My Science School

                    Can you believe that there existed a time in India when child marriages were so common? Gandhi was himself a victim of this practice. It may seem curious now, that most of the time these marriages took place without the children knowing they were entering a new life. After marriage, these children would be happy to get a new playmate! Kasturbai Makhanji, later known as Kasturba Gandhi and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi got married in the year 1883.

                   Due to his marriage, he lost a year at school, but he later made up for this. Life was a little bit confusing for both of them in the beginning. Young Mohandas often tried to control his wife with strict rules, but that didn’t work well. In his later life, Kasturba became an ardent supporter of Gandhiji’s public life. 

 

           

 

 

                   Gandhiji treasured the marvellous benefits obtained from reading. He came to know about many great characters in Indian mythology through reading. Among them were some who won his admiration like Raja Harishchandra, a virtuous king who went through harsh tests, yet never deviated from the truth. He was also motivated by the story of Prahlad, the boy prince who showed his father the greatness of God. Such great characters had an over-whelming influence on young Gandhi. There is no doubt that these heroes had a great role to play in moulding Gandhiji’s principles like truth and honesty. 

 

 

 

Gandhiji’s life as a student began at Rajkot where he studied the basics of arithmetic, history, geography and the Gujarati language. As a student, he did not show exceptional merit. He did not excel in the play-ground either. He was a boy who adored long walks rather than playing games. He matriculated from the Bombay University in 1887.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gandhiji’s honesty finds mention in the pages of history. Once, during his school days, an inspector visited his school. The children were dictated five English words. His teacher encouraged young Mohandas to copy from his fellow student a word he had miss pelt. He refused to do this, despite inviting the displeasure of his own teacher. Thus, though he was an ordinary student he had strongly embraced high values.

 

 

 

       

 

   

 

   Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, Gujarat, on 2nd October, 1869. His parents were Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai. His father worked as a prime minister in Porbandar and in Rajkot.

               Putlibai was a deeply religious woman. She was also a vegetarian as per tradition and used to fast to cleanse herself of the craving for food. Neither fancy clothes nor jewellery attracted her. At the same time, she was a woman of great common sense and was well informed about all matters of state. She left a strong impression on young Mohandas and he had great admiration for his mother. She treated all living creatures equally and respected them all. Putlibai valued the opinions of others. Now, it is clear that she laid the foundation for the values Gandhiji upheld. She was a role model for his life and principles.

 

          It is the idea of non-violence that made India’s struggle for freedom unique in history. Gandhiji taught us that one is blessed to possess non-violence or ahimsa, in the midst of violence. He objected to violence, because it perpetuates hatred. Yet to him, non-violence was not akin to cowardice. He showed the world that non-violence is not a weapon of the weak; on the other hand, it is a weapon that can be tried to express a higher form of courage.

          Gandhiji was the first leader in history to use the idea of non-violence to fight such a mighty power. It’s no wonder that Gandhiji’s methods inspired many leaders like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela.

          The life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a unique journey along the path of greatness. He courageously proclaimed that his life was his message. A simple man clad in a handwoven dhoti, he believed that the greatest weapon is one’s own character.

          Gandhiji lived in troubled times, when India’s social and political existence was crushed by the mighty British Empire. His clarity of vision and his mission ignited the minds of thousands of people.

 

          Under his leadership, the freedom struggle of India, for the first time, became a truly mass movement. He had no armies to command, yet the mightiest empire of the times was no match for his determined leadership, clear vision, and strength of character.

          True, Gandhiji was the greatest leader of modern India. Yet, to millions of people across the world, he was much more than that. To them, he was a saint whose values will have everlasting relevance. It’s no wonder that the whole world came to worship him as a great soul - a Mahatma.

          It was Rabindranath Tagore, the great poet, who first addressed him as ‘Mahatma’ and soon the whole world started using this name with great respect and affection. A truly befitting name for the father of our nation, who represents all that, is noble about our great heritage. 

          The word Buddha literally means ‘The Enlightened One’. This was the title given to Siddhartha Gautama. He became the founder of the religion called Buddhism.

          Buddha was born as a prince in the 6th century B.C. in a warrior community of Nepal called ‘Sakyas’. Although brought up in great luxury, he did not show any attachment to the material delights. Even when young, he had a sensitive and philosophical temperament. Though he had everything necessary for worldly pleasures, he was somehow dissatisfied.

          One day Siddhartha went out of his palace grounds on his chariot to get a glimpse of the town. On his way he saw three, sights which he had never seen before: a sick man, an old man and a dead man. These had a deep impact on his mind and made him sad and thoughtful. He could sense the eternal truths of life and realized that life was full of sorrows and suffering. He wondered if sickness, old age and death ultimately grab everyone’s life then what was the goal of life and how men could best use the comparatively short lives they had on this earth. These questions kept on hunting his mind.

          One night Siddhartha left his palace in the pursuit of his goal. He was then 29 years old, married and father to a son. He left behind his wife and infant son in the palace. He spent several years studying under various teachers, but none could impart him the wisdom he was searching for. Finally, travelling from one place to another he reached a place in North India, now called Bodh Gaya. There he sat for many days under a tree in deep meditation, until suddenly one morning he had a wonderful experience of a starting vision of what he had been seeking. The light that shone in him was the enlightenment he was searching for. Buddha delivered his first sermon at Benares on the banks of river Ganges.

          Gautama Buddha died at the age of 80 at Kushinagar, near Benares. After him, his followers were divided into two sects: Mahayana and Hinayana. Buddhism is now followed in Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan.

 

          The word Buddha literally means ‘The Enlightened One’. This was the title given to Siddhartha Gautama. He became the founder of the religion called Buddhism.

          Buddha was born as a prince in the 6th century B.C. in a warrior community of Nepal called ‘Sakyas’. Although brought up in great luxury, he did not show any attachment to the material delights. Even when young, he had a sensitive and philosophical temperament. Though he had everything necessary for worldly pleasures, he was somehow dissatisfied.

          One day Siddhartha went out of his palace grounds on his chariot to get a glimpse of the town. On his way he saw three, sights which he had never seen before: a sick man, an old man and a dead man. These had a deep impact on his mind and made him sad and thoughtful. He could sense the eternal truths of life and realized that life was full of sorrows and suffering. He wondered if sickness, old age and death ultimately grab everyone’s life then what was the goal of life and how men could best use the comparatively short lives they had on this earth. These questions kept on hunting his mind.

          One night Siddhartha left his palace in the pursuit of his goal. He was then 29 years old, married and father to a son. He left behind his wife and infant son in the palace. He spent several years studying under various teachers, but none could impart him the wisdom he was searching for. Finally, travelling from one place to another he reached a place in North India, now called Bodh Gaya. There he sat for many days under a tree in deep meditation, until suddenly one morning he had a wonderful experience of a starting vision of what he had been seeking. The light that shone in him was the enlightenment he was searching for. Buddha delivered his first sermon at Benares on the banks of river Ganges.

          Gautama Buddha died at the age of 80 at Kushinagar, near Benares. After him, his followers were divided into two sects: Mahayana and Hinayana. Buddhism is now followed in Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan.

 

          Aristotle, considered as a great thinker of all times, is still revered by the intellectuals and academicians all over the world for his brilliant and original works. His contributions cover a wide range of subjects which still find relevance in the context of the present day world. His studies invaded the areas of Political Science, Biology, Sociology, Education etc. In terms of importance, his works are considered as next only to the Bible. Most of the later day philosophers borrowed his ideas and theories to develop their own propositions. Aristotle’s life and times are equally interesting and hence worth-knowing.

          Aristotle was born at Stageira in Greece in 384 B.C. This city was then ruled by the kings of Macedonia. Aristotle’s father was a doctor to the royal family. At the age of 17, he went to Athens which was then the centre of learning and joined Plato’s Academy. He stayed there for 20 years and later became a teacher himself. After some years Aristotle left the Academy and crossed the Aegean Sea to settle on the island of Lesbos in pursuit of his research. There he continued his studies about the nature and characteristics of human beings and concluded that man is both a social as well as a political animal. They live together in groups and govern themselves in an organized way. Later he wrote down these ideas in his famous book The Politics.

          In 343 B.C. Aristotle returned to Macedonia as he was appointed by King Philip as the tutor of his son who later became Alexander the Great. A few years later Aristotle went back to Athens to set up his own school, The Lyceum. He wrote many books and often disagreed with the earlier philosophers — Socrates and Plato.

          His thoughts and ideas are accessible by natural means and supported by reason. Aristotle was a thinker, logician and scientist — all at the same time. He characterized the orientation and content of all that termed western civilization. His works and writings also cover the field of language and literature. Among his literary works, Rhetoric deals with the use of language to argue and persuade, and the Poetics is the first textbook of literary criticism on which we still depend for our basic definitions of tragedy and comedy.

          About a year before his death, Aristotle had to flee from Athens because his foes accused him of lack of reverence for God.

 

          Kalidasa was a famous Indian poet and dramatist. He was a master of Sanskrit language and perhaps the greatest writer of any Indian epoch. He is usually compared with Shakespeare, the great English dramatist.

          Kalidasa was known to be a Brahmin who was orphaned in childhood and brought up by a cowherd. He did not receive any formal education for eighteen years. Then, as luck would have it, he came to marry a princess — the marriage being brought about by a minister of the princess’s father, with a view to teach her a lesson! The boy was introduced as a learned Pandit. When the princess came to know of the truth, she was highly distressed. She insisted on Kalidasa acquiring higher education by pleasing goddess Kali. The goddess took pity on him and blessed him. Soon Kalidasa became a very learned man and a great poet. He called his wife as his ‘guru’.

          As legend goes, Kalidasa was one of the nine distinguished courtiers of King Vikramaditya of Ujjain. He lived sometime between 170 B.C. when the Sunga King Agnimitra ruled and 634 A.D. to which Aihole inscription dates. Many scholars opine that Kalidasa was present during the reign of Chandragupta II (380 A.D. - 415 A.D.). According to a Sinhalese account, he died in Ceylon during the reign of Kumaradasa in the 6th century A.D.

          Kalidasa was probably a very cultured man, full of humour and buoyancy. He had high esteem for women.

          There are seven famous works of Kalidasa — three plays and four long poems. All of them are in Sanskrit. 

          Abhijnana Shakuntalam (“Shakuntala recognized”) is regarded as his greatest play, and usually judged as the best Indian literary effort of any period. Taken from an Indian legend, it tells of the love between the nymph Shakuntala and King Dushyanta, his rejection of the girl and his child and their subsequent reunion in heaven. The work is important because of the child, Bharata, after whom Bharatvarsha came to be named.

          The second play Vikramorvasi (‘Urvasi won by valour’) tells of a legend as old as the Vedas. Its theme is the love of mortal for a divine damsel.

          The third play is Malvikagnimitra. Three famous long poems of Kalidasa are Raghuvansa (Dynasty of Raghu), Kumar-Sambhava (Birth of the War God) and Meghaduta (Cloud Messenger). The first recounts the legends of Rama’s forebears and descendants. The second tells the story of Siva and Parvati. The third deals with the message of a lover for his absent beloved. The fourth one is the Ritusamhara (The Garland of the Seasons) — perhaps an early work.

          Kalidasa’s works reflect on the aristocratic society, sure of its dignity and power. To him goes the credit of exploiting Sanskrit to the full. Till today he is regarded as unrivalled by any other Indian writer. 

          Encouragement and inspiration stimulate people for greater efforts and sincere work. Awards act as a source of encouragement as well as recognition of merit and sacrifice. It is given to individuals and institutions acknowledging their excellent work and outstanding contributions in any walk of life. In the field of Indian cinema, Dada Saheb Phalke Award is the highest film award in the land and is given to eminent film personalities who made a significant and lasting contribution to the cause of Indian cinema. The award was instituted by the Government of India in the year 1969 to commemorate, the memory of Dhundiraj Govind (Dadasaheb) Phalke, the Father of Indian Cinema. He was the maker of the first Indian feature film ‘Raja Harishchandra’ – A silent movie, in the year 1913. The film was 3,700 ft long and it was a wholly Indian venture. It had titles in both Hindi and English and ran for an unprecedented 23 days.

          Initially the award carried Rs. 11,000 in cash, a shawl and a plaque. In 1975, the award was increased to Rs. 40,000 in cash and carried a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus). In 1985 the cash amount was raised to Rs. 1, 00,000.

          Till date, the award has been won by great film personalities for their lifetime achievements. The award winners from 1969 onwards are: Devika Rani Roerich (1969), B.N. Sircar (1970), Prithviraj Kapoor (posthumous) (1971), Pankaj Mallick (1972), Sulochana (Ruby Meyers) (1973), B.N. Reddi (1974), Dhiren Ganguly (1975), Kanan Devi (1976), Nitin Bose (1977), R.C. Boral (1978), Shorab Modi (1979), P. Jairaj (1980), Naushad (1981), L.V. Prasad (1982), Durga Khote (1983), Satyajit Ray (1984), V. Shantaram (1985), B. Naggi Reddi (1986), Raj Kapoor (1987), Ashok Kumar (1988), Lata Mangeshkar (1989), A. Nageshwar Rao (1990), B. Pendharkar (1991), Bhupen Hazarika (1992), Majrooh Sultanpuri (1993), Dilip Kumar (1994).

          Apart from the Dada Saheb Phalke award several other national film awards are given for different specified categories. There is a film jury which decides the different awards. These awards are given every year at a function called National Film Festival.

 

               Music has been a main component of our culture since times immemorial. Generation after generation, people have enjoyed and experienced different forms and varieties of music. As a consequence every period of history has produced its own breed of musicians but only a few could make a lasting impact in the minds and hearts of people. Mozart was one such product of the 18th century music and went on to become one of the most brilliant composers in the history of music. His great genius was his ability to compose every form of music that included operas, choral, orchestral, and chamber music.

               Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756. His father was a musician at the court of the Archbishop and his sister was also a talented musician. Even as a very young child Mozart could play violin and harpschord so well that his father took him on a tour to Europe to play before the Royalty. The trio consisting of Mozart, his father and sister, were acclaimed wherever they performed. The young Mozart began to compose at the age of five. Later he studied music in Italy.

               During his brief life, Mozart could be able to change the trend of music of the earlier era by providing a tone of emotion to it as the symphonies, sonatas and other instrumental works. In the pre-Mozart era, music almost lacked any kind of emotional expression. He is generally considered as a classical composer because his symphonies, concerts and sonatas follow the rules of the musical forms of the classical period. What is not at all classical about some of Mozart’s music is his very personal note. Some of his finest compositions sound as if he was pouring his heart out of his music.

               Mozart composed some of the finest operas which include The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. He was one of the 18th century musicians who is bracketed with Beethoven and Haydn for evolving and perfecting the orchestral music. His operas reflected every change of mood and twist of plot. The characters were presented as real people rather than theatrical puppets.

               Though Mozart captured great attention as a child artist yet the popularity waned with his growing age. As a result he had to earn his living as a humble musician. He spent a greater part of his life in poverty and his health suffered consequently. He died in 1791 at the young age of thirty-five. Unfortunately he died so poor that only the grave digger attended his funeral. 

          Even after many centuries of his death Alexander the Great is still regarded as one of the greatest conquerors of the world in human history. This brave soldier died in Babylon over 2000 years ago at the age of thirty-three only.

          His empire, stretching from Greece to India, disintegrated after his death. But the cities founded by him are still there. It is said that he founded about 70 cities during his short span of life.

          The story goes that when Alexander was only a boy of fourteen, he tamed the wild horse Bucephalus whom nobody else had been able to control. He rode this horse in all his battles. This horse died in a battle in India. He built a town and named it after the brave horse.

          Alexander’s father, Philip, became the king of Macedonia in 359 B.C. He raised his own army and planned an invasion of the great Persian Empire. But he was murdered in 336 B.C. in a palace conspiracy. After him, Alexander became the king at the age of twenty.

          Alexander had received the training of warfare from his father. The great philosopher Aristotle was his intellectual mentor. After his father’s death, a serious revolt broke out in his kingdom. Alexander restored law and order in a very short time. The young Alexander attacked the Persian Empire in about 334 B.C. There he fought two battles and achieved resounding victories. He was well-trained in the tactics of warfare. He was a fearless man. After conquering Persia, he attacked Egypt. He conquered Egypt also and established a city called Alexandria at the mouth of river Nile.

          When Alexander entered Asia Minor, he was shown the chariot of the ancient king Gordius and was told of a legend that whoever could untie the knot binding the chariot would rule the world. Alexander seized a sword and cut the knot. By now Alexander was the king of Macedonia, Greece, Egypt, Persia and Asia - half of the known world. For six more years his army kept on marching and conquered Afghanistan, Hindu Kush, Samarkand, Tashkent and Khyber Pass. Then he entered India.

          After entering Asia he started living in luxury. He married a rich and beautiful princess, Roxana. He fought his last great battle with the brave Indian king, Porus. He won this battle but with great difficulties. Alexander hoped to reach the river Ganga, but when his soldiers reached the river Beas, they refused to go further.

          They had been away from their homes for more than eight years. Alexander tried his best to persuade them but they did not move further. They marched back to their homes. Alexander developed high fever on the way and died in June 323 B.C. But though he lived to be only 33, he had built the greatest empire that civilization had yet known and he was the person who prepared the way for penetration of “Hellenistic” culture, i.e. the Greco-Macedonian culture that spread through the lands conquered by him into all parts of the known world.

 

               ‘Service to mankind is service to God’ – the old saying truly describes the devotion of people who dedicate themselves to the cause of humanity. Florence Nightingale, popularly known as the ‘Lady with the Lamp’, epitomized it through her sincere service to the wounded British Soldiers of the Crimean War of 1854. She is considered the main inspiration behind modern nursing which has attained a great amount of respectability over the years as a noble profession. But why did she choose nursing as a career when it was even unthinkable for a woman to work?

               Born on May 12, 1820 in a rich family, Florence Nightingale showed her inclinations towards nursing when the matter of choosing her career came up within the family. When her parents heard that Florence wanted to be a nurse, they were shocked since in those days it was unthinkable for a woman of any respectable family to go out for work. Moreover few women had jobs in 1840s and nursing was not considered as a respectable career. But Florence had her way.

               In pursuit of her goal, she started a small nursing home in London. In 1854, on the outbreak of the Crimean war, she was appointed as the nursing-in-charge of the Scutari hospital in Turkey. Scutari hospital was overcrowded with wounded soldiers of the war. To overcome the work pressure there, she took 38 nurses along with her to attend the wounded soldiers. Nightingale worked day and night to put things in order in the hospital. The entire hospital was thoroughly cleaned, a laundry was started, the quality of the food was improved and the wounded were properly treated. For the first time, patients were provided with soaps, forks and knives, combs and toothbrushes. Florence kept everyone happy through her considerate attitude and sympathetic behaviour towards the patients. She established discipline in every sphere and made things work in a systematic and organized way. She came to be almost worshipped there. She was just like an angel for the service. Thankful soldiers seeing her pass at night carrying a lamp affectionately called her ‘The Lady with the Lamp’.

               Apart from the work at Scutari Hospital she did continue with her social service afterwards in various ways. She set about to improve the living conditions of the private British soldiers who could not be treated well during the war. She introduced many reforms in the British hospitals of those times.

               She set up the Nightingale training school for nurses in 1860, the first of its kind in the world. Though the strain of her work in the war deteriorated her health, yet she continued training the hospital nurses as well as looking after the welfare of British soldiers.

               Though she became blind at her old age, she still continued her work and in the year 1907, she became the first woman ever to be awarded the Order of Merit. She died in 1910.

 

           Socrates is regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the world born till date. He was born at Athens in Greece around 470 B.C. His father Sophroniscus was a sculptor and mother Phaenarate, a midwife. Nothing is known of his early life but he became well-known by the time he was middle-aged.

          Though Socrates was not impressive in his looks yet he was a man of exceptional brilliance. Nobody could argue with him on any subject for a long time. No one could match the wisdom and brilliance of Socrates. He would often stand up in the city market and argue with people about the way of living. Whenever he saw people purchasing various kinds of articles, he used to think, ‘How many things I can do without?’

         Socrates believed that all the wrong doing is due to ignorance and if any people knew what was right, they would have no difficulty in choosing the right path. He made two most important fundamental contributions to Western philosophy. They are: shifting the focus of Greek philosophy from cosmology to ethics and the development of the spirit of enquiry from ignorance to logic. He used to say that ‘virtue is knowledge’ and that no one does any wrong willingly. He preached that it is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong. He taught the correct definitions of justice and love and exhorted people to try and purify their souls. He often used to say: ‘Try to know yourself’. He did not write any book. Most of his teachings were made known to the people by his illustrious disciple, Plato.

          Through his teachings, Socrates generated great self-confidence amongst the people. He had a large following. However, Athens’ officials neither liked his teachings nor his fame. They were envious of him and accused him of misleading the youths of the city. As a result, he was put in jail. But Socrates did not give up the pursuit of his own ideals. Even in the jail, he preached about the immortality of soul. Finally the officials became so much annoyed with him that he was awarded death sentence. This did not frighten him. He was made to drink a cup of poison called hemlock. Socrates smilingly drank the poison. While he was drinking it, tears welled up in the eyes of his friends, but Socrates kept smiling till his death.