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AGE AND ACHIEVEMENTS: 5 LIT LUMINARIES

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AGE AND ACHIEVEMENTS: 5 LIT LUMINARIES

    What is the right age to achieve something in life? Is 40 years, too little time, or adequate time to achieve something in life? Let us consider the lives of five luminaries of the 19th century who were more or less contemporaries and who became world-renowned figures in their short lifespans. Let’s start with Swami Vivekananda, an Indian Hindu monk, a spiritual guru and a literary luminary, lifespan 12 January 1863- 4 July 1902, a total of 39 years. Then you have the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, who was born on 19 January 1809 and died on 7 October 1849, a life span of 40 years, followed by the French writer Guy De Maupassant, born on 5 August 1850 and passed away on 6 July 1893, a life span of 42 years. On the rostrum, there is also Nikolai Gogol, a Russian writer of Ukrainian origin. He was born on 20 March 1809 and he died on 21 February 1852, a life span of 42 years. And last but not least, we have Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, a Russian playwright and short-story writer born on 29 January 1860, and he died on 15 July 1904, at the age of 44. They all left behind a phenomenal legacy of success and heaps of lessons for future generations within the ebbs and flows of their limited lifespan.

    The mean life expectancy in the 19th century was 40-45 years. Global life expectancy today is around 72 years. There are two offshoots to this. One, the subject authors lived for around ninety to a hundred per cent of the average life expectancy of those times. Two, they only lived for a minus-plus of some forty years – a period, perhaps, too short for any milestone achievement, barring sports and maybe some other careers. When we compare 40 years with today’s life expectancy, it is only 55%. So then, does life expectancy have anything to do with your major achievements? The case study of the quintet doesn’t say so. There are authors, poets, and literary figures from other countries too, who gained fame but died very young, prominent among them is John Keats, to cite an example, who died at the age of 25. So, isn’t it ironic that some in a short lifespan of 25-40 years made gigantic strides, while others couldn’t manage to do that even in a century?

    In the 19th century, when these five were alive, they witnessed watershed changes in their countries. Some major events were as follows: India had the First War of Independence in 1857. The British East India Company was replaced by the British Crown in 1858. Russia had the Crimean War between 1853 and 1856; the Caucasian War, between 1817 and 1864; and the capture of Tashkent by the Russian Army in 1865. In addition, Alaska was sold to the US in 1867; the Russian-Turkish War happened in 1877, and the Russian famine in 1891. Alexander III, the emperor of Russia, passed away in 1894, and the first congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) was held in 1898 in Minsk, now in Belarus. In America and Europe, slavery was abolished through an act; the First and Second Industrial Revolutions, which overlapped with the 18th and 20th centuries, respectively, led to massive urbanisation. Construction of the Suez Canal commenced in 1859, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea, providing a more direct shipping route between Europe and Asia. The Islamic gunpowder empires (Ottoman Empire, Safavid and the Mughal) were formerly dissolved, and European imperialism brought much of South Asia, Southeast Asia and almost all of Africa under colonial rule. It was also marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Zulu Kingdom, First French Empire, Holy Roman and the Mughal Empire.

    Even with all the hullabaloo in their country and continent, there was calm and composure in these five lit luminaries. They had a single focus, just like Arjuna’s concentration – the eye of the fish, and that was to keep writing till their last breath. Though born in a Bengali Kayastha family in Calcutta, Swami Vivekananda was inclined towards spirituality. He was influenced by his guru, Ramakrishna, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self. Therefore, service to God could only be rendered by service to mankind. Anton Chekhov, even when he fell sick in 1885, kept writing till he died of tuberculosis in 1904. Some of them even had financial problems, leading to trying times to obtain education, and some even had to support their education by writing scripts for magazines and even by selling fish. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, the second child of actors David and Elizabeth Poe. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year. He became an orphan, yet he fought back to become one of the most formidable writers of short stories. When Maupassant was 11, his mother, an independent-minded woman, divorced her husband. Afterwards, Maupassant lived with his mother, who was the single biggest influence on him, but that entailed hardships. Gogol lost his father at the age of fifteen, yet he aspired to become a writer.

    The short lifespan of these great writers only teaches us that achievements are not a function of your age.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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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:

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BOOK REVIEW: INDIA’S GREATEST SPEECHES by Nitin Agarwal

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Hi friends. I’ve just finished reading this book titled ‘India’s Greatest Speeches’ compiled by Nitin Agarwal. The publisher of this book is Grapevine India Publishers Ltd. The title was published in 2014, but it got to my hands late. The price of this book is Rs 195. It comprises 325 pages. Most of these speeches are available in the archives. Yet, I would say Nitin has done a good job of providing them in a readymade platter.  The selection of speeches and the introduction of the personality before each speech is also quite absorbing. At times, we feel we know a celebrity quite well, but when you start reading about them, you feel otherwise.

Overall, it’s a stimulating collection of thoughtful speeches delivered by some of the most prominent personalities of India. But then, one viewpoint could be, why read these speeches at all? What do you gain from them? Well, let me tell you. Behind every speech lies the covert and overt accomplishment of the personality. Rather, the essence of an orator’s personality, which knowingly or unknowingly, directly or indirectly comes out for the betterment of the common man. There is a verse in the Gita that says, ‘Masses follow the classes.’ Moreover, speeches often silhouette the inveterate mindset of the orator. It, at times, even doubles up as a mini biography of the personality.

Set to inspire, the book includes some of the most stirring and eloquent addresses by Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mother Teresa, JRD Tata, Abdul Kalam, Narendra Modi and many other influential Indian leaders.

The book starts with a short insight from the Bhagavad Gita. It then goes on to cover twenty-five speeches of 23 cynosure personalities of India. One will find a good amount of historical perspective in some of the speeches. Almost all speeches are loaded with aspects of challenge, failure, success, struggle, decision making, telling tough tales and life lessons and ultimately, the making of those towering personalities.

An interesting pattern that inadvertently emerges from the book is the ground feel of what India and the bigwigs of India were, towards the end of the nineteenth century, when Swami Vivekananda delivered that famous speech in Chicago in 1893. And it extends to almost a decade and a half after independence, say 1965. It also gives you a flavour of how India changed after 1965, because of the altered mindsets of Indian personalities, which included their viewpoints, their values and even their ambitions.

The world today has become extremely complex. Competition has intensified, and struggles have become longer and even tougher. Global perspectives have taken over issues, and nothing is isolated; most things are transparent. The speeches post 1965 in the book reflect that in some way or the other. The collection of speeches extends from 1893 to 2014.

There are two speeches of Mahatma Gandhi delivered in the years 1912 and 1922. When you read these speeches, you get an eerie feeling as to how different India has become since then. Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s famous and daring statement before the Lahore High Court Bench exhibits his jasba … passion for his motherland–India. The narration is a bouquet of important speeches.

In the year 1937, Veer Damodar Savarkar, then president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, delivered a speech in Karnavati defining Hinduism. There are other master pieces from Tagore in 1941, and Dr Radhakrishnan in 1947. Then you have the famous speeches of Subhas Chandra Bose—Give me Blood and I promise you Freedom, and Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny.’

In the year 1948, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel delivered his famous speech at Calcutta Maidan on the unification of states. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, a very important leader of Jana Sangh (now BJP) in the year 1965, addressed a full house on Integral Humanism.

One is really moved by the humbleness of Mother Teresa when she made that historic speech in 1979 upon the acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, and JRD Tata’s superlative speech in the year 1982 on his Historic Flight Re-enactment, and the famous speech of Mrs Gandhi, her last in 1984, after which she was assassinated.

Who can forget Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s famous 2001 address at the United Nations General Assembly? And, Natayana Murthy, in 2007, during the pre-commencement address at New York University, describing his volatile journey.

There are two Speeches by Prime Minister Modi delivered in 2014, at FICCI Ahmedabad and the Independence Day, that outline India’s future and what he intends to do for the country. The speech of Par excellence Ex-President, APJ Abdul Kalam, in 2011, defining the vision of India, can never be forgotten. It is superb and so very educational.

On the creative side, there is AR Rahman’s 2009 Oscar Awards Acceptance address and Shah Rukh Khan’s famous ‘Courage in Success’ delivered in 2013.

Lifetime Achievement Awards don’t come easy. Everyone knows about the struggle Azim Premji had to undertake to establish his mighty company. His speech on the occasion at the Economic Times Awards in the year 2013 is also in the list of speeches.

And last but not least, the making of the world champions. Sports achievements are one of the toughest, where you start alone, and if you’re not successful, you go into a depression followed by oblivion. There are three wonderful speeches by Viswanathan Anand, 2007, Speech at NIIT Chennai, Abhinav Bindra, 2013, GoSports Foundation Conclave and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, 2013, A Farewell to Cricket.

Overall, it’s an interesting read if you want to know about these personalities and their tedious journey to success.

The list of speeches:

  1. Swami Vivekananda, 1893, The Chicago Address (Opening Day)
  2. Mahatma Gandhi, 1912 Banaras Hindu University Speech
  3. Mahatma Gandhi, 1922 The Great Trial of 1922
  4. Shaheed Bhagat Singh 1930 Statement before the Lahore High Court Bench
  5. Veer Damodar Savarkar, 1937 Presidential Address, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, defining Hinduism.
  6. Rabindranath Tagore, 1941, Civilisation’s Crisis, The Last Testament of Tagore
  7. Subhas Chandra Bose, 1944, Give Me Blood and I Promise You Freedom
  8. Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, 1947, Speech as First Vice-President of India
  9. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, 1947, Tryst with Destiny
  10. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, 1948, Speech at Calcutta Maidan
  11. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, 1965, Lecture on Integral Humanism
  12. Mother Teresa, 1979, Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance
  13. JRD Tata, 1982, Historic Flight Re-enactment
  14. Indira Gandhi, 1984, The Last Speech
  15. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 2001, United Nations General Assembly Speech
  16. Narayana Murthy, 2007, Pre-commencement address at New York University
  17. Viswanathan Anand, 2007, Speech at NIIT, Chennai
  18. AR Rahman, 2009, Oscar Awards Acceptance
  19. APJ Abdul Kalam, 2011, Vision of India
  20. Abhinav Bindra, 2013, GoSports Foundation Conclave
  21. Shah Rukh Khan, 2013, Courage in Success
  22. Sachin Tendulkar, 2013, A Farewell to Cricket
  23. Azim Premji, 2013, Lifetime Achievement Award Acceptance, Economic Times Awards
  24. Narendra Modi, 2014, Speech at FICCI, Ahmedabad
  25. Narendra Modi, 2014, Independence Day Speech

 Reviewed and written by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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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

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INTERESTING FACTS: WHEN INDIA GOT FREEDOM BUT DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ITS BOUNDARIES WERE

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At the conference in New Delhi where Lord Mountbatten disclosed Britain’s partition plan for India (left to right) Indian nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru (1869 – 1964), adviser to Mountbatten Lord Ismay, Viceroy of India Lord Louis Mountbatten, and President of the All-India Muslim League Muhammad Ali Jinnah. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

When India got freedom, but didn’t know what its boundaries were
TIMES NEWS NETWORK, 22.8.21


On the midnight of August 15, 1947, we knew that India had kept its tryst with destiny, we knew that the subcontinent had been divided, that we were now two countries, India and Pakistan, but what we didn’t know was where India ended and Pakistan began. The boundary lines were still unknown.

    That had been Viceroy Lord Mountbatten’s idea. He didn’t want the celebrations to be marred by recriminations on both sides. As if that was possible.

    The British had long lost the opportunity for a peaceful and orderly handover of power. With the failure of the 1942 Cripps’ mission and then the three-member 1946 Cabinet delegation (with Sir Stafford Cripps playing the key role again), partition was inevitable. But how do you divide a subcontinent? Drawing the line was never going to be easy.

    The man chosen for the task was Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a man who hadn’t travelled further east than the Gibraltar. But it fell on this 48-year-old Inner Temple barrister to do this impossible task– and that, too, in just five weeks.

    While Radcliffe may have known little or nothing of India, he was, after all, the ultimate establishment man, which is probably why he was picked for the job. He had studied at Haileybury (Clement Attlee, the British Prime Minister then, also went to the same school) and then Oxford. After that, he had a brilliant career as a barrister. During the war, he had been director-general in the Ministry of Information, responsible for censorship and propaganda. It was Radcliffe who had run a campaign against Nehru’s sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit when she visited the United States. Radcliffe had also harassed P.G. Wodehouse ‘when he made ill-judged broadcasts while in German captivity’, wrote Patrick French.

    So, the Establishment Man reached India and began work as a ‘neutral umpire’ in New Delhi on July 8. He would live separately, guarded by a massive Punjabi armed with two pistols. He would take his own decisions; no one would be around to influence him. But it wasn’t such a secluded existence for Radcliffe, after all. He dined with British military commander Claude Auchinleck (maybe the Auk needed consoling; his wife had run away with his friend), Lord Mountbatten, Punjab Governor Sir Evan Jenkins and many other members of the British high society.

It’s hard to believe that Radcliffe did not discuss the boundary issue with the others, who all knew much more about India than he did. But more than anything else, Radcliffe had a cheat sheet. In February 1946, the ever-underrated Archibald Wavell, the Viceroy of India, was unceremoniously sacked by the British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, while sending in Mountbatten, as he had drawn up a contingency plan. Wavell knew what was coming. And he understood the need for a well-thought-out boundary line. Helping him were Reforms Commissioner V.P. Menon and Benegal Rau.

So, what did Radcliffe have to go with? Maybe some advice from veterans, Wavell’s map, and outdated census data. And with this, he had to divide a subcontinent in 36 days. Its people, villages, rivers, canals, roads. And to compound matters, the weather was frightfully hot, and Radcliffe came down with a bout of dysentery.

Seventy-four years later, it might be easy to say, ‘Poor fellow, he was only a lawyer with a brief; what more could he possibly have done? But in 1947, everything hinged on this lawyer and his brief. Would he award Gurdaspur to India or Pakistan? Would he really award a part of Ferozepur to Pakistan, so that it had better control over its water supply?

In fact, he almost gave away a part of Ferozepur to Pakistan. In the first week of August, during a lunch with his commissioners at a club in Simla, he said he would give Pakistan a part of Ferozepur because India was getting Gurdaspur. But that was not to be. When word got out, there was frenzied behind-the-scenes activity that made the ‘neutral umpire’ change his mind– and the boundary line — within days.

He handed over all the Awards to Mountbatten on August 13, but Mountbatten ruled that the Awards would not be made public till August 16. So, on August 15, a free India still did not know its exact boundaries.

When at 5 pm, on August 16, Liaquat Ali Khan, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Baldev Singh gathered in the Council Chamber of Government House, three hours after the Awards had been sent to them, no one looked happy. It would be months before things settled down. For the moment, freedom had arrived, and with it the horrors of Partition.

For Radcliffe, it was time to go home. He boarded a flight out on August 17. He never came back. Later, when a reporter asked him if he would ever like to visit India, he said: ‘God forbid. Not even if they asked me. I suspect they would shoot me out of hand– both sides.’

The piece also includes the following pictures and press clippings

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PICTURE
SEPT 1947
REFUGEES CROWD ONTO TRAINS FOR PAKISTAN AS THEY LEAVE NEW DELHI
 **
PRESS CLIPPING
AUG 18, 1947
PUNJAB & BENGAL BOUNDARY AWARD ANNOUNCED
NO AGREED SOLUTION: WIDE DIVERGENCE OF OPINION

ASSENT TO CHAIRMAN’S OWN DECISION

DEMARCATION OF BORDERS OF DIVIDED PROVINCES

AUG 18
MOVES TO RESTORE PEACE IN PUNJAB… PINDI CUT OFF FROM REST OF INDIA
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AUG 19
PUNJAB PROMISED AID IN SUPPRESSING DISORDERS… PLANS FOR IMMEDIATE CONCERTED ACTION FORMULATED
**
AUG 23
ENDING PUNJAB AND QUETTA LAWLESSNESS … PAKISTAN CABINET’S DECISION

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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BOOK REVIEW: 21 UNBREAKABLE LAWS OF MONEY by Brian Tracy

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Brian Tracy says one of your major goals in life should be financial independence. One must aim to reach a point where one has enough money so that one doesn’t have to worry about money again. The good news is that financial independence is easier to achieve today. We are surrounded by more wealth and affluence than ever before. So, I picked up a book for you, written by Brian Tracy, “Twenty-One Unbreakable Laws of Money.” I have summarised the gist of the book into 12 points. Let’s begin.

  1. The Law of Cause and Effect

Everything happens for a reason; there is a cause for every effect. You can acquire whatever amount of money you really want if you will just do what others have done before you to achieve the same results. And if you don’t, you won’t. It is as simple as that. The most important expression of this universal law is that “Thoughts are causes and conditions are effects.” The most important principle of personal or business is simply this: You become what you think about most of the time.

  1. The Law of Belief

Whatever you truly believe, with feeling, becomes your reality. When you are absolutely convinced that you are a financial success in the making, you will engage in a behaviour that will make it come true.

  1. The Law of Attraction

You are a living magnet; you invariably attract into your life people, situations and circumstances that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts. When you develop a burning desire for financial success and think about it all the time, you set a force field of positive emotional energy that attracts people, ideas, and opportunities into your life to help you make your goals turn into realities.

  1. The law of Abundance

We live in an abundant universe in which there is sufficient money for all who really want it and are willing to obey the laws governing its acquisition. There is plenty of money available for you. There is no real shortage. You can virtually have all you really want and need. The first corollary of the Law of Abundance says that people become wealthy because they decide to become wealthy. The second corollary of this law says: People are poor because they have not yet decided to become rich.

Why aren’t you rich already? Write down all the reasons you can think of. Go over your answers one by one with someone who knows you well and ask them for their opinion. You may be surprised to find that your reasons are mostly excuses that you have fallen in love with.

  1. The Law of Time Perspective

The most successful people in any society are those who take the long-term period into consideration when making their day-to-day decisions. People with long-term perspectives are willing to pay the price of success for a long, long time before they achieve it. They think about the consequences of their financial choices and decisions in terms of what they might mean in five, ten, fifteen and even twenty years from now. As you begin thinking long-term and organising your financial life and priorities with your future goals and ambitions in mind, the quality of your decisions improves, and your life starts to become better almost immediately.

The first corollary of the Law of Time Perspective says: Delayed gratification is the key to financial success. The second corollary of this law says: Self-discipline is the most important personal quality for assuring long-term success. The third corollary of this law says: Sacrifice in the short-term is the price you pay for security in the long-term.

  1. The Law of Saving

Financial freedom comes to the person who saves ten per cent or more of his income throughout his lifetime. One of the smartest things that you can do is to develop the habit of saving part of your salary every paycheck. Begin today to save ten per cent of your income, off the top, and never touch it. This is your fund for long-term financial accumulation and you never use it for any other reason except to assure your financial future.

If you are in debt and ten per cent is too much for you, start by saving one per cent of your income and living on the other ninety-nine per cent. When you become comfortable living on ninety-nine per cent of your income, increase your savings rate to two per cent.

7. The Law of Conservation

It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, that determines your financial future. Many people make a lot of money in the course of their working lifetimes. Sometimes, during boom periods, people greatly exceed their expectations and make more money than they ever thought possible. The true measure of how well you are really doing is how much you keep out of the amount that you earn.

Calculate your true net worth as of today. Make a list of all your assets and value them at the amounts you could actually get for them if you had to turn them into cash quickly. Add up all your bills, credit card balances and mortgages and then subtract them from your assets to get your net worth today. Now divide the number of years you have been working by your net worth. The result is the net amount you have actually earned each year after your costs of living. Are you happy with it? If not, start doing something about it today.

  1. Parkinson’s Law: Expenses rise to meet income

Parkinson’s Law is one of the best-known and most important laws of money and wealth accumulation. It was developed English writer C. Northcote Parkinson many years ago, and it explains why most people retire poor. This law says that, no matter how much money people earn, they tend to spend the entire amount and a little more besides. Their expenses rise in direct proportion to their incomes.

  1. The Law of Investing

Investigate before you invest. This is one of the most important of all the laws of money. You should spend at least as much time studying a particular investment as you do earning the money to put into that particular investment. You have worked too hard to earn it and taken too long to accumulate it. Investigate every aspect of the investment well before you make any commitment. Ask for full and complete disclosure of every detail. If you have any doubt or misgivings at all, you will probably be better off keeping your money in the bank or in a money market investment account.

The corollary of the Law of Investing says: If you think you can afford to lose a little, you’re going to end up losing a lot. Another corollary of the law of Investing says: Only invest with experts who have a proven track record of success with their own money. Invest only in things that you fully understand and believe in. Take investment advice only from people who are financially successful at taking their own advice.

  1. The law of Compound Interest.

Investing your money carefully and allowing it to grow at compound interest will eventually make you rich. Compound interest is considered one of the greatest miracles of all human history and economics. Albert Einstein described it as the most powerful force in our society. When you let money accumulate at compound interest over a long period, it increases more than you can imagine.

The first corollary of this law says: The key to compound interest is to put the money away and never touch it. If you ever touch that money, you lose the power of compound interest, and though you spend only a small amount today, you will be giving up what could be an enormous amount later on. If you start early enough, invest consistently enough, never draw on your funds and rely on the miracle of compound interest, it will make you rich.

An average person earning an average income who invested Rs 1000 per month from the age of 21 to age 65, and who earned a compounded rate of 10% over that time, would retire with a net worth of 1,11,80,000. Begin a regular, monthly investment account and commit yourself to investing a fixed amount for the next five, ten or even twenty years. Select a company with a family of mutual funds and investment instruments, and keep your money working, month after month and year after year.

  1. The Law of Accelerating Acceleration

The faster you move towards financial freedom, the faster it moves towards you. The more money you accumulate, the more success you achieve, the faster money and success seem to move towards you, from a variety of different directions. Everyone who is financially successful today has had the experience of working extremely hard, sometimes for years, before they got their first real opportunity. But after that, more and more opportunities flowed into them, from all directions.

The first corollary of the law of Accelerating Acceleration says: 80% of your success will come in the last 20% of the time you invest. This is a remarkable discovery. Just think! You will achieve only about 20% of the total success possible for you in the first 80% of the time and money that you invest in an enterprise, a career or a project. You will achieve the other 80% in the last 20% of the time and money that you invest.

Peter Lynch, the former manager of the Magellan Mutual Fund, one of the most successful mutual funds in history, would often buy the stock of a company that did not increase in value for several years. Then it would take off and go up ten or twenty times in price. This strategy of picking stocks for the long term eventually made him one of the most successful and highest-paid money managers in America.

  1. The Law of Real Estate

The value of a piece of Real Estate is the future earning power of that particular piece of Real Estate. The value of any piece of Real Estate is determined by the income that can be generated by that property when it is developed to its highest potential from this moment in time onward into the future. A piece of property may have sentimental value to a particular owner, but its dollar value is directly related to its future earning power.

There are vast areas of many large cities where property values are declining because growth and development have come and gone, and will probably not return. Every day, men and women are selling homes and properties at less than what they paid for them, or losing them to foreclosure because these properties have declined in earning power and therefore in value.

The first corollary of real estate is: You make your money when you buy it, and you realise it when you sell. This is very important. It is by purchasing a piece of Real Estate at the right price and under the right terms that you can sell it at a profit. Many people think that they will make their money when they sell the property, irrespective of how they purchased the property or at what price. The more carefully you investigate a piece of Real Estate and the more thoroughly you prepare a purchase offer, the more likely it is that you will get the kind of deal that will enable you to sell that Real Estate at a profit later on.

The second corollary of the Law of Real Estate is the location: The three keys to real estate selection are location, location and location. Your ability to choose a piece of real estate in an excellent location will have more of an impact on the future earnings of that real estate than any other decision that you take.

Another corollary of the law of real estate is: Real estate values are largely determined by general economic activity in the area and by the number of jobs and the level of wages. Generally, property increases at three times the level of population growth and two times the rate of inflation. When you purchase property in a fast-growing community, you are virtually ensured of above-average increases in value.

Conclusion

There are four keys to success with money. First, earn as much as you possibly can. Do everything possible to excel in your field so that you are paid extremely well for what you do.

The second key to money is that you hold on to it as much as you can.

The third key to money is for you to reduce and control your costs of living. Buy less expensive items. Put off important buying decisions for a day, a week or even a month so that when you finally do make the decision, it is a good one. All wealthy people are very careful with their money and their expenditures. That’s how they became wealthy.

This is a wonderful time to be alive. It has never been more possible for you to make more, save more, accumulate more and grow your money faster than it is today. Your job is to take full advantage of the wide range of opportunities that are available to you. Your job is to apply these laws to fulfil your financial destiny and become wealthy in your working lifetime.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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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)

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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; 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 Premzi 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 and 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.

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

THE TIMES OF INDIA

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;

BHAVANS JOURNAL

Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars, June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 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 1.1.23; 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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

THE GOAN NET NEWSPAPER

Poem: 1. Autumn – The Interim Heaven, 6.10.24; 2. Reader’s Rewind 17.11.84; 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;

CITY ESSENCE MAGAZINE

Three Love Stories: A Comparison, July 7. 2025;

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.

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)

***** 

 

Travelogue: Switzerland: The Scenic Mount Titlis and Lucerne by Kamlesh Tripathi

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SUMMIT, MOUNT TITLIS

     With its breathtaking landscapes, Switzerland is a dream destination for travellers worldwide. On the 19th of August, our European tour peaked as we journeyed to Mount Titlis, one of Switzerland’s most iconic spots. Nestled in the Uri Alps, Titlis is a place that seamlessly blends natural beauty with adventure, offering an experience unlike any other.

    We set out from our hotel at 8:30 AM and arrived in Engelberg, known as the “City of Angels,” by 10 AM. Engelberg serves as the base for the Titlis expedition and is renowned for its stunning views of the surrounding Alps. Mount Titlis rises up to 3,238 meters above sea level, offering panoramic views of the Western Alps, making it a truly captivating sight. Titlis straddles the cantons of Obwalden and Bern, with the summit divided into two peaks—Gross Titlis and Klein Titlis—both accessible by cable car.

    As I stood atop the mountain, the scenes brought to mind both historical films set in these majestic surroundings and Bollywood classics like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, where the Alps became the backdrop to a romance that has remained etched in the hearts of many. The crisp, refreshing air at such a high altitude made the surroundings feel otherworldly, almost as though I had stepped into a postcard. The beauty of the place is a mystery that defies words or even technology, leaving one in awe of nature’s grandeur.

    Reaching the summit, we were treated to unforgettable views. The illuminated glacier cave was a particular highlight, allowing us to step into the heart of a magnificent ice wonderland. The famous Titlis Cliff Walk, Europe’s highest suspension bridge, added an exhilarating twist to our adventure. As we walked across the bridge, we gazed out at the surrounding snow-covered peaks and glaciers far below, further enhancing the feeling of being on top of the world.

    The journey to Titlis required two cable car rides: from Engelberg to Stans, and then from Stans to the summit. As we ascended, the views became even more spectacular, offering a 360-degree panorama of the Alps. At the top, we spent time exploring the shops, sampling Mövenpick ice cream, and simply soaking in the surrounding beauty. Paragliders soared gracefully through the crisp, clear sky, adding a sense of serenity to the scene.

    The Ice Cave at Titlis was another must-see, with its incredible ice sculptures that seemed to defy the imagination. The Cliff Walk, with its dizzying heights and stunning vistas, provided the kind of thrill that only the Swiss Alps can offer. Though Titlis may be considered a more accessible option compared to Jungfraujoch for those seeking to explore the Swiss Alps, both are equally spectacular in their own ways.

    By 1:15 PM, it was time to descend. We headed to Trubsee, where we were treated to a delicious Indian lunch featuring Pav-Bhaji, Dhokla, Gajar Halwa, Roti, and Rice. It was a welcome and flavorful meal after the exhilarating experience at the summit. After lunch, we made our way back to Engelberg before continuing our journey to Lucerne.

    Lucerne, with its rich history and stunning architecture, was our next stop. Our visit began with the poignant Lion Monument, a tribute to Swiss mercenaries who lost their lives during the French Revolution. The monument, which depicts a dying lion, is a powerful symbol of bravery and sacrifice. Legend has it that the sculptor, frustrated with not being paid, subtly cursed the city by shaping the lion within the outline of a pig—a symbol of disrespect in the artist’s eyes.

    Next, we visited Schwanenplatz, a bustling market area by the lake, where ducks leisurely lounged by the water’s edge. The market was a haven for souvenirs, with Swiss watches, knives, and chocolates in abundance. After exploring the market, we boarded a dinner cruise on Lake Lucerne. The cruise was a delightful experience, featuring Swiss folklore music and traditional instruments. The atmosphere was further enhanced by a Bollywood song and dance session on the upper deck, which added an unexpected touch of excitement to the evening.

    By 9 PM, we returned to our hotel at Seedamm Plaza, reflecting on the many unforgettable experiences of the day. Mount Titlis, Lucerne’s Lion Monument, and the dinner cruise had truly marked the climax of our tour. An unexpected highlight was learning that Switzerland had honored Indian film producer Yash Chopra with a bust in Interlaken, acknowledging his contribution to promoting the country’s stunning landscapes in his films.

    Our trip to Switzerland was nothing short of a magical spell. Whether it was the majestic views from Mount Titlis, the historical significance of Lucerne’s monuments, or the cultural richness of the Swiss folklore music, Switzerland proved to be a destination that offers something for everyone. It was a journey filled with adventure, history, and warmth, one that we will cherish forever.

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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INTERESTING FACTS: HOW HYDERABAD, JUNAGADH HELD UP INDIA’S INTEGRATION

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HOW HYDERABAD, JUNAGADH HELD UP INDIA’S INTEGRATION
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


    Under British rule, India contained more than 500 princely states that, upon independence, had the choice of joining either India or Pakistan. But uniting the dominion was no easy task, and several princely states held out for autonomy. But Sardar Patel’s special skills–of persuasion, sometimes maybe a little coercion–made them fall in line.


AUG 17 (PRESS CLIPPING)
HYDERABAD (DN.), SATURDAY


    “Today when I bid Farewell To the last of the Residents in my State, it is still my desire and the desire of Hyderabad to remain within the family of nations known as the British Commonwealth which looks to His Majesty the King as the living symbol of its unity,” declared the Nizam proposing the toast of Mr. C. G. Herbert, the last Resident in Hyderabad at a Farewell at the Jubilee Hall last night.

1/Hyderabad

    After Independence, the princely state of Hyderabad decided against joining India, with the Nizam preferring to remain a “sovereign state” under the British Commonwealth. Hyderabad was a key strategic state between India’s north and south, which ruled out complete autonomy as an option for the government.

AUG 19 (PRESS CLIPPING)
MORE CLASHES IN SECUNDERABAD
TRANSPORT PARALYSED

From Our Own Correspondent
HYDERABAD (Dn.) Aug. 18
    Owing to a fresh outbreak of communal trouble, Secunderabad town has been almost isolated. Railway and bus services have ceased to function, and all approaches to the town have been cordoned off by the armed police.

    Hyderabad refused to sign the Instrument of Accession, the standard legal framework offered to all princely states to join India, following which it signed a ‘standstill agreement’ to maintain the status quo for a year. But Hyderabad was also seeing communal violence break out, and was struggling to quell a communist uprising and the growing influence of an extremist Muslim militia. In September 1948, the continued instability in the state resulted in the Indian Army attacking Hyderabad as part of ‘Operation Polo’ and annexing it.


    2/JUNAGADH


    Upon Independence, the nawab of Hindu majority Junagadh opted to join Pakistan despite not sharing a border with it. The Indian government, unhappy with the accession, feared further communal violence if Junagadh was allowed to join Pakistan. To force a reversal, the government secured the accession of two of Junagadh’s vassal states, cut off supply lines to the state and surrounded it with its troops. In Bombay, a ‘provisional government of Junagadh’ was set up and led the popular agitation against the accession to Pakistan, after which the nawab fled to Karachi, allowing India to annex the state. A plebiscite was also held in February 1948, with more than 90% of the vote in favour of joining India.


    AUG 21 PRESS CLIPPING

    ACCESSION OF JUNAGADH TO PAKISTAN

UNION DISAPPROVAL
—-***—-
BHOPAL MAY JOIN INDIAN DOMINION
    From Our Special Representative
    NEW DELHI, August 20. Strong objection has been raised by the Dominion Government of India to Junagadh’s


    3/INDORE


    Indore was among the few princely states that had yet to accede to India prior to August 15. But Maharaja Holkar’s acceptance came just hours after Independence — positive news for the government as Hyderabad and Junagadh resisted.


PRESS CLIPPING
AUG 21
          INDORE’S ACCESSION
    On midnight of August 14/15 when British Paramountcy lapsed, only four of those States contiguous with the Indian Dominion had still not acceded to the Indian Dominion. If these, Indore has now signed the Instrument of Accession, which, however, is said to have reached the States Department six hours after the lapse of Paramountcy.


4/Oudh


    Though Oudh, in present-day UP, had been annexed by the British just before the 1857 rebellion, Yusuf Mirza, the grandson of its last ruler Wajid Ali Shah, ‘assumed sovereign authority’ of the territory after a secret coronation.


PRESS CLIPPING
AUG 17
    SHAH YUSUF “ASCENDS” OUDH THRONE
    LUCKNOW, Saturday: Shah Yusuf Mirza, grandson of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Oudh, has issued a “royal proclamation formally ascending ‘the throne’ and assuming all the sovereign authority’ and power over the dominions of Oudh’ by virtue of our right of inheritance and in the name of our people.”
    The proclamation followed a two-hour meeting of the council of Action of the Oudh Restoration Mission held yesterday evening.
    It is reported that a quiet Coronation was held at midnight, where Prince Yusuf Mirza was installed on the throne at Sheesh Mahal, the ancient palace of the Nawab of Oudh. The ceremony was attended by members of the Royal Family of Oudh and members of the Council of Action.
    The territory … Of Oudh comprises

KEY STATES THAT PAVED THE WAY TO UNITY


Some major princely states ultimately joined the dominion prior to Independence, laying down a marker for others, but not without making it difficult for the government.


5/TRAVANCORE


In 1946, the dewan of Travancore had insisted the state would remain independent after the British left but was willing to sign treaties with India and Pakistan. Some British politicians and Mohammad Ali Jinnah supported the prospect of an independent Travancore, which buoyed the dewan. But in July 1947, the dewan survived an assassination attempt by a member of the Kerala Socialist Party. The incident led to a change of heart and Travancore acceded within days.


6/BHOPAL


The nawab of Bhopal, which was a Hindu-majority state, had close ties with Jinnah and saw Congress as an adversary. He feared Independence would leave Muslims ‘helpless, unorganised and unsupported’ and turn India into a communist nation, and suggested Bhopal would remain independent. But a letter from Lord Mountbatten — and seeing other princely states accede– changed the nawab’s mind. The only concession he sought was for the announcement of the accession to be delayed to 10 days after Independence.


7/JODHPUR


Jodhpur was an exception among states that had hesitated to join India — it had a Hindu ruler and a Hindu-majority population. Though the king was willing to join India, he was also negotiating terms with Pakistan in July 1947. Losing Jodhpur, a border state, would have dealt a major blow to India as it may have pushed neighbouring states towards Pakistan. But Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel intervened, offering some concessions and asking him whose side he would take in the event of communal clashes, after which the king agreed to accede.

(TIMES OF INDIA 22/8/21)

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

***

THE BOND OF PROTECTION: RAKSHA BANDHAN by Kamlesh Tripathi

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     Raksha Bandhan is observed on the last day of the Hindu lunar calendar month (Panchang) of Shravan. It normally falls in August. Raksha Bandhan is also known as Rakhi. It is also referred as Saluno. It is an affectionate festival that celebrates the unbreakable bond between brothers and sisters. It’s a day when sisters tie a sacred thread, called “rakhi,” on the wrists of their brothers, symbolising protection and love. In return, the brothers offer gifts and the promise to protect their sisters.

    It is an admired and traditional Hindu ritual and festival celebrated every year. Apart from India, it is also celebrated in other parts of the world influenced by the Hindu culture. On this day, sisters of all ages tie a talisman or lucky charm called ‘rakhi’ on the wrists of their brothers. The sisters symbolically protect the brothers by doing this. In return, they receive a gift. Its spiritual significance lies in the protection and interconnectedness of the relationship between the brother and the sister. The expression “Raksha Bandhan” comprehensively describes this ritual.

        It is traditionally rooted in the curriculum of territorial or village marriages. The bride is married out of her natal village or town, and her parents, by custom, do not visit her in her married home. In rural north India, village marriage is quite prevalent. Married women travel to their parents’ homes every year to celebrate Raksha Bandhan. Their brothers, who usually live with their parents or somewhere close by, at times, travel to their sisters’ married homes to escort them back. Some brides arrive a few weeks earlier at their natal homes and stay there till the ceremony is over. The brothers serve as lifelong intermediaries between their married sisters’ and parental homes, as well as their potential protectors.

    In modern India, where families have become increasingly nuclear, the festival has become more symbolic, yet it remains highly popular. The rituals of this festival have spread beyond their traditional regions. They have transformed owing to migration and technology. Factors influencing are movies, social media, and the religious bent of mind. We all remember the famous Bollywood song ‘Bhaiya mere Rakhi ke bandhan ko nibhana’. Even among females and males who are not blood relatives, tying of the rakhi has promoted the tradition of voluntary kin, crossing lines of caste, class, and religion.

    So much has been written about Raksha-Bandhan to establish its credentials. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Hindi word Rakhi derives its origin from the Sanskrit word Rakshika, meaning a protector or guardian. The earliest mention of the word Rakhi in the English language dates back to 1829, in Lieutenant Colonel James Tod’s book, Annals & Antiquities of Rajasthan.

    Indian poet Nazeer Akbarabadi (1735–1830) wrote one of the first nazms in the Hindustani language on Rakhi. The august poet imagines that he, despite being a Muslim, would like to dress up as a “Bamhan” (Brahmin priest), with a sacred thread and a mark on the forehead, so that he can tie the threads on the wrists of all the beautiful people around him.

    Much has been captured about Rakhi in various treatises, dictionaries, and books. Notable examples include the Dictionary of Hindustani and English, authored by Duncan Forbes in 1857. Raksha Bandhan’s reference in the mythology comes out in chapter 137 of the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purana. Here, Lord Krishna narrates to Yudhishthira the ritual of having a raksha thread tied to his right wrist by the royal priest (rajpurohit) on the day of purnima (full moon day) of the Hindu lunar month of Shravan.

    Though traditionally, Raksha-Bandhan is observed in northern India. It also encircles central and western India, Nepal, and some other parts of the country, as well as overseas Hindu communities such as Fiji. It is primarily a Hindu festival. Besides India and Nepal, other countries also celebrate Raksha Bandhan. Pakistan and Mauritius are two other countries where Hindus celebrate this festival. In addition wherever we have Hindu diaspora Raksha Bandhan is celebrated.

    Folklorist and American anthropologist Susan Snow Wadley writes: ‘In Savan, greenness abounds as the newly planted crops take root in the wet soil. It is a month of joy and gaiety, with swings hanging from tall trees. Girls and women swing high into the sky, singing their joy. The gaiety is even greater because women, especially the young ones, are expected to return to their natal homes for an annual visit during Savan.’

    The brothers serve as lifelong intermediaries between their married sisters’ and parental homes, as well as their potential protectors. That’s the bond of Raksha-Bandhan.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Pakistan: An Atrocious Copy-Paste Master … by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Operation Sindoor was launched on 7 May 2025, in retaliation for the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April, in which 26 civilian tourists lost their lives.

    Pakistan is an atrocious copy-paste master. After having lost the plot, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif implemented several measures to create a false image among the Pakistani public that they had emerged victorious. This, despite their Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) having called his Indian counterpart to request a cessation of hostilities.

    After the temporary suspension of armed hostilities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Adampur air base in Punjab on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, to boost the morale of the armed forces. Modi’s visit came just days after Indian armed forces executed Operation Sindoor with clinical precision. Air Force Station, Adampur, was one of the active bases during the mission. PM Modi was welcomed with chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram,” as air warriors and soldiers celebrated the operation’s success. Copying the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move, Shehbaz Sharif also decided to visit the forces. However, lacking the courage to do so effectively, he merely stood on a tank to address them. He was widely ridiculed and trolled for this: Khet mein tank, jeet ka prank.

    The Government of India formed seven all-party parliamentary delegations to visit various countries as part of a strategic diplomatic outreach, aiming to garner international support and convey India’s stance: that India is a peace-loving nation suffering from terrorism originating in Pakistan. As expected, Pakistan mimicked this move too, sending a delegation under Bilawal Bhutto abroad to falsely portray Pakistan as a victim rather than a perpetrator of terrorism.

    But this act of imitating India isn’t new for Pakistan. It began with Mohammad Ali Jinnah himself. In his piece ‘Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah’, Dr B. R. Ambedkar describes Gandhi and Jinnah, noting that Jinnah and the Muslim League copied Gandhi and the Congress even before India’s independence. The Qaid-i-Azam of Pakistan simply followed Gandhi’s lead. The politics between these two iconic figures became a contest of one-upmanship from Jinnah’s end. If Gandhi was the Mahatma, Jinnah had to be Qaid-i-Azam. Pakistan has always believed in copying India, a pattern visible even during Jinnah’s lifetime. Jinnah didn’t innovate; he imitated Gandhi.

    Politics in the hands of these two great leaders turned into a competition of extravagance. If Gandhi was known as the Mahatma, Jinnah insisted on being known as Qaid-i-Azam. If Gandhi had the Congress Party, Jinnah ensured the existence of the Muslim League. If the Congress had a Working Committee and an All India Congress Committee, the Muslim League had to have its own Working Committee and Council. A session of the Congress was inevitably followed by one of the Muslim League.

    If the Congress issued a political statement, the Muslim League had to issue one too. If the Congress passed a resolution of 17,000 words, the Muslim League’s resolution had to be at least 1,000 words longer. If the Congress President held a press conference, the Muslim League President followed suit. If the Congress addressed the United Nations, the Muslim League made sure not to be outdone.

    Gandhi insisted Jinnah admit he was one of the Muslim leaders; Jinnah insisted Gandhi admit he was a Hindu. This dynamic is clearly depicted in Ambedkar’s piece, ‘Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah’.

    During the partition, Jinnah and the Muslim League imitated Gandhi and the Congress Party. This could have been a great moment for the Congress to reflect, mock, and point out Pakistan’s persistent habit of mimicry, showing that the mindset of Jinnah and the Muslim League carried on into the Pakistani state post-partition and portraying Congress as the lynchpin of India.

Instead, the Congress began mimicking Pakistan—and in doing so, fell from grace. Big opportunity lost.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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The Dalai Lama’s Moral Compass

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(THE DALAI LAMA’S MORAL COMPASS, 5/7/25, SUNDAY SPEAKING TREE BY RAJIV MEHROTRA)


    What do we turn to when the world loses its moral bearings? Violence seems relentless. In Gaza, babies in powerless incubators gasp for breath. In Ukraine and Russia, parents bury sons they never imagined losing. In Kashmir, tourists were gunned down near Pahalgam. Swift actions followed –aIrstrikes, declarations of zero tolerance.
    We watch from afar. Images flood our screens but meaning dissolves in the noise. Even when ceasefires arrive, the discourse circles around who won the battle, not what the war has cost. And a deeper question is left hanging: Is this all we know how to do?
    I often recall a quiet moment in 1983 at the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamshala. On simple prayer mats was written. “Pray for the Chinese.” This is from a community that had endured invasion, exile, and the attempted erasure of its culture. Yet their daily practice included compassion for those responsible.
    The Dalai Lama has always distinguished between acts of governments and the people. Monks were instructed not to forget the harm, but to remember without hatred. It was an act of moral resistance, not rooted in rage.
    Over four decades, I’ve seen him remain consistent. He opposes terrorism without qualification, recognises that force may sometimes be necessary to prevent greater harm, yet insists that intention is as important as action. This is not a soft sentiment.
    It is a deliberate stance, grounded in the reality of interdependence, where suffering in one place ripples across continents.
    In his words, “World peace must grow from inner peace.” This is not an escape into personal sanctuaries. It is a redirection. Anger and fear are left unexamined, and diplomacy is shattered, causing fragile accords fracture. Even the most carefully brokered treaties cannot hold if suspicion and resentment remain.
    At the heart of his teachings is a clear moral logic: hatred and ignorance are more corrosive than any political adversary. He appeals to values not confined to religion but rooted in human experience — the capacity to care, refrain from retaliation, and resist cruelty even when wronged.
    Such language can sound idealistic in an age driven by outrage and certainty. But its durability lies in its refusal to mirror the forces it opposes. It offers not a quick fix, but a framework for healing –one that prizes clarity over conquest, and resilience over retribution.
    Today, moral leadership is in short supply. The Dalai Lama offers something subtler: a moment of pause, an insistence on reflection. He asks us not just to act, but to examine how we act– what we cultivate in ourselves, even as we respond to the world.
    Violence has become increasingly impersonal –executed through drones, sanctions, and screens. Victims become statistics. But pain is never abstract to those who experience it. The greater the distance, the easier it is to justify harm or look away.
From Israel to Iran, Myanmar to Sudan, the pattern repeats: brute power strikes, people bleed. Yet we spend over $2.4 trillion a year on arms, while a fraction of that could educate every child and bring clean water to every village. As the Dalai Lama has said, “We are over-armed and under-educated.”
What is left to do for those of us who watch, scroll, and grieve? Perhaps this: resist the temptation to harden. Let suffering deepen, not blunt, our humanity. A shift in tone. A pause in the momentum of anger. Even a moment of grace is a form of resistance in the face of brutality.
“Do not let the suffering you see make you bitter,” he says. “Let it make you more human.” That may be the most enduring resistance of all.
Critics ask whether non-violence has restored Tibet or if compassion ends war. They measure success by territory regained. But they miss the more resounding triumph. Tibet’s moral voice has not been extinguished. The Dalai Lama remains a global conscience –not because he holds power, but because he never wielded it with rancour.
Tibet may not be free. But it has not surrendered its dignity. At 90, the Dalai Lama remains a compass in an age adrift –pointing quietly, persistently, towards compassion, clarity, and courage.
And beneath the clamour, a single teaching endures:
Let the pain you see make you more human.
(RAJIV MEHROTRA IS MANAGING TRUSTEE, FOUNDATION FOR UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY OF HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA. VIEWS ARE PERSONAL)

Posted by 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:

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SPEAKING TREE THE MEANING OF LIFE

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Hope, wrote Alexander Pope, lies eternal in the human breast. To never despair, even in the bleakest of winter. And, nothing exemplifies this more than the soul-stirring story of Viktor Frankel, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz through his search for the meaning of life.
In his ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ written after his liberation from the concentration camp, he talks about the source of his will to live. To paraphrase: we are bound to face adversities. How you handle these vicissitudes is determined by your attitude. And, attitude is something that each of us controls. This determines what becomes of you mentally and physically. This is true also of suffering that is a part of life–without and death, human life would not be complete. The test is how we react to the suffering.
We need to have a higher purpose– a goal that will help us overcome the challenges. Frankel quotes. Nietzsche, ‘He who has a why to live can bear almost any how’, to explain this.
The meaning of life is found by our choice to do the right thing. Frankel helped his fellow prisoners by emphasising that striving for meaning, not power nor pleasure, is what keeps us alive.
These lessons are even more relevant today. A positive attitude, willingness to take responsibility and a purpose in life will help each of us find meaning in our lives. Life is, after all, far too precious to fritter away aimlessly.

Posted by 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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