RABINDRANATH TAGORE

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was the youngest son of Debendranath Tagore, a leader
of the Brahmo Samaj, which was a new religious sect in nineteenth-century Bengal and
which attempted a revival of the ultimate monistic basis of Hinduism as laid down in the
Upanishads. He was educated at home; and although at seventeen he was sent to England for
formal schooling, he did not finish his studies there. In his mature years, in addition to his
many-sided literary activities, he managed the family estates, a project which brought him
into close touch with common humanity and increased his interest in social reforms. He also
started an experimental school at Shantiniketan where he tried his Upanishadic ideals of
education. From time to time he participated in the Indian nationalist movement, though in
his own non-sentimental and visionary way; and Gandhi, the political father of modern India,
was his devoted friend. Tagore was knighted by the ruling British Government in 1915, but
within a few years he resigned the honour as a protest against British policies in India.
Tagore had early success as a writer in his native Bengal. With his translations of
some of his poems he became rapidly known in the West. In fact his fame attained a
luminous height, taking him across continents on lecture tours and tours of friendship. For the
world he became the voice of India's spiritual heritage; and for India, especially for Bengal,
he became a great living institution.

CARPENTER

A Carpenter is a skilled person who make furniture, doors, windows out of wood.












MAHAKAVI SUBRAMANIYA BHARATHI






Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathi was born on 11 December 1882 in Ettiyapuram in Tamil
Nadu. Bharathi died on 11 September 1921. In a relatively short life span of 39 years,
Bharathi left an indelible mark as the poet of Tamil nationalism and Indian freedom.
Bharathi's mother died in 1887 and two years later, his father also died. At the age of 11, in
1893 his prowess as a poet was recognised and he was accorded the title of 'bharathi'. He was
a student at Nellai Hindu School and in 1897 he married Sellamal. Thererafter, from 1898 to
1902, he lived in Kasi. Bharathi worked as a school teacher and as a journal editor at various
times in his life. As a Tamil poet he ranked with Ilanko, Thiruvalluvar and Kamban. His
writings gave new life to the Tamil language - and to Tamil national consciousness. He
involved himself actively in the Indian freedom struggle. It is sometimes said of Bharathi that
he was first an Indian and then a Tamil. Perhaps, it would be more correct to say that he was
a Tamil and because he was a Tamil he was also an Indian. For him it was not either or but
both - it was not possible for him to be one without also being the other. Bharathi often
referred to Tamil as his 'mother'. At the sametime, he was fluent in many languages including
Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, Kuuch, and English and frequently translated works from other
languages into Tamil. His
(among all the languages we know, we do not see
anywhere, any as sweet as Tamil) was his moving tribute to his mother tongue. That many a
Tamil web site carries the words of that song on its home page in cyber space today is a
reflection of the hold that those words continue to have on Tamil minds and Tamil hearts.



SWAMI VIVEKANANDA


A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Vivekananda crammed
immense labor and achievement into his short life, 1863-1902. Born in the Datta
family of Calcutta, the youthful Vivekananda embraced the agnostic philosophies of
the Western mind along with the worship of science.
At the same time, vehement in his desire to know the truth about God, he questioned
people of holy reputation, asking them if they had seen God. He found such a person
in Sri Ramakrishna, who became his master, allayed his doubts, gave him God vision,
and transformed him into sage and prophet with authority to teach.
After Sri Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed
India as a wandering monk. His mounting compassion for India's people drove him
to seek their material help from the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent
Hinduism at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda won instant
celebrity in America and a ready forum for his spiritual teaching.
For three years he spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America and
England and then returned to India to found the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
Exhorting his nation to spiritual greatness, he wakened India to a new national
consciousness. He died July 4, 1902, after a second, much shorter sojourn in the West.
His lectures and writings have been gathered into nine volumes.




Magic corner
The Penrose Triangle
The Penrose triangle is considered the impossible figure.

The Penrose triangle appears to be solid on the page, but it cannot be built.