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Category: Personalities we should know

This contains articles regarding great personalities and anecdotes related to them .

  • The real Elephant Whisperer: A beautiful relationship between a man and elephants.

    In today’s world nobody remembers anyone else’s good deeds towards them. We humans have become so ungrateful that after a little time we forget the ones who have helped us. But would you believe if I say that animals are more grateful than us. They not only remember the person who helped them but also pay tribute to them. Yes, this is true and you will also believe it when you will come to know about Lawrence Anthony.

    Who is Lawrence Anthony

    Born in South Africa (born on 17 September 1950) Lawrence Anthony was a conservationist and environmentalist. He was the founder of the Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand and was well-known for his work in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation.

    Anthony was a vocal advocate for wildlife conservation and often spoke out against poaching and other threats to endangered species. He also founded the Earth Organization, a non-profit environmental group that focused on conservation and education.

    Anthony’s experiences with the elephants formed the basis of his book “The Elephant Whisperer,” which became a best-seller and brought attention to the plight of elephants in Africa. Due to his special connection with elephants he was known as the “Elephant Whisperer”. How he rescued and rehabilitated the herd of traumatized elephants at his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, South Africa is still and inspiration and great example.

    Relation with Elephants

    It all started in 1999 when Anthony was asked to take in a herd of wild elephants that had been deemed too dangerous and were going to be culled. Instead of accepting their fate, Anthony took in the elephants and began to work with them using his unique approach of understanding their behaviour and communicating with them.

    Over time, Anthony not only gained the trust of the elephants but also established a deep bond with them. He spent hours observing their behaviour and learning how to communicate with them through body language and vocalizations.

    Death

    In March 2012 when Lawrence Anthony died people observed something very strange. A group of wild elephants travelled to his home in Thula Thula reserve.  This was remarkable because it had been more than 1 year that the elephants have been to his house. They arrived at his house shortly after his death and stayed there for two days, without any food or water. They stood outside his home in a silent vigil, as if mourning his passing.

    This incident left everyone awestruck. It highlighted how these animals have intelligence and emotional depth and their ability to show compassion and empathy towards humans.

    The elephants’ visit was seen as a fitting tribute to Lawrence Anthony, who devoted his life to the protection and conservation of wildlife, particularly elephants. His legacy continues to inspire many people around the world to work towards protecting these magnificent animals and their habitats.

    This incident proves how wrong we are when we use the term “animal” in negative sense to show someone cruel or uncompassionate. The respect and compassion shown by animals in this case has left us speechless.

  • The Fighting Girlfriend: Real story of revenge for love

    You might have read about many love stories where people are ready to do anything for their love. People who died for their love. But today I will tell you about a woman who did something unthinkable to take revenge of her husband’s death. This is the story of Mariya Oktyabrskaya and a tank named “The Fighting Girlfriend”.

    Who is Mariya Oktabrskaya ?

    Born on 16 August 1905, Mariya Oktyabrskaya was a Ukranian woman who used to do simple jobs like working in a Cannery and then as a telephone operator. She got married to a Soviet army officer named Ilya Oktyabrskiy. After marriage not only her intrests but her life changed. She began to acquire an interest in military matters. She became involved in the ‘Military Wives Council’ and was trained as a nurse in the army. She always used to say, “Marry a serviceman, and you serve in the army: an officer’s wife is not only a proud woman, but also a responsible title.”

    But their married life was very short timed. During World War 2 German army invaded the Soviet Union, and Ilya was sent to fight on the front lines. Her husband died in 1941 fighting the Nazis. It took 2 years for the news to reach her. She was devasted by the demise of her husband and then she decided to take revenge.

    The Fighting Girlfriend

    She sold all her possessions to donate a tank (T-34)to the Soviet Army popularly known as the Red Army. She requested the government to have the tank named “The Fighting Girlfriend”. The government agreed to her request. She requested to be sent to the front lines. She was initially rejected because of her lack of military training. Undeterred, she enrolled in a tank driving school and received training as a tank mechanic.

    In 1944, Oktyabrskaya was finally sent to the front as a tank driver, serving in the 26th Guards Tank Brigade. She was given the task of driving a T-34 tank, one of the most important and effective tanks used by the Soviet Union during World War II. She took her revenge by fighting the Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front.

    Bravery and Awads

    During her time as a tank driver, Oktyabrskaya proved to be a skilled and fearless fighter. She participated in numerous battles, including the siege of Koenigsberg and the battle for Berlin. In one particular battle, her tank was hit by enemy fire, but she managed to repair it on the spot and continue fighting.

    For her bravery and dedication, Oktyabrskaya was awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest civilian honor in the Soviet Union. She was also the first woman to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest military honor in the Soviet Union.

    After the war, Oktyabrskaya returned to the Soviet Union, where she was hailed as a hero. She died on March 15, 1944, in Kiev, Ukraine, after suffering injuries in a car accident. Today, she is remembered as a symbol of the courage and sacrifice of the Soviet people during World War II.

  • The man who had control over his death !? : Swami Vivekananda

    Swami Vivekananda meditating

    In Indian mythology we have heard about many great beings who for see death or had control over their deaths like Bhishma Pitamah from our ancient epic Mahabharat who can choose the time of his death. Barring epics and mythology the holy land of India had one great saint in real who happened to know about his death.

    On 4 July 1902 Swami Vivekananda who is known for introducing Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world and raising interfaith awareness simultaneously, died. This day was just like any other day in which he took classes and had discussions with his followers in Belur Math. But at 7 pm he went to his room and asked everyone not to disturb him. After 9 pm when his disciples entered his room he was lying on his bed with beads of perspiration on his forehead. He cried like a baby and took few deep breaths and then a little blood came out of his nostrils. His head shook and fell off the pillow and his eyes became still. But after all this there was smile on his lips and as described by his disciples an unearthly glow was emitting from his smiling face. Medical science said that he had a heart attack or a blood vessel in his brain ruptured but his disciples believed that his vein ruptured as his brahmarandhra (an opening in the crown of his head) got pierced when he attained Mahasamadhi.

    What is Samadhi and Mahasamadhi

    According to Shaiva tantra of Hinduism the divine feminine energy is located at the kundalini of every individual and when one perform kundalini yoga this divine energy awakens. The kundalini yoga has defined seven chakras.

    7 chakras of the Kundalini yoga

    One has to practice Kundalini Yoga to clear all these chakras. Once you reach and clear the topmost chakra SAHASRARA , where knowledge blooms like a lotus, one attains Samadhi in which one’s soul consciously leaves the body to roam around the world.

    The concept of Mahasamadhi is even higher than Samadhi. In MAHASAMADHI one voluntarily leaves the body and unite with Paramatma, the ultimate GOD. According to Yoga scriptures when a Yogi attains Samadhi or MAHASAMADHI his soul passes out through SAHASRARA which causes the blood to flow out from nostrils.

    Swami Vivekanand knew about the time of his death ?

    The Prophecy: Swami Vivekanand had made a prophecy many before his death that he will not see his 40th birthday. When he died his age was 39 years and a few months.

    The date: While in Egypt Swami Vivekananda had told a french operatic soprano Rosa Emma Calvet that he will die on 4th of July. Though he mentioned the date, he did not specify the year.

    Conversation with Swami Abhedananda: Sometime around August 1896 Swami Vivekananda confided with his brother disciple Swami Abhedananda that he was only going to live 5-6 years more. On listening this Abhedananda got upset and protested to which he explained to him and said, “You do not understand. My soul is getting bigger and bigger everyday so much that the body can hardly contain it. Any day it may burst this cage of bone and flesh”. Although we haven’t heard of the concept of soul getting bigger but here he may have been referring about consciousness by mentioning soul.

    Attained his purpose of life: Guru of Narendra (Swami Vivekananda), had told him that every soul has some purpose of its taking birth and he told him not to take MAHASAMADHI before completing his purpose. He believed that the purpose of his life is to propagate the teachings of Vedanta and Yoga. He often used to say to his disciples that he had achieved the purpose of his life.

    All these facts clearly indicate that the great saint consciously took MAHASAMADHI after attaining the purpose of his life. But human mind is too tactical to accept this. Many people believe that it was just a natural human death. A renowned Bengali writer Sankar (Shankar) has mentiined in his book named ‘The Monk as Man’ that Swami Vivekanand suffered from 31 ailments including Insomnia, liver and kidney disease, diabetes, migraine, heart ailments etc. Many people attribute these physical ailments as the cause of his death but when it come to medical science they could not come to any specific conclusion. One doctor said that he had a heart attack while another said that he died due to rupture of vein in his brain and both refused to agree to each other’s claim. But the smile of contention  that he had on his face when he died says something else.

    Click here to read more about Swami Vivekananda

  • Plane crash that changed the history of India

    Death of Subhash Chandra Bose: Real of Fake

    The Unfortunate Plane crash

    On 18 August 1945 at around 2:30 pm in Taihoku passengers of a plane heard some engine backfiring kind of sound. Before they could understand the situation the plane crashed breaking into two and exploded. The pilot along with 3-4 other people died on the spot. Two people, one fully soaked in gasoline, were still concious on the plane. They both tried to escape from the rear door but it was blocked by luggage. They then had no other option but to exit through the front door running through the flames. The ground staff saw two people one of whom had become a human torch because of being soaked in gasoline coming out of the front door of the plane. His face and head were badly burnt. He was none other than Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the other one being Habibur Rahman his assistant. Bose had severe third degree burns on his body and was rushed to the military hospital Taihoku. He was concious for sometime. Later inspire of the on going treatment ge went into coma and died on 18th August 1945.

    Two days later on 20th August 1945 his body was cremated there only. His ashes are still placed at Renkoji Temple Tokyo. On 23rd August 1945 Japanese news agency announced his demise.

    Subhash Chandra Bose and INA (Indian National Army)

    Subhash Chandra Bose, born on 23 January 1897 in a well to do family of Cuttack Odisha, is an Indian nationalist with defiant patriotism. His father Janakinath Bose was a successful lawyer and government pleader. After joining Congress he rose to become its President in 1938. He was reelected in 1939 but due to his differences with Mahatma Gandhi he was ousted out from the leadership position of Congress. He stood for self governance (unqualified Swaraj) and the use of force against the British. Netaji was jailed several time. During 1925-1927 he was jailed in Mandalay Myanmar. It was the same time when he got tuberculous and also his mentor Chittaranjan Das died in Darjeeling.

    Again in 1940-1941 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was jailed by the British government he was released following a 7 days long hunger strike. His residence at Calcutta was under survillance by CID. He secluded for a few days and avoided meeting any British guards to grow a beard. Disguised as a Pathan he escaped his house on 17 January 1941. Then sometimes disguised as a deaf and dumb tribesman or an Italian nobleman he reached Germany. Before that he also tried to gain support from Soviet Union against the British but got disappointed. He got the support of Adolf Hitler there and even found Azad Hind Legion out of 4000-5000 indian prisoners of war who had earlier fought for the British and planned to attack British in India with the help of Germany. But when Hitler attacked Soviet Union he got sceptical of his idea and when the Germans started retreating it became evident that the German army would be of any help. He then left for Japan. There he revived INA(Indian National Army) which even had a separate women’s unit Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Japan went on to take possession of Andaman and Nicobar islands with the help of INA but they also had other intentions and tried to control the administration there. Later with Japan’s surrender at the end of World War 2 (WW2) the remaining elements of INA also surrendered.

    Conspiracy theories and investigations

    The disappearance of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose gave birth to a lot of conspiracy theories like he is been arrested by Soviets or it is a ploy created by Netaji himself to reach a safe place and continue his struggle. As a result of which 10 separate investigations were conducted by the British government, the Japanese government, the Indian government and private sources but they all ended up with the same conclusion that he died in a plane crash due to severe third degree burns.

    Although all investigations containing testimonies of Doctors, Nurses and other people concluded the same thing one investigation that was held in 1999 under Vajpayee government headed by Justice Manoj Mukherjee said otherwise. They dismissed the fact that there was any plane crash on 18th August citing a newspaper that it did not have any of of the crash. This later on proved to be a wrong inference as the newspaper cited by him was not a local newspaper at that time and this plane crash was covered in other newspapers. There were other facts like this one on the said report which later turned out to be ambiguous or false. So this flawed investigation fueled the conspiracy theories yet again. Although the reason of his death is ascertained to be the plane crash but the possibility of Japan or Allied forced behind the crash still exists.

    Had this plane crash not happened we do not know how the fate of India would turned out to be. If Netaji would be alive we surely would be studying some different history of Modern India. However the government has decided to celebrate his birth anniversary 23 January as Parakram Diwas since 23 January 2021 to pay tribute to his contributions. Earlier in December 2018 Ross island that was named after marine surveyor Daniel Ross, it was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as a tribute to him.

  • Remembering Swamiji on Birth Anniversary of a Patriotic Saint:National Youth Day

    Every year 12 th of January is celebrated as national youth day in our country. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of great Swami Vivekananda, our very own Patriotic Saint, i.e 12th January 1863.In 1984 Govt of India decided to celebrate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda as National Youth Day & since 1985 every year 12th January is celebrated as national youth day throughout India. On this day various debates,discussion & other activities are organized to motivate youth especially in school, colleges,etc.

    Who is Swami Vivekananda?

    Swami Vivekananda who is best known for his groundbreaking speech to the World’s Parliament of Religions (1983) in which he introduced Hinduism to America and called for religious tolerance and an end to fanaticism. This speech given by the Indian monk in Chicago and his efforts to raise interfaith awareness are still very significant in our current Era especially when so much radicalization is prevalent.  

    Born as Narendranath Dutta, his childhood name, he played a key role in introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world.

    While completing his education he was a very bright student & known for his prodigious memory & the ability at speed reading giving him name Shrutidhara(a person with prodigious memory).

    Gradually Narendra grew ready to renounce everything for the sake for the realization of God, and accepted Ramakrishna Paramhansa as his Guru.

    On 4th July 1902 at the age of 39, Swami Vivekananda fulfilled his prophecy that he would not live forty years & died.  At 7:00 pm Vivekananda went to his room, & instructed everyone not to disturb him. Later at 9;20 p.m. he died while meditating. Cause of his death was reported as the rupture of a blood vessel in his brain possibly. According to his disciples, he attained Mahasamadhi and the rupture was due to his Brahmarandhra(an opening in the crown of head) being pierced when he attained Mahasamadhi.

     A theme is decided every year for National Youth Day celebration. This theme is decided every year by a high level committee from Ram Krishna mission. Theme for National Youth Day 2021 is  YUVAAH-‘Utsah naye bharat ka’ it means the youth bring alive the celebration of new India.

    On this National Youth Day we can only hope & pray that though he is not with us but his legacy will remain with all Indians and the World always.

    Happy National Youth Day.