Indian became independent in 1947. But ours is one of the oldest civilizations of world.
Many great men and women have been born in India.
These men women worked hard to make India a great civilization.
You should know about some of them:
King Ashoka
Ashoka ruled as the king many hundreds of years ago.
At first, he loved war and hunting, just like any other king. But then he fought a big battle against the kingdom of Kaligna.
Many men died in the battle.
Ashoka won but felt very unhappy.
He saw how he had made the people suffer.
He took a vow never to go to war or hunt again.
He worked for the good of the people.
He spread the message of love among them.
The people loved him.
Ashoka loved him.
Ashoka will always be remembered for is services to the people of India.
The great emperor of Mughal Akbar
Akbar was another great king, Indians should always remember.
He became the king in 1605.
He was a great soldier.
He fought many battles and ruled a large part of what is India to day.
He loved India with all his heart.
He did many things to better the lives of all Indians,
To him, all Indians were equals.
He treated all Indian religions with honor and respect.
Artists, musicians, and writers were always given respect by him.
Indian reached a great height of civilization under this Mughal king.
The country was very happy under him.
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore is known as the greatest poet of modern India.
But he was much more than just a poet.
He was born in 1861 and died in 1941.
He wrote many poems, plays, stories and essays.
He composed the tunes and words of two thousand songs. Our national anthem was composed by him in 1911.
He wanted India to be free British rule.
He set up a totally Indian school in Santiniketan in 1901.
In 1922, he founded Visva Bharati, an international university, in Santiniketan.
Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and many other people called him- `Gurudev’ – the master.
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas karamchand Gandhi is known as the father of the nation.
India won independence under his leadership through `Satyagraha’ and `ahimsa’.
He gave away everything he had, to fight the British.
But he did not use weapons or force to fight.
He got the common people to join him.
Gandhi led them to disobey everything the British wanted them to do.
Gandhi was born in 1869.
He studied in India and England.
He went to work in South Africa.
There he saw how badly Indians were treated.
He fought peacefully for their rights.
He came back to India in 1910. Soon, after, he joined the freedom movement.
He respected all religions and loved poor people.
He was killed by a man who did not understand him in 1948.