Lal Bahadur Shastri Biography

Born: October 2, 1904
Died: January 10, 1966
Achievements: Played a leading role in Indian freedom struggle; became Parliamentary Secretary of Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant, the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh; became the Minister of Police and Transport in Pant's Cabinet; appointed as the Railways and Transport Minister in the Central Cabinet; also held the portfolios of Transport & Communications, Commerce and Industry, and Home Ministry in the Central cabinet; became Prime Minister of India in 1964; led India to victory over Pakistan in 1965 war.

Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of independent India. Though diminutive in physical stature he was a man of great courage and will. He successfully led country during the 1965 war with Pakistan. To mobilize the support of country during the war he coined the slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan". Lal Bahadur Sastri also played a key role in India's freedom struggle. He led his life with great simplicity and honesty and was a great source of inspiration for all the countrymen.

Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 at Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh. His parents were Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari Devi. Lal Bahadur's surname was Srivastava but he dropped it as he did not want to indicate his caste. Lal Bahadur's father was a school teacher and later on he became a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad. Though Sharada Prasad was poor, he lived a life of honesty and integrity. Lal Bahadur lost his father when he was only one. Ramdulari Devi raised Lal Bahadur and her two daughters at her father's house.

There is a very famous incident regarding Lal Bahadur Shastri's childhood which took place when he was six years old. One day, while returning from school, Lal Bahadur and his friends went to an orchard that was on the way to home. Lal Bahadur Shastri was standing below while his friends climbed the trees to pluck mangoes. Meanwhile, the gardener came and caught hold of Lalbahadur Shastri. He scolded Lal Bahadur Shastri and started beating him. Lal Bahadur Shastri pleaded to gardener to leave him as he was orphan. Taking pity on Lal Bahadur, the gardener said, "Because you are an orphan, it is all the more important that you must learn better behavior." These words left a deep imprint on Lal Bahadur Shastri and he swore to behave better in the future.

Lal Bahadur stayed at his grandfather's house till he was ten. By that time he had passed the sixth standard examination. He went to Varanasi for higher education. In 1921 when Mahatma Gandhi launched the non-cooperation movement against British Government, Lal Bahadur Shastri, was only seventeen years old. When Mahatma Gandhi gave a call to the youth to come out of Government schools and colleges, offices and courts and to sacrifice everything for the sake of freedom, Lal Bahadur came out of his school. Though his mother and relatives advised him not to do so, he was firm in his decision. Lal Bahadur was arrested during the Non-cooperation movement but as he was too young he was let off.

After his release Lal Bahadur joined Kashi Vidya Peeth and for four years he studied philosophy. In 1926, Lal Bahadur earned the degree of "Shastri" After leaving Kashi Vidya Peeth, Lal Bahadur Shastri joined "The Servants of the People Society", which Lala Lajpat Rai had started in 1921. The aim of the Society was to train youths that were prepared to dedicate their lives in the service of the country. In 1927, Lal Bahadur Shastri married Lalitha Devi. The marriage ceremony was very simple and Shastriji took only a charkha (spinning wheel) and few yards of Khadi in dowry.

In 1930, Gandhiji gave the call for Civil Disobedience Movement. Lal Bahadur Shastri joined the movement and encouraged people not to pay land revenue and taxes to the government. He was arrested and put in jail for two and a half years. In jail Shastriji became familiar with the works of western philosophers, revolutionaries and social reformers. Lal Bahadur Shastri had great self respect. Once when he was in prison, one of his daughters fell seriously ill. The officers agreed to release him out for a short time but on condition that he should agree in writing not to take part in the freedom 'movement during this period. Lal Bahadur did not wish to participate in the freedom movement during his temporary release from prison; but he said that he would not give it in writing. He thought that it was against his self-respect to give it in writing.

After Second World War started in 1939, Congress launched "Individual Satyagraha" in 1940 to demand freedom. Lal Bahadur Shastri was arrested during Individual Satyagraha and released after one year. On August 8, 1942, Gandhiji gave the call for Quit India Movement. Lal Bahadur actively participated in the movement. He went underground but was later arrested. Lal Bahadur Shastri was released in 1945 along with other major leaders. He earned the praise of Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant by his hard work during the 1946 provincial elections. Lal Bahadur's administrative ability and organization skills came to the fore during this time. When Govind Vallabh Pant became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he appointed Lal Bahadur Shastri as his Parliamentary Secretary. In 1947, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Minister of Police and Transport in Pant's Cabinet.

Lal Bahadur Sastri was the General Secretary of the Congress Party when the first general elections were held after India became Republic. Congress Party returned to power with a huge majority. In 1952, Jawahar Lal Nehru appointed Lal Bahadur Shastri as the Railways and Transport Minister in the Central Cabinet. Lal Bahadur Shastri's contribution in providing more facilities to travelers in third class compartments cannot be forgotten. He reduced the vast disparity between the first class and third class in the Railways. Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned from Railways in 1956, owning moral responsibility for a railway accident. Jawaharlal Nehru tried to persuade Shastriji but Lal Bahadur Shastri refused to budge from his stand. By his action Lal Bahadur Shastri set new standards of morality in public life.

In the next general elections when Congress returned to power, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Minister for Transport and Communications and later the Minister for Commerce and Industry. He became the Home Minister in 1961, after the death of Govind Vallabh Pant. In the 1962 India-China war Shastriji played a key role in maintaining internal security of the country.

After the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri was unanimously elected as the Prime Minister of India. It was a difficult time and the country was facing huge challenges. There was food shortage in the country and on the security front Pakistan was creating problems. In 1965, Pakistan tried to take advantage of India's vulnerability and attacked India. Mild-mannered Lal Bahadur Shastri rose to the occasion and led the country ably. To enthuse soldiers and farmers he coined the slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan". Pakistan lost the war and Shastriji's leadership was praised all over the world.

In January 1966, to broker peace between India and Pakistan, Russia mediated a meeting between Lal Bahadur Shastri and Ayub Khan in Tashkent, Russia. India and Pakistan signed the joint declaration under Russian mediation. Under the treaty India agreed to return to Pakistan all the territories occupied by it during the war. The joint declaration was signed on January 10, 1966 and Lal Bahadur Shastri died of heart attack on the same night.

Rs 5 is this doctor’s fee

Nowadays when doctors in the country are becoming increasingly professional and business-minded, there are still people here like Dr Gauranga Goswami who redefines the profession in the light of the "ideal". He is engaged in serving all kinds of patients day and night for a nominal charge of rupees five. This has earned him the popular nickname of paanch takar daktar (rupees 5 doctor) in the small town of Kalna, 80kms from Kolkata. Even the rikshaw-puller who took me to his house-cum-clinic tells me "he is our God".
A big crowd outside the house and an equally populated waiting room welcomes me when I step into his chamber. The Doctor, in his late 50s, greets me with a smile and indicates how busy he is with the long queue of people waiting to get treated.
"I think instead of me you should talk to the patients who stand for hours in queues just to meet me," says the doctor. The answer is simple, when one knows that he will get quality treatment for an almost negligible price, he is bound to run down to him every time.
Dr Goswami is a graduate from the prestigious Calcutta Medical College. However, he quit his Master in Surgery course after 2 years and returned to his home town Kalna to serve the people here and carry out general practice. "The reason was not only personal but also political,"he explains. He has always been involved with the Left movement in Bengal and had to run away from home during the emergency period. "That time the only option was to study surgery and take up a transferable job. However, after 1984 when things became normal, I quit everything and started general practice in Kalna, to serve people at the grassroots." So involved is the doctor with the local people, that, he says, taking even a few days off becomes problematic.
Dr Goswami humbly talks about how he attends to four patients at one go. "Otherwise I will not be able to finish attending to allof them. On normal days, I attend to at least a hundred. Some days I have attended to 200 people", he says. He never sends anyone back without attending, because of which sometimes he has to stay up till midnight. He says, "The time between 8 pm to 10 pm I keep reserved to attend to emergency calls or house visits, otherwise the rest of the time I am always present in the chamber."
Moreover, being the Councillor of Kalna Municipality, he has to attend meetings and undertake many welfare measures for his area. He has also served as the Chairman of Kalna Municipality before. On being asked how he manages all these things together, he elaborates, "I love working for the people; that keeps me happy and going. Also, the respect and love I get in return gives me enough strength to keep working hard for them."
Surely such hectic schedule and tiring work requires support from the household, which is ably provided by Mrs Goswami. "Both my children work in America. I myself get the love and respect of the people of Kalna and I am proud of my husband's service to society." Talking about the meagre fees of rupees 5 that he charges from his patients, she says, "I have never had problems running the family kitchen and we are happy, that is all I wanted in life."
Interestingly, Dr Goswami is not the first in his family to take up this noble profession. "My grandfather, who was also a doctor, used to treat patients in the same room where I practice today. Those were the days when treatment was a more personalised affair. The population has trebled today and there is no time to talk to the patient. I listen to their symptoms and through my experience and knowledge give them medicines or exercises. I avoid costly examinations as most of my patients are too poor to afford them."
He cites two big problems with the health sector in Kalna. The first being lack of proper education and hygienic consciousness on the part of the rural poor. The second is mistreatment by quacks. He believes that quacks cannot be replaced by trained professionals overnight but they need to stay within limits else often cases become complicated. "I also believe that private medical care has a big role to play in the rural health sector, but they need to be more about healthcare and less about business," he adds.
Dr Goswami has always shied away from prizes and recognitions because he believes he has more work to do. A "funny" incident he recalls happened in the year 2000, when his son was a student at the Presidency College. He recounts, "My son told me how he had met a beggar in front of Medical College seeking alms for treatment. When he looked at the prescription, he found my name on it".
With the number of patients swelling outside the chamber, Dr Goswami signs off, saying "Once someone had asked me how many days I wish to run the clinic for five rupees. I said, till the time they do not stop minting the coin."

The Poorest Chief Minister of India: Mr Manik Sarkar

The story about the ‘POOREST CM’ of India

Question: Are we living in the age of scams, corruption and immorality? 

First answer to this question would probably be ‘YES’ when every day or other a whole new story of big scam came into light and every new scam surpass the earlier in terms of money and the level of people involved in it.

When, we see that Ordinary clerical grade employee has worth of crores of rupees and IAS/IPS are caught red handed definitely corruption is rampant in every circle of our life.

Starting from the clerk to top official are allegedly involved in corruption. 2G scam, CWG scam, tetra truck and very recent Coalgate scam and chopper scam all have come into light in a series.

Not only big scams if we look around the working of different departments & organizations, we find that corruption is on rampant and it is increasing day by day despite the government introducing new bills & Acts etc .

If we search the basic reason for all this degradation then we find that it is moral degradation for society which is responsible. In a society, where everything is weighted in terms of money and power, greed for more and more money and power is increasing. Resulting,  corruption and moral degradation.

We have become so used to with these thing that we generally ignore to analyze it properly and loss of moral values and passion for more and more showing off.

But then suddenly I remember Men Like Mr Manik Sarkar Chief Minister, Tripura.people who have courage and strength to fight this evil of society from the core of his heart.

He is honest, brave and source of inspiration for others. He has been elected for consecutively fourth terms as Chief Minister.

First some facts about this person.

1.      He is the poorest Chief Minister of India.

2.      He has been elected as chief minister consecutively for fourth term

3.      He doesn’t own a home;

4.      His bank balance is Rs. 6500/-

5.      He donates all his salary to CPI (M), and party gives him sustenance allowance of Rs 5000/- month.

6.      His wife never uses official vehicle and can very easily be seen on Rickshaw in Agartala.

7.    Even his worst opponents admit that Manik Sarkar is an impeccably honest man, certainly a rare variety among politicians today

Now, compare these with other chief ministers or politicians, who have assets worth crores of rupees!

Apart from honesty, Mr Manik Sarkar has been impetuous for the development of the state which includes better connectivity and development of IT sector in state. He was also responsible for bringing the concept of public-private partnership and invigorated private intervention, particularly in the IT sector. 

It is true that now a days principledpolitics is available only in books and not in reality in our country, but not so with Manik Sarkar in Tripura. If the forces of goodness and probity are unbridled in politics, which is loathsome to many, then there is trust. And once there is trust, there is faith. The concept of goodwill and faith then come into a larger picture of incorruptibility. Political analysts could do well to study such redemption in this state, intractable in a corner of the Northeast and usually reflected as socioeconomically & geographically backward and militant affected Men like Sarkar prove me wrong that we are living in the age of corruption there is still a light of hope in Indian politics and polity. Marxists have lost their grip in West Bengal and Kerala but have won with aplomb in Tripura proves that a lot of depends on the leadership He is true believer of famous saying................................................

“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you  may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

...................................................................................................................................Abraham Lincoln

Mr Manik Sarkar is well regarded for his sympathy toward the tribal population and for the passion towards the overall development of tribal in state. With all his efforts, honesty & simplicity Mr Sarkars has been able to transform a political party into a people’s party. Other political parties in the country should learn how honesty and political intelligence can work wonders Mr Sarkar has also tried his level best to provide employment to the tribals. He has promoted the literature and culture of the state, varied as it is with tribal community, tea garden community, the Chakmas, the Meitieis and the others.

In such a situation, his example is not only exceptional but is a silent story of working for the poor, the landless and the deprived. Today, if Tripura is on the way to peace and development, it is only due to him Mr Sarkar has also been successful to control militancy with his transparency and empathy toward indigenous people of Tripura. He always tries to solve their problems and resolve their apprehensions. In his term he reserved jobs in every government post for them, he tried to genuinely uplift them. Now he is focusing on education and giving education the top priority. 

The example set by Sarkar, with his honesty, behaviour and sincere concern for the people of the state especially the poor, the indigenous population, many of whom are on the path of militancy, should be highlighted to show that all Indian politicians have not transgressed the promontories of probity and incorruptibility. 

 ; Again I will end this story with a famous saying of Abraham Lincoln...

“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have― Abraham Lincoln

 

The IAS story of the Mr. Narayanaswamy IAS

The script almost looks like a masala Malayalam movie from Shaji Kailas. For a change in this script , the hero is not an IPS officer but a honest IAS officer with high calibre , qualifications and integrity.

First Rank in State in Secondary School Examination , Kerala State
First Rank in Plus Two , Mahatma Gandhi University
Tenth Rank in IIT JEE
First Rank in IIT Computer Science , B :tech

He gets a scholarship from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA . Instead of going there he writes the Indian Civil Service Examination and two more things in his profile.

First Rank in IAS Entrance Examination
First Rank in IAS Training Institute.

Some of you may remember the story in the front pages of Malayalam Newspapers way back in 1989 when a small frail guy from Kerala topped civil services. There was a complete supplement in Manorama on a Sunday tracing the academic journey of the iyer swami from Changanacherry who wanted to give back to the nation.Moi remember that even now because I felt it strange to read that somebody had topped all exams that he wrote in his life.

It is interesting to check the career of Iyer Swami after this. Just take a wild guess on what would have happened ?

13 positions in 15 years from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram.

Once in a while a controversy appears in Malayalam newspapers which involve Iyer Swami but it has been proved beyond doubt that he is a man of high integrity and honesty.

One of those brilliant minds which would have been used in Silicon Valley being wasted in Kerala Civil Services.

Here is an excerpt from the Indian Express report

This middle class Iyer from Changanassery, known for taking on political and other heavies like few IAS officers would dare, has remained a pariah for most parties in Kerala’s two political halves. The brushes soon came to a point where he took on his father-in-law, a big-time contractor, who wanted to block off a public road to a poor neighbourhood of Scheduled Castes to wall up land for himself.

“I requested my father-in-law not to misuse my position as the local Sub-Collector, but he wouldn’t listen. I invoked the Criminal Procedure Code and served orders on him, called in the police and carried out the demolition,” recounts the man who once led a raid on the home of one of Kerala’s politically influential liquor barons who wouldn’t pay up the Rs 11 crore that he owed the government in taxes, and seized his belongings. A minister rang up, asking him to lay off and return the seized stuff, Narayanaswamy refused and was on the political hitlist yet again.

Controversies, and trouble, have always been with Narayanaswamy, the topper of the 1991 IAS batch — he topped the SSC exams as well — and a topper at IIT Chennai’s computer science department who turned down an MIT scholarship to enter the Civil Service. Nine years ago, he bulldozed the sides of an important Thrissur road to widen it, hitting businesses with clout who pulled strings to perpetually harass him. Five years ago, he had a run-in with a prominent north Kerala minister in Kasargod. Narayanaswamy refused to recommend sanction as the local District Collector, to turn a hospital that the minister owned into a private medical college, without prescribed infrastructure.

Now , all his controversies are not like this . After reading this and another controversy about his car when he was the Thrissur Collector, I always wondered what he was doing. May be the articles would have been framed by someone to tarnish his image . It seems highly unlikely that Iyer Swami would have been a culprit in all these cases.

May be Iyer Swami is over qualified and a person of his caliber should not have witten the civil services exam. Civil Services need only tail wagging "YES" men who has rubber spines who will bend according to the wills of corrupt political bosses.


There is a huge hue and cry when people from elite institutes leave this country in search of better pastures . Iyer Swami is a living example of a brilliant mind with honesty and integrity that is being wasted in a system which has so much bureaucratic hurdles , nepotism and corruption. Everyone cries about the corruption in the country and people laments that this country will go to dogs . When someone takes the responsibility he finds himself sans of any support to him/her from the political bosses or common man who anyway doesn't have a voice in the decision making of this country.



May be the careers of many civil service officers like Iyer Swami , T N Seshan , Alphonse Kannanthanam , G R Khairnar etcc shows that IAS officers cant take free decisions above the illiterate and selfish politicians / political parties in India and you can't blame the young generation for leaving this country for better pastures.





But I hope a million officers like Iyer Swami will stay back and clean up the system and make it transparent for common man.

My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive 'Cause it's my life

Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down

Want to Know further----http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raju_Narayana_Swamy

Inspiration: That is All We Need

The Real Dabang and A Super cop: Mr Satish Verma, IPS, Gujarat

He is a true personification of the 'Dabangg' cop. Known for his ostentatious style of policing, an IPS officer of 1986 batch, Satish Verma, who came in lime light first time for clearing the mafias and ‘gundaraj’ in Porbandar.  

Satish Verma who basically belong to Bihar, first earned a "no-nonsense" reputation in 1990 at that time he was the deputy commissioner of police in Rajkot.

He harshly repressed the gangs which were in operation in the Rajkot and reduced the gang war and crime in the city and upheld the Law and order.

Within few days people started respecting him so much that when he was leaving the Bhuj, on transfer, people lay down in front of his vehicle.

Since people were fed up with the gunda raj prevailing in the city and Satish Verma was definitely a hero figure for people in city.

After this in 1994, Verma was posted as SP, Porbandar (Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace) which had by now become a home for the mafia. The town witnessed gang wars and contract killings regularly. Immediatley after taking charge Verma started breaking up operative criminal gangs of Porbandar. 

And when he when arrested the then mafia don Bhura Munja  he became a Super cop in public eye since touching the Munja was unimaginable even for police. Very soon after Verma took charge the underworld of Porbandar was broken and golden era of organized crime was over.

Verma used to beat up criminals & local goondas in front of his juniors and public to send a message that only law will prevail and not any mafia raj.

Year 2003 Mr Verma was then DIG (Border Range) in Kutch. Within six months Verma was back in news. He had arrested one MLA.

  In nutshell he is a Jabanz Police Officer and Real Dabang.

The Real Hero & Brave Heart : Mr U. Sagayam IAS, Tamil Nadu

By refusing to take bribes, the Madurai collector has earned 19 transfers in 20 years, a modest house and bank balance and lots of respect
Why he is a real life hero:

" He stood up against corruption not for a season. Nor is it a fad. It’s forever."

" Because his motto is "Lanjam Thavirtthu, Nenjam Namartthu’ (Reject bribes, hold your head high)."

"Because the assets of an IAS officer-couple in Madhya Pradesh were valued at Rs 360 crore. They had 25 flats in three cities. Whereas as a district collector of Namakkal, he voluntarily declared his assets: a bank balance of Rs 7,172 and a house in Madurai worth Rs 9 lakh."

"He did not have the Rs 5,000 needed for admitting her daughter to a private hospital. At that time he was deputy commissioner (excise) in Coimbatore."

"He guiding principle is “Be with the poor,”




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