EduVibes: Swami Vivekananda | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri | Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose | Jay Prakash Narayan | Sir J.C.Bose | Dr. Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar | Munshi Premchand | Mahadevi Verma | Dr. Hariwansh Rai Bacchan | PriyaRanjanDas | SubodhKant Sahai | Smt. Neera Shastri | Amitabh Bacchan

Swami Vivekananda

A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Vivekananda crammed immense labor and achievement into his short life, 1863-1902. Born in the Datta family of Calcutta, the youthful Vivekananda embraced the agnoic philosophies of the Western mind along with the worship of science.

At the same time, vehement in his desire to know the truth about God, he questioned people of holy reputation, asking them if they had seen God. He found such a person in Sri Ramakrishna, who became his master, allayed his doubts, gave him God vision, and transformed him into sage and prophet with authority to teach.

After Sri Ramakrishna’s death, Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed India as a wandering monk. His mounting compassion for India’s people drove him to seek their material help from the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent Hinduism at Chicago’s Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda won instant celebrity in America and a ready forum for his spiritual teaching.

For three years he spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America and England and then returned to India to found the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Exhorting his nation to spiritual greatness, he wakened India to a new national consciousness. He died July 4, 1902, after a second, much shorter sojourn in the West. His lectures and writings have been gathered into nine volumes.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, son of Mahadev Sahai, was born in Zeradei village in Bihar on December 3, 1884. Being the youngest in a large joint family “Rajen” was greatly loved and was strongly attached to his mother and elder brother Mahendra. Zeradei’s population was cosmopolitan in nature and the people lived together in happiness and harmony. Rajendra Prasad’s earliest memories are playing “kabaddi” with his Hindu and Muslim friends. Rajen was married when he was barely 12 years old to Rajvanshi Devi.

Rajen was a brilliant student throughout school and college. He stood first in the entrance examination of the University of Calcutta and was awarded a Rs. 30 per month scholarship. It was first time that a student from Bihar had excelled. He joined the Calcutta Presidency College in 1902.

The partition of Bengal in 1905 fueled the swadeshi and boycott movements. The movements had a deep effect on students in Calcutta. One day, residents of his hostel created a bonfire of all the foreign clothings they had. When Rajen went through his belongings he could not find a single item of foreign clothing.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale had started the Servants of India Society in 1905 and asked Rajen to join. So strong was his sense of duty toward his family and education that he, after much deliberation, refused Gokhale, one of the greatest nationalists of the time. Rajen recalled, “I was miserable” and for the first time in his life he barely got through his B.L. examinations.

In 1915, Rajen passed the Masters in Law examination with honors, winning a gold medal. He then completed his Doctorate in Law to attain the title, Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri (October 2, 1904 – January 11, 1966) was the second permanent Prime Minister of independent
India and a significantfigure in the struggle forindependence.

Early Life and Freedom Struggle
Shashtriji was born in Mughalsarai (also spelt as Moghalsarai), in United Province (now Uttar Pradesh). To take part in the non-cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi in 1921, he began studying at the nationalist, Kashi Vidyapeeth in Kashi, and upon completion, he was given the title Shastri, or Scholar, Doctor at Kashi Vidyapeeth in 1926. He spent almost nine years in jail in total, mostly after the start of the Satyagraha movement in 1940, he was imprisoned until 1946 [citation needed].
Political Career
Following India’s independence, he was Home Minister under Chief Minister Govind Ballabh Pant of Uttar Pradesh. In 1951, he was appointed General Secretary of the Lok Sabha before re-gaining a ministerial post as Railways Minister. He resigned as Minister following a rail disaster near Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu. He returned to the Cabinet following the General Elections, first as Minister for Transport, in 1961, he became Home Minister.
Rise to Premiership
Jawaharlal Nehru died in office on May 27, 1964 and left a vacuum. The major figures of the Congress Party were unable to find enough support which allowed the lesser regarded Shastri to come through as the compromise candidate, becoming Prime Minister on June 9. Shastri, though mild-mannered and soft-spoken, was a Nehruvian socialist and thus held appeal to those wishing to prevent the ascent of conservative right-winger Morarji Desai.
Shastri worked by his natural characteristics to obtain compromises between opposing viewpoints, but in his short tenure was ineffectual in dealing with the economic crisis and food shortage in the nation. However, he commanded a great deal of respect in the Indian populace, and he used it to advantage in pushing the Green Revolution in India; which directly led to India becoming a food-surplus nation, although he did not live to see it. His administration began on a rocky turf.
War with Pakistan
See Also: Indo-Pakistani War of 196
The chief problem was Pakistan. Laying claim to half of the Kutchch peninsula, Pakistan sent incursion forces in August 1965, who skirmished with Indian tanks. Under a scheme proposed by the British PM, Pakistan obtained 10% of their original claim of 50%. But Pakistan’s main aggressive intentions were upon Kashmir. Just in September 1965, major incursions of militants and Pakistani soldiers began, hoping not only to break-down the government but incite a sympathetic revolt. The revolt did not happen, and an angry India sent its forces across the Line of Control, and the war broke out on a general scale. Massive tank battles occurred in the Punjab, and while Pakistani forces made some gains, Indian forces captured the key post at Haji Pir, in Kashmir, and brought the Pakistani city of Lahore under artillery and mortar fire.
Tashkent
A ceasefire was declared, and the soft-spoken, mild-mannered Shastri, once butt of jokes was now a national hero. In January 1966 Shastri and Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan attended a summit in Tashkent (former USSR, now in modern Uzbekistan), organised by Kosygin. Shastri signed a treaty with Pakistan on January 10, the Tashkent Declaration, but the next day he was dead of a heart attack. He is the only Indian Prime Minister to have died in office overseas, and indeed probably one of the few heads of government in history to do so. All his lifetime, he was known for his honesty and humility.
Memorial
He was the first person to be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna and a memorial “Vijay Ghat” was built for him in Delhi. The slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan (Hindi for “Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer”) is attributed to Shastri.
Quotes
Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan: Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer (Hindi)
If one person gives up one meal in a day, some other person gets his only meal of the day.: made during the food crisis to encourage people to evenly distribute food.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhash Chandra Bose (January 23, 1897–August 18, 1945) also known as Netaji, was a prominent leader of the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. Bose helped to organize and later led the Indian National Army, put together with Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia.

“Give me blood and I shall Give you freedom” was one of the most popular statements made by him, whereby he urges the people of India to join him in his freedom movement.

Early life:
Subhash Chandra Bose was born to an affluent Bengali family in Cuttack, Orissa. His father, Janakinath Bose, was a public prosecutor who believed in orthodox nationalism and later became a member of the Bengal Legislative Council. With eight brothers and six sisters, Bose’s family was large, but disciplined. He loved to read and was fascinated with religion, discipline, and self-control. As a youth, he did social service and after reading Vivekananda’s writings, “selfless service” became the motto guiding his life.

Recognizing his son’s intellect, Bose’s father was determined that Bose should become a high-ranking civil servant. He attended the Protestant European School and the Ravenshaw Collegiate School in Cuttack and later graduated with honours from the Scottish Church College, Calcutta. He was placed second in his university examinations and participated as a member of the India Defence Corps, then a newly-formed military training unit at the University of Calcutta. Afterwards he travelled to England and attended Fitzwilliam Hall at the University of Cambridge.

In 1920, Bose took the Indian Civil Service entrance examination and was ranked second. However, he resigned from the prestigious Indian Civil Service in April 1921 despite his high ranking in the merit list, and went ahead to join the freedom movement. After returning to India, he joined the Congress party and was particularly active in its youth wing. Bose’s ideas did not match with that of Gandhi’s belief in non-violence. So he returned to Kolkata to work under Chittaranjan Das, the Bengali freedom fighter and co-founder (with Motilal Nehru) of the Swarajya (Self Rule) Party. In 1921, Bose organised a boycott of the celebrations to mark the Prince of Wales’ visit to India. This led to his being imprisoned. In April 1924, Bose was elected the Chief Executive Officer of the newly constituted Calcutta Corporation. Later, in October that year, Bose was arrested as a suspected terrorist. First, he was in Alipore jail and later he was exiled to Mandalay in Burma.

In June 1925, Bose was deeply struck by the sudden loss of his mentor Chittaranjan Das. At the end of 1926 he was nominated in absentia, as a candidate for the Bengal Legislative Assembly. On May 16 1927 he was released from jail due to ill-health. The two years in Mandalay increased his confidence and strength. By December 1927, Bose with Jawaharlal Nehru became the the General Secretary of the Congress. On January 23 1930, Bose was once again arrested for leading an “Independence” procession. After being released from jail on September 25, he was elected as the Mayor of the City of Calcutta. He was incarcerated eleven times by the British over a span of twenty years, either in India or in Rangoon. He spent many years in various capacities as the Chief Executive Officer of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (where Chittaranjan Das had previously been Mayor), and later as Mayor himself. With Jawaharlal Nehru he was one of the radical Left wing leaders of the Congress Party. He was exiled from India, during the mid 1930s to Europe, where he stated India’s cause for self-rule before gatherings and conferences (like the Second Communist International). After his father’s death the British authorities allowed him to land at Calcutta’s airport only for the religious rites, which would be followed by his swift departure. During this time he traveled extensively in India and in Europe before stating his political opposition to Gandhi. He became the president of the Haripura Indian National Congress in 1938, against Gandhi’s wishes. He was elected for a second term in 1939 in Tripura Congress Session; Gandhi had supported Pattabhi Sitaramayya and commented “Pattavi’s defeat is my defeat” after learning the election results. Although Bose won the election, Gandhi’s continued opposition led to the resignation of the Working Committee. In the face of this gesture of no-confidence Bose himself resigned. Bose then formed an independent party, the All India Forward Bloc.
Actions during the Second World War :
Bose advocated the approach that the political instability at war-time Britain should be taken advantage of—rather than simply wait for the British to grant political “Home Rule” after the end of the war (which was the view of Gandhi, Nehru and a section of the Congress leadership) at the time. In this he was influenced by the examples of Italian statesmen Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini. During his stay in Europe from 1933 to 1936, he met several European leaders and thinkers, including Benito Mussolini, Eduard Benes, Karl Seitz, Eamon De Valera, Romain Rolland, and Alfred Rosenberg. He came to believe that India could achieve political freedom only if it had political, military and diplomatic support from outside and that an independent nation necessitated the creation of a national army. His correspondence reveals that despite his sheer dislike for British subjugation, he was deeply impressed by their methodical and systematic approach and their steadfastedly disciplinarian outlook towards life. In England, he exchanged ideas with British Labour Party leaders and political thinkers on the future of India. He came to accept the view that a free India needed Socialist authoritarianism, on the lines of Turkey’s Kemal Ataturk for at least two decades.
In Germany :
At the start of World War II, Bose escaped his incarceration at Home by taking the guise of a Pathan insurance agent (“Ziaudddin”) to Afghanistan and from there to Moscow with the passport of an Italian nobleman “Count Orlando Mazzotta”. From Moscow he reached Rome and from there he traveled to Germany where he instituted the Special Bureau for India under Adam von Trott zu Solz, broadcasting on the German-sponsored Azad Hind Radio. He founded the Free India Centre in Berlin and created the Indian Legion (consisting of some 4500 soldiers) out of Indian prisoners of war who had previously fought for the British in North Africa, but had capitulated to Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps. The Azad Hind Legion was attached to the Waffen SS, and they swore their allegiance to Hitler and Bose for the independence of India.

Bose was deeply dissapointed with Hitler when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union and decided to leave Nazi Germany. Besides, Hitler had shown little interest for the cause of Indian independence. He travelled by submarine around the Cape of Good Hope to Imperial Japan, which helped him to raise his army in Singapore. This was the only civilian-transfer across two different submarines of two different navies in World War II.
In Japan :
The Indian National Army (INA) consisted of some 85,000 regular troops, a separate women’s army unit named after Rani Lakshmi Bai (in a regular army, the women’s army unit was the First of its kind in Asia), who gave her life in the First War of Independence in 1857. These were under the aegis of a provisional government, with its own currency, court and civil code, named the “Provisional Government of Free India” (or the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind) and recognised by nine Axis states: Germany, Japan, Italy, Croatia, Nationalist China, Siam, Burma, Manchukuo and the Philippines. This government had participated as a delegate or observer in the so-called Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

En route to India, some of Bose’s troops assisted in the Japanese victory over the British in the battles of Arakan and Meiktila, along with the Burmese National Army led by Ba Maw and Aung San. The Provisional Government and the INA were established in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, part of the British Indian Empire. On Indian mainland, the Indian Tricolor was raised for the First time in the town in Moirang, in Manipur, in northeastern India. The other towns of Kohima and Imphal, were placed under siege by divisions of the Japanese, the Burmese and the Gandhi and Nehru Brigades of I.N.A.. At the time of the Great Bengal Famine of 1943, during which millions died of starvation, Bose had offered (through radio) Burmese rice to the victims of the famine. The British authorities in India (and in the UK) refused the offer.

When the Japanese were defeated at the battles of Kohima and Imphal, the Provisional Government’s aim of establishing a base in mainland India was lost forever and the INA was forced to pull-back along with the defeated Japanese Imperial Army. Japan’s surrender after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki also led to the eventual surrender of the Indian National Army.

Political views :

Even though Bose and Gandhi had differing ideologies, the latter called Bose the “Patriot of Patriots” (Bose had called Gandhi “Father of the Nation”). He has been given belated recognition in India, and especially in West Bengal; Calcutta’s civil airport and a university have been named after him. Many of the symbols of the Bose’s provisional government, which were also associated with the Congress, have been adopted in independent India: Rabindranath Tagore’s “Jana Gana Mana”, which was the national song of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind is independent India’s National Anthem, and the tricolour as India’s national flag.

His alliance with the Axis continues to be controversial; many in India consider him a hero for his forceful stance against oppressive British imperialism. In Working with the Japanese he was however fighting his own countrymen, who defended India within the unpoliticised volunteer British Indian Army against the Japanese invasion.

At the time of the start of the Second World War, Great divisions existed in the Indian independence movement about whether to exploit the weakness of the British to achieve independence. Some felt that any distinctions between the political allegiances and ideologies of the warring factions of Europe were inconsequential in the face of the possibility of Indian independence, and that it was hypocritical of the British to condemn pro-democracy Indians for allying themselves with anti-democratic Axis forces when the British themselves showed so little respect for democracy or democratic reforms in India. Others felt that it was inappropriate to seek concessions when Britain itself was in peril, and found their distaste for Nazi Germany outweighed their concerns about Independence.

Bose, in particular, was accused of collaborating with the Axis; he counter-attacked the allegation criticising the British campaign during World War-II, saying that while Britain was fighting for the freedom of the European nations under Nazi control, it did not grant its own colonies, including India their rightful independence. It may be observed that along with Nehru, Bose had organized and led protest marches against the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and of China itself in 1938, when he was Congress president. During that period, Chinese leader Chiang Kai Shek was feted in India and medical aid and food supplies were sent to Chinese areas which suffered the worst brunt of Japanese imperialism. That he eventually abandoned his political stance (which initially was that of Gandhi and Nehru) reflects his deep discontent with the nature of the British rule, and a growing belief that the formation of an Indian free state was nowhere on the British political roadmap. At the Tripura Congress session, he made his views quite explicit: Britain had forced a war on India, without bothering to consult Indians.

It is interesting to note that Bose’s earlier correspondences (prior to 1939) reflect his deep disapproval of the racist practices of and annulment of democratic institutions in Nazi Germany.

Though Bose did ally himself with the Axis powers, there is little to suggest he shared any of their doctrines of racial superiority; instead it appears he was motivated to join them largely out of political pragmatism.

Re-evaluation of Netaji :

The INA is fondly remembered by some Japanese and Indian historians who see Japanese efforts to support Bose as supporting the view that it was fighting a war on behalf of the oppressed peoples of Asia, in addition, the INA is seen by some as an organisation devoid of the divisive energies of parochialism that have since plagued India.

Gandhi called Bose the “Patriot of Patriots” (Bose had called Gandhi “Father of the Nation”). Bose’s portrait is also hung in the Indian Parliament and a statue has been erected in front of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

Bose was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award in 1992, but it was later withdrawn in response to a Supreme Court of India directive following a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Court against the “posthumous” nature of the award. The Award Committee could not Give conclusive evidence of Bose’s death and thus it invalidated the “posthumous” award.

Death :

Bose is supposed to have died in a plane crash over Taiwan while flying to Tokyo. However, his body was never recovered, and conspiracy theories concerning his possible survival abound. One such claims that Bose actually died in Siberia, while in Soviet captivity.

Mr. Harin Shah, an Indian journalist, visited Taipei and was shown a plane crash site (supposedly of Bose’s plane). Photos can be found at http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/Netaji/photogallerycrash.htm

However, the Taiwan Government told an Indian journalist investigating into Bose’s death that Bose could not have died in a plane crash in the country, stating that there “were no plane crashes at Taipei between 14 August and 20 September 1945.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4236189.stm

Jay Prakash Narayan

Jayaprakash Narayan (Devanāgarī: जयप्रकाश नारायण; October 11, 1902 – October 8, 1979), widely known as JP, was an Indian freedom fighter and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s
Early life
He was born in Sitabdiara village in Saran district of Bihar, and studied for his BA and MA degrees in politics and sociology in the United States. In 1922, he went to the United States, where he studied political science , sociology and economics at the universities of Berkeley, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio State [1][2]. He adopted Marxism while studying at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin under Edward A. Ross; he was also deeply influenced by the writings of M. N. Roy. Financial constraints and his mother’s health forced him to abandon his wish of earning a PhD. He met other revolutionaries like Rajni Palme Dutt in London on his way back to India.
After returning to India, JP joined the Indian National Congress on the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1929; M. K. Gandhi would be his mentor in the Congress. During the Indian independence movement, he was arrested, jailed, and tortured several times by the British. He won particular fame during the Quit India movement.

JP married Prabhavati Devi, a freedom fighter in her own right and a staunch disciple of Kasturba Gandhi in October 1920; she stayed in Sabarmati ashram while JP was abroad and became a devoted Gandhian; she often held opinions which were not in agreement with JP’s views, but JP respected her independence. She was the older daughter of Brajkishore Prasad, one of the first Gandhians in Bihar and one who played a major role in Gandhi’s campaign in Champaran.

After being jailed in 1932 for civil disobedience against British rule, he was imprisoned in Nasik Jail, where he met Ram Manohar Lohia, Minoo Masani, Achyut Patwardhan, Ashok Mehta, Yusuf Desai and other national leaders. After his release, the Congress Socialist Party, a left-wing group within the Congress, was formed with Acharya Narendra Deva as President and JP as General secretary.

During the Quit India movement of 1942, when senior Congress leaders were arrested in the early stages, JP, Lohia and Basawon Singh (Sinha) were at the forefront of the agitations. Leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan and Aruna Asaf Ali were described as “the political children of Gandhi but recent students of Karl Marx.”

After independence and the death of Mahatma Gandhi; JP, Acharya Narendra Dev and Basawon Singh (Sinha) led the CSP out of Congress to become the opposition Socialist Party, which later took the name Praja Socialist Party.Basawon Singh (Sinha) became the first leader of opposition in the state and assembly of Bihar and Acharya Narendra Deva became the first leader of opposition in the state and assembly of U.P.

Initially a defender of physical force, JP was won over to Gandhi’s position on nonviolence and advocated the use of satyagrahas to achieve the ideals of democratic socialism. Furthermore, he became deeply disillusioned with the practical experience of socialism in Nehru’s India.

Sarvodaya
On 19 April 1954, JP announced in Gaya that he was dedicating his life (Jeevandan) to Vinoba Bhave’s Sarvodaya movement and its Bhoodan campaign, which promoted distributing land to Harijans (untouchables). He gave up his land, set up an ashram in Hazaribagh, and worked towards uplifting the village.

In 1957, JP formally broke with the Praja Socialist Party in order to pursue lokniti [Polity of the people], as opposed to rajniti [Polity of the state]. By this time, JP had become convinced that lokniti should be non-partisan in order to build a consensus-based, classless, participatory democracy which he termed Sarvodaya. JP became an important figure in the India-wide network of Gandhian Sarvodaya workers.

In 1964, JP was vilified across the political spectrum for arguing in an article in the Hindustan Times that India had a responsibility to keep its promise to allow self-determination to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He hit back at critics in a second article, dismissing the Indian version of the “domino theory” which held that the rest of India’s states would disintegrate if Kashmir were allowed its promised freedom. In his graceful if old-fashioned style, JP ridiculed the premise that “the states of India are held together by force and not by the sentiment of a common nationality. It is an assumption that makes a mockery of the Indian Nation and a tyrant of the Indian State”.

JP returned to the prominence in State politics in the late 1960s. In 1974, he devoted himself to the peasants’ struggle known as the Bihar movement, which demanded the resignation of the provincial government. He founded, together with V. M. Tarkunde, the Citizens for democracy in 1974 and the People’s union for civil liberties in 1976, NGOs to uphold and defend civil liberties.

Emergency
When Indira Gandhi was found guilty of violating electoral laws by the Allahabad High Court, JP called for Indira to resign, and advocated a program of social transformation which he termed Sampoorna kraanthi [Total Revolution]. Instead she proclaimed a national Emergency on the midnight of 25 June 1975, immediately after JP had called for the PM’s resignation and had asked the military and the police to disregard unconstitutional and immoral orders; JP, opposition leaders, and dissenting members (the ‘Young turks’) of her own party were arrested on that day.

JP was kept as detenu at Chandigarh even after he had asked for a month’s parole for mobilising relief in areas of Bihar gravely affected by flood. His health suddenly deteriorated on 24 October, and he was released on 12 November; diagnosis at Jaslok Hospital, Bombay, revealed kidney failure; he would be on dialysis for the rest of his life.

After Indira revoked the emergency on 18 January 1977 and announced elections, it was under JP’s guidance that the socialist-leaning Janata Party was formed. Janata Party was voted into power, and became the first non-Congress party to form a government at the Centre.

JP also wrote several books, notably Reconstruction of Indian Polity. He promoted Hindu revivalism, but was deeply critical of the form of revivalism promoted by the Sangh Parivar.

Not long before his death, it was in fact erroneously announced by the Indian prime minister, causing a brief wave of national mourning, including the suspension of parliament and regular radio broadcasting, and closure of schools and shops.

In 1998, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna award in recognition of his social work. Other awards include the Magsaysay award for Public Service in 1965.

JP is sometimes referred to with the honorific title Lok nayak or ‘guide of the people’.

A university (J P University in Chhapra, Bihar) and two Hospitals (L J N P Hospital in New Delhi and Jai Prabha Hospital in Patna) have been opened in his memor

Sir J.C.Bose

Jagadish Chandra Bose [10,11,12] was born in India in 1858. He received hiseducation first in India, until in 1880 he went to England to study medicine at the University of London. Within a year he moved to Cambridge to take up a scholarship to study Natural Science at Christ’s CollegeCambridge. One of his lecturers at Cambridge was Professor Rayleigh, who clearly had a profound influence on his later work. In 1884 Bose was awarded a B.A. from Cambridge, but also a B.Sc. from London University. Bose then returned to India, taking up a post initially as officiating professor of physics at the Presidency College in Calcutta. Following the example of Lord Rayleigh,Jagadis Bose made extensive use of scientific demonstrations in class; he is reported as being extraordinarily popular and effective as a teacher. Many of his students at the Presidency College were destined to become famous in their own right – for example S.N. Bose, later to become well known for the Bose-Einstein statistics.

A book by Sir Oliver Lodge, “Heinrich Hertz and His Successors,” impressed Bose. In 1894, J.C. Bose converted a small enclosure adjoining a bathroom in the Presidency College into a laboratory. He carried out experiments involving refraction, diffraction and polarization. To receive the radiation, he used a variety of different junctions connected to a highly sensitive galvanometer. He plotted in detail the voltage-current characteristics of his junctions, noting their non-linear characteristics. He developed the use of galena crystals for making receivers, both for short wavelength radio waves and for white and ultraviolet light. Patent rights for their use in detecting electromagnetic radiation were granted to him in 1904. In 1954 Pearson and Brattain [14] gave priority to Bose for the use of a semi-conducting crystal as a detector of radio waves. Sir Neville Mott, Nobel Laureate in 1977 for his own contributions to solid-state electronics, remarked [12] that “J.C. Bose was at least 60 years ahead of his time” and “In fact, he had anticipated he existence of P-type and N-type semiconductors.”

In 1895 Bose gave his first public demonstration of electromagnetic waves, using them to ring a bell remotely and to explode some gunpowder. In 1896 the Daily Chronicle of England reported: “The inventor (J.C. Bose) has transmitted signals to a distance of nearly a mile and herein lies the first and obvious and exceedingly valuable application of this new theoretical marvel.” Popov in Russia was doing similar experiments, but had written in December 895 that he was still entertaining the hope of remote signalling with radio waves. The first successful wireless signalling experiment by Marconi on Salisbury Plain in England was not until May 1897. The 1895 public demonstration by Bose in Calcutta predates all these experiments. Invited by Lord Rayleigh, in 1897 Bose reported on his microwave (millimeter-wave) experiments to the Royal Institution and other societies in England [8]. The wavelengths he used ranged from 2.5 cm to 5 mm. In his presentation to the Royal Institution in January 1897 Bose speculated [see p.88 of ref.8] on the existence of electromagnetic radiation from the sun, suggesting that either the solar or the terrestrial atmosphere might be responsible for the lack of success so far in detecting such radiation – solar emission was not detected until 1942,and the 1.2 cm atmospheric water vapor absorption line was discovered during experimental radar work in 1944. Figure 1 shows J.C. Bose at the Royal Institution in London in January 1897; Figure 2 shows a matching diagram, with a brief description of the apparatus.

Figure 1. J.C. Bose at the Royal Institution, London, 1897. [13]

By about the end of the 19th century, the interests of Bose turned away from electromagnetic waves to response phenomena in plants; this included studies of the effects of electromagnetic radiation on plants, a topical field today. He retired from the Presidency College in 1915, but was appointed Professor Emeritus. Two years later the Bose Institute was founded. Bose was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1920. He died in 1937, a week before his 80th birthday; his ashes are in a shrine at the Bose Institute in Calcutta.

Figure 2. Bose’s apparatus demonstrated to the Royal Institution in London in 1897 [8]. Note the waveguide radiator on the transmitter at left, and that the “collecting funnel” (F) is in fact a pyramidal electromagnetic horn antenna, first used by Bose.

BOSE’S APPARATUS

Bose’s experiments were carried out at the Presidency College in Calcutta, although for demonstrations he developed a compact portable version of the equipment, including transmitter, receiver and various microwave components. Some of his original equipment still exists, now at the BoseInstitute in Calcutta. In 1985 the author was permitted by the Bose Institute to examine and photograph some of this original apparatus.

3(a

3(b)

Figure 3 Bose’s diagrams of his radiators. (a) shows the radiator used to generated 5-mm radiation, while (b) shows the arrangement with a lens L at the exit of the waveguide [2]. In some designs the mounting tems for the outer spheres could be inclined to adjust the dimension of the spark gaps.

Figure 3 (a) shows Bose’s diagram of one of his radiators, used for generating 5-mm radiation. Oscillation is produced by sparking between 2 hollow hemispheres and the interposed sphere. There is a bead of platinum on the inside surface of each hemisphere. For some experiments, a lens of glass or of sulphur was used to collimate the radiation – the first waveguide-lens antenna. The lens was designed according to the refractive index measured by Bose at the wavelength in use. Figure 3(b) shows Bose’s drawing of such a radiator; the sparks occur between the two outer spheres to the inner sphere, at the focal point of the lens L at the right. Bose was able to measure the wavelength of his radiation with a reflecting diffraction grating made of metal strips [7].

Bose measured the I-V characteristics of his junctions; an example characteristic curve of a “Single Point Iron Receiver” is shown in Figure 6. The junction consisted of a sharp point of iron, pressing against an iron surface, with pressure capable of fine adjustment. The different curves in Figure 6 correspond to different contact pressures. Bose noted that the unction does not obey Ohm’s law, and that there is a knee in the curve at approximately 0.45 volts; the junction becomes most effective at detection of short wavelength radiation when the corresponding bias voltage is applied. He made further measurements on a variety of junctions made of different materials, classifying the different materials into positive or negative classes of substance. In one experiment he noted that increasing the applied voltage to the junction actually decreased the resulting current, implying a negative dynamic resistance [15].

Another of Bose’s short-wavelength detectors is the spiral-spring receiver. A sketch of a receiver used for 5-mm radiation is shown in Figure 7; the spring pressure could be adjusted very finely in order to attain optimum sensitivity. The sensitive surface of the 5-mm receiver was 1 by 2 cm. The device has been described recently [3] as a “space-irradiated multi-contact semiconductor (using the natural oxide of the springs).” A surviving, somewhat larger, spiral spring receiver is shown in the photograph
Figure 8. The springs are held in place by a sheet of glass, seen to be partly broken in this example.

Figure 9 is Bose’s diagram of his polarization apparatus. The transmitter is the box at left, and a spiral spring receiver (‘R’) is visible on the right. One of the polarizers used by Bose was a cut-off metal plate grating, consisting of a book (Bradshaw’s Railway Timetable, Figure 10) with sheets of tinfoil interleaved in the pages. Bose was able to demonstrate that even an ordinary book, without the tinfoil, is able to produce polarization of the transmitted beam. The pages act as parallel dielectric sheets separated by a small air gap.

Bose’s diagram of his polarization apparatus. Note the spiral spring
receiver ‘R’ to the right.

Bose experimented with samples of jute in polarizing experiments. In one experiment, he made a twisted bundle of jute and showed that it could be used to rotate the plane of polarization. The modern equivalent component may be a twisted dielectric waveguide. He further used this to construct a macroscopic molecular model as an analogy to the rotation of polarization produced by liquids like sugar solutions.

THE DOUBLE-PRISM ATTENUATOR

Bose’s investigations included measurement of refractive index of a ariety of substances. He made dielectric lenses and prisms;

Bose’s 1897 diagram of the double-prism attenuator.

One investigation involved measurement of total internal reflection inside a dielectric prism, and the effect of a small air gap between two identical prisms. When the prisms are widely separated, total internal reflection takes place and the incident radiation is reflected inside the dielectric. When the 2 prisms touch, radiation propagates unhindered through both prisms. By introducing a small air gap, the combination becomes a variable attenuator to incident radiation; this is illustrated in Bose’s original diagram, shown in Figure 13. Bose investigated this prism attenuator experimentally; his results were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society in November, 1897 . Schaefer and Gross made a theoretical study of the prism combination in 1910; the device has since been described in standard texts.

At the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, Arizona a new multiple-feed receiver, operating at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, has recently been built and installed on the 12 Meter Telescope at Kitt Peak . The system is an 8-feed receiver, where the local oscillator is injected into the superconducting tunnel junction (SIS) mixers optically. With an SIS mixer receiver the power level of the injected local oscillator is critical; each of the 8 mixers requires independent local oscillator power adjustment. This is achieved by adjustable prism attenuators. Figure 15 shows 4 of these 8 prism attenuators, installed on one side of the 8-feed system; this can be compared with Figure 14, which is a photograph taken at the Bose Institute in Calcutta in 1985, of an original prism system built by Bose.

CONCLUSIONS

Research into the generation and detection of millimeter waves, and the properties of substances at these wavelengths, was being undertaken in some detail one hundred years ago, by J.C. Bose in Calcutta. Many of the microwave components familiar today – waveguide, horn antennas, polarizers, dielectric lenses and prisms, and even semiconductor detectors of electromagnetic radiation – were invented and used in the last decade of the nineteenth century. At about the end of the nineteenth century, many of the workers in this area simply became interested in other topics. Attention of the wireless experimenters of the time became focused on much longer wavelengths which eventually, with the help of the then unknown ionosphere, were able to support signalling at very much greater distances.

Although it appears that Bose’s demonstration of remote wireless signalling has priority over Marconi, he was the first to use a semiconductor junction to detect radio waves, and he invented various now commonplace microwave components, outside of India he is rarely given the deserved recognition. Further work at millimeter wavelengths was almost nonexistent for nearly 50 years. J.C. Bose was at least this much ahead of his time.

Dr. Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar

I have always been associated with many prominent figures eminent in other ways,
but Dr. Bhatnagar was a special combination of many things, added to which was a tremendous energy with an enthusiasm to achieve things. The result was he left a
record of achievement which was truly remarkable. I can truly say that but for Dr. Bhatnagar you could not have seen today the chain of national laboratories.
Pandit Jawaharlal 1

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar played a significant part alongwith Homi Jehangir Bhabha, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai and others in building of post-independent S&T infrastructure and in the formulation of India’s science and technology policies. Bhatnagar was the Founder Director of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),which was to later became a major agency for research in independent India. He was the first Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC)

He was Secretary, Ministry of Education and Educational Adviser to Government. Bhatnagar played an important role both in the constitution and deliberations of the Scientific Manpower Committee Report of 1948. ‘It may be pointed out that this was the first-ever systematic assessment of the scientific manpower needs of the country in all aspects which served as an important policy document for the government to plan the post-independent S&T infrastructure.’ Bhatnagar was a University Professor for 19 years (1921-40) first at the Banaras Hindu University and then at the Punjab University and he had a reputation as a very inspiring teacher and it was as a teacher that he himself was most happy. His research contribution in the areas of magneto chemistry and physical chemistry of emulsion were widely recognised. He also did considerable work in applied chemistry. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) of India, which bridges the gap between research and development. Bhatnagarwas responsible for the initiation of the Industrial Research Association movement in the country. He constituted the one-man Commission in 1951 to negotiate with oil companies for starting refineries and this ultimately led to the establishment of many oil refineries in different parts of the country. He induced many individuals and organisations to donate liberally for the cause of science and education. He exhibited high poetic talent particularly in Urdu .
Bhatnagar was born on 21 February 1894 at Bhera, in the district of Shapur in Punjab (now in Pakistan). Bhatnagar belonged to an educated elite family both from the paternaland maternal side. His paternal grandfather Rai Bahadur Munshi Manohar Lal Bhatnagar held high executive post and was particularly noted for his piety and honesty. His father Parmeshwari Sahai Bhatnagar, who was a distinguished graduate of the Panjab University, refused to take up judicial or executive service which was the tradition of the family and became headmaster of a high school in Bhera. His mother Parbati Bhatnagar was the eldest daughter of Pearey Lal, who was a distinguished engineer (he was one of the first to qualify as an engineer from the Roorkee College of Engineering). Under the influence of his maternal grandfather the young Bhatnagar not only developed a taste for engineering and science but also became interested at a very early age in his grandfather’s instruments, geometry and algebra and in making mechanical toys. Bhatnagar’s interest in poetry and literature also came from his mother’s side. It may be noted that his mother’s family produced a number of poets, the most famous of themwas Munshi Hargopal Tufta who got the title of Mirza from Mirza Ghalib the greatest Urdu poet. Bhatnagar’s maternal family which adorned the Moghul courts was bestowed with the title of Khwaja-i-Khawaja.
Bhatnagar’s father was disinherited and thus lost his share of family property because of his refusal to follow the family tradition. Unfazed by this Parmeshwari Sahai Bhatnagar continued to serve the society but when he died he left his wife and young children in dire poverty. Bhatnagarhad his earliest schooling in a private ‘Maktab” and then studied in A.V. High school in Sikandrabad in UP where his maternal grandfather worked. Rai Sahib Lala Raghunath Sahai, the famous headmaster of the Dyal Singh High School at Lahore and a friend of Bhatnagar’s father persuaded his mother to send Bhatnagar for schooling at Lahore. While studying in the Dyal Singh High School Bhatnagar came in contact with two leading Brahmos namely Pandit Shiv Nath Sastry and Babu Abinash Chandra Mazumdar. Bhatnagar, whose father had joined Brahmo Samaj, became highly interested in the activities of the Samaj. Raghunath Sahai, the head master, who later became Bhatnagar’s father-in-law played an important role in shaping the views news of Bhatnagar. Besides the headmaster the other teachers who had influenced Bhatnagar were Rai Bahadur Lala Ram Kishore (who later became the Vice-Chancellor of the Delhi University), Lala Bishen Narain Mathur, Moulvi Talib Ali Paband and Mohd. Ashraf .

Bhatnagar passed the Matriculation Examination in the first division and secured a University Scholarship. In 1911 Bhatnagar joined the newly established Dyal Singh College. Here he became an active member of the Saraswati Stage Society, established by Mrs. Norah Richards, the wife of the English literature professor of the College, P.E. Richards. Bhatnagar earned a good reputation as an actor. With Mrs. Richards’ encouragement Bhatnagar wrote in Urdu a one-act play called ‘Karamati ’(Wonder worker), the English translation of which earned him the prize and medal of the Saraswati Stage Society for the best play of the year 1912. Bhatnagar continued his interest in literary work in his later phases of life. After the death of his wife Bhatnagar wrote a collection of poems in Urdu in memory of his wife, which were published under the title Lajwanti.

Bhatnagar passed the Intermediate Examination of the Panjab University in 1913 in the first division and joined the Forman Christian College for the BSc degree. At the time of Bhatnagar’s joining the college. Dr. J.C.R Ewing was the Principal. Dr. Ewing (who later became Sir James Ewing) was for many years Vice-Chancellor of the Panjab University. Here he studied physics and chemistry and took up on Honours course in physics. He was taught physics by J.M. Benade,who had done research with Arthur Holly Compton (1892-1962), the Nobel Laureat in physics. Itmay be noted here that Bhatnagar did his first research work with Benade for his MSc degree on the subject of surface tension). Chemistry was taught by P. Carter Speers who used to be regarded as father of technical education in the University

Mr. Welinker, Principal of Dyal Singh College, who later became Director of Public Instruction wrote:‘Mr. Shanti Swarup was one of the ablest students in that large class of about 100 students; indeed, I am of opinion that in all-round ability he was the ablest. He distinguished himself in every branch of the work of his class—literary, scientific, dramatic, social and he gave the most complete satisfaction to the Professor by the excellence of his behavior. He is a young man of more than usual ability and I feel sure that if he is given opportunities of developing his talent in some great European or American Centre of Scientific research he will do some remarkable work in science and will thus be in a position to render high service to his country.’

After taking the Bachelor’s degree in 1916 he decided to take up his first formal employment as Demonstrator in the Physics and Chemistry Department of the Forman Christian College. Laterhe became the Senior Demonstrator in the Dyal Singh College. The employment, however, did not hinder Bhatnagar’s efforts in pursuing higher studies. He joined the MSc course in chemistry in the Forman Christian College and took the degree in 1919

With the initiative taken by Ruchi Ram Sahni Bhatnagar was awarded a scholarship by the Dyal Singh College Trust for his studies abroad. Armed with this scholarship Bhatnagar left for America via England. But after reaching England he found that it was impossible to find berth on ships sailing to America as all tickets had been booked for American troops which were then being demobilised. He informed the situation to the Trustees and the latter agreed to his doing post-graduate research in London. Bhatnagar presented himself with his research papers to Professor F. G. Donnan of the University College of London.Professor Donnan readily agreed to take Bhatnagar under his care for the DSc degree of the London University. In 1921 Bhatnagar received the degree. As a member of Donnan’s school he was engaged in the study of adhesion and cohesion in emulsions. His thesis was entitled ‘Solubilities of bi- and trivalent salts of higher fatty acids in oils and their effect on surface tension of oils.’ While working in London he also had a fellowship of the value of 250 pounds a year from the DSIR, England.

Bhatnagar returned to India in August 1921 and he joined the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as Professor of Chemistry. It may be noted that the BHU was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916. Bhatnagar stayed for three years in BHU and during this short span of time he was able to create an active school of physico-chemical research. Bhatnagar wrote the ‘Kulgeet’ (University song) of the University. Justice N.H. Bhagwati, Vice-Chancellor of BHU said: “Many of you perhaps do not know that besides being an eminent scientist, Professor Bhatnagar was a Hindi poet of repute and that during his stay in Banaras, he composed the ‘Kulgeet’ of the University…Prof. Bhatnagar is remembered with reverence in this University and will continue to be so remembered till this University exists.”

From Banaras Bhatnagar moved to Lahore where he was appointed as University Professor of Physical Chemistry and Director of University Chemical Laboratories. He spent 16 years in the Panjab University, Lahore and this period was the most active period of his life for original scientific work. While his major fields of study were colloidal chemistry and magneto-chemistry he did considerable work in applied and industrial chemistry. In 1928 Bhatnagar, jointly with K.N. Mathur, invented an instrument called the Bhatnagar-Mathur Magnetic Interference Balance.The balance was one of the most sensitive instruments for measuring magnetic properties. It was exhibited at the Royal Society Soiree in 1931 and it was marketed by Messers Adam Hilger and Co, London.

Bhatnagar did considerable work in applied and industrial chemistry. The first industrial problem undertaken by Bhatnagar was the development of a process to convert bagasse (peelings of sugarcane) into food cake for cattle. This was done for the Grand Old Man of Punjab, Sir Ganga Ram. He had undertake industrial problems for Delhi Cloth Mills; J.K. Mills Ltd., Kanpur; Ganesh Flour Mills Ltd., Layallapur; Tata Oil Mills Ltd., Bombay; Steel Brothers & Co. Ltd., London and so on. One of the important achievements of Bhatnagar in applied and industrial chemistry was the work he did for Attock Oil Company at Rawalpindi (representative of Messers Steel Brothers & Co London). Attock Oil Company in their drilling operations confronted a peculiar problem, wherein the mud used for drilling operation when came in contact with the saline water got converted into a solid mass which hardened further. This solidification of the mud rendered all drilling operations impossible.

Bhatnagar realised that this was a problem in colloidal chemistry and developed a suitable method to solve it. ‘The problem was elegantly solved by the addition of an Indian gum which had the remarkable property of lowering the viscosity of the mud suspension and of increasing at the same time its stability against the flocculating action of electrolytes.” M/s Steel Brothers was so pleased with the method developed by Bhatnagar that they offered a sum of Rs. 1,50,000/- to Bhatnagar for his research work on any subject related to petroleum. At the instance of Bhatnagar the company placed the amount at the disposal of the University. The grant helped to establish the Department of Petroleum Research under the guidance of Bhatnagar. Investigations carried out under this collaborative scheme included deodourisation of waxes, increasing flame height of kerosene and utilisation of waste products in vegetable oil and mineral oil industries. Realising the commercial importance of the collaborative scheme the Company increased the amount and extended the period from five years to ten years.

Bhatnagar persistently refused to receive any monetary benefit arising out of his applied industrial chemical research for his personal ends on the ground that it may be utilised for strengthening research facilities at the University. His sacrifices drew wide attention. Meghnad Saha wrote to Bhatnagar in 1934 saying, ‘you have hereby raised the status of the university teachers in the estimation of public, not to speak of the benefit conferred on your Alma Mater’.

Bhatnagar jointly with K.N. Mathur wrote a book ‘Physical Principles and Applications of Magneto chemistry’ and which was published by Macmillan publishers. This book was recognised as a standard work on the subject. Prafulla Chandra Ray wrote: “On turning over the pages of Nature my eyes chanced upon an advertisement of Macmillan’s in which I find your book at last advertised. That the book is of a high standard is indicated by the most excellent review in Current Science by Professor Stoner, who is competent to judge. As far as I know Meghnad’s is the only text book in physical sciences which has been adopted by foreign universities; and it gladdens my heart that another work in physical science is likely to occupy a similar place. My days are practically numbered; and my great consolation is that you, in chemistry, are raising the reputation, abroad, of Indian workers”.

In 1930s there were no appropriate research organisations for the development of natural resources and new industries. Thus Sir Richard Gregory, then editor of Nature, who after visiting scientific departments and universities in India in 1933 drew the attention of Sir Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for India, to the lack of appropriate research organisation equivalent to those of in DSIR in Britain for the development of natural research and new industries. He observed: “I knew that work of the Geological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Meteorological Department, Forestry and so on; but I think something should be done to form an Indian Research Council to make use of the undoubted capacity of Indians for scientific investigations and its applications. Scientific activities, many of them having a direct bearing upon the development of resources of the country, are scarcely given the attention they deserve.” Gregory was not alone in realising the need for appropriate research organisation. C.V. Raman, Lt. Col. Seymour Sewell and Dr. J.C. Ghosh had earlier proposed the creation of an Advisory Board of Scientific Research for India. Indian scientists at Calcutta and Bangalore initiated schemes to launch a National Institute of Sciences and an India Academy Science respectively. At the Fifth Industries Conference in 1933 the Provincial Governments of Bombay, Madras, Bihar and Orissa unanimously reiterated their demand to set up a co-ordinating forum for industrial research, Sir Hoare advised the Viceroy, Lord Willingdon to support the idea of an Indian version of DSIR. However, in May 1934 Willingdon informed Hoare in London that `the creation of a Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in India to promote the application of research to natural resources does not appear to be necessary.” Having rejected an Indian version of the DSIR the colonial Government decided in 1934 to make a small concession. The Govt. agreed to create an Industrial Intelligence and Research Bureau and which came into operation in April 1935 under the Indian Stores Department. The Bureau had very limited resources (with a budget of Rs. 1.0 lakh per annum) and thus it was not possible for it to undertake any industrial activity. It was mainly concerned with testing and quality control.

When the Second World War began it was proposed to abolish the Bureau. Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar, the Commerce Member, while accepting the recommendation that the Bureau be abolished argued that “the old Bureau should be abolished not as a measure of economy but to make room for a Board of Scientific and Industrial Research with vaster resources and wider objectives. Mudaliar’s persistent efforts led to the creation of the Board of Scientific and Industrial Research (BSIR) on April 1, 1940 for a period of two years. Bhatnagar, who by then had made remarkable contributions to chemistry was called on to take charge. Bhatnagar was designated Director, Scientific and Industrial Research and Sir Mudaliar became BSIR’s first Chairman. The BSIR was allocated an annual budget of Rs. 500,000 and placed under the Department of Commerce. By the end of 1940, about eighty researchers were engaged under BSIR, of whom one-quarter was directly employed. Within two years of its establishment the BSIR was able to work out a number of processes at the laboratory level for industrial utilisation. Those included techniques for the purification of Baluchistan sulphur anti-gas cloth manufacture, the development of vegetable oil blends as fuel and lubricants, the invention of a pyrethrum emulsifier and cream, the development of plastic packing cases for army boots and ammunition, dyes for uniforms and the preparation of vitamins. Bhatnagar persuaded the Government to set up an Industrial Research Utilisation Committee (IRUC) in early 1941 for translating results into application. Following the recommendation of IURC the Government agreed to make a separate fund out of the royalties received from industry for further investment into industrial research. A resolution moved by Mudaliar, recommending that an Industrial Research Fund be constituted for the purpose of fostering industrial development in the country , and that provision be made for an annual grant of rupees one million for a period of five years was accepted by the Central Assembly in Delhi at its session on 14 November 1941. The efforts of Mudaliar and Bhatnagar led to the constitution of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as an autonomous body, to administer the Research Fund created by the government. The CSIR came into operation on 28th September 1942. The BSIR and IRUC were designated as advisory bodies to the Governing body of the CSIR. In 1943 the Governing Body of the CSIR approved the proposal mooted by Bhatnagar to establish five national laboratories — the National Chemical Laboratory, the National Physical Laboratory, the Fuel Research Station, and the Glass and Ceramics Research Institute. In 1944 in addition to its annual budget of Rs. 1 million, the CSIR received a grant of Rs.10 million for the establishment of these laboratories. The Tata Industrial House donated Rs. 2 million for the Chemical, metallurgical and fuel research laboratories.

After India’s independence the CSIR was placed under the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself who was equally enthusiastic in the development of science in the country. By the end of 1954 twelve national laboratories were established and a dozen more were at the planning stage.

In 1936 the British Government conferred on Bhatnagar the Order of British Empire (OBE) based on his excellent contribution to pure and applied chemistry. Bhatnagar was knighted in 1941 in recognition of his work for the war effort. In 1943 the Society of Chemical Industry, London, elected Bhatnagar as Honorary Member and later as Vice President. He was elected Fellow of Royal Society, London, in 1943. He was the President of the Indian Chemical Society, National Institute of Sciences of India and the Indian National Science Congress. He was awarded the title Padma Vibhusan by the President of India.

Bhatnagar died on 1 January 1955.

Munshi Premchand

“Premchand was born on July 31, 1880 in a village called “Lamahi”, about four miles from the city of Benares, to an ordinary working family. HIs father, Munshi Azaayab Lal, was a village postmaster. Premchand lost his mother in his seventh year. His father married again. His elder sister was, to an extent, able to fill the gap left by his mother.

“Munshiji was subject to transfers frequently. Premchand also had to travel to many towns along with him. They could not settle down anywhere. Prenchand became acquainted with a bookseller called Buddhi Lal. He used to sit in his shop and read books. Premchand was quite facile in Hindi, Urdu, Parsi, and English.

“He was forced to take on the family responsibilities in his 16th year. He gave up his studies and got a government job as a village school teacher. While working, he studied privately and passed his Intermediate and B. A. examinations.

“Premchand’s real name was Nawab Rai or Dhanpath Rai. His book _Soje Vathan_ was banned by the then British government, which burned all of the copies. Therefore, from 1910 he continued to write under the pen name of “Premchand”.

“Premchand was a great social reformer; he married a [child?] widow named Shivarani Devi. In 1921 he answered Gandhiji’s call and resigned from his job. He worked to generate patriotism and nationalistic sentiments in the general populace. When the editor of the journal _Maryaada_ was jailed in the freedom movement, Premchand worked for a time as the editor of that journal. Afterward, he worked as the principal in a school in the Kashi Vidyapeeth [NB: I don't know if this term is supposed to indicate that it was Vedic School; given the fact of his involvement in the freedom movement, which at that time encouraged its followers to eschew any link with British institutions, this seems likely. -- SM]

“In the course of his work, he traveled through many small villages and towns, where he studied the people’s lives and wrote stories, novels, and essays. All the characters in his writings are true-to-life ordinary people. If anyone asked him why he doesn’t write anything about himself, this was his answer: “What greatness do I have that I have to tell anyone about? I live just like millions of people in this country; I am ordinary. My life is also ordinary. I am a poor school teacher suffering family travails. During my whole lifetime, I have been grinding away with the hope that I could become free of my sufferings. But I have not been able to free myself from suffering. What is so special about this life that needs to be told to anybody?”

“Premchand’s writings have been translated not only into all Indian languages, but also Russian, Chinese, and many other foreign languages. He spent his life as an ordinary school teacher, freedom fighter, social reformer, editor, and author of many great works. He left this world on October 8, 1936; his memory will always be with us.”

Mahadevi Verma

Mahadevi Verma(1907 – 1987) was one of the most famous modern Hindi poets. She is widely regarded as the modern Meera. Her descriptions of pain and sadness are extremely moving.

Mahadevi was born in Farukhabad , Uttar Pradesh in a family of lawyers. She was educated at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Mahadevi was married at an early age, as was common in India, in her time. But she was not attracted to worldly pleasures and even tried to become a Buddhist bhikshuni, though unsuccessfully. She was widely influenced by the teachings of Buddhism. The death of her father-in-law made such an impression on her that she decided to learn further. After completing her M.A. in Sanskrit from the Allahbad University, she started working as the headmistress of Allahbad Mahila Vidyapeeth. Later, she became the chancellor of the institute.

Mahadevi is considered as one of the major poets of the Chhayavaadi school of the Hindi literature, others being Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Jaishankar Prasad and Sumitranandan Pant. She was also a painter and sketched for her poetic works like Deepshikha. She is renowned for her book of memoirs, Atita Ke Chalcitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) and Smriti Ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). Her poetic achievements boast Dipshikha (The Flame of an Earthen Lamp) 1942. She died in 1987.

Major works Nihar, Rashmi, Neeraja, Saandhyageet, Yatra, Deepshikha, Yama, Sandhini

Dr. Harivansh Rai Bacchan

Harivanshrai Srivastav was born on 27th November 1907, in an ordinary Kayasth family in a small town near Allahabad. He was called “bachchan” at home, which means “child.” He received his formal schooling in a municipal school and attended Kayasth Paathshaalas to learn Urdu, which was the family tradition so as to help getting jobs in court. He completed his later education both at the Allahabad University and Banaras Hindu University. Since he gave up his university education to participate in the great upsurge of nationalism that began in 1930.

However he realized shortly that this was not the path he wanted to follow, so he went back to university. However from 1941 to 1952 he taught in the English Department at the Allahabad University and after that he spent the next two years at Cambridge University doing his doctoral thesis on W.B. Yeats. It was then, that he used ‘Bachchan’ as his last name instead of Srivasta. Bachchanji’s thesis got him his PhD at Cambridge. He however is the second Indian to get his doctorate in English literature from Cambridge. After returning to India he again took to teaching and also served at All India Radio, Allahabad.

In 1955, Bachchan shifted to Delhi to join the External Affairs Ministry as an officer on Special duty and during the period of 10 years that he served he was also associated with the evolution of Hindi as the official language. He also enriched Hindi through his translations of major writings. Besides Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, he will also be remembered for his Hindi translations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Othello and also the Bhagvad Gita. However in Nov 1984 he wrote his last poem ‘Ek November1984’ on Indira Gandhi’s assassination

Bachchan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1966 and received the Sahitya Akademi award three years later. In 1976 he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his immense contribution to Hindi literature. He was also honoured with the Saraswati Samman, the Sovietland Nehru Award and the Lotus Award of the Afro-Asian writers conference, for his unique contribution to the world of letters. But if ever asked to introduce himself, he had a simple introduction: Mitti ka tan, masti ka man, kshan-bhar jivan — mera parichay. (A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment’s life – that is me.) Truly a man of erudition and zest.

Priya Ranjan Das
Father’s Name Late Shri Jyotirindranath Dasmunsi
Mother’s Name Late Smt. Renukana Das Munsi
Date of Birth 13 November 1945
Place of Birth Chirirbander, Distt. Dinajpur East (Bangladesh)
Marital Status Married
Date of Marriage 15 April 1994
Spouse’s Name Smt. Deepa Dasmunsi
No. of Sons 1
Educational Qualifications M.A., LL.B.
Educated at Raiganj College, Distt. Uttar Dinajpur (West Bengal) and Calcutta University, Calcutta (West Bengal)
Profession Consultant , Advocate , Sportsperson , Political & Social Worker

Permanent Address 6A, Rani Bhawani Road,
Kolkata- 700 026 (West Bengal)
Tels.(033) 4640707, 4640505
Fax: (033) 4640202
(ii) P.O. Kaliaganj,
District-Uttar Dirajpur,
West Bengal
Tel. (03523) 258092

Present Address 7, Lodhi Estate,
New Delhi – 110 003
Tels.(011) 24653778, 24653895
Fax.(011) 24653727

Positions Held
1970 onwards Member, All India Congress Committee (A.I.C.C.)
1970-71 President, Youth Congress, West Bengal
1971 Elected to 5th Lok Sabha
1971-72 General Secretary, Pradesh Congress Committee (P.C.C.), West Bengal
1971-75 Elected President, Indian Youth Congress
1971-77 Member, Public Accounts Committee
Special Invitee, Congress Working Committee
1977 Elected Member, Central Election Committee, I.N.C.
1977-78 Elected Member, Congress Working Committee
1979 Member, C.P.B., AICC (S)
1980-82 President, P.C.C. (S), West Bengal
1984 Re-elected to 8th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
1985-88 President, P.C.C., West Bengal
1985-89 Union Minister of State, Commerce
1989-91 Vice-President, P.C.C., West Bengal
1996 Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
Member, Committee on Public Undertakings
1998 Member, CPP Executive Committee
Working President, PCC, West Bengal
1999 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (4th term)
Chief Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha
1999-2004 Member, Committee on Railways
Member, Committee on Government Assurances
Member, Business Advisory Committee
Member, Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme
Member, Committee on Public Accounts
2004 Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha( 5th term)
23 May 2004 -Nov. 2005 Union Cabinet Minister, Water Resources
Nov. 2005 onwards Minister of Information & Broadasting ; Parliamentary Affairs
Books Published
“Anek Rakta Anek Nam” (Political Novel); “Take Over” (Novel); “Maner Manush” (Novel); “Bhorer Sanai” (Poetry Collection); “Ekhan Madhyanha” (Poetry Collection); “Ayodhya Sayahna” (Poetry Collection)

Literary Artistic & Scientific Accomplishments
Editor, “Dakhinee Barta”—A Bengali Magazine

Social And Cultural Activities
President, Gan Sanskriti Sangsad, a mass cultural organisation founded by Late Dr. Nihar Ranjan Roy
Special Interests
Defence studies and environment; Tagore and other Nobel laureates in literature

Sports and Clubs
Sports; Chairman, Legal Committee, Asian Football Confederation (AFC); President, All India Football Federation since 1988; Vice-President, Indian Olympic Association; Member, (i) F.I.F.A. Standing Committee; (ii) Asian Football Confederation Technical Committee; (iii) Mohan Bagan; (iv) East Bengal; (v) Mohammadan Sporting Club, Calcutta; and (vi) Member, Court of Arbitration, FIFA.

Countries Visited
Widely travelled; Member of several Parliamentary delegations during 1971-77 and 1984-89; Member, Indian Delegation for World Peace, 1972, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Leader, Indian Youth Delegation at the 10th World Youth Festival, Berlin, 1973; Indian Delegate to the 17th Congress of Komsomol, Moscow, 1974; Indian Delegate to Euro-Afro-Arab Youth Conference, Baghdad, 1975; led as Head of Indian Football Delegation to China, 1982; attended FIFA Congresses at Spain (1982), Italy (Rome, 1990) Switzerland (Zurich, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996), U.S.A, (Chicago, 1994, Los Angeles, 1999), and France (Paris, 1998); Argulia, 2002, Qatar, 2003; attended AFC Congresses at Indonesia (Bali, 1990), Hong Kong, 1992, Malaysia (Kualalampur, 1994, 1996, 1998) and Singapore, 1995
Other Information
Devoted N.C.C. Cadet since college days; “C” Certificate Holder of N.C.C.; Senior Under Officer, N.C.C. (the highest distinction), 1962-66; stood first in the march past ceremony of West Bengal Cadet Camp at Salua, Kharagpur, 1963; Treasurer, Debate Secretary and Vice-President, Calcutta University Students` Union, President, 1967-70; Vice-President, (i) Calcutta University Students Union 1964-67; West Bengal Chhatra Parishad, 1967-1970; Member, General Council, Law College Students Union, Calcutta University, 1965-68; engaged in legal profession agt Kolcata High Court (1976-77 to 1984); General Secretary, 74th Plenary Session, A.I.C.C. Reception Committee (Bidhan Nagar Session), 1971; Technical Study Group Member FIFA in 1995 World Women Cup at Sweden; Match Commissioner, FIFA, World Women Cup, 1999, U.S.A.; served special duties at World Cup (Football), France, 1998 (First Indian to get this Privilege); Special Duty Officer in World Cup (Football), Korea-Japan, 2002; Chief`de Mission, Inida Olympics Contgirt in 2004 at Athens, Greece

SubodhKant Sahai
Father’s Name Late Shri Brijdeo Sahay
Mother’s Name Late Smt. Indrani Devi
Date of Birth 11 June 1951
Place of Birth Latehar (Bihar)
Marital Status Married
Date of Marriage 28 March 1991
Spouse’s Name Smt. Rekha Sahay
No. of Daughters 1
Educational Qualifications B.Sc., LL.B.
Educated at A.N. College, Patna and Ranchi University

Permanent Address E-39, Sector – III, H.E.C. Township,
Dhurwa, Ranchi – 834 004
Tels. (0651) 2442056, 2442115
Fax. (0651) 2443256

Present Address 11, Akbar Road,
New Delhi – 110 001
Tels. (011) 23018152, 23018317, 23018318

Positions Held
1978-1989 Member, Bihar Legislative Assembly (three terms)
Member, Public Accounts Committee, Bihar Legislative Assembly (four years)
Member, Committee of Privileges, Bihar Legislative Assembly (two years)
Member, Committee on Petitions, Bihar Legislative Assembly (three years)
Member, Library Committee, Bihar Legislative Assembly (four years)
1989 Elected to 9th Lok Sabha
April 1990 – November 1990 Union Minister of State, Home Affairs
November 1990 – June 1991 Union Minsiter of State, Information & Broadcasting & Home Affairs
2004 Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
22 May 2004 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Food Processing Industries
29 January 2006 onwards Minister, Food Processing

Social And Cultural Activities
Involved in social and welfare activities since student days and organised several National and State Level programmes for mobilisation of youth, working for the upliftment of the downtrodden, deprived and minority communities
Special Interests
Yoga and meditation

Favourite Pastime and Recreation
Reading and listening to music

Sports and Clubs
Encouraging and promoting various sports activities among the rural youth

Countries Visited
France, Russia, U.K., U.S.A. and other Western countries
Other Information
Actively involved in the Non-Aligned Student and Youth Organisation (NASYO) being the Chairman of the organisation; takes special interest in working in close coordination with reputed Non-Governmental Organizations engaged in the fileds of health and rural empowerment/development; participated in Jai Prakash Movement; Member, Preparatory Committee, World Youth Festival; General Secretarty, (i) Yuva Janata for three years; (ii) Janata Party for two years; (iii) Janata Dal for 6 months ;Working President Yuva Janta for two years; President Yuva Janata for three years

Smt. Neera Shastri

C-I/17,Pandara Park, New Delhi-03 Tel No.9810300044
Email : neerashastri@hotmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
W/O Late Shri Ashok Shastri ( S/o Late Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, Ex. P.M.,India)
Education : M.Sc. (Zoology), University of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Various Positions held in Govt./NGOs

Former Member,Delhi Commission for Women
Former Member, All India Handicrafts Board
Chairperson,Shastri Niketan
Member, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital Advisory Committee
Chairperson,Mahila Chetna Samiti,Varanasi

Member, All India Handicrafts Board
Member, Zonal Railway Consultative Committee
Member, Telephone Advisory Committee
Member of Central Board of Film Certification, Delhi

Worked in the field of :

Family welfare
Income generation Schemes
Water Conservation and Allied Schemes
Tribal Development

Other Related Social Welfare Activities & Experience:

I had successfuly organised a conference of Muslim women which was addressed by Hon’ble Prime Minister, at New Delhi in 1998.

As a Member of Lal Bahadur Shastri Advisory Committee of the Hospital and even before that I was associated with the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital i.e. from the day of its inception, I had the privilege of getting it inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri AB Vajpayee ji and later on in-patient Deptt. was got inaugurated by Shri Advaniji.

Promoted the youth of various organisations and a huge gathering of youth wing from Eastern side of our country was addressed by Prime Minister Shri AB Vajpayee ji in the year 1997.

Actively organised and participated in various programmes for the upliftment of windows and disabled. It included getting pecuniary benefits to them and also providing with gainful employment. Organised several workshops for the disabled.

Established rehabilitation centres for destitute children and conducted literacy awareness campus through Chairperson, Shastri Niketan/Mahila Chetna Samiti. Organised several blood donation camps, eye operation camps and participated in welfare activities with the help of other NGOs in the capacity of Executive Member, Shastri Sewa Niketan, Manda, Allahabad, an all India Institution devoted to upliftment of rural women and children. Was responsible for planning and establishing several branches of Sewa Niketan in various parts of the country with a view to train women in various trades and skills to enable them take up self-employment.

During Tsunami and earthquakes in Gujarat, Kashmir and other parts of countaries, organised relief material collection work. After the Tsunami, visited and reviewed the rehabilitation of affected people in Andman and Nicobar Islands by visiting these areas.

Amitabh Bachchan

The ‘Shahenshah’ of Bellwood was born to well-known poet late Sri Hariwansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan in Allahabad on October 11, 1942.
Amitabh went to Sherwood College, a boarding school in Nainital, and then to Kirori Mal College in Delhi University where he earned a double MA.
The elder son of Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a former stage actor, radio announcer and freight company executive in Shaw Wallace in Calcutta, before coming to the land of dreams, Bombay (now Mumbai). He had to struggle a lot in Bollywood because of his unconventional looks and his height. At 6’3”, he was considered far too tall by the filmmakers. Surprisingly, despite having a rich baritone voice, Bachchan failed in an audition at the All India Radio!

Ultimately, it was K A Abbas who gave Amitabh his first break in ‘Saat Hindustani’ (1969). But the film failed miserably, with Bachchan going almost unnoticed. Amitabh played the lead role, for the first time in his career, in ‘Pyar Ki Kahani’ (1971), directed by Ravikant Nagaich.
It was on the sets of B R Ishara’s ‘Ek Nazar’ (1972) that Amitabh and Jaya Bhaduri realized that they were in love with each other. They married soon after.

Though Amitabh got an award for the best supporting actor for ‘Anand’ (1972), he was eclipsed by a stellar performance from Rajesh Khanna.

It was his 13th film ‘Zanjeer’, directed by Prakash Mehra, which catapulted Amitabh to fame. In the film, he played a strict police officer. The role, which fetched him the title ‘The Angry Young Man’, came to him by default. A host of actors like Dharmendra, Dev Anand and Raj Kumar refused to do the role on account of some apprehension.

Then began a remarkable journey to fame and success. In no time the Indian film industry was declared a ‘One Man Industry’, and Bachchan its undisputed king.

Amitabh had his ‘sweet revenge’ against Rajesh Khanna by outshining him in ‘Namak Haraam’ (1974). The film secured him another award for Best Supporting Actor.

The year 1975 saw the release of Amitabh’s two biggest hits till date. Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Sholay’ and Yash Chopra’s ‘Deewaar’. Amitabh got his first Best Actor Award for Manmohan Desai’s ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ (1977), next year for ‘Don’ and then for ‘Hum’ (1991).

He also bagged the National Award for Best Actor for ‘Agneepath’, which was made by the late Mukul Anand.

Amitabh worked with a host of directors in the 70s and the 80s ranging from Prakash Mehra to Yash Chopra and from Hrishikesh Mukherjee to Manmohan Desai.

After ‘Zanjeer’ Amitabh again joined hands with Prakash Mehra to give hits like ‘Hera Pheri’ (1975), ‘Muqaddar Ka Siqander’ (1979), ‘Lawaaris’ (1981), ‘Namak Halaal’ (1982) and ‘Sharaabi’ (1984).

Yash Chopra exploited the romantic side of Bachchan to the hilt in ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ (1976) and ‘Silsila’ (1981). Bachchan also did the ‘angry’ roles with Yash Chopra in ‘Trishul’ (1978) and ‘Kaala Patthar’ (1979).

Bachchan essayed a fantastic range of ‘off-beat’ roles under the direction of veteran Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Apart from ‘Anand’ and ‘Namak Haraam’, he gave standout performances in ‘Abhimaan’ (1973) ‘Mili’ (1975), ‘Chupke Chupke’ (1975), ‘Jurmana’ (1979) and ‘Bemisaal’ (1982).

With the late Manmohan Desai, the director with the Midas touch, Amitabh did nine films, which included blockbusters like ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, ‘Suhaag’ (1979) and ‘Coolie’ (1983).

The adulation for Amitabh became clear when he was gravely injured during the filming of ‘Coolie’ in 1983. While he was battling for life in the hospital, the whole nation offered prayers at temples and mosques for his recovery. His other hits with ‘Man’ were ‘Parvarish’ (1977), ‘Naseeb’ (1981), ‘Desh Premee’ (1982) and ‘Mard’ (1985).

Amitabh’s sizzling on-screen chemistry with Rekha worked wonders at the box office. No wonder, the delectable duo was considered one of the most successful Bollywood pairs. They worked together for the first time in Dulal Guha’s ‘Do Anjaane’ (1976).

Amitabh matched the acting skills of another great actor in Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Shakti’ (1982). The son of a strict police officer (Dilip Kumar), he takes to the life of high crime and smuggling. It was a big challenge for Amitabh the actor, and he came out with flying colors.

In the wake of the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, on the advice of his close friend Rajiv Gandhi, he contested the general elections for the first time from his hometown Allahabad. His electoral debut proved the Waterloo of stalwart H N Bahuguna.

His stint in politics, however, proved short-loved. As ill luck would have it, Amitabh got embroiled in some scandals. Having realized that politics was not his cup of tea, Amitabh resigned his seat in Parliament, vowing never to dabble in politics again.

In 1988 came Tinu Anand’s ‘Shahenshah’. It blazed a new trail, with Amitabh becoming the first major film star to take his film’s distribution rights for Mumbai in lieu of his salary.

The post-‘Shahenshah’ period marked a lull in the career of Amitabh. A host of mediocre films like ‘Ganga Jamuna Saraswati’, ‘Toofan’, ‘Jaadugar’ littered this phase of Bachchan’s career.

But then, the Big B bounced back – in brilliant fashion– when the industry started to write him off. The comeback film was ‘Hum’ (1991) which was a smashing hit, thanks to Big B’s stellar performance.

A few years later, Amitabh started his own production company, the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL). ABCL ventured into film distribution with Mani Ratnam’s ‘Bombay’. It also was the principal sponsor of the Miss Universe Contest, held in Bangalore in 1996.

Unfortunately, ABCL fell on evil days, buried neck deep in debt. The company’s cup of woe ran over when his films flopped miserably at the box-office. And he was again ‘written off’ by the industry.

This time, too, Bachchan bounced back in style. Only, it was his performance on the small screen that revived the Bachchan magic. The host of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ once again rode the roller coaster of fame. A mellowed Bachchan found himself firmly ‘locked’ in the hearts of millions of his adoring fans. The show represented a paradigm shift in the history of Indian television. It is still luxuriating in the lap of success.

Then came the international accolades. Amitabh was chosen Superstar of the Millennium, easing out giants like Sir Lawrence Olivier and Charlie Chaplin on a BBC online poll. National recognition followed soon. On January 26, 2001 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his outstanding contributions to Indian Cinema.

Amitabh is a relieved man now, having paid off all his debts. What is more, he is once again a force to reckon with in the Indian film industry and has some very interesting films coming up.

Undoubtedly, Amitabh is still the Shahenshah of the Indian film industry. The Big B is an icon who has survived three decades of competition, even trends. And emerged a winner.

Shatrugn Sinha

Shatrughan Sinha (born December 9, 1948) is an Indian actor and now politician , born in Patna.

Biography
Sinha hails from Patna, Bihar, a place not known for film personalities. He moved to Mumbai to become an actor and established himself as a prominent member of the Indian film industry. He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India.

Movie career
Shatrughan Sinha was one of the top male Bollywood film stars in the 1970s and 1980s. He began his career by playing villainous roles and was immensely successful in portraying stylised villains. He then switched over to playing the protagonist/main lead and was even more successful in solo starrers as well as multi-starrers. While he was at the peak of his acting career, in the mid-1980s, he decided that he should do something for his country. Inspired by the great politician from Bihar Mr. Jai Prakash Narayan, he decided to enter politics.
He chose to join an opposition party, the Bhartiya Janata Party, which was then a small outfit made up of two Members of Parliament. He faced many obstacles in his political career due to this and his attempts to do social work in Bihar were often obstructed by the ruling party at that time. His attempt to organise entertainment mega events with the help of film personalities from Mumbai to raise money for important social causes dear to him were stopped time and again under one false pretext or the other.
Sinha is considered one of the most successful actor politician of India, having made history by being the first member of the film fraternity to become a cabinet minister with the Government of India. He has held two portfolios, the department of health, and the department of shipping. He is still a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and campaigns for the party all over India and is well known as a leader of the masses and a brilliant orator. As of May 2006, he has been appointed as the head of the BJP Culture and Arts Department

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