Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25 1924, in Gwalior. His father name is Shri Krishna Bihari Vajpayee. Atal Bihari Vajpayee has earned a masters degree in political science from the Victoria College now Laxmibai College and DAV College . He began his involvement in politics as a freedom-fighter during the Quit India Movement of 1942-1945.

He was one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (Indian People's Union), a party linked to the Hindu organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), of which he was the President between 1968 and 1973. He was first elected to the Parliament of India in 1957 and was the leader of the Jana Sangh political party up to the formation of the Janata Party in 1977. He served as the Minister for External Affairs in the government of Morarji Desai from March 1977 to July 1979. In 1980, he left the Janata Party,and helped form the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was leader of the BJP parliamentary party between 1980 and 1984, 1986 and between 1993 and 1996. He was the leader of the Opposition in the 11th Lok Sabha. Serving in both the lower house, the Lok Sabha , and the upper house, the Rajya Sabha , he has represented his home town of Gwalior, and the city of Lucknow.

On October 13, 1999, he took charge as Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive term at the head of a new coalition government, the National Democratic Alliance. He was Prime Minister for a short period in 1996. He is the only Prime Minister since Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to have become Prime Minister of India through three successive mandates.

A veteran Parliamentarian whose career stretches over four decades, Shri Vajpayee has been elected to the Lok Sabha (House of the People) nine times and to the Rajya Sabha (House of the States) twice.

Educated at Victoria (now Laxmi Bai) College, Gwalior and DAV College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Vajpayee holds an M.A (Political Science) degree and has many literary, artistic and scientific accomplishments. He edited Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly) and the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun. His published works include "Meri Sansadiya Yatra" (four volumes), "Meri Ikkyavan Kavitayen", "Sankalp Kaal", "Shakti-se-Shanti", "Four Decades in Parliament" (speeches in three volumes), 1957-95, "Lok Sabha mein Atalji" (a collection of speeches); Mrityu Ya Hatya", "Amar Balidan", "Kaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundalian" (a collection of poems written in jail during Emergency); "New Dimensions of India's Foreign Policy" (a collection of speeches delivered as External Affairs Minister during 1977-79); "Jan Sangh Aur Mussalman"; "Sansad Mein Teen Dashak" (Hindi) (speeches in Parliament - 1957-1992 - three volumes; and "Amar Aag Hai" (a collection of poems) 1994.

 

Shri Vajpayee has served on a number of important Committees of Parliament. He was Chairman, Committee on Government Assurances (1966-67); Chairman, Public Accounts Committee (1967-70); Member, General Purposes Committee (1986); Member, House Committee and Member, Business Advisory Committee, Rajya Sabha (1988-90); Chairman, Committee on Petitions, Rajya Sabha (1990-91); Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Lok Sabha (1991-93); Chairman, Standing Committee on External Affairs (1993-96).

India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan. He was also conferred the Lokmanya Tilak Puruskar and the Bharat Ratna Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant Award for the Best Parliamentarian, both in 1994. Kanpur University honoured him with an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in 1993. 

P V Narasimha Rao

P V Narasimha Rao

Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao was born on June 28, 1921 at Vangara (village), Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. His father was P. Ranga Rao. He studied in Osmania University, Hyderabad, Bombay University and the Nagpur University. He was able to speak in 17 languages. He was an agriculturist and an advocate. He was an active freedom-fighter during India's indpendence movement, and after independence, he joined politics full time. He was the Minister of Law and Information, 1962-64; Law and Endowments, 1964-67; Health and Medicine, 1967 and Education, 1968-71, Government of Andhra Pradesh. He was the Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, 1971-73; General Secretary, All India Congress Committee, 1975-76; Chairman, Telugu Academy, Andhra Pradesh, 1968-74; Vice-President, Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, Madras, from 1972. He was also Member, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, 1957-77; Member, Lok Sabha 1977-84. He was Minister for External Affairs from January 14, 1980 to July 18, 1984; Minister of Home Affairs from July 19, 1984 to December 31, 1984 and the Minister of Defence from December 31, 1984 to September 25, 1985. He then assumed charge as Minister of Human Resource Development on September 25, 1985.

successfully published 'SahasraPhan', a Hindi translation of late Shri Viswanatha Satyanarayana's famous Telegu Novel 'Veyi Padagalu' published by Jnanpith; 'Abala Jeevitam', Telugu translation of late Shri Hari Narayan Apte's famous Marathi Novel, "Pan Lakshat Kon gheto", published by Central Sahitya Academy. He translated other famous works from Marathi to Telugu and from Telugu to Hindi, and published many articles in different magazines mostly under a pen name. He lectured at Universities in the U.S.A. and West Germany on political matters and allied subjects. As Minister of External Affairs he travelled extensively to U.K., West Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Egypt in 1974.

After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the general elections of 1991 , Rao was chosen to lead the Congress party and after Congress won in parliament later that year he became Prime Minister. He was the first person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to serve as Prime Minister for five continuous years. He was also the first Prime Minister to lead a minority government for a full term .

His government survived a "no-confidence" vote in Parliament in 1994. In 1996 a corruption scandal rocked the government. When general elections were held in May, Rao and Congress were badly defeated, and he lost the prime ministership. He retained leadership of the Congress party until late 1996 . After his retirement from national politics Rao published a novel named The Insider . The controversial book, which follows the career of a person as he rises through the ranks of Indian politics, resembled events from Rao's own life. Rao, however, denied any connection. Rao passed away from heart attack in December 2004 at the age of 83.

 

He was never an iconic leader. And while his leadership through the economic crisis, terrorism, religious violence and corruption scandals inspired the people to beat the odds, endure the hardship and look at the future optimistically, he was never loved or idolized. And since the fruits of his substantial labors were long to materialize, he was never actually as popular as his more iconic predecessors, who had faced and achieved much less. 

Deshbandhu Chittranjan Das

Deshbandhu Chittranjan Das

Chittranjan Das was born on November 5, 1870 in Calcutta. Das descended from a family of "vaidyas" or physicians. His father, Bhuben Mohan Das, was a lawyer and journalist. His mother's name was Nistarini Devi. Das developed a logical mind owing to his father and a liberal outlook and a deep sense of hospitality owing to his mother. As a child, Das was deeply imbued with patriotism and recited patriotic poems. After school, Das entered the Presidency college. He excelled at English but did poorly in Mathematics. Das developed a keen interest in Bengali literature and read most works of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Rabindranath Tagore. On his father's advice, Das joined the Bar and the Inner Temple in London. He became a barrister in 1893.

Das started practicing in the Calcutta High court and had the opportunity to defend national workers like Bipin Chandra Pal and Arvinda Ghosh. The case against Arvinda Ghosh came to be known as the Alipore Bomb Conspiracy. Two attempts on the life of the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta, Mr. Kingsford, were made because he was ruthless while handing out punishments. The first attempt through a mail bomb was a failure. The second attempt was made by Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki. The attempt resulted in the death of 2 innocent English women but Lord Kingsford escaped. Prafulla committed suicide and Khudiram was captured and sentenced to death. A witch hunt ensued and A. Ghosh was labelled the master-mind behind the blasts by the British Government. Nobody was ready to defend Ghosh except Chittranjan Das. The entire trial lasted for 126 days, 200 witnesses were examined, 4000 paper exhibits and 500 material exhibits in the form of bombs and explosives were filed in the case. Das's concluding statements alone lasted for 9 days. Arvinda Ghosh was acquitted. Das accepted no fee for defending Ghosh; in fact he incurred a heavy loss of Rs. 15,000 by the time the case was complete.

Besides being an astute lawyer, Das was a literary man. He has works like Mala and Antaryami (poems expressing religious spirit and devotion), and Kishore Kishori (poem expressing the eternal love between Lord Krishna and Radha). Along with Arvinda Ghosh, he founded the famous journal Bande Mataram. He was also the editor in chief of the journal Forward, a mouthpiece of the Swaraj party.

Das was moved by Gandhiji's call for non-violent resistance to the British Government. The Indian Reforms Act, also known as the Montford Reforms were passed in 1919 in Britain. The reforms were aimed at achieving a responsible government in India. Das moved a resolution declaring the reforms "inadequate, unsatisfactory and disappointing." He appealed to the Government to make a conscientious effort for setting up a more responsible government in India. The Congress accepted Das's resolution with a few amendments. A sub-committee recommended a boycott of educational institutions, law courts and legislative councils. Das believed that most effective way to gain freedom was to fight the British from without and within. He favored the boycott of the schools and courts but opposed the boycott of legislative councils.

Das declared that he would give up his practice to set an example for his people. Das played an important role in the boycott of the arrival of Prince of Wales in Calcutta on November 17, 1920. When the Prince stepped into the city he found it deserted. Das did his best to keep the boycott complete and peaceful. He organized the Congress Volunteers Corps for effectively implementing Congress programs. He enrolled one crore volunteers to raise Rs 1 crore for the Tilak Swaraj Memorial Fund. The volunteers were involved in picketing Government offices, shops selling foreign goods, liquor shops. They were also involved in selling khaddar. This led to an unprecedented mass awakening.

 

The fallout of the boycott of colleges resulted in many students with no educational institution to go to. Das setup the Bengal National College to fulfill the demands of the students. In December 1921 Das was arrested. Getting into the police car Das told the crowd, "Men and women of India. This is my message to you. Victory is in sight if you are prepared to win it through suffering." Conches were blown and flowers showered on Deshbandhu (literally: friend of the nation) as he was fondly called for the sacrifices he made for the freedom struggle, as the police car started. Deshbandhu was first imprisoned in the Presidency Jail and was moved to the Central Jail where many of his followers were imprisoned. Das was released the following year.

Deshbandhu, along with Motilal Nehru, founded the Swaraj Party in 1923 for maintaining of continued participation in legislative councils. The party was soon recognized as the parliamentary wing of the Congress. In Bengal many of the candidates fielded by the Swaraj Party were elected to office. The Governor invited Deshbandhu to form a government but he declined. The party came to be a powerful opposition in the Bengal Legislative Council and inflicted defeats on three ministries.

The Calcutta Municipal Act of 1923 was a major landmark in the history of local self-government in India. The Swarajists were elected to the Calcutta Corporation in a majority in 1924. Deshbandhu was elected mayor and Subash Chandra Bose was appointed Chief Executive Officer. Greater efficiency was brought to the administration and many welfare projects were implemented. After giving up his legal practice Deshbandhu went from one of the richest men in Calcutta to one of the poorest. His liabilities amounted to one lakh rupees. The only asset he had was his huge building in Calcutta which he wanted to gift to the nation. Deshbandhu set up a fund, which was later made the Deshbandhu Memorial Fund through Gandhiji's intervention to clear his liabilities, build a temple, establish an orphanage and provide education to the masses. establish an orphanage and provide education to the masses. The total amount collected by the fund amounted to eight lakh rupees. Deshbandhu's home was converted to a hospital for women and is called Chittranjan Seva Sadan.

The struggle with the Government became more intense on account of the legalization of the oppressive Bengal Ordinance which authorized arrest of individuals suspected of terrorism without probable cause. Das had returned with a high fever from the Belgaum Congress session of 1925. When he heard that the ordinance was to be legalized on January 7, 1925, Deshbandhu declared from his sickbed, "The Black Bill is coming up for discussion. I must attend at any cost and oppose it." He was taken to the Council on a stretcher attended by two doctors. The bill was defeated. On June 16, 1925, Deshbandhu's condition worsened. He died while resting in Darjeeling. On Deshbandhu's death, Subash Chandra Bose said, "The death of Deshbandhu... was for India a national calamity... ." 

Chandra Shekhar

Chandra Shekhar

Chandra Shekhar Singh was born on July 1, 1927 in village Ibrahimpatti in District Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. Shri Chandra Sekhar is married to Smt. Duja Devi.

He had his Master�s Degree in Political Science from Allahabad University (1950-51). He joined the Socialist Movement. He was closely associated with Acharya Narendra Dev. He was elected Secretary of the District Praja Socialist Party, Ballia. Within a year, he was elected Joint Secretary of the U.P. State Praja Socialist Party. In 1955-56 he took over as General Secretary of the U.P., State Praja Socialist Party.

In 1962, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. He joined the Indian National Congress in January 1965. In 1967 he was elected General Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party. He founded and edited YOUNG INDIAN, a weekly published from Delhi in 1969. During the Emergency (June 1975 to March 1977) YOUNG INDIAN had to be closed down. It resumed regular publication in February 1989. He is the Chairman of its Editorial Advisory Board.

He has always stood against politics of personalities and has favoured politics of ideology and social change. This propelled him more towards Shri Jayaprakash Narayan and his idealist view of life during the turbulant days of 1973-75. When Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975, he was arrested under Maintenance of Internal Security Act inspite of the fact that he was a member of the Central Election Committee and Working Committee, top bodies of the Indian National Congress. Shri Chandra Sekhar was among the few individuals in the then ruling party who was imprisoned during the Emergency.

His diary, written in Hindi while undergoing imprisonment during the Emergency period, was later published under the title 'Meri Jail Diary'. A well-known compilation of his writings is 'Dynamics of Social Change'.

Shri Chandra Shekhar undertook a marathon walk (Padayatra) through the country from Kanyakumari to Rajghat (Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi) in New Delhi covering a distance of nearly 4260 kms from January 6, 1983 to June 25, 1983. He has established about fifteen Bharat Yatra Centres in various parts of the country including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to train social and political workers for mass education and grassroot work in backward pockets of the country.

He has been a Member of Parliament since 1962 except for a brief period from 1984 to 1989. In 1989 he successfully contested both from his home constituency, Ballia, and the adjoining Maharajganj constituency in Bihar. He vacated the latter. He was President of the Janata Party from 1977 to 1988.

 

He was Prime Minister for only seven months from 10 November 1990 to 21 June 1991. He resigned after the Congress Party withdrew support to him. He remained in office until national elections could be held later that year.

He was honoured with the inaugural Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1995. Today, he is a member of India's Parliament. He now leads Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) , (Socialist People's Party (National))

V P Singh

V P Singh

Vishwanath Pratap Singh was born on June 25, 1931 at Allahabad, Shri V.P. Singh is the son of Raja Bahadur Ram Gopal Singh. He was educated at Allahabad and Poona Universities. He was married to Smt. Sita Kumari on June 25, 1955.

A scholarly man, he was the proud founder of Gopal Vidyalaya, Intermediate College, Koraon, Allahabad. He was the President of the Students Union at Udai Pratap College, Varanasi in 1947-48 and was the Vice-President, Allahabad University Students Union. He actively participated in Bhoodan movement in 1957 and donated a well-established farm in village Pasna, District Allahabad.

He was the member of All India Congress Committee; Executive Body, Allahabad University, 1969-71 and Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh 1969-71. He was the Whip, Congress Legislative Party, 1970-71; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), 1971-74; Union Deputy Minister of Commerce, October 1974-November 1976; Union State Minister of Commerce, November 1976-March 1977; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), January 3-July 26,1980.

He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, June 9, 1980- June 28, 1982; Member, Legislative Council, Uttar Pradesh, November 21, 1980-June 14,1981; Member Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh, June 15, 1981-July 16, 1983. As a Union Minister of Commerce in January 29,1983, he also held additional charge of the Department of Supply in February 15,1983. He was the Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) in July 16, 1983; on September 1, 1984 he was elected President, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and on December 31, 1984 he became the Union Finance Minister.

After resigning as Congress cabinet minister under Rajiv Gandhi , he joined in Jan Morcha . He was elected to Lok Sabha from Allahabad .Janatha Dal fought elections in 1989, alongside BJP and the Communist parties. He became Prime Minister after winning election. He held office from December 2 , 1989 - November 10 , 1990.

 

He was ousted when BJP withdrew support to the National Front government after its leader L.K. Advani was arrested during his rath yatra that supported a construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. 

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi, born in 1944, served as the Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. The first son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi, Rajiv attended Cambridge University, where he met and married Sonia. He was not a man of any unusual academic achievements or other distinctions, and appears to have had few ambitions until the death of his brother Sanjay in 1980. The following year, his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, appears to have induced Rajiv, an airline pilot, to enter politics. He stood successfully for election in 1981 and became a political adviser to his mother. After her assassination in 1984, Rajiv succeeded her as head of the Congress party, and was sworn in as Prime Minister of India. Rajiv, rather keen on preparing India for the twenty-first century, collected his buddies and cronies around him, and sought to increase Indian investments in modern technology. His "vision" of India, insofar as he had one, was that of a technocrat, and his policies did little to eradicate or diminish poverty and the vast inequities of power and wealth which are to be found in Indian society. Like his mother, he could not contain the political problems afflicting India, and found refuge in international entanglements and commitments. He committed the so-called Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in an endeavor to help the government there to eradicate militants agitating for a separate Tamil homeland. His period in office was marred by scandals and allegations of corruption on so huge a scale that he undoubtedly lost the election of 1989 partly on account of the public perception that he had received "kick-backs" from a Swedish company manufacturing Bofors machine-guns. The Congress suffered an electoral defeat. His successor, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, could not hold office for very long, and Rajiv started campaigning in earnest in 1991. It was while he was on this campaign in South India that a bomb explosion took his life; even his body could not be pieced together. As he had named thousands of buildings and institutions after his mother and brother, so his wife, Sonia Gandhi, has named everything after her dead husband.

Unlike his grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, or even his mother, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv appears to have been singularly lacking in intellectual attainments, and his interventions in Parliamentary debates were notoriously prosaic and dull. His years in office cannot be described as having contributed in any healthy way to the political life of the nation, and the precipitous decline of the Congress party can also be attributed to his inept handling of party affairs, and the encouragement he gave to those willing to do his bidding.

 

Charan Singh

Charan Singh

Choudhary Charan Singh was born in 1902 at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. He graduated in science in 1923, and did his post-graduation from Agra University in 1925. Also trained in law, he set up practice at Ghaziabad. He shifted to Meerut in 1929 and later joined the Congress.

He was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1937 from Chhatrauli, and represented the constituency in 1946, 1952, 1962 and 1967. He became Parliamentary Secretary in Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant�s Government in 1946 and worked in departments of Revenue, Medical and Public Health, Justice, Information etc. In June 1951, he was appointed Cabinet Minister in the State and given charge of the Departments of Justice and Information and later the Minister for Revenue and Agriculture in the Cabinet of Dr. Sampurnanand in 1952. He resigned in April 1959.

He was Minister for Home and Agriculture (1960), Minister for Agriculture and Forests (1962-63). He gave up the Department of Agriculture in 1965 and took charge of the Local Self-government department in 1966. After the Congress split, he became the Chief Minister of U.P. for the second time in February 1970 with the support of the Congress Party. However, President�s Rule was imposed in the State on October 2, 1970.

He was the chief architect of land reforms in U.P.; he took a leading part in formulation and finalisation of the Dept. Redemption Bill 1939. As Chief Minister he was instrumental in bringing about the Land Holding Act 1960 which was aimed at lowering the ceiling on land holdings to make it uniform throughout the State.

 

Charan Singh became the fifth Prime Minister of India , serving from 28 July 1979 until 14 January 1980. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister of India before becoming Prime Minister. During his term as Prime Minister the Lok Sabha never met. The day before the Lok Sabha was due to meet for the first time the Indian National Congress withdrew their support from his Bharitiya Lok Dal Government. Charan Singh resigned and fresh elections were held six months later. He was called a friend of farmers and his memorial was named Kisan Ghat . 

Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai was born on February 29, 1896 in Bhadeli village, now in the Bulsar district of Gujarat. His father was a school teacher. He was educated at St. Busar High School and passed his matriculation examination. Shri Desai and Gujraben were married in 1911. He graduated from Wilson Civil Service of the then Bombay Province in 1918. He served as a Deputy Collector for twelve years.

In 1930, Desai resigned from Government service and participated in freedom struggle. Shri Desai was imprisoned thrice during the freedom struggle. He became a Member of the All India Congress Committee in 1931 and was Secretary of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee untill 1937.

In 1937 Desai became Minister for Revenue, Agriculture, Forest and Co-operatives in the Ministry headed by Shri B.G. Kher in the then Bombay Province. Shri Desai was arrested in the individual Satyagraha launched by Mahatma Gandhi, released in October, 1941 and arrested again in August, 1942 at the time of the Quit India Movement. He was released in 1945. After the elections to the State Assemblies in 1946, he became the Minister for Home and Revenue in Bombay. In 1952, he became the Chief Minister of Bombay. He became the Union Cabinet Minister for Commerce and Industry on November 14, 1956. Later, he took the Finance portfolio on March 22, 1958.

In 1963, he resigned from the Union Cabinet under the Kamraj Plan. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, who succeeded Pt. Nehru as Prime Minister, pursuaded him to become Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission for restructuring the administrative system. His long and varied experienced of public life stood him in good stead in his task.

In 1967, Shri Desai joined Smt. Indira Gandhi�s cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of Finance. In July, 1969, Smt. Gandhi took away the Finance portfolio from him. While Shri Desai conceded that the Prime Minister has the prerogative to change the portfolios of colleagues, he felt that his self-respect had been hurt as even the common courtesy of consulting him had not shown by Smt. Gandhi. He, therefore, felt he had no alternative but to resign as Deputy Prime Minister of India.

When the Congress Party split in 1969, Shri Desai remained with the Organisation Congress. He continued to take a leading part the opposition. He was re-elected to Parliament in 1971. In 1975, he went on an indefinite fast on the question of holding elections to the Gujarat Assembly which had been dissolved. As a result of his fast, elections were held in June, 1975. The Janata Front formed by the four opposition parties and Independents supported by it, secured an absolute majority in the new House. After the judgement of the Allahabad High Court declaring Smt. Gandhi�s election to the Lok Sabha null and void, Shri Desai felt that in keeping with democratic principles, Smt. Gandhi should have submitted her resignation. Shri Desai was arrested and detained on June 26, 1975, when Emergency was declared. He was kept in solitary confinement and was released on January 18, 1977, a little before the decision to hold elections to the Lok Sabha was announced. He campaigned vigorously throughout the length and breadth of the country and was largely instrumental in achieving the re-sounding victory of the Janata Party in the General Elections held in March, 1977 . Shri Desai was himself selected to the Lok Sabha from the Surat Constituency in Gujarat. He was later unanimously elected as Leader of the Janata Party in Parliament and was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India on March 24, 1977.

 

In 1979, Charan Singh pulled his support from Janata alliance, and Desai resigned from office and retired from politics, 83 years old. He died at the age of 99. He had been honored much in his last years as the last great freedom-fighter of his generation alive. He was also well-known for his advocacy of unorthodox medical treatments like the consumption of one's own urine. 

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917. Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru. She studied at Ecole Nouvelle, Bex (Switzerland), Ecole Internationale, Geneva, Pupils' Own School, Poona and Bombay, Badminton School, Bristol, Vishwa Bharati, Shantiniketan and Somerville College, Oxford. She was conferred Honorary doctoral degree by a host of Universities such as Andhra, Agra, Bangalore, Vikram, Punjab, Gurukul, Nagpur, Jamia Milia, Poona, El Salvador of Buenos Aires, Waseda of Tokyo, Moscow State, Oxford, Charles of Prague, Mauritius, Baghdad and the U.S.S.R. With an impressive academic background she also got the Citation of Distinction from the Columbia University. In 1938 she joined the National Congress party and became active in India's independence movement. In her early childhood she founded the Bal Charkha Sangh and in 1930, the 'Vanar Sena' of children to help the Congress party during the Non-Cooperation Movement.

She got married to Feroze Gandhi, a Parsi lawyer also active in the party on March 26, 1942 and had two sons. Shortly after, both were arrested by the British on charges of subversion and spent 13 months in prison. When India won its independence in 1947 and Nehru took office as prime minister, she became his official hostess. Smt. Gandhiwas a Member, Congress Working Committee and Central Election of the party in 1955; Member, Central Parliamentary Board of Congress, 1958; Chairperson, National Integration Council of A.I.C.C.; President, All India Youth Congress, 1956 and Women's Dept. A.I.C.C.; President, Indian National Congress, 1959-60; and Indian National Congress from January 1978.

After Jawaharlal Nehru's death, the new Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri appointed Indira Gandhi as minister of information and broadcasting. After Shastri's death in 1966, Indira Gandhi served as prime minister until India held the next election. She won that election, and in 1967. In 1971, Gandhi was re-elected by campaigning with the slogan "Abolish Poverty." However in 1975, Gandhi was found guilty of violating election laws. Later, the conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of India. Also, to control population growth, Gandhi implemented a voluntary sterilization program. To secure her power and because of escalating riots, on June 26, 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency which limited the personal freedom of Indians. Also, she ordered the arrests of the main opposition leaders. In her opinion, her dictatorship was for the good of India. But she allowed free elections in 1977, and the Indian people voted her out of office.

She regained her position as prime minister in 1980. On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards assassinated her. They did so to avenge the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Gandhi had ordered the storming in June because of what her government considered terrorist activity of extremist Sikhs who had occupied the Temple.

 

She also became a Member, Rajya Sabha, August 1964-February 1967; Member, Fourth Lok Sabha 1967-71; Fifth Lok Sabha 1971-77; and Sixth Lok Sabha during November-December 1978. She was elected to the Seventh Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli (U.P.) and Medak (Andhra Pradesh), January 1980. She was chosen as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party in 1967-77 and for the Congress Parliamentary Party from January 1980.

She had many achievements to her credit. She was the recipient of Bharat Ratna, 1972; Mexican Academy Award for Liberation of Bangladesh 1972; 2nd Annual Medal, FAO, 1973; Sahitya Vachaspati (Hindi) by Nagari Pracharini Sabha, 1976. She also received Mothers' Award, U.S.A., 1953; Islbella d'Este Award of Italy for outstanding work in diplomacy, Yale University's Howland Memorial Prize; for two consecutive years in 1967 and 1968 was the woman most admired by the French according to a poll by the French Institute of Public Opinion. According to a special Gallup Poll Survey in U.S.A. in 1971 she was the most admired person of the world and Diploma of Honour was conferred by the Argentine Society in 1971 for the Protection of Animals.

Her publications are The Years of Challenge 1966-69; The Years of Endeavour 1969-72; India (London) 1975; Inde (Lausanne) 1979 and numerous other collection of speeches and writings. 

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in Moghalsarai, on October 2, 1904. His parents were Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari Devi. His father died when he was only a year old. His mother with the help of her father took care of the children.

His abandoned his studies to take part in the non-cooperation movement started by Gandhi in 1921. He was given the title �Shastri� at Kashi Vidya Peetha in 1926. During his four years� stay there, he was very much influenced by the lectures of Dr. Bhagawandas on philosophy. After coming out from Kashi Vidya Peeth, he became the life-member of The Servants of the People Society which was started by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1921. The aim of the society was to train youth who were prepared to dedicate their lives to the service of the country. He became the President of the society. In 1927, Shastri married Lalitha Devi who was from Mirzalyur.

Lal Bahadur Shastri took a leading role in �Salt Satyagraha� which was intensified by 1930. He also advised people not to pay land revenue and taxes to the British government. He was sent to prison for two and half years for doing so. He was sent to prison seven times and was forced to spend nine long years in various prisons on different occasions. Going to prison became a blessing in disguise for him. He spent time reading number of books. He became familiar with the works of western philosophers, revolutionaries, and social reformers. He translated the autobiography of Madam Curie, a French scientist who discovered Radium, into Hindi. He was a ideal prisoner. The greatness of Shastri was that he maintained his self-respect even in prison.

After Independence, he became the Minister of police in the ministry of Govind Vallabh Panth. In 1951, he was appointed as the General Secretary of Lok Sabha before regaining a ministerial post as Railways Minister. He resigned following a rail disaster near Ariyalur. He returned to the Cabinet following the general elections, first as Minister of Transport, and then in 1961, he became the Home Minister.

Nehru died in office on May 27, 1964, and left something of a vaccum.Though eclipsed by such stalwarts of the congress party as Kamaraj, and Morarji Desai, the Finance Minister in Nehru�s government, Shastri emerged as the consensus candidate in the midst of the party warfare. The ruling congress party Shastri unanimously as its leader. He became the Prime Minister on June 9, 1964.

The first problem he had to face after becoming the P.M was the one caused by Pakistan. After the Chinese aggression, when India�s confidence in her strength had been shaken, Pakistan was creating trouble along the borders. But Shastriji would not yield to the wickedness of Pakistan. He first tried to earn the good-will and support from the other nations for India. He attended a meeting of non-aligned nations and explained India�s position. Pakistan was awaiting to swallow Kashmir into its territory. She pushed her forces across the eastern border into the Rann of Kuch in Gujarat in 1965. Shastri faced the problem with great tact. But later there was a large scale invasion of the territory by Pakistani soldiers which lead to the break out of war along the cease-fire line on the Kashmir border. Addressing the Nation on 13th August 1965, Shastri referred to Pakistan threats and said, �Force will be met with force�.

 

Some big Nations feared that if India won a total victory over Pakistan, it would lower their prestige. The Security Council of the United Nations Organization called on India and Pakistan to stop fighting. On the invitation of Kosygin, the Premier of Soviet Russia, Shastri and Ayub Khan met in Tashkent on January 4, 1966. Shastri wished to give one more chance to Pakistan to live in peace and friendship with India. So he signed the treaty of friendship.

Shastriji had suffered heart attacks twice before and during the period of Pakistan war and the following days his body had to bear a very heavy strain. He signed the Joint Declaration on 10th January 1966. He died the same night. Gone was the war hero and the messenger of peace, gone was the great statesman who restored to India her honor and self-respect in the assembly of nations.

He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna and a memorial was built for him in Delhi. The slogan, �Jai jawan, Jai kisan� is attributed to Shastri. Lal Bahadur Shastri was a star of great brightness in the history of India. 

Gulzari Lal Nanda

Gulzari Lal Nanda

Gulzari Lal Nanda was born on July 4, 1898, in Sialkot (Punjab). He was educated at Lahore, Agra and Allahabad. He worked as a research scholar on labour problems at the University of Allahabad (1920-1921) and became Professor of Economics at the National College, Bombay in 1921. He joined the Non-Cooperation Movement the same year. In 1922, he become Secretary of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association in which he worked until 1946. He was imprisoned for Satyagraha in 1932, and again from 1942 to 1944.

He was elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly in 1937 and was Parliamentary Secretary (Labour and Excise) to the Government of Bombay from 1937 to 1939. Later, as Labour Minister of the Bombay Government from 1946 to 1950. He was a Member of the National Planning Committee. He was largely instrumental in organising the Indian National Trade Union Congress and later became its President.

In 1947, he went to Geneva as a Government delegate to the International Labour Conference. He worked on the 'The Freedom of Association Committee' appointed by the Conference and visited Sweden, France, Switzerland, Belgium and England to study labour and housing conditions in those countries.

In March 1950, he joined the Planning Commission as its Vice-Chairman. In September the following year, he was appointed Planning Minister in the Union Government. In addition, he was also given charge of the portfolios of Irrigation and Power. He was elected to the House of the People from Bombay in the general elections of 1952 and was re-appointed Minister for Planning Irrigation and Power.

Sri Nanda was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1957 and was appointed Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Planning and, later, as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in the 1962 from Sabarkantha Constituency in Gujarat. He initiated the Congress Forum for Socialist Action in 1962. He was Union Minister for Labour and Employment in 1962 and 1963 and Minister for Home Affairs from 1963 to 1966.

 

Following the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, he was a sworn in as acting Prime Minister of India on May 27, 1964. Again on January 11, 1966, he was sworn in as acting Prime Minister following the death of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri. He was awarded Bharat Ratna. 

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was born in Allahabad, India in 1889, the first child of Motilal Nehru, a prosperous Brahman lawyer from Kashmir. After private tuition at home, he went to England at the age of 16 to study, first at Harrow and later at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in natural science. He then went on to gain a law degree from the Inner Temple.

During these formative years the young man developed strong nationalist principles - perhaps deepened through his acquaintance with supporters of the Irish Republican Movement. A voracious reader, he followed closely the progress of Gandhi's Indian National Congress, the principal nationalist organisation of India, of which his father was a member. Although at the time Motilal was more moderate than his son, both shared the vision of an independent India, free from British colonial rule.

Jawaharlal Nehru returned to India in 1912. After practising law for several years - and serving in the Allahabad High Court - he became more closely involved with Gandhi's campaign for home rule. In 1919 he joined the Indian National Congress and the following year both father and son gave up flourishing legal practices to follow the national movement. The family denounced the imported goods that were crippling the Indian economy, and risked beatings and imprisonment for participation in Gandhi's programme of civil disobedience and non-violent anti-colonial protest. Over the next three decades Jawarhal Nehru would spend close to ten years in prison for his part in such protests as he quickly became one of the leading figures in the nationalist movement.

In 1929 Nehru was elected president of the Indian National Congress, a position he would hold subsequently six times, and in 1942 he replaced Gandhi as the recognised leader of the National Congress party. During this time the continued protests of the independence movement, together with the moral and financial drain of the Second World War, were making British occupation of India increasingly untenable. Nehru became a chief negotiator for British withdrawal from India and in 1946 was invited to form an interim government to organise the transition to independence. One of the chief obstacles to this process was the call for separate states for Hindu and Muslim communities. Although Nehru, like Gandhi, was strongly opposed to such a partition, the campaign for a united India failed. A separate Muslim state known as Pakistan was founded. This was a deep and lasting disappointment to Nehru even as his other dreams were realised. In 1947 following the final withdrawal of the British, Nehru was elected prime minister of a self-governing India- an office he would hold until his death.

 

India became a republic in 1950 and it fell to Nehru to help steer the country through the difficult early years of independence. The massive influx of Hindu refugees from Pakistan and the integration of hundreds of princely states into the new political structure were enormous challenges to the new regime. Influenced by his attendance at the Congress of Oppressed Nationalities in 1927 and a subsequent visit to Russia, his economic policies were socialist in leaning resulting in a period of rapid industrialisation and five-year planning. Defining India's foreign policy as anti-imperialist, anti-apartheid and anti-colonial, Nehru also believed in peaceful coexistence with nations of every political tendency. Advocating the rights of states to be independent of both the Soviet and Capitalist blocs, he was a founder of the Non-Aligned Movement, together with Presidents Tito of Yugoslavia and Nasser of Egypt. Nehru was a much-loved statesman at home and increasingly influential in international circles. His death in 1964, following a stroke, plunged a nation into mourning. Known for his love of children - and given his extraordinary influence on their futures - Nehru's birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India. 

Abdul Kalam

Abdul Kalam

Usually referred to as Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the President of India has also been the Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary,

Department of Defence Research & Development, has been appointed Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Dr Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. He specialised in Aero-Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. He initially joined DRDO in 1958 and then joined Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1963. At ISRO, he initiated fibre reinforced plastics activities. He later joined the Satellite Launch Vehicle team at Thumba and became the Project Director for SLV-3. He has made significant contributions to the Indian Satellite Launch Vehicle. He rejoined DRDO in 1982 and was instrumental in the resurgence of the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. Out of his initiative was born the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), which is the most successful Indian military research task to-date. He was also heading other prestigious projects, such as the MBT Arjun and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) projects.

Dr Abdul Kalam was conferred with the Degree of Doctor of Science (DSc HonorIs Causa) by several universities. He is the recipient of several awards including National Design Award; Dr Biren Roy Space Award; Om Prakash Bhasin Award; National Nehru Award; Prof Y Nayudamma Memorial Gold Medal (1996); GM Modi Award for Science (1996); HK Firodia Award for Excellence in S&T (1996); Veer Savarkar Award (1998); and Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration (1997). He has been awarded Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India, in 1997. He is the Vice President of Astronautical Society of India, Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, and an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers.

 

Dr Abdul Kalam has been a strong advocate of self-reliance in defence technology. A connoisseur of classical Karnatak music, he plays veena in his leisure. He is well-versed and has written poetry in Tamil. Seventeen of his poems were translated into English and published in 1994 as a book titled My Journey. He is also the author of the two books, titled India 2020: A Vision for the new Millennium, 1998; and Wings of Fire: An Autobiography, 1998. 

K. R. Narayanan

K. R. Narayanan

KR Narayanan was born at Uzhavoor in Kottayam District, Kerala on October 2, 1920. He had his early schooling at Uzhavoor primary and middle schools and Kuravilangad English High School. He joined for the intermediate course at CMS College, Kottayam on a merit scholarship. He finished the BA (honours) Degree in the first division from the University College, Thiruvananthapuram.

He obtained his MA degree in English Literature by securing the first rank from the University. After the completion of his studies at Thiruvananthapuram he went to London School of Economics and secured B.Sc. (Eco) degree with First Class Honours, specializing in Political Science.

He started his career by working as a lecturer in a Govt. College. Later, he joined the world of journalism through the 'Commerce and Industry' weekly at first and then with the celebrated 'The Hindu' Daily and at 'Times of India'.

Later, he enrolled at the London School of Economics. During those years, he developed close contact with freedom fighters like VK Krishna Menon and participated in the activities of India League. He was also a member of the Indian Journalists' Association in London and worked as the London correspondent of the 'Social Welfare Weekly' published by KM Munshi from Mumbai.

Narayanan was absorbed in the Indian Foreign Service and was shortly posted to Indian Embassy for Myanmar (Burma) as a secretary. There he met his present day wife.

Since then he worked as Secretary with the Indian Missions in Vietnam and Australia. After these assignments, he was sent as Indian Ambassador to countries like Thailand, China, and Turkey on different occasions. While in China, he tried to improve the Sino-Indian relationship. After his retirement as Indian Ambassador to China, he was made the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

In the year 1980, he was appointed as Ambassador to Washington. In 1986, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ottappalam Parliamentary constituency on a Congress ticket. Shortly he became a minister in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet. He won parliamentary elections of 1989 and 1991 from Ottappalam.

On 21st August 1992 he became Vice president of Indian Republic and was later elevated as the President of India.

Narayanan is married to Ma Trint Trint, a Myanmarese woman. She was later renamed as Usha and they have two daughters, Chitra and Amritha.

 

Usha Narayanan is involved with social welfare activities for women and children. As National President of KARUNA, an all-India organization for the welfare of women and children form 1985 to 1992, she was responsible for building working Girls' Hostels and Day Care Centres, Potters' Cooperatives and Sericulture projects in Kerala.

In addition to her interest in landscaping, gardening, orchid cultivation, Ikebana and Bonsai, she is also a short story writer. She has translated several Burmese short stories into English. A collection of her translations of Thein Pe Myint's Burmese Short Stories was published as a book entitled 'Sweet and Sour' in December 1998. Usha Narayanan has also worked with All India Radio for many years, translating, and broadcasting news and talks for the External Services of All India Radio. 

Shankar Dayal Sharma

Shankar Dayal Sharma

Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma received his education at St. John's College, Agra, Allahabad University, Lucknow University, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, Lincoln's Inn and Harvard Law School. He took his M.A. Degrees in English Literature, Hindi and Sanskrit standing first in the University. He obtained his LL.M. from Lucknow University once again standing first in the University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Law at Cambridge. Dr. Sharma was awarded the Chakravarti Gold Medal for Social Service by Lucknow University. During his University career, Dr. Sharma won distinction as a sportsman, having excelled in athletics, rowing and swimming. He was Lucknow University's swimming champion for three consecutive years and was Captain and later President of its Rowing and Swimming Club.

He taught Law at Lucknow University and at Cambridge University. While at Cambridge, Dr. Sharma was Treasurer of the Tagore Society and the Cambridge Majlis. He was later a Fellow at Harvard Law School. He has been elected Honorary Bencher and Master of Lincoln's Inn and Honorary Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. The University of Cambridge has honoured him with degree of Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa). He was Pro-Chancellor, Sagar University (1956-1959). During his tenure as Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra, he was Chancellor of 22 Universities in those States and also Rector of the University of Hyderabad.

Dr. Sharma started his legal practice in 1940 in Lucknow.

Dr. Sharma participated in the historic Quit India Movement during the national struggle for freedom, and in the merger Movement in Bhopal, and underwent imprisonments.

Dr. Sharma was Chief Minister of the erstwhile Bhopal State (1952-1956), Cabinet Minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh, holding the portfolios of Education, Law, Public Works, Industry and Commerce, National Resources and Separate Revenue (1956-1967) and was thereafter Union Minister for Communications (1974-1977).

Dr. Sharma was Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) from September 3, 1987 till he assumed office of the President of India in 1992. Earlier he has been the Governor of three States: Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra.

Dr. Sharma was President of the (i) Bhopal Congress Committee (1950-52) and (ii) Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (1967-68): General Secretary, Indian National Congress (1968-72); Member, (i) All India Congress Committee for more than 32 years (1952-84) and (ii) Congress Working Committee for about 20 years.

Dr. Sharma was the President of the Indian National Congress in 1972-1974.

Dr. Sharma was Member, Bhopal Legislative Assembly (1952-1956); Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly (1956-1971); Fifth Lok Sabha (1971-1977) and Seventh Lok Sabha (1980-1984). His participation in matters concerning Parliament was resumed when he assumed office as Vice-President of India and ex-officio Chairman of the Council of State (Rajya Sabha), and continues in his office as President of India.

Dr. Sharma led several official delegations to International Conferences including a Parliamentary Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference at Oslo in 1980; a Special Delegation of veteran freedom fighters to Moscow in August, 1987 for the celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of India's Independence during the Festival of India in USSR, also led a Special Delegation of veteran freedom fighters to Jalalabad (Afghanistan) to pay homage to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1988.

The title of 'Rashtra Ratnam' (Jewel of the Nation) has been conferred upon Dr. Sharma by His Holiness the Shankaracharya of Sringeri. The title of "Dharmaratnakara' has been conferred on him by the Pontiff of Shravanbelagola.

The International Bar Association has presented to Dr. Sharma the Living Legends of Law Award of Recognition for his outstanding contribution to the legal profession internationally and for commitment to the Rule of Law.

 

During his tenure as Vice-President of India he was Chancellor of Delhi University, Punjab University, Pondicherry University, Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed University), and Visitor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Vishwavidyalaya Sansthan, Bhopal. He was also Chairman of the Central Sanskrit Board.

Dr. Sharma was accorded the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) from (1) Vikram University; (2) Bhopal University; (3) Agra University; (4) Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati; (5) Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore and University of Sofia, Bulgaria. He was also accorded the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences (Honoris Causa) from the University of roorkee, the degree of Doctor of Civil Law (Honoris Causa) from the University of Mauritius (Port Louis), the degree of Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) from Meerut University, the degree of Doctorate (Honoris Causa) from Kiev State University, Ukraine, the degree of 'Vachaspati' from the Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (Deemed University), New Delhi, the degree of Doctorate (Honoris Causa) from Bucharest University, Romania, the degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) from Agra University and the degree of 'Mahamahopadhyaya' (Honoris Causa) from the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati.

Dr. Sharma was President of: (i) Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi; and (ii) Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, and Chairman of: (i) the Jury for the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, and (ii) the International Jury for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development.

Reading and writing on various subjects of national and international interest and study of languages, history, art and culture, comparative religion, philosophy, poetry, literature and classical Indian and Western music.

Publications of Dr. Sharma:

• Congress Approach to International Affairs
• Kranti Drashta
• Rule of Law and Role of Police
• Jawaharlal Nehru - Selected Speeches
• Secularism in the Indian Ethos
• Eminent Indians
• Horizons of Indian Education
• For a Better Future
• The Democratic Process
• Aspects of Indian Thought
• Towards a New India
• Ideas, Thoughts and Images - Selected Speeches
• New Directions of Development
• Our Heritage of Humanism
• Hamare Path Pradarshak (Hindi)
• Deshmani (Hindi)
• Hamare Chintan Ki Mool Dhara (Hindi)
• Hamari Sanskritik Dharohar (Hindi)
• Chetana Ke Srot (Hindi)
• Hamare Prerana Punj (Hindi)
• Pragati Ke Paridrishya (Hindi)
• Shiksha Ke Aayam (Hindi)
• Behetar Bhavishya Ke Liye (Hindi)
• Bharatiya Chintan (Hindi)
• Loktantra Ki Prakriya (Hindi)
• Ekatva Ke Mool (Hindi)
• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi)
• Manjusha (Hindi)

 

Editorial Assignments:

• Lucknow Law Journal (1941-1943)
• Light and Learning (1942-1943)
• Ilm-o-Noor (Urdu)
• Jyoti (Hindi)
• Socialist India (1971-1974)