Archives October 2013

Tulsi Das was one of the greatest saints of India. He was born in 1540 at Banda in Uttar Pradesh. His parents died when he was only five years old. He had to work in the fields to earn his livelihood.   The life of Tulsi became better after he met Guru Nar Hari Das. By following his guru's teachings, Tulsi became a devotee of Lord Rama. He got married to a beautiful woman called Ratnavali. Tulsi Das began to love his wife so much that he forgot his devotion and love for Lord Rama. One day, his wife got angry and told Tuisi that if he had paid even half of his attention to Lord Rama, he would have found him.   This sentence changed the life of Tulsi forever. He left his home and went to Ayodhya and there he wrote the Ramchantmanas. He completed it in 1600. more...

The Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta is an integral part of Mahabhararta, which is our third important scripture. From Mahabharata, a vital section of 700 verses spread over 18 chapters has been compiled to form Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta. In the battlefield of Kurukshetra when Kauravas and Pandavas came face to face in armed conflict with their relatives, cousins and loved ones in opposite camps, it was natural for Arjuna to get confused and confounded. They were his cousins and relatives, how could he slay them? Although Pandavas had been wronged, betrayed, harassed and insulted, yet Arjuna's mind witnessed an intense duel. He could not decide the right course of action for himself. He remembered all the wrongs, deceptions and tortures of the Kauravas, yet questions like "How can I fight them?" "What should one do in such a situation?" boggled his mind. These were perplexing questions, which posed a big problem for more...

Although I have many friends in India I have always wished for a friend who lives in a foreign country. The other day I was reading the magazine "Target" and I came across the addresses of various children all over the world who want to make pen friends. I looked for a name and country that I liked. I wanted a pen friend in the United States of America as I found the culture of that country very different from ours. Finally I found the address of Jane Adams who lives in San Francisco. She is fifteen years old and she is the daughter of two doctors. Her parents love her dearly as she is the only child. She wrote to me as soon as she received my first letter and I was very touched by her warmth and friend lines. Jane loves America a lot. She had never heard more...

My favourite scientist is Thomas Alva Edison. Now as a child he was considered to be a foil. He was not attentive to his studies and could not pull on well at school. His wise and sympathetic mother, however, succeeded in teaching him the essentials of education, reading, writing and arithmetic.   Pressed by poverty, Edison had to work for a living at an early age. But from his very childhood, he was fond of making various experiments some of which made him the laughing stock of the common people. A kind railway guard allowed him to set up his laboratory and printing press in compartment of the train. Besides selling fruits and candles, Edison sold his own newspaper edited and printed by himself: Unluckily one day a bottle broke and inflammable substance in it set fire to some of the boards. The angry guard put young Thomas along with more...

Human beings are born equal in dignity and rights. These are moral claims which are present in all human individuals by virtue of their humanity alone. These claims are formulated in what is known as human rights. Human life and human dignity have been disregarded throughout history and continue to be mis-used even to-day. Yet, even though laws have been made to safeguard a human being's  dignity, discrimination continues to exist because of prejudice, limitations, ignorance and man's' own greed for control and power. These rights have been needed to defend slavery, ill treatment on the grounds of sex, race, colour, descent, religion, caste, and class. The International Bill of Human Rights was founded on 10th December, 1948, when the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' was founded by the General Assembly as a common standard of achievement for all people and nations. The rights are of two kinds—civil and political more...

Last year, my uncle was transferred to Nainital. I received a telegram from my uncle At Nainital. He invited me to spend my summer vacation with him. Nainital is 322 kms from Delhi. We went there with my family by bus. Our bus went via Moradabad, Rampur and Haldwani. I reached Nitlnil.il in the evening. My uncle and aunt were there with their car to receive us. Nainital is a beautiful hill-resort. It is surrounded by giant mountains dotted with bright cottages, bungalows, hotels and Villas. I visited all the beautiful spots. I went for long walks in the mornings and evenings. I viewed the plants, the trees, the flowers, the birds and animals. Everything looked fresh and green. The nights were even more beautiful. The lake is surrounded by many weeping willows. I enjoyed boating in the lake. I also enjoyed horse-riding around the lake. After a stay of more...

Eid is a Muslim term which means festival. Muslims throughout the world celebrate three Eid's during a year.   Ramzan is a month of fasting. It is a very strick fast which does not allow even a sip of water during the day. The fast is broken daily after sunset. After the month long fasting, on the day after the new moon, Ramzan Eid is celebrated. This festival is formally termed as Eid-ul-Fitr.   Bakri Eid is celebrated in the memory of Hazrat Ismail's sacrifice. This festival falls about two months and nine days after Eid-ul-Fitr. It is for this festival that Muslims who can afford, go on pilgrimage to Mecca. This pilgrimage is known as Haj. Mutton biriani is the main dish eaten on this day. This festival is formally known as Eid-ul-zuha.   The third Eid that is celebrated with great enthusiasm is Eid-i-milad. This day commemorates the more...

In the life of a student, the value of discipline is great. His is a disciplined life, a life of self-control. He knows the value of 'First deserve then desire, first obey and then be obeyed. The life of a student is a life of dedication, devotion and penance. He has to observe self- control and discipline. He has to shun way wardness. He has to be strong and firm. He has to for sake the comforts of an easy life. A student should get up early in the morning. He should leave aside laziness. He should be active and smart. He should be wide awake. He must not shirk hard work. His diligence and labour will pay him in the long run. If he leads a dedicated life in the early period of his life, his future is bright. He will reach the heights of respectful awe. In the more...

Our school organized on a picnic yesterday. We were taken to a Natural History Museum in New Delhi. It was my first chance to visit a museum. A visit to a museum imparts us knowledge about the civilization of the past. We saw swords, shields, daggers and other weapons of war. There is a rare collection of unique and ancient articles. There are statues of Budba, Lord Krishna and other Hindu gods. There I saw a glass woman. It was made in Germany. We also saw the dresses Used by the soldiers of the olden times. We saw ancient toys, Utensils and other household goods. We saw old coins of India. We also saw many statues, pictures and portraits there. The statues were of gods and goddesses. They were made of bronze, marble or copper. There are records of the achievements made by Indian states after independence. The visit to more...

Raja Rammohan Roy was born in the village of Radhanagar in the district of Hoogly on the 22nd May, 1772 in a prosperous and orthodox    Brahmin family. Three generations of his ancestors were in the service of Muslim Kings. His father Ramakant was very keen about his son's education. He started his education from his village school and learnt Sanskrit, Bengali, Urdu and Persian. Later on he learnt English, Arabic, Latin, French and even Hebrew. His writings in many of the above languages reflect a fair command on them. 'Roy' was title given to his ancestors by the Nawab of Bengal. He pleaded a case on behalf of the Moghul Emperor in England in 1830 and the Emperor conferred the title of 'Raja' on him.   Raja Rammohan Roy was interested not only in different languages but also in different religions. At Patna, he studied Koran and Koranic literature. Then more...