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About shravancharitymission

Ex- Senior corporate- writer, author and social activist currently working for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases.

QUOTES 23.9.26

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QUOTES 23/9/26
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Never believe always question.
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Conversation would be vastly improved by the constant use of four simple words: I do not know…ANDRE MAUROIS
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Develop all four intelligences. Physical intelligence (PQ) which represents 70 trillion cells that fight disease and digest your breakfast. Intellectual intelligence (IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ) the sensing and wisdom of the heart – and Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) having to do with meaning, purpose and integrity… STEPHEN COVEY
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The more facts the less the friction.
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There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all … OGDEN NASH
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Competition is the best way to ensure prescription drugs are affordable…AMY KLOBUCHAR
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Every discussion which is made from an egoistic standpoint is corrupted from the start and cannot yield an absolutely sure conclusion. The ego puts its own interest first and twists every argument, word, even fact to suit that interest…PAUL BRUNTON
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When everything changes nothing changes
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer…HENRY DAVID THOREAU
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What Bengal does today, the rest of India does tomorrow…GOPAL KRISHNA GOKHALE
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I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it’s better than college…RAY BRADBURY
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The soul loves to meditate, for in contact with the Spirit lies it’s greatest joy. If, then you experience mental resistance during meditation, remember that reluctance to meditate comes from the ego; it doesn’t belong to the soul…PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA
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Unhappy the land that needs heroes…BERTOLT BRECHT
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Get your body right and your mind will follow
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HolymolyChristopherbloodyColumbus
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Be your own lamp… BUDDHA
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As Keats had written of poetry so Forster might have considered the craft of fiction: Unless it comes not as naturally as the leaves to a tree it had better not come at all.
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Even love, the beloved Republic, that feeds upon freedom and lives…A.C. SWINBURNE, HERTHA
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Diplomacy’s like jazz, forever boring. TOI
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The cheapest sort of pride is national pride; for if a man is proud of his own nation, it argues that he has no qualities of his own of which he can be proud…SCHOPENHAUER
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Ideological thinking becomes emancipated from the reality that we perceive with our five senses and insists on a ‘truer’ reality concealed behind all perceptible things, dominating them from this place of concealment and requiring a sixth sense that enables us to become aware of it … HANNAH ARENDT
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Loudness is the armour of the insecure

THE LEGACY OF INVENTIONS

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THE LEGACY OF INVENTIONS

Kamlesh Tripathi

       Scientists and inventors may create something with good intentions. But depraved minds may commandeer it for nefarious motives. Truly speaking, inventions do leave an indelible legacy behind, where some may turn out to be serenades of life, and some the hounding baggage difficult to carry.

    Scottish physician and microbiologist Alexander Fleming was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of penicillin. Penicillin was later developed into an antibiotic to kill bacteria. It has since then saved many lives. Fleming therefore must have left the world with pleasant memories of his invention.

    Alfred Nobel invented ‘dynamite’, a high-power explosive that ravaged humanity. He made a fortune out of that. But it was only during his lifetime that he realised that the invention of dynamite was a great threat to humanity. He later bequeathed his fortune to institute the Nobel Prize for Excellence.

    Conversely, Eadweard Muybridge, often called the ‘father of the motion picture’, left the world with glorious recollections. This isn’t the case with General Mikhail Kalashnikov, the creator of the AK-47 assault rifle, though it was designed for the defence of his country. He was an author and a poet too. Later, he rose to become a general with innovative attributes, but his inventions appear to be for the wrong causes. Kalashnikov maintained that his rifle was an ‘armament for defence and not a weapon of offence.’ Yet, numerous killings have taken place with this invention.

    Kalashnikov claimed he was always motivated more by service to the nation than money. But the rifle that was once good for the nation was used by terrorists in illegal and dreadful killings. In the final years of his life, he was saddened by the awful responsibility for the millions of deaths that his invention had caused, as per his published letter to the head of the Russian Church. Kalashnikov died at the age of 94. In his interviews, he insisted that he created the AK-47 assault rifle only to protect his country, and rejected responsibility for killings perpetrated by zealots and terrorists using his weapon.

    Kalashnikov didn’t have a simple life. In his old age, he was troubled to learn that his rifle was used for evil acts, even though he knew that his weapons were also used to destroy adversaries and defend his motherland. In order to find peace, like Alfred Nobel and Oppenheimer, Kalashnikov too retired to a quiet life in the hope of experiencing a godly touch sometime and somewhere before his death. To seek pardon, he wrote a letter to the head of the Russian Church, saying:

    “My soul’s ache is unbearable and has irresolvable questions: If my rifle took lives, does it mean that I, Mikhail Kalashnikov, aged 93, a peasant woman’s son, an Orthodox Christian in faith, am guilty of those people’s deaths, even if they were enemies?”

    Kalashnikov spent a major part of his life as an atheist in an atheist country. Only at the age of 91 did he feel the call of faith and answered it. As he was approaching the end of his life, doubts entered his mind that his invention gave a chance to millions of miscreants … to butcher innocents.

    Surely, inventions do leave a legacy behind. Some legacies are insurmountable for the soul to carry through. But sadly, the inventor only realises that when it’s too late in life.

    The story remains incomplete without knowing what Oppenheimer felt after the atomic bombs exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Did he feel exalted or miserable? Only he’d be able to tell. But of course, the sting of karma does follow you beyond the frontiers of your present life.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Invitation received from Apollo Hospital, Delhi

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As we celebrate our annual Apollo Bravehearts Day tomorrow at Apollo auditorium from 3-5 pm, dedicated to honoring our little warriors and their resilient parents, it is our immense pleasure to invite you to be a part of this special occasion.

Kindly grace us with your presence and join us in cheering and celebrating the strength, courage, and spirit of our little warriors.

Promise you lots of fun!

Shravan Charity Mission: Publications of Author, Poet & Columnist Kamlesh Tripathi

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Publications of Kamlesh Tripathi

BOOK TITLE: GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in eight prestigious libraries of the US, which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; and University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in the libraries and archives of Canada; the Open Library; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh; and Azim Premji University, Bangalore and the Library of Cancer Aid and Research Foundation, Mumbai. The title also finds a mention in a book titled ‘Enduring Cancer: Life, Death and Diagnosis in Delhi’ by Dwaipayan Banerjee, published by the Duke University Press).

BOOK TITLE: ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(It is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

BOOK TITLE: AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(This is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is catalogued and included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California; The Peshastin Public Library and The George Public Library near Washington, a Northern Central Washington Libraries branch; the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library in Arizona in the US and the Salina Public Library, Kansas, USA.

BOOK TITLE: REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan-India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, which works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

BOOK TITLE: TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read, not only for salesmen but for any reader. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM … IN POEMS

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems are about our day-to-day life. Poems from this book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times, Bhavan’s Journal, Arunachal Times and Goan net. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha).

BOOK TITLE: MIRAGE

(Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

BOOK TITLE: AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

(It is the story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE. Included in the library of Friends of Tibet and Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library in Bandra, Mumbai.

BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM IN POEMS

The book was relaunched with additional poems at the Lucknow Book Fair on 7th March.2025

(POEMS, SHORT STORIES AND ARTICLES OF KAMLESH TRIPATHI PUBLISHED IN NEWSPAPERS, JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES)

THE TIMES OF INDIA (Speaking Tree)

Speaking Tree: 1. Basant Celebrates Ma Saraswati, Shiv, And Spring 1.2.25; 2. Mahashivratri: A Night of Divine Illumination, 26.2.25; 3. Kabir Spun Indic Syncretism Through His Dohas, 12.6.25; 4. The Soul Connection 19.7.25; 5.  Every Separation Diminishes the Whole 16.9.26;

THE ECONOMIC TIMES (Speaking Tree)

Speaking Tree 1. Celebrating Transitions 15.1.26; 2. The Colours of Holi, 3.3.2026; 3. Celebrating Baisakhi 14.4.26; 4. AI: Wisdom No Guarantee 30.6.26; 5. Marcusian Formulations, 14.8.26; 6. Celebrating Krishn 4.9.26

THE SENTINEL, USA

  1. Is Ambition the double-edged sword of greatness, 23.11.25;

SENTINEL ASSAM

  1. Short Story: Return of Sangeeta, 21.6.26

BHAVANS JOURNAL

Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.2019; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.2020; 3. Eagle versus Scholars, June 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.2020; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22; 27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 31.12.22; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. The Nag Mandir 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45. Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24; 46. Book review: A Forgotten Chapter 16.5.24; 47. Exploring Ancient Egypt, 1.8.24; 48. The Story of Dhruva, 16.8.24; 49. Two Hundred Years of Tea in Assam 16.9.24; 50. The Cosmic Messenger 16.10.24; 51. Biblioburro: The Four-Legged Library 16.11.24; 52. The Cologne Cathedral 1.1.25; 53. Gandhi to Mahatma 16.1.25; 54. Huxley’s Take on Translated Works 16.3.25; 55. Ernest Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory 1.7.25; 56 The Story of Bhishma Pitamah 1.9.25; 57. A Twist in the Tale, October 1-15, 2025; 58. Philosophy Overdose (Book Review) November 16-30, 2025; 59. Ambedkar: From Caste to Constitution April 1-15, 2026; 60. Book Review; A Timeless Work… The Epic of Gilgamesh (May 16-31, 2026); 61. Rainforests: Earth’s lungs and world’s pharmacy, 1.6.26; 62. Every ‘Why’ has a ‘Wherefore’, 1-15, August 2026; 63. Places Associated with Sri Krishna Leela, 1.9.26;

THE SHILLONG TIMES

Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: Happy New Year 8.1.23; 2. Poem: Spring 12.3.23; 3. Poem: Right and Wrong 20.3.23; 4. The Gush of Emotion—Writing, 26.3.23; 5. The Nag Mandir, 7.5.23; 6. Poem: Mother 7.5.23; 7. Poem: Rain Rain 9.7.23; 8. Poem: You Come Alone You Go Alone 6.8.23; 9. Poem: Rain Rain (Second Time) 10.8.23; 10. Poem: Guru Teacher 1.10.23; 11. Poem: Autumn … The Interim Heaven 15.10.23; 12. Poem: Happy Diwali 12.11.23; 13. Overcoming Blindness: Learn it the John Milton Way 10.12.23; 14. The Happy Prince and The Happy Man’s Shirt 31.12.23; 15. Annus Mirabilis -2024 7.1.24; 16. Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. Poem: Together But Not Made For Each Other, 11.2.24; 18. The Birds Bees and The Spiders of Nicholas Guildford and Jonathan Swift 25.2.24; 19. The Overcoats of Nikolai Gogol and Ruskin Bond 10.3.24; 20. The Ethnic Colours of Holi 24.3.24; 21. A Lesson from Dalai Lama, 21.4.24; 22. Poem: Morning Walk 28.4.24; 23. Trip to Rhine Falls, Switzerland, 19.5.24; 24. Poem: Hurt 2.6.24; 25. Poem: Your Conscience Was My Sign On 16.6.24; 26. Poem: The Eerie Ways of Time 7.7.24; 27. Poem: Celebrating the T20 World Champions 14.7.24; 28. Read to Rise above mediocrity, 4.8.24; 29. Poem: Desire vs Reality 11.8.24; 30. Jack Ma’s Pristine Advice to Employers, Employees and the Youth 22.9.24; 31. Tagore and Kipling 3.11.24; 32. Poem: Merry Christmas 22.12.24; 33. Poem: The Sunset Point, 5.1.25; 34. Cancer Warning Labels on Alcoholic Beverages, 12.1.25; 35. Poem: Hope … In the Arc of Twilight, 19.1.25; 36. Basant Panchami celebrates the Arrival of Spring 2.2.25; 37. Poem: The Falling World Order, 9.2.25; 38. A Peep into Native American Literature, 23.2.25; 39. Poem: Good day, Bad day 9.3.25; 40. Reincarnation of Dalai Lama in a free World, 6.4.25; 41. Ambedkar: Fighting the Caste Monster, 13.4.25; 42. Switzerland: The Scenic Mount Titlis & Lucerne 18.5.25; 43. Poem: A Ray of Hope 8.6.25; 44. Poem: Monsoon Melodies 27.7.25; 45. Poem: There Is Nothing Right, says Gen-Z 14.9.25; 46. Poem: The Golden Voice of Zubeen Garg 28. 9.25; 47. Poem: Diwali: The Festival of Lights 19.10.25; 48. Poem: When the Summer is Through, 7.12.25; 49. The Golfer’s Pride, 11.1.26; 50. Poem: The World Within Books, 15.2.26; 51. Poem: Meet His Majesty The AI, 1.3.26; 52. There Was A Time 22/3/26; 53. Poem: In Nature’s Lap 7.6.26; 54. Poem: The Comeback Trail 5/7/36; 55. Poem: Life is Short, 2.8.26;

THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

Article: 1. The Magic of Reading 11.12.23; 2. Gandhi to Mahatma 29.1.24; 3. Geography of Solitude 8.4.24; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 22.4.24; 5. A Source of Inspiration, 29.4.24; 6. The Four-Legged Library, 12.5.24; 7. Age and Achievement, 10.6.24; 8. Read … To Rise Above Mediocrity, 1.7.24; 9. Crusade for a College, 25.8.24; 10. Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory (Panorama) 27.9.24; 11. Short story: Love in the Air, 20.10.24; 12. Short story: The Prick of Conscience, 5.1.25; 13. Lost in translation, 6.1.25; 14. Travellers’ tales 20.1.2025; 15. Audit your days, 17.2.25; 16. When Darkness became Vision, 27.10.25; 17. Remembering Bhagat Singh, 23.3.26; 18. Tunnel Vision, 19.7.26;

THE ARUNACHAL TIMES

Poem: 1. Hope—In The Arc of Twilight, 13.8.23; 2. Poem: Spring 3.3.24; 3. Poem: The Morning Walk, 10.3.24; 4. Poem: The Golden Voice of Zubeen Garg 5.10.25; 5. A Happy Republic Day to Indians, 25.1.26;

BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. Poem: Mother, 1.6.23; 3. Poem: Rain Rain, 1.8.23; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 1.6.24; 5. Read to rise above Mediocrity 1.8.24; 6. Poem: Merry Christmas 1.12.24; 7. Poem: Happy New Year 1.12.24; 8. The Enduring Colours of Holi 1.2.25; 9. Poem: Global Warming 1.4.25; 10. Pahalgam Carnage 1.6.25; 11. Life Lessons 1.6.25; 12. Poem: Arrogance 1.8.25; 13. Poem There is nothing right … says Gen Z 1.10.25; 14. Celebrating the joy and rights of Children 1.10.25;

THE GOAN NET

Poem: 1. Autumn – The Interim Heaven, 6.10.24; 2. Reader’s Rewind 17.11.24; 3. Reader’s Rewind: The Irony of Tash Moustache or Mooch 5.12.24; 4. The Sunset Point 22.12.24; 5. Reader’s Rewind: The Joy of a Morning Walk, 3.1.25; 6. Harmony in creation 26.1.25; 7. Poem: What is truly Good for me? 2.1.25; 8. Poem: We both were left behind, 9.2.25; 9. India Afloat like Ship of Theseus, 23.2.25; 10. Maha Shivratri: A night of divine illumination, spiritual awakening, 26.2.25; 11. Poem: Good Day Bad Day, 2.3.25; 12. After Birth, Death is the First Spiritual Tip, 30.3.25; 13. Poem: Aspiration 31.8.25; 14. Poem: Fascinating Goa, 7.9.25; 15. The Secret to long life lies in deeds, not years 6.11.25; 16. Poem: The other side of hometown, 9.11.25; 17. Children’s Day 14.11.25; 18. Poem: Why do things happen 23.11.25; 19. Poem: I Want More, 30.11.25; 20. Poem: Small to Big … Reborn Poem, 7.12.25; 21.What is life without mirth and laughter 18.12.25; 22. I find the Joys of Heaven here on Earth 4.1.26; 23. Be the Wise Man 18.1.26; 24. A Happy Republic Day to Indians, 25.1.26; 25. Kasauli: A jewel in the Himalayan Crown, 1.2.26; 26. I dreamt of Utopia 8.2.26: 27. Legends surrounding the Parijaat Tree, 27.3.26; 28. Poem: Eros’s Love Arrow 29.3.26; 29. Poem: The all-round beauty of ‘namaste’ 5.4.26; 30. Twilight Tremors: When Solitude meets Companionship, 26.4.26: 31. World Music Day: A Tribute to Music’s Enduring Magic 21.6.26;

SENTINEL GUWAHATI, ASSAM

  1. Return of Sangeeta, 21.6.26;

CITY ESSENCE MAGAZINE

  1. Three Love Stories: A Comparison, July 7. 2025; 2. Without Genghis Khan’s Daughters There Would Have Been No Mongol Empire 11.1.26;

SRIJON MAGAZINE

Articles & Poems: Poem: 1. Global Warming 1.5.25; 2. India Afloat Like The Ship of Theseus 1.5.25; 3. Reincarnation of the Dalai Lama In A Free World, 1.5.25;

SANT VIVEK MAGAZINE

  1. Hindi Poem: Parmarth Chintan

ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

Aritcles: 1. 29.12.2020: Indica by Megasthenes; 2. 14.3.22: About The Dimasa Kingdom Assam; 3. 10.12.22: Grand Trunk Road–Uttarapath; 4. 5.10.23: The Ghost Town of Kuldhara Near Jaisalmer;

(ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

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THE ECONOMIC TIMES: MARLYN’S MYSTERY

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“The Hollywood icon is one of the most famous women in history. Here are some lesser-known facts about the screen legend”

MARILYN’S MYSTERY
“The Hollywood icon is one of the most famous in history. Here are some lesser-known facts about the screen legend”


    So much is already known about Marilyn Monroe, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday on June 1, that you may be surprised at how many things you still don’t know
    Monroe, the star of ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ and Some Like It Hot’, was born Norma Jeane Mortenson. She lived with foster families after her paranoid schizophrenic mother Gladys was institutionalised; was a natural brunette; married three times, and had multiple affairs, including with former US President John F Kennedy and his brother Robert. She died of a barbiturate overdose — some say murdered — at the age of 36.
    But did you know these scintillating details of her life?

  1. Monroe’s famously breathy voice was the result of her learning to overcome a childhood stammer with the help of a speech therapist. The speech impediment reappeared under great stress and disastrously returned when she was filming her last movie, ‘Something’s Got To Give, as her personal life spiralled out of control.
        She struggled to deliver her lines and was ultimately fired from the film, which was never completed.
  2. Though considered one of the world’s greatest beauties, Monroe was insecure about her looks. She secretly had plastic surgery in 1950 before her career soared, at the urging of her agent Johnny Hyde, to reshape the end of her nose and add a chin implant. Eight years later, she visited another cosmetic surgeon who treated her for a ‘chin deformity’ after the original implant deteriorated.
        She wore ‘falsies’ to boost her bust on occasion. While preparing her for burial, undertaker Allan Abbot recalled finding her with them. In her coffin, her bra was also stuffed with cotton wool.
        Monroe also wore a platinum blonde wig in her casket, because her own bleach-dried hair had been further damaged by the coroner during her autopsy.
  3. Despite singing ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’, she mostly wore costume jewellery. At her death, her only real gems were a 35-baguette eternity ring given by her second husband, baseball star Joe DiMaggio and a pearl necklace from her advisor and acting coach Paula Strasberg.
  4. Monroe was 12 years old before learning that she had a half-sister, Berniece, after which they became close. She never knew who was father was.
        Her mother’s second husband Edward Mortenson was named (but misspelled) on Monroe’s birth certificate. Monroe believed that her father was her mother’s lover, Charles Stanley Gifford, who repeatedly denied paternity. DNA testing of relatives later confirmed that Gifford was indeed father.
  5. Monroe was investigated by the FBI for suspected communist leanings during America’s infamous Red Square. Her third husband, the playwright Arthur Miller, was also targeted during this time.
  6. She suffered terrible stage fright during live performances, inducing shaking hands, a nervous stomach and throwing up. Even while working on movies, she often struggled to remember her lines.
        “The joke was, she couldn’t make two sentences meet,” said her Bus Stop co-star Don Murray. “I think it was a lack of confidence.
        “For somebody who the camera loved, she was still terrified of going before the camera and broke out in a rash all over her body,” Murray recalled.
  7. Monroe was author Truman Caopote’s first choice to play Holly Golightly in the movie version of Breakfast At Tiffany’s, a role which went to Audrey Hepburn instead. “Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey,” complained Capote.
        Monroe’s acting coach Paula Strasberg had also advised her against “playing a lady of the night”, Hepburn’s biographer Sam Wasson later said.
  8. Monroe was constantly undervalued by Hollywood. She received one-tenth of Jane Russell’s salary when they co-starred in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. On her final unreleased film, 1962’s Something’s Got to Give, her $100,000 salary was one-tenth of what Elizabeth Taylor received the following year for Cleopatra.
  9. She wanted to have an affair with Elbert Einstein, according to her friend and former roommate, the actress Shelley Winters. The famed physicist was on a list of men Monroe dreamed of bedding, and she also kept a framed and signed photo of Einstein on her piano.
  10. Despite her ‘dumb blonde’ image, Monroe was an avid reader, with a library of more than 400 books, including classics by Shakespeare, Dickens, Dostoevsky, DH Lawrence, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Flaubert, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Proust and Lucretius. She introduced Welsh poet Dylan Thomas to his childhood idol Charlie Chaplin, and on a meeting Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, discussed her desire to star as Grushenka in an adaptation of The Brothers Karamazov.
  11. She was a good cook, famed for her bouillabaisse. Her hand-written recipe for turkey stuffing survives, with 18 ingredients including three varieties of nuts and three different meats, and the instruction: “No garlic.”
  12. Monroe was plagued with illness and mental health issues. She suffered from endometriosis, endured miscarriages and battled insomnia, anxiety and depression on barbiturates.
  13. She left one quarter of her estate to her psychiatrist, Dr Marianne Kris, to be used for charitable causes. Kris had put Monroe in a mental hospital the year before her death, much to the star’s horror. Dr Kris ultimately left her share of the star’s estate to the Anna Freud Centre in London. The rest of Monroe’s estate was intended to be divided between friends, but much ended up being auctioned.
  14. A decade after her death, Monroe’s house in Brentwood, Los Angeles, was renovated by new owners who found the walls in every room riddled with recording devices and a phone wiretapping system. John F Kennedy believed that the FBI and CIA had bugged the house hoping to bring down the president and his brother.
  15. Monroe’s estate earned millions more after her death than she ever did while alive. Even now, a century after her birth and 64 years since her demise, Monroe’s estate continues to earn around 7.5 million pounds a year in licensing and merchandising.
    DAILY MIRROR

ECONOMIC TIMES 7/6/26