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<keyword id="439167" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohandas-Karamchand-Gandhi">Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi</keyword> just turned 147 today. As we celebrate his birth anniversary, he remains the key to unlock all doors that lead to management of life and the world. A great communicator and marketing guru that he was, it’s a fact to ponder what he would have done if he had got a Twitter handle or a Facebook page at that time. 
 A few years back, a controversy involving him and <keyword id="6699558" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mont-Blanc">Mont Blanc</keyword>, a German luxury writing instruments-company broke out. The company had introduced <keyword id="3710056" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahatma-gandhi-limited-edition">Mahatma Gandhi Limited Edition</keyword> pen, claiming the "top of the cap and cone are inspired by the spindle with which <keyword id="6356181" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gandhi">Gandhi</keyword> used to spin cotton. The colour white is a reference to truth and peace, while the Mandarin garnet represents the orange colour that is part of the Indian flag". The pen costed Rs 11 lakh. 
 It ran into controversy as various quarters claimed it negated Gandhi's motto of simple living and high thinking”. "Why endorse the culture of consumerism and greed when <keyword id="6355193" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bapu">Bapu</keyword> was himself against it?" was the question that echoed around. 
 However his grandson <keyword id="97377" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tushar-Gandhi">Tushar Gandhi</keyword> was quick to defend the move. "He (Bapu) would sell his autograph for Rs 5 which he gave to the khadi fund," he pointed out. Gandhi sold his autographs to ensure financial viability of his endeavours. <keyword id="883441" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lutz-Bethge">Lutz Bethge</keyword>, the CEO of Mont Blanc handed over a cheque for 101,000 euros (over Rs 70 lakh) to the Tushar Gandhi-run <keyword id="6355532" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahatma-Gandhi">Mahatma Gandhi</keyword> Foundation that has a home and school in <keyword id="49077" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolhapur">Kolhapur</keyword> for rescued child labourers. In addition, Entrack, Mont Blanc's local partner committed to give Rs 10,000 from each sale of the <keyword id="3710057" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="memorial-edition">Memorial Edition</keyword> pen and Rs 50,000 from each Retail <keyword id="106984" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="edition">Edition</keyword>.

How Gandhi built a brand of himself, way better than
Apple’s Steve Jobs and yes it’s still relevant

He is the most popular, the most hated and perhaps the most controversial <keyword id="1887629" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="political-icon">political icon</keyword> Modern India has ever had. Was <keyword id="6355532" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mahatma-Gandhi">Mahatma Gandhi</keyword> a racist? A sexual weirdo? A person whose country was not ready for his brand of truth – be it <keyword id="6382436" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Non-Violence">non-violence</keyword> or exercise in <keyword id="31606" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="celibacy">celibacy</keyword>? His political strategy draws flak even now. His personal life and sexuality have been put under the scanner by countless authors and researchers. But that is only natural as hagiography is now passé and icons are decoded as per today’s perceptions. 
 No one can dispute the larger-than-life role Gandhi had played in India’s freedom struggle. But <keyword id="439167" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohandas-Karamchand-Gandhi">Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi</keyword> is not a millennial hero. He is a typical personality of his time (1869-1948), but with a political and social vision that still finds relevance in a post-colonial world. We may or may not agree with the authors and their views mentioned below, but here are five most interesting titles that put Gandhi in a completely different light. Be ready for the shockers and happy reading!

Gandhi
Decoded: Five Books That Reveal The Man Behind The Mahatma

<ul><li><keyword id="6365313" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="East-India-Company" source="Orion">East India Company</keyword> is the world’s first company to issue equity shares – kickstarted a reign of evil in India.</li><li><keyword id="236128" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="louis-mountbatten" source="Orion">Louis Mountbatten</keyword>, the last viceroy of India, came to ensure smooth transfer of power from the crown to India.</li><li>His predecessor hands him over a job which has been nicknamed ‘<keyword id="14706171" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Operation-Madhouse" source="Orion">Operation Madhouse</keyword>’.</li></ul>Prologue: The history of the British Raj in India is so vast and so full of life that no movie – be it the action-heavy RRR, a gamified Lagaan or even the many passionate Bhagat Singh movies – could scratch the surface of it. But an American and a Frenchman paired up to achieve this in their book ‘Freedom at Midnight’. It’s the story of India that many Indians know little about. For years, I have regaled many with the unbelievable anecdotes from the book, which is soon to be made into a web series. As we complete 75 years of independence, I believe a brief summary of this epic is in order for we all need to know the history of how we got here today, breathing free in a country we can call our own. A century and a half after Vasco da Gama discovered India, most of Europe had given up bland meals, and now pepper mills are on every dinner table. But India remained a free country only until the 1600s. That’s when Dutch traders decided to raise the rates of a pound of pepper by five shillings — a move that made a cartel of Englishmen receive an official sanction from Queen Elizabeth I to exclusively trade in all countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope. The company, called East India Company (EIC), also the world’s first company to issue equity shares – kickstarted a reign of evil, by a race which believed was ‘destined to govern and subdue’, according to Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre’s classic Freedom at Midnight. Freedom At Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre Amazon.com The wolf of this yet to be formed Wall Street was Captain William Hawkins, a seaman who was more of a pirate than an explorer. He soon found himself in the court of Jahangir, in an empire so vast and wealthy that his own Queen would have appeared to be the ruler of a provincial hamlet in contrast. Queen, Kipling and memsahibs EIC’s coffers filled but India, with its numerous territories and squabbles, would not let him hold on to their policy of ‘trade not territory’. But white supremacy is to prevail amongst ‘lesser breeds without law’ as Jungle Book writer Rudyard Kipling puts it. Even the British born writer believed that the right to rule Indians was placed on British soldiers by “the inscrutable decree of the providence”. The British shouldered it and region after region was lured by treasures if not treachery, weak and powerful kings won with weak enemies. The great Maratha Shivaji himself was known to have admired the British who fought for their honour, as he laid siege on Surat. Droves of young English men arrived in this strange land – with men in sagging dhotis and bare-armed women in sarees, and travelled the length and breadth of the country into villages with rations and letters that proclaimed their rights. And, they were all taught one principle - The English ran the country but they dwell apart. Memsahibs in India started running a very large version of Downton Abbey – with dinner parties that boasted of a servant per guest. They also set the tone for the Victorian era social seclusion – probably to keep their men away from the exotic temptations of the state. But it also made the British much different from many rulers that made India their home. Also, they were sending away taxes they collected from them back to the crown, as Indians starved. The British in India lived it up, served by coolies, and none were ‘better than Gunga Din’, a poetic character that saves an Englishman. They hunted tigers and killed ‘almost all’ cheetahs, the smallest of the big cats - which are now extinct in India, thanks to the Raj. They were having champagne in silver buckets and golfing, in style – golf arrived in India 30 years before New York. They also built the world’s highest golf course at 11,000 feet on the Himalayas. Almost a century after India became a British colony directly under the Queen’s rule, after the devastating Second World War, the country’s parliament voted to ‘leave the country’. George VI was sad that he had let go of a country he always wanted to visit but couldn’t. To ensure there was a smooth transfer of power that didn't lead to anarchy, he chose his handsome cousin, who was known as much for his charm as his military prowess. The former trait would serve Louis Mountbatten more than the latter, as he became the lord and the last viceroy of India, as he took over what his predecessor called, ‘Operation Madhouse’. Louis MountbattenWikimedia commons The new-age Buddha and Christ Elsewhere in another continent and another British colony, a young lawyer who was an utter failure in Bombay, landed in South Africa and to his own surprise found success. He profusely read Henry Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy and the Gujarati brain of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was working in wonderful ways. Mohandas Karamchand GandhiBCCLWhen the British government irked him by closing Transvaal borders to India, he led a movement of Thoreau’s civil disobedience with over 2,000 people that included women and children. He added his own twist – non-violence and he brought it back to India. Now called Gandhigiri, his principles continue to inspire generations across continents. The man who took a vow of poverty, had held on to his Ingersoll watch for years until it was stolen when he was travelling in a train. He was moved to tears as he told this story with child-like pain to Lord Mountbatten, but his loss was short-lived. The man who stole it, returned it and begged his forgiveness – which was given with a hug and a chuckle. Gandhigiri had taken over India at the time of Mountbatten’s arrival. Mountbatten knew that this man who Winston Churchill sneered at, ‘as a half-naked fakir’ was not to be taken lightly. After all, Gandhi had already sent back Sir Richard Cripps without a deal, refusing UK’s offer during the war to rule India as a British dominion. Goat curd and surgical precision Mountbatten called it Operation Seduction and while he forged a great friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi was another soul altogether. He insisted on eating his own goat curd at the Viceroy House, took prayer breaks and insisted that India should remain one – keep the baby alive instead of cutting it into two. Jinnah, however, was all vanity, which was deeply hurt when he received fewer seats during the 1937 provincial elections. He demanded a Muslim state. India would be divided with surgical precision, he promised Mountbatten. The King’s cousin, the book says, dealt with him like a sailor rather than a statesman but Mountbatten knew that he could not move the unmoved, and most of Congress were in favour of two nations. Rooms full of rubies and a pen pistol But it took India’s iron man, Vallabhai Patel, to keep the rest of India intact and convince over 500 rajas, princes, nawabs and nizams as they called themselves to shift their allegiance from the crown to the nation. Stronger than the unity statue built in his honour, Patel continued summing up a case for the jury even after he was handed a note saying that his wife passed away. The Statue Of Unity BCCLPatel and the career bureaucrat, V.P. Menon, executed their operation seduction to gain control over men who were already seduced by sex, sport and the worst of all maladies - boredom. Most of them amused themselves with Lancaster pistols made of solid gold, rubies the size of pigeon eggs and working train sets on silver rails. The Jeff Bezos of that time, known to be the world’s richest, was the Nizam of Hyderabad, who had rooms full of precious stones eaten away by rats as the miser spent nothing and resorted to smoking the leftover cigarette butts of his departed guests! Most of the eccentric rajas sided with India – even Hari Singh of Kashmir, who wanted to be independent, was worn down by logic that a landlocked state would forever remain in a state of war. But the young Maharaja of Jodhpur, certain that his lavish life wouldn’t be approved by the Congress socialists, tried to go over to Jinnah’s side. But Menon’s watchful spies got wind of it, cornered him, and the Maharaja held a pen-pistol to the bureaucrat's forehead until Mountbatten confiscated it – and used it later to liven parties back home. Cursed by the stars Mountbatten was warned by the most popular astrologist of the time that August 15, 1947 was a ‘day cursed by stars’. He, however, chose sentiment over astrology – the date was the anniversary of the day Burma won against Japan, a war he was part of. It wasn’t just the viceroy, even Nehru and Jinnah did not see the bloodbath that followed. What stopped them from seeing what was to come was their own tolerance and atheism. Communal passions ran so high and so deep that right after the Union Jack came off the Viceroy house, Punjab and Bengal fell into a riotous rage – something a wily Gandhi always knew. That’s why the 78-year-old spent the midnight far away from the celebrations, spinning and lamenting the night India became independent, 75 years back.

SIMPLY PUT: What happened before India got Freedom@Midnight

Prologue: The history of the <keyword id="81273" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="British-Raj" source="Orion">British Raj</keyword> in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is so vast and so full of life that no movie – be it the action-heavy RRR, a gamified Lagaan or even the many passionate Bhagat Singh movies – could scratch the surface of it. But an American and a Frenchman paired up to achieve this in their book ‘<keyword id="400044" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Freedom-at-Midnight" source="Orion">Freedom at Midnight</keyword>’. It’s the story of India that many Indians know little about. For years, I have regaled many with the unbelievable anecdotes from the book, which is soon to be made into a web series. As we complete <keyword id="2177193" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="75-years-of-independence" source="Orion">75 years of independence</keyword>, I believe a brief summary of this epic is in order for we all need to know the history of how we got here today, breathing free in a country we can call our own. <div type="image" title="India at 75" msid="93508033" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;India at 75&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> A century and a half after Vasco da Gama discovered India, most of Europe had given up bland meals, and now pepper mills are on every dinner table. But India remained a free country only until the 1600s. That’s when Dutch traders decided to raise the rates of a pound of pepper by five shillings — a move that made a cartel of Englishmen receive an official sanction from Queen Elizabeth I to exclusively trade in all countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope. The company, called East India Company (EIC), also the world’s first company to issue equity shares – kickstarted a reign of evil, by a race which believed was ‘destined to govern and subdue’, according to Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre’s classic Freedom at Midnight. <div type="image" title="Freedom At Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre" msid="93508039" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Freedom At Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The wolf of this yet to be formed Wall Street was Captain William Hawkins, a seaman who was more of a pirate than an explorer. He soon found himself in the court of Jahangir, in an empire so vast and wealthy that his own Queen would have appeared to be the ruler of a provincial hamlet in contrast. Queen, Kipling and memsahibs EIC’s coffers filled but India, with its numerous territories and squabbles, would not let him hold on to their policy of ‘trade not territory’. But white supremacy is to prevail amongst ‘lesser breeds without law’ as Jungle Book writer Rudyard Kipling puts it. Even the British born writer believed that the right to rule Indians was placed on British soldiers by “the inscrutable decree of the providence”. The British shouldered it and region after region was lured by treasures if not treachery, weak and powerful kings won with weak enemies. The great Maratha Shivaji himself was known to have admired the British who fought for their honour, as he laid siege on Surat. Droves of young English men arrived in this strange land – with men in sagging dhotis and bare-armed women in sarees, and travelled the length and breadth of the country into villages with rations and letters that proclaimed their rights. And, they were all taught one principle - The English ran the country but they dwell apart. Memsahibs in India started running a very large version of Downton Abbey – with dinner parties that boasted of a servant per guest. They also set the tone for the Victorian era social seclusion – probably to keep their men away from the exotic temptations of the state. But it also made the British much different from many rulers that made India their home. Also, they were sending away taxes they collected from them back to the crown, as Indians starved. The British in India lived it up, served by coolies, and none were ‘better than Gunga Din’, a poetic character that saves an Englishman. They hunted tigers and killed ‘almost all’ cheetahs, the smallest of the big cats - which are now extinct in India, thanks to the Raj. They were having champagne in silver buckets and golfing, in style – golf arrived in India 30 years before New York. They also built the world’s highest golf course at 11,000 feet on the Himalayas. Almost a century after India became a British colony directly under the Queen’s rule, after the devastating Second World War, the country’s parliament voted to ‘leave the country’. George VI was sad that he had let go of a country he always wanted to visit but couldn’t. To ensure there was a smooth transfer of power that didn't lead to anarchy, he chose his handsome cousin, who was known as much for his charm as his military prowess. The former trait would serve Louis Mountbatten more than the latter, as he became the lord and the last viceroy of India, as he took over what his predecessor called, ‘Operation Madhouse’. <div type="image" title="Louis Mountbatten" msid="93508078" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Louis Mountbatten&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The new-age Buddha and Christ Elsewhere in another continent and another British colony, a young lawyer who was an utter failure in Bombay, landed in South Africa and to his own surprise found success. He profusely read Henry Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy and the Gujarati brain of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was working in wonderful ways. <div type="image" title="Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi" msid="93508085" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> When the British government irked him by closing Transvaal borders to India, he led a movement of Thoreau’s civil disobedience with over 2,000 people that included women and children. He added his own twist – non-violence and he brought it back to India. Now called Gandhigiri, his principles continue to inspire generations across continents. The man who took a vow of poverty, had held on to his Ingersoll watch for years until it was stolen when he was travelling in a train. He was moved to tears as he told this story with child-like pain to Lord Mountbatten, but his loss was short-lived. The man who stole it, returned it and begged his forgiveness – which was given with a hug and a chuckle. Gandhigiri had taken over India at the time of Mountbatten’s arrival. Mountbatten knew that this man who Winston Churchill sneered at, ‘as a half-naked fakir’ was not to be taken lightly. After all, Gandhi had already sent back Sir Richard Cripps without a deal, refusing UK’s offer during the war to rule India as a British dominion. Goat curd and surgical precision Mountbatten called it Operation Seduction and while he forged a great friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi was another soul altogether. He insisted on eating his own goat curd at the Viceroy House, took prayer breaks and insisted that India should remain one – keep the baby alive instead of cutting it into two. Jinnah, however, was all vanity, which was deeply hurt when he received fewer seats during the 1937 provincial elections. He demanded a Muslim state. India would be divided with surgical precision, he promised Mountbatten. The King’s cousin, the book says, dealt with him like a sailor rather than a statesman but Mountbatten knew that he could not move the unmoved, and most of Congress were in favour of two nations. Rooms full of rubies and a pen pistol But it took India’s iron man, Vallabhai Patel, to keep the rest of India intact and convince over 500 rajas, princes, nawabs and nizams as they called themselves to shift their allegiance from the crown to the nation. Stronger than the unity statue built in his honour, Patel continued summing up a case for the jury even after he was handed a note saying that his wife passed away. <div type="image" title="The Statue Of Unity" msid="93508178" hostid="261" sizebytes="162276" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Statue Of Unity&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Patel and the career bureaucrat, V.P. Menon, executed their operation seduction to gain control over men who were already seduced by sex, sport and the worst of all maladies - boredom. Most of them amused themselves with Lancaster pistols made of solid gold, rubies the size of pigeon eggs and working train sets on silver rails. The Jeff Bezos of that time, known to be the world’s richest, was the Nizam of Hyderabad, who had rooms full of precious stones eaten away by rats as the miser spent nothing and resorted to smoking the leftover cigarette butts of his departed guests! Most of the eccentric rajas sided with India – even Hari Singh of Kashmir, who wanted to be independent, was worn down by logic that a landlocked state would forever remain in a state of war. But the young Maharaja of Jodhpur, certain that his lavish life wouldn’t be approved by the Congress socialists, tried to go over to Jinnah’s side. But Menon’s watchful spies got wind of it, cornered him, and the Maharaja held a pen-pistol to the bureaucrat's forehead until Mountbatten confiscated it – and used it later to liven parties back home. Cursed by the stars Mountbatten was warned by the most popular astrologist of the time that August 15, 1947 was a ‘day cursed by stars’. He, however, chose sentiment over astrology – the date was the anniversary of the day Burma won against Japan, a war he was part of. It wasn’t just the viceroy, even Nehru and Jinnah did not see the bloodbath that followed. What stopped them from seeing what was to come was their own tolerance and atheism. Communal passions ran so high and so deep that right after the Union Jack came off the Viceroy house, Punjab and Bengal fell into a riotous rage – something a wily Gandhi always knew. That’s why the 78-year-old spent the midnight far away from the celebrations, spinning and lamenting the night India became independent, 75 years back. Before we let you go, here's what we like you to know-Innovaccer's solutions have been transforming the healthcare industry their unique approach to data analytics. Sandeep Gupta Co-Founder and COO, Innovaccer details this scion's growth as they continue to make healthcare data accessible, useful and transformative. Register Now: <a href="https://saasscions.com/" target="_blank">https://saasscions.com/</a> <div type="image" title="Business Insider India brings you SaaS Scions" msid="93508208" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Business Insider India brings you SaaS Scions&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

SIMPLY PUT: What happened before India got Freedom at Midnight

MK Gandhi expanded as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, is reverentially described as the father of India. With a fitting leadership to the freedom struggle in India, Gandhi played a pivotal role in securing freedom for India from the oppressive British rule. A strong advocate of Satya (Truth) and Ahimsa (non-violence), Gandhi showed the power of love and non-violence in combating injustice and oppression. Mahatma is the title given to this inspiring personality who led the masses with his optimism, courage, his principles, and practice. <keyword id="6355532" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahatma-gandhi" source="Orion">Mahatma Gandhi</keyword> was born in Porbandar, also known as Sudamapuri in Gujarat on October 2, 1869. His birthday is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti every year on 2nd October. While we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday this year, here are a few inspiring quotes from the leader who is revered, not only by Indians but by the world at large. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quotes" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quotes">Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quotes</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on humankind" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on humankind">Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on humankind</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”</li><li> “The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.”</li><li>“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”</li><li>“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on truth" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on truth">Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on truth</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self sustained.”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on self-respect" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on self-respect">Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on self-respect</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”</li><li>“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”</li><li>“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on human mind and positive thinking" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on human mind and positive thinking">Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on human mind and positive thinking</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”</li><li>“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”</li><li>“We may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent in thought, word and deed. But we must keep nonviolence as our goal and make strong progress towards it.”</li><li>“Change yourself – you are in control.”</li><li>“When restraint and courtesy are added to strength, the latter becomes irresistible.”</li><li>“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”</li><li>“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.”</li><li>“It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”</li><li>“Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi on the importance of hard work" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi on the importance of hard work">Mahatma Gandhi on the importance of hard work</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it.”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on freedom, religion and service" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on freedom, religion and service">Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on freedom, religion and service</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”</li><li> “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God. Non-violence is the means of realising Him.”</li><li>“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi on women empowerment" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi on women empowerment">Mahatma Gandhi on women empowerment</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior”</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mahatma Gandhi on the power of truth, love and non-violence" comment="subhead" text="Mahatma Gandhi on the power of truth, love and non-violence">Mahatma Gandhi on the power of truth, love and non-violence</cmsannotation> <ul><li>“It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.”</li><li>"Love is the strongest force the world possesses.”</li><li>“All the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but Truth.”</li><li> “Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong.”</li><li>“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.”</li><li>“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”</li><li>“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”</li><li> “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”</li><li>“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”</li><li>“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”</li></ul>

Mahatma Gandhi famous Quotes and Slogans

<ul><li><keyword id="9067806" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee5-kids">ZEE5 Kids</keyword>’ content is a mix of acquired and exclusives by on-boarding the leading production house like Lionsgate and Cosmos Maya.</li><li>It will enable an environment for kids, parents and educators to consume, create, learn and contribute together as a family.</li><li>Exclusive digital shows - <keyword id="13630" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gadget-Guru">Gadget Guru</keyword>, Guddu and Bapu to be launched concurrently.</li></ul>Today, kids are the epitome in the priority list for every parent. With e-learning to online games, kids are engaged with screens all the time. And entertainment for kids isn't any different. <keyword id="6245082" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5">ZEE5</keyword> is expanding its digital ecosystem by the launch of ZEE5 Kids. It includes a repertoire of 4000+ hours of content. It encompasses varied genres, languages, formats and age-group based curations for kids. And what’s more, it’s free for all users. With a content line-up tailor made to cater to kids across ages, genres and languages, ZEE5 Kids will also be launching exclusive digitals like Gadget Guru, Guddu and Bapu which will be released over upcoming timelines. <div type="twitter" handle="ZEE5Shows" handlename="ZEE5 Shows" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1181860613921755137/4mSQ_DH5_normal.jpg" favoritecount="3" retweetcount="0" status="Cartoons ki zabardast masti ab karegi bachchon ko full-on entertain! Watch the best of kid shows, movies and DIYs w… https://t.co/macTFhLPa4" createdat="1586831400000" id="1249887600397017088"></div> With its latest addition, ZEE5 aims to become an entertainment destination for the entire family. Planned uniquely, ZEE5 Kids offers a library spread across multiple languages - Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam and Bhojpuri. Commenting on the launch, Aparna Acharekar, Programming Head, ZEE5 India said, “We are very excited to share our new offering, ZEE5 KIDS, a unique and smart confluence of entertainment that is designed to meet the learning needs in a child-safe environment. The product is deliberated to augment the intellectual abilities of children in a FUN learning way by providing bespoke content ranging from shows, movies, reality &amp; DIY shows to nursery rhymes in 9 languages and across genres. The framework has been securely curated keeping in perspective the use of devices and exposure to unlimited information that kids have these days with digital platforms. We are certain that through ZEE5 KIDS we will be able to inculcate the habit of #NonStopBachFUN amongst audiences across demographics.” ZEE5 Kids’ content is a mix of acquired and exclusives by onboarding the leading production house like Lionsgate and Cosmos Maya. The three digital originals to be featuring in the upcoming months will be: Gadget Guru: An animated TV show and movie series based on a superhero character that will take kids on his fun adventure trips. Guddu: A story about Guddu – the fun lion and his troupe of friends who fights Billori – the evil cat and her gang in the most passionate way. Bapu: A situational, light comedy &amp; educational series promises to take you on a trip to know all about Bapu aka Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and his great deeds. ZEE5 has ensured that the interface of ZEE5 Kids product is safe, secure and a private environment that you can trust. In addition, the platform is kid-friendly in terms of being easy to use and its simple navigation. ZEE5 Kids will enable an environment for kids, parents and educators to consume, create, learn and contribute together as a family. As a part of community building initiative, ZEE5 Kids will be educating mothers on the diverse content line-up, safety measures and smart features through initiatives like blogs, stories, fun challenges, tutorials, etc. Additionally, the platform and its social handles will also host Live chats with mental health experts, nutritionists, coaches, <a href="http://etc.to/">etc.to</a> share tips and advice with Parents on overall well-being of their Kids. #NonStopBachFUN will allow mommy bloggers, influencers and mothers to share their BachFUN videos and moments with their kids and win exciting prizes. And to add on to the fun, the best videos and vlogs will get to feature on the platform as well as ZEE5's social media pages.

ZEE5 gives kids content a push with the launch of ZEE5 Kids

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Wikimedia commons" title_caption="Mahatma Gandhi." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53f4ec936bb3f77917f7d18b-960/mahatma-gandhi-laughing.jpeg"></a>Wikimedia commonsMahatma Gandhi.</div></div>Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India, in 1869.
He was assassinated in 1948. 
Though in school <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225216/Mohandas-Karamchand-Gandhi" target="_blank">he was rated as only</a> "good at English, fair in Arithmetic and weak in Geography," he would go on to become a lawyer and spend twenty years in South Africa before returning to a still-colonial India. 
There he led the Indian independence movement, which culminated to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Independence_Act_1947" target="_blank">Indian Independence Act of 1947</a>. 
His philosophy of satyagraha - or mass nonviolent protest - would become a tool of oppressed people around the world, inspiring the likes of <a href="http://www.progressive.org/news/2013/07/182893/mandela-took-inspiration-gandhi" target="_blank">Nelson Mandela</a> and <a href="http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_kings_trip_to_india/" target="_blank">Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</a> 
For this we call him Mahatma, or great soul.

16 Mahatma Gandhi Quotes That Will Make You Want To Change The World

Politics is India is not boring. It is packed with pompous statements, lots of action and really interesting characters. Recipe for a full-blown Bollywood flick (talk about cliches). But, this year, it is time to move beyond freudian slips, scandalous remarks and attempts to alter history by our politicians. In 2018, some our ministers and lawmakers took it upon themselves to directly challenge science—yes, believe us someone did. Here is a rundown of the six biggest political gaffes of 2018, number 6 is bound to leave you spellbound (sarcasm intended). 1. “Would you take a used sanitary napkin to a friend’s place?” 
	
	
	
	
	
	
 
 <div type="image" title="efaa30db5b7de12ca0eadfc8c0eaa76c" msid="67320975" hostid="261"></div> India’s textile minister, <keyword id="6612" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Smriti-Irani">Smriti Irani</keyword> while expressing her ‘personal’ opinion on Supreme Court’s judgment on allowing the entry of women of all ages into Kerala’s <keyword id="6384180" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sabarimala">Sabarimala</keyword> temple that bars women of menstruating age to enter the premises, <a href="https://m.telegraphindia.com/india/would-you-take-a-blood-soaked-sanitary-napkin-to-a-friends-house-smriti-irani-on-sabarimala/cid/1672406">asked</a>, ‘Would you like to take a used sanitary napkin, steeped in menstrual blood, and walk into a friend’s home? You would not.’ She later took to twitter to clarify her comment by citing Zoroastrian traditions. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 2. ‘Mohanlal’ Karamchand Gandhi? Errr..not really 
 
	
	
	
	
	
	
 
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 In April 2018, Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> was <a href="http://www.atimes.com/article/modi-getting-reputation-gaffes-historical-errors/">trolled </a>for getting <keyword id="6355532" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahatma-gandhi">Mahatma Gandhi</keyword>’s name wrong - not for the first, but the third time. This time it happened while the prime minister was addressing a gathering in Bihar’s Champaran district. PM Modi made a similar slip while addressing a political rally in 2013. Mahatma Gandhi’s full name is — Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, however PM Modi accidently addressed him as as “Mohanlal” Karamchand Gandhi. “Why run after politicians for job? Graduates should get cows and milk them”—said one Indian chief minister 
 
	
	
	
	
	
 
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 The controversial Chief Minister of Tripura, Biplab Kumar Deb has now been crowned as the king of gaffes in India. He seems to have been a serial offender and was even reprimanded by his party’s senior leadership for a series of brazen statements. In a bizzare comment, he suggested that graduates in India should not run after ministers and political parties to get a job rather they should get cows and milk it to earn one million in 10 years. ‘Many trips to bar. Oops, abroad’: Opposition leader <keyword id="5268" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> 
 
	
	
	
 
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 The president of Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi was in an embarrassing situation while addressing lawmakers in the Parliament. What he aimed was for a snarky remark against his arch-political rival Prime Minister Modi. However, ended up being the butt of several jokes. D<a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-pradhan-mantri-ji-bar-mai-jate-hain-i-mean-abroad-rahul-gandhi-s-gaffe-leaves-pm-modi-laughing-2639481">uring his speec</a>h in the lower house of the Parliament in July 2018, he made a faux pas by saying “the Prime Minister took many trips to BAR. Reacting to some smirks and giggles - he immediately corrected himself and said “I mean abroad…” He mixed up the Hindi word ‘bahar’, which means outside, to the english word bar - where one generally goes to loosen up and have a good time. While Gandhi promptly clarified the whole situation made several politicians including the prime minister, who burst into laughter. A light Parliamentary moment, indeed! Biplab did it again! Revisiting historical facts about Rabindranath Tagore 
 
	
	
	
	
 
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 Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb— who we earlier dubbed as the ‘king of bloopers’ once said that nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore rejected the Nobel Prize as a mark of protest against the British Empire. In fact, Tagore never declined the award that he received in 1913 for his work ‘Gitanjali.’ He further added, Tagore was awarded with “Biswosrestho” (world’s best) award for Gitanjali. ‘Ducks raise oxygen level in water bodies’ - No prizes for guessing who said that! 
 
	
	
	
	
 
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 In another major gaffe, the Tripura chief minister claimed that ducks can raise oxygen levels when they swim in water bodies. Yes, yes this is a scientific fact, but it still became news because of the bizarre comment. He said, “When ducks swim in water, oxygen level automatically increases in the waterbody. It (oxygen) gets recycled. Fish in the water will get more oxygen. They also benefit from bird droppings. Thus, pisciculture will benefit and fishes will grow faster, that too in a completely organic way,” reported NDTV.

Oops, they did it again: Here are 2018’s most memorable gaffes made by Indian politicians

So much has been written about <keyword id="6355532" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahatma-Gandhi">Mahatma Gandhi</keyword> – <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>’s peace crusader. The man who led India’s independence struggle to free the country from the clutches of British rule of 200 years, turned into a phenomenon with the way he led his life. Generations after, people in India continue to emulate him, try to inculcate some of the principles he lived-and-preached; even as the world leaders seem enamored by him. 
 
Some of the simplest things he said were deeply philosophical, societal and always for the larger good. His words are timeless, and go beyond geographical limitations since they are applicable for any country that wants to achieve a social equilibrium through reforms. 
 
The journey of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi was highly challenging. During the course of his life, Gandhi sought to resolve the constant plaguing of self-doubt helped him put his truths and beliefs through tough tests of realities that helped him see an issue from different dimensions and perspectives. 
 
The ‘take away’ factors from his life are many. And the more one reads him, the lessons from his life increase with the number of interpretations you can make from the text. Read between the lines, if you must, when you read Gandhi and the essence of his life (and ours, too) increases by manifold to the reader. 
 
Here are a few key lessons he left behind in the most significant life he led, for his country, his people and rest of the world. 
1. Humanity and faith 
Gandhi said: “Have faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the whole ocean does not become dirty”. His faith in the basic ‘goodness’ of people remained undeterred throughout his life, which remained largely in the midst of followers and opponents. 
2. Be the change 
While Gandhi turned an unlikely leader of something as massive as a freedom movement, it didn’t happen overnight. The man he turned out to be, was a result of constant introspection and clarity that emerged from the process. He remained open to both sides of any argument and faced everything with a smile. No matter what the challenge was, his goal of ‘Indian independence’ remained clear. Like he said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And what a change he was! 
3. Preserving the self 
Gandhi firmly believed he was in control of his emotions. Even during most disturbing occasions when an argument went awry with his supporters, or his friends, he would quietly retreat and revisit the discussion after having thought through. His friends vouched for this quality of his. He ensured the goal was in sight. And that ego wouldn’t rule the roost. He often said: “no one can hurt me without my permission”. 
4. Forgive 
He had imbibed the best of Indian philosophy. Non-violence was his strongest weapon, and so was forgiveness. He told the world often that forgiving was the quality of the strong, and not the weak. He didn’t approve of those who wanted to avenge any injustice or crime. “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” he said and liberated his fellow men from anger. 
5. Practice what you preach 
Advice is more easily available land or air today. Even a stranger is capable of telling a fellow passenger how to lead a life that the former may have never known. But, Gandhi firmly believed actions speak louder than words. He remained in control of both his actions and words. “An ounce of practice is worth a thousand words” is what he lived by. 
6. Now is all that you have 
An English adage says ‘cross the bridge when it comes’. Gandhi lived by the essence of ‘today’ and not what fate would befall on him tomorrow. With the goal clearly before him, he would often look at what could be done now, than later. “God has given me no control over the following moment. I am concerned about taking care of the present” was his opinion. 
7. Never say Never 
He was well aware of the possibilities and limitations of human beings. He was magnanimous about all the people who came to him confessing their errors. He said once “It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.” 
8. Stay on; don’t give up 
Challenges often encouraged him to go that extra mile, put in that extra effort and reach further clarity on how things were to be executed for the goal to be reached. Self-doubt often made him stronger and he came back renewed, rejuvenated and with bigger dreams than before for the country. “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” he would say when asked if the challenges didn’t bog him down. 
9. Keep away the evil 
Look for best qualities in people and grow with every person you meet. Taking stock of someone’s lacunae will only make you poorer. Gandhi was aware that he wasn’t faultless himself. “I will not probe into the faults of others. I only look for goodness in them” he reiterated often. 
10. Coherence in thought and action 
Happiness is where there is no conflict within self about what is preached and followed. There are no different rules for self and the world. Happiness is when your thoughts, actions and words align – this was something that he firmly believed in all his life.

Mahatma Gandhi: The Life Coach Left 10 Important Lessons For The World

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Bigger-Historical-Figures-Really/dp/1107041376/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1387297630&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=who%27s+bigger+where+historical+figures+really+rank"></a><a href="http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/mid/1508/ArticleId/1353/Default.aspx">Wikimedia Commons</a>Jesus, the most important person in history, according to the book.</div></div>It was only a matter of time before the tech world tried to rewrite history.
Stony Brook University computer science professor <a href="http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~skiena/">Steven Skiena</a> and Google software engineer <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/charlesbward/">Charles B. Ward</a> take on this ambitious task in a book published this fall: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Bigger-Historical-Figures-Really/dp/1107041376/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1387297630&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=who%27s+bigger+where+historical+figures+really+rank">"Who's Bigger: Where Historical Figures Really Rank</a>."
Just as Google ranks web pages, the researchers created an algorithm that ranks historical figures by Wikipedia PageRank, article length, and readership, as well as achievement and celebrity.
Their conclusions have not come without controversy. The top 100 significant figures are overwhelming white and male. For example, Nelson Mandela, who helped end Apartheid in South Africa, ranked only 356. And just three women broke the top 100. 
Cass Sunstein of "The New Republic" <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115669/ranking-historical-figures-skiena-and-wards-whos-bigger-reviewed">wrote a sprawling analysis of their findings</a>. She questions not only if we can measure historical significance, but whether we should and certainly why the authors relied solely on the English-language version of Wikipedia. On that note, perhaps we could call these the most important figures in Western history.
Here's the top 100:
1. Jesus: central figure of Christianity (7 B.C. - A.D. 30) 
2. Napoleon: Emperor of France, involved in the Battle of Waterloo (1769 - 1821)
3. Muhammad: prophet and founder of Islam (570 - 632)
4. William Shakespeare: English playwright, wrote "Hamlet" (1564 - 1616)
5. Abraham Lincoln: 16th U.S. president, involved in the Civil War (1809 - 1865)
6. George Washington: 1st U.S. president, involved in the American Revolution (1732 - 1799)
7. Adolf Hitler: Fuehrer of Nazi Germany, involved in World War II (1889 - 1945)
8. Aristotle: Greek philosopher and polymath (384 - 322 B.C.)
9. Alexander the Great: Greek king and conqueror of the known world (356 - 323 B.C.)
10. Thomas Jefferson: 3rd U.S. president, co-wrote the Declaration of Independence (1743 - 1826)
11. Henry VII: King of England, had six wives (1491 - 1547)
12. Charles Darwin: scientist, created the Theory of Evolution (1809 - 1882)
13. Elizabeth I: Queen of England, known as "The Virgin Queen" (1533 - 1603)
14. Karl Marx: philosopher, wrote the "Communist Manifesto" (1818 - 1883)
15. Julius Caesar: Roman general and statesmen, said "Et tu, Brute?" (100 - 44 B.C.)
16. Queen Victoria: Queen of Britain, Victorian Era (1819 - 1901)
17. Martin Luther: Protestant Reformation, wrote the "95 Theses" (1483 - 1546)
18. Joseph Stalin: Premier of USSR, involved in World War II (1878 - 1953)
19. Albert Einstein: theoretical physicist, created the Theory of Relativity (1879 - 1955)
20. Christopher Columbus: explorer, discoverer of the New World (1451 - 1506)
21. Isaac Newton: scientist, created the Theory of Gravity (1643 - 1727)
22. Charlemagne: first Holy Roman Emporer, considered the "Father of Europe" (742 - 814)
23. Theodore Roosevelt: 26th U.S. president, Progressive Movement (1858 - 1919)
24. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Austrian composer, wrote "Don Giovanni" (1756 - 1791)
25. Plato: Greek philosopher, wrote "The Republic" (427 - 347 B.C.)
26. Louis XIV: King of France, known as The Sun King (1638 - 1715)
27. Ludwig Von Beethoven: German composer, wrote "Ode to Joy" (1770 - 1827)
28. Ulysses S. Grant: 18th U.S. president and Civil War general (1822 - 1885)
29. Leonardo da Vinci: Italian artist and polymath, painted the "Mona Lisa" (1452 - 1519)
30. Augustus: First Emporer of Rome, Pax Romana (63 B.C. - A.D. 14)
31. Carl Linnaeus: Swedish biologist, father of Taxonomy (1707 - 1778)
32. Ronald Reagan: 40th U.S. president, Conservative Revolution (1911 - 2004)
33. Charles Dickens: English novelist, wrote "David Copperfield" (1812 - 1870
34. Paul the Apostle: Christian apostle and missionary (A.D. 5 - A.D. 67)
35. Benjamin Franklin: Founding father, scientist, captured lightning (1706 - 1790)
36. George W. Bush: 43rd U.S. president during the Iraq War (1946 - )
37. Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of Britain, involved in World War II (1874 - 1965)
38. Genghis Khan: Founder of the Mongol Empire (1162 - 1227)
39. Charles I: King of England, involved in the English Civil War (1600 - 1649)
40. Thomas Edison: Inventor of the light bulb and phonograph (1847 - 1931)
41. James I: King of England, responsible for the King James Bible (1566 - 1625)
42. Friedrich Nietzsche: German philosopher, "God is dead" (1844 - 1900)
43. Franklin D. Roosevelt: 32nd U.S. President, responsible for the New Deal (1882 - 1945)
44. Sigmund Freud: neurologist and creator of psychoanalysis (1856 - 1939)
45. Alexander Hamilton: U.S. Founding Father, National Bank (1755 - 1804)
46. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Indian nationalist leader, instrumental in non-violence (1869 - 1948)
47. Woodrow Wilson: 28th U.S. president, involved in World War I (1856 - 1924)
48. Johann Sebastian Bach: Classical composer, wrote the "Well Tempered Clavier" (1685 - 1750)
49. Galileo Galilei: Italian physicist and astronomer (1564 - 1642)
50. Oliver Cromwell: Lord Protector of England, involved in the English Civil War (1599 - 1658)
51. James Madison: 4th U.S. president, involved in the War of 1812 (1751 - 1836)
52. Guatama Buddha: central figure of Buddhism (563 - 483 B.C.)
53. Mark Twain: American author, wrote "Huckleberry Finn" (1835 - 1910)
54. Edgar Allen Poe: American author, wrote "The Raven" (1809 - 1849)
55. Joseph Smith: American religious leader, founded Mormonism (1805 - 1844)
56. Adam Smith: Economist, wrote "The Wealth Of Nations" (1723 - 1790)
57. David: Biblical King of Israel, founded Jerusalem (1040 - 970 B.C.)
58. George III: King of England, involved in the American Revolution (1738 - 1820)
59. Immanuel Kant: German philosopher, wrote "Critique Of Pure Reason" (1724 - 1804)
60. James Cook: Explorer and discoverer of Hawaii and Australia (1728 - 1779)
61. John Adams: Founding Father and 2nd U.S. president (1735 - 1826)
62. Richard Wagner: German composer, wrote "Der Ring Des Nibelungen" (1813 - 1883)
63. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Russian composer, wrote the "1812 Overture" (1840 - 1893)
64. Voltaire: French Enlightenment philosopher, wrote "Candidate" (1694 - 1778)
65. Saint Peter: Early Christian leader (?-?)
66. Andrew Jackson: 7th U.S. president, also known as "Old Hickory" (1767 - 1845)
67. Constantine the Great: Emperor of Rome, first Christian emperor (272-337)
68. Socrates: Greek philosopher and teacher, sentenced to death by hemlock (469 - 399 B.C.)
69. Elvis Presley: The "king of rock and roll" (1935 - 1977)
70. William the Conqueror: King of England, Norman Conquest (1027 - 1087)
71. John F. Kennedy: 35th U.S. president, Cuban Missile Crisis (1917 - 1963)
72. Augustine of Hippo: Early Christian theologian, wrote "The City of God" (354 - 430)
73. Vincent Van Gogh: Post-impressionist painter, painted "Starry Night" (1853 - 1890)
74. Nicolaus Copernicus: Astronomer, theorized a heliocentric cosmology (1473 - 1543)
75. Vladimir Lenin: Soviet revolutionary and Premier of USSR (1870 - 1924)
76. Robert E. Lee: Confederate General during the U.S. Civil War (1807 - 1870)
77. Oscar Wilde: Irish author and poet, wrote "The Picture of Dorian Grey" (1854 - 1900)
78. Charles II: King of England, post-Cromwell (1630 - 1685)
79. Cicero: Roman statesman and orator, wrote "On the Republic" (106 - 43 B.C.)
80. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: philosopher, wrote "On the Social Contract" (1712 - 1778)
81. Francis Bacon: English scientist, created the Scientific Method (1561 - 1626)
82. Richard Nixon: 37th U.S. president, involved in Watergate (1913 - 1994)
83. Louis XVI: King of France, executed in the French Revolution (1754 - 1793)
84. Charles V: Holy Roman Emporer during the Counter-Reformation (1500 - 1558)
85. King Arthur: Mythical 6th-century King of Britain (? - ?)
86. Michelangelo: Italian sculptor and Renaissance man, sculpted "David" (1475 - 1564)
87. Philip II: King of Spain, organized the Spanish Armada (1527 - 1598)
88. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: German writer and polymath, wrote "Faust" (1749 - 1832)
89. Ali: Early Caliph and a central figure of Sufism (598 - 661)
90. Thomas Aquinas: Italian theologian, "Summa theologiae" (1225 - 1274)
91. Pope John Paul II: 20th-century Polish Pope, Solidarity (1920 - 2005)
92. Rene Descartes: French philosopher, coined "I think, therefore I am" (1596 - 1650)
93. Nikola Tesla: Inventor, discovered alternating current (1856 - 1943)
94. Harry S. Truman: 33rd U.S. president, involved in the Korean War (1884 - 1972)
95. Joan of Arc: French military leader and saint (1412 - 1431)
96. Dante Alighieri: Italian poet, wrote the "Divine Comedy" (1265 - 1321)
97. Otto von Bismarck: 1st chancellor and unifier of modern Germany (1815 - 1898)
98. Grover Cleveland: 22nd and 24th U.S. president (1837 - 1908)
99. John Calvin: French Protestant theologian, founded Calvinism (1509 - 1564)
100. John Locke: English Enlightenment philosopher, theorized "tabula rasa" (1632 - 1704)
Read more in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Bigger-Historical-Figures-Really/dp/1107041376/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1387297630&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=who%27s+bigger+where+historical+figures+really+rank">"Who's Bigger: Where Historical Figures Really Rank</a>."

The 100 Most Important People In History 

In 1906, in a lodging house for Indian students in Highgate, a pleasant area of north London, a young lawyer called Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi dropped in on a law student called Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who happened to be frying prawns at the time. Savarkar offered Gandhi some of his meal; Gandhi, a vegetarian, refused. Savarkar allegedly retorted that only a fool would attempt to resist the British without being fortified by animal protein.
The meeting is said to have begun hostilities between the two young Indian nationalists; whether or not the story is apocryphal, there were real reasons for antipathy.
The two men had very different approaches to the struggle against Britain. Gandhi, who became leader of the Indian National Congress (INC), was a pacifist with an inclusive attitude towards Muslims and Christians. Savarkar, who would lead the Hindu Mahasabha, was a right-wing majoritarian who spawned the idea of hindutva, or Hindu-ness--the belief that the Hindu identity is inseparable from the Indian identity. Congress eclipsed the Mahasabha and, since history belongs to the victors, the story of India's independence movement became one of non-violence. But the strand of thought that Savarkar represented was more important than is generally recognised, and is enjoying a revival.
A member of the Mahasabha broke away to form the paramilitary Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or national volunteer organisation, in 1925, modelled, some say, on the British army. A social rather than explicitly political organisation, it presented itself as the world's largest non-governmental group, in which like-minded, khaki-uniformed men could gather for dawn calisthenics. It recruited boys at an impressionable age, as the Jesuits did, the better to inculcate them with discipline and with passion for the cause. One such was the eight-year-old Narendra Modi. The future prime minister attended training sessions with the RSS, was subsequently inducted as a cadet, and in 1985 was assigned by the RSS to its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which he rose to lead.
Mr Modi is India's strongest leader since Indira Gandhi, and its most controversial. The source of controversy is his failure in 2002, when chief minister of Gujarat, to avert a massacre of Muslims, which opponents attribute to a hostility to Muslims born of the ideology that Savarkar spawned. Mr Modi has never apologised for the massacre, though he said last year that he felt regret over them, as he would at seeing a puppy run over in the street. Nor has he made any attempt to distance himself from the RSS.
The RSS, meanwhile, is becoming more overtly political. Mohan Bhagwat, its current leader, is somewhat in the mould of Savarkar, paraphrasing his beliefs and promoting Hindutva. In August this year Mr Bhagwat directly echoed Savarkar by saying all who live in "Hindustan" are in fact Hindus, whatever Muslims, Christians or secular Hindus might say. More striking, the RSS leader has switched the organisation's methods. Now, far from eschewing party politics, the group has become an enthusiastic and effective actor within it. The RSS's millions of members and volunteers (no one knows just how many active ones there really are) played a big role in electing the BJP by a landslide in 2014. At least 19 ministers in government, including Mr Modi, have a background in the RSS. Its leaders are seconded to senior posts in the party too. So the ideas of the man who inspired the RSS matter more than ever before.
<h3>The naked jumper</h3>
The lawyer described by a British official in 1906 as "a small man with an intelligent face and a nervous manner" does not sound like the muscular hero that Indian nationalists crave, but Savarkar clearly had a certain dash. In 1910, while he was in London, he was charged with conspiring to wage war against the king and with providing weapons used to assassinate a Briton in the Indian civil service, sentenced to two life terms--50 years--in jail and sent back to India. While the steamship "Morea" was berthed in Marseille harbour, he slipped away from his guards, leapt, almost naked, into the sea and swam ashore. Unfortunately for the eulogists, he was promptly caught by French police and bundled back to the ship.
His daring did, however, win him fame, and also created legal history. France's government, annoyed that Britain had overseen an arrest on its territory, wanted Savarkar returned. Britain refused so the matter went to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. It ruled his arrest was indeed "irregular", but decided Savarkar might as well stay in India. The case was one of the earliest heard by the tribunal.
Savarkar's next stop was the Andaman Islands--a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal. This palm-fringed tropical paradise served as a penal colony for the British. Cellular Jail in the capital, Port Blair, is now a memorial for freedom campaigners. In a park opposite stands a row of statues of independence heroes. One is of a slender man with a pinched face behind round spectacles. A pen protrudes from his jacket pocket, one hand rests on a part-furled umbrella and the other wags a finger at the sky. You might mistake him for a prissy bank manager, but a plaque identifies him as Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The park is named after him.
Ranjit Savarkar, his great-nephew, who runs the Savarkar trust, says that he showed great fortitude in jail. A trained yogi, he overcame thoughts of suicide. Other inmates nicknamed him "Barrister Babu", for his London legal training. Already a published historian and poet, he used Cellular Jail to work on his writing--literally: he wrote on its walls. He spent a decade there before being moved to the mainland in 1921. He was subsequently freed, after pledging to keep out of politics--a promise which the ideology he was developing in jail suggests he did not intend to keep.
A fierce nationalist, he adored Guiseppe Mazzini, who fought for the unification of Italy, writing about him in the hope of inspiring resistance to the British in India. Savarkar believed that India is really composed of, and must only be run by, Hindus. In his 1924 book, "Hindutva", he drew on cultural, philosophical and religious practices of ancient Hinduism, a rich faith that allows immense variety in how it is followed. But he also distinguished the ideology of hindutva--an attempt to unite disparate Hindus in a political project--from the religion. He himself was an atheist, and disapproved of aspects of traditional Hindu belief, dismissing cow worship as superstitious--a stance that would upset many today. He was an early outspoken opponent of caste discrimination. In the 1920s and 1930s others among the emerging Indian political elite opposed "untouchability", the rejection as sub-human of those considered "below caste". But Savarkar went further, saying modern India should drop altogether the idea of dividing people by caste.
His attitude towards Muslims, who made up a quarter of the population before partition, and other non-Hindus was less liberal. He regarded them as alien and separate, in effect not as real Indians. He was fiercely opposed to the formation of Pakistan and what his great-nephew calls the "appeasement" of Muslims. He believed that they, along with the Europeans, had crushed Hindus for a millennium--a sentiment echoed by Mr Modi in an address to parliament after his election this year, when he spoke of ending "1,200 years of slave mentality" in India.
Aside from his view of Muslims, the big difference between Savarkar and the nationalists in the INC lay in their contrasting attitudes to violence. He also wrote one of the first Indian accounts of the uprising in 1857, centred in Delhi. Known as the "Mutiny" to the British, it is referred to by many Indians as the "first war of independence"--echoing the title of Savarkar's book, "The Indian War of Independence". It was a gruesome episode, in which hundreds of thousands were killed, but Savarkar was untroubled by the violence, and seemed to justify the murders of British women and children. His works are steeped in a desire for revenge against those who have humiliated Hindus, and his frustration with the passivity of his co-religionists: "I want all Hindus to get themselves re-animated and re-born into a martial race." In his early years, he circulated manuals on bomb making. He approved of--and probably assisted in--the assassination of colonial administrators. He was suspected, for example, of encouraging a student radical who shot dead Sir Curzon Wyllie, a government official, one summer night on a Kensington street in 1909.
<h3>Rewriting history</h3>

Today, some Indians adulate him. On the day your correspondent called in at Cellular Jail, a party of jovial men in their 80s and 90s, an official "Eminent Committee of Freedom Fighters", was also visiting. Among the last surviving veterans who battled the British in the Quit India movement in the 1940s, they raised gnarled fists to chant "Jai Hind", posed for pictures and praised Savarkar as strong. The local MP called veer (brave) Savarkar a "ferocious, dangerous man who frightened off the British". Rashida Iqbal, the jail's curator, assessed him as "one of the most important freedom fighters". Port Blair's airport, like the park, bears his name. Some 2,000km away, in his native Maharashtra, a street and a park in Mumbai also each carry his name. (In London a blue plaque identifies his former home in Highgate.)
Savarkar's enthusiasm for violence sits uncomfortably with conventional ideas of how India got its independence. India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and then the Congress party (successor to the INC) promoted a pacifist narrative of history, the idea that Gandhi and the likes of B.R. Ambedkar, a social reformer who inspired the Modern Buddhist Movement, triumphed through non-violent resistance. That meant downplaying the bloodshed of 1857, in which atrocities were perpetrated by both sides, and also the roles of Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose and Vallabhbhai Patel.
Bose, the Bengali leader of an Indian National Army against the British in the second world war and an ally of Hitler and imperial Japan, led some 40,000 soldiers against the British. (He didn't get far, though the Japanese briefly handed him control of the Andamans.) Patel, the "Iron Man of India", had the Bismarckian task of uniting the country. He oversaw the integration of 562 princely states into India, threatening and using military force. Operation Polo in 1948, a five-day conquest of Hyderabad, a wealthy and Muslim-run state in the south, was bloody indeed. Official estimates, only made public in 2013, suggest the fighting and subsequent Hindu-Muslim clashes there killed between 27,000 and 40,000 people. Some historians claim the real toll might have been five times higher.
The way the story of Indian independence is told is beginning to change. Mr Modi and the BJP are keen to celebrate muscular, nationalist figures. Patel is likely to have a much higher profile in future: in the national budget, in July 2014, the government set aside $32m to erect a statue of him in Gujarat, twice the size of the Statue of Liberty, by 2018. And while Mr Modi frequently invokes Gandhi's name and beliefs, he refers almost as often to Swami Vivekananda, a 19th-century nationalist who revived Hinduism and promoted it abroad. Mr Modi is said to be named after him (the swami was originally called Narendra Nath Datta) and frequently poses before his photograph. Vivekananda's ideas on invigorating Hinduism foreshadowed Savarkar's hindutva project.
Savarkar's profile is lower, but is also rising. Educational comics, hagiographies and patriotic films retell parts of his life story. In 2008 Mr Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, inaugurated a website (savarkar.org) that promotes a man "largely unknown to the masses because of the vicious propaganda against him and misunderstanding around him that has been created over several decades", and in 2012 he launched a Gujarati-language biopic. A previous BJP-led government put Savarkar's portrait in parliament. On his birthday this year, May 28th, the prime minister paid homage to him there. Mr Modi tweeted about Savarkar's "tireless efforts towards the regeneration of our motherland". Ranjit Savarkar's group plans various events to mark the 50th anniversary of Savarkar's death in 1966. (Aged 83, he submitted to what he called atmaarpan--refusing food, water or medicine in order to die. It took 20 days.)
Yet Savarkar remains immensely divisive. He was a fiercely outspoken critic of Gandhi, still India's top national hero: he called Gandhi weak, a "sissy" and far too willing to collaborate with Britain. Gandhian talk of man's common humanity he regarded as utopian to the point of naivety. In articles from the 1920s to the 1940s Savarkar lambasted Gandhi as a "crazy lunatic" who "happens to babble...[about] compassion, forgiveness", yet "notwithstanding his sublime and broad heart, the Mahatma has a very narrow and immature head." Gandhi promoted ahimsa, a Buddhist rejection of violence which Savarkar called "mealy-mouthed". He said Gandhi was a hypocrite for supporting violence by the British against Germany in the first world war. Nor did he cheer Gandhi's prominent backing for the Ottoman Caliphate Movement, designed to win Indian Muslims to oppose British colonial rule.
Over the years, Savarkar was eclipsed by his rival. During the 1920s and 1930s, the INC benefited from its ability to claim plausibly that it spoke for Muslims as well as Hindus, which made it a more credible interlocutor with the colonial authorities. Perhaps more important, it had an impressive organisation and, in Gandhi and later in Nehru, accomplished political leaders.
By the mid 1940s Savarkar and his supporters in the Mahasabha (which he led until his death) had a new gripe against Gandhi. They were enraged at the prospect of Pakistan seceding from India. Gandhi, in their eyes, did nothing to stop that "vivisection". Worse, he seemed to favour Pakistan when it sent forces to violently seize Kashmir, evidence to Savarkar that warlike Muslims were again crushing passive Hindus. When Nehru applied economic sanctions on Pakistan (refusing to pass on its share of central-bank funds from before independence), Gandhi launched a fast in protest and forced him to back down. To Savarkar's followers in the Mahasabha, that constituted national betrayal.
On January 30th 1948 Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi. The killer, Nathuram Godse, was a member of the Mahasabha, edited its newspaper and was an associate of Savarkar's. Godse's explanation of his actions echoed Savarkar: he said he murdered Gandhi for his "false notions of Hindu-Muslim unity" and in fury over the secession of Pakistan. Savarkar was arrested and tried as a plotter in the murder. He denied all and was acquitted. That did not convince everybody. As the leader of the Mahasabha, who had praised the efficacy of violence and railed against Muslims, it was reasonable to suspect he had at least inspired Gandhi's killer. A.G. Noorani, author of a book on Savarkar and Godse, goes further. He draws a parallel to the Kensington murder of Wylie in 1909, saying the elder man had twice pressed others to pull the trigger. "I would definitely call him complicit in the assassination of Gandhi," he concludes. He points, too, to an official commission of inquiry into Gandhi's death, in the late 1960s, which drew on testimony unavailable at the original trial. It found the evidence was "destructive of any theory other than the conspiracy to murder by Savarkar and his group". Following Gandhi's murder the RSS was also banned, for a year. Yet the final reason why Savarkar should remain unacceptable in modern India goes beyond suspicion over Gandhi's murder. It lies in his attitude to his fellow, non-Hindu, Indians. In his own writing he relates joyfully how as a 12-year-old boy he led a gang of schoolmates to stone his village mosque and smash its windows and tiles, in the aftermath of Hindu-Muslim riots. Relating how "we vandalised the mosque to our heart's content", he adds that when confronted by Muslim boys, he and his pals wielded knives and sticks and chased them away.
Throughout his writing he sets out Muslims as savage, immoral, sensual and eager to destroy the Hindu way of life. In 1937 he wrote of there being "two antagonistic nations living side by side in India", an idea that relies on using religion as the defining characteristic of any Indian, one utterly against the secular constitution of India. And while he occasionally wrote admiringly of the political and religious fervour of Islam, or rather of Muslim political leaders, he did so to encourage his fellow Hindus to match or exceed it.
In India today the fear of communal clashes--between Hindus and Muslims--should not be overblown. But it is never far away. Especially before elections, parties exploit religious tensions. Those who promote hindutva and echo Savarkar whip up stories of "love jihad", alleging that Muslim men convert large numbers of Hindu women by seducing them. Earlier this month a BJP parliamentarian praised Godse as a "patriot" equal to Gandhi. Members of the increasingly influential RSS feel emboldened. Such majoritarian politics, when a larger religious group sets out to absorb or flatten a minority, is utterly destructive. One need only look at the failure of Pakistan as a reminder of that. Sarvarkar could be a brilliant, eloquent and progressive leader. He could also be extremist, violent and divisive. If his influence grows, India's tolerance and moderation will be at risk.
"Notwithstanding his...broad heart, the Mahatma has a very narrow and immature head," wrote Savarkar
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Savarkar (back row, second left) was arrested and tried as a plotter in Gandhi's murder. He was acquitted
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