discoveries in them. Unfortunately, due to the breaking of the First World War, Littlewood had to leave Cambridge soon. Though, poles apart in their background, Hardy and Ramanujan developed a wonderful and productive relationship. In 1916, Ramanujan was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Arts by the Cambridge University, qualified 'by research'. In 1918 Ramanujan was elected a FRS, an amazing thing for one so young. He also became the first Indian Fellow of Trinity College. Overwork, unsuitable climate and an orthodox food habit however soon took toll and Ramanujan was attacked by tuberculosis. Ultimately, Ramanujan left England in February 1919 and reached India by end of March. His health however, continuously degraded. In spite of the utmost human efforts, God took back this gift of His on 26 April 1920. Prof. F.S. Dyson, in his famous Illinois speech said, "Ramanujan discovered so much and yet he left so much more in his garden for other people to discover. In last 44 years, whenever I came back to Ramanujan's garden, I found fresh flowers blooming and the seeds have been sprouting all over the landscape". While in school, Prof. Dyson chose Ramnujan's 'Collected Papers' as a prize. The book traveled with him from England to America and was "still fresh as they were in 1940". In his own words, "Whenever I am angry and depressed, I pull down the Collected Papers from the self and take a quite stroll in Ramanujan's garden. . Ramanujan's papers are not only a good therapy for headache, they also are full of beautiful ideas which may help you to do more interesting mathematics".If this is not divinity, what else is?