Never hesitate in showing kindness. Not only men but also animals under go miserable conditions. Little acts of kindness relieve them from misery. Let us see how Abraham Lincoln was kind to men as well as animals. He loved animals.
As president of the united state America Lincoln led the union forces in the civil war. Although he fought on side against the other, he did not have slightest hatred or anger towards the enemy.
He was once in a visit to some hospital tents where wounded soldiers of both sides were lying. As he went near one of the tents, one of his men said, ``Mr. President, you needn’t go in there. They are enemy prisoners’’. ``Then that is just where I want to go,’’ said Lincoln. He went in and shook hands with every one of the enemy prisoners.
`` How can you speak kindly to your enemies’’. An elderly woman once asked him, ``W hen you should really be destroying them?’’ Lincoln looked at her and said, `` Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?’’
On Friday, 14 April 1865, Lincoln was busy arranging for the cease-fire. ``Let there be no killing or changing of people’’, he told his officers, `` Enough lives have been destroyed already’’.
Late that afternoon he and his wife went out for a ride. `` My mind is so peaceful now’’, he said to her, `` I have done a lot of work today to finish up the war’’.
That night as he was seated in the president’s box at the theatre, watching a play, a man named Wilkes Booth, a half-mad southerner, entered the box and shot president.
The next morning, between seven and eight O’ clock, he passed away. ``Now he belongs to the ages,’’ said one of the men who were standing by.
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A) Alexander, the great was the king of Macedonia. He was a great warrior and dreamt of ruling the whole world. He conquered the whole of Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Persia in just four years. In 326 B.C., he crossed the Hindukush Mountain and invaded India. Most of the kings could not fight well. But Porus a powerful king fought bravely but was defeated and captured. When brought before Alexander, Porus did not ask for mercy but told Alexander that he should be treated like a `king’. Alexander was impressed by Porus, released him and also gave back his kingdom.
After this, Alexander continued conquering other kingdoms but soon his soldiers became tired and homesick and refused to go any further. Alexander left India in 325 B.C. while returning to Greece; he died at Babylon in 323 B.C. at the young age of 32 years.
B) When Bengal came under the British rule, it was constituted as a province which included present day Bihar and Orissa and extended up to Agra. In 1905, Lord Cruzan divided Bengal into two provinces. A new province called Assam and east Bengal with its capital at Dacca was covered out of old Bengal. The rest of the territory together with Bihar and parts of Orissa formed Bengal. In 1911, due to stiff opposition of the Bengalis, the two parts were united once again. The capital of India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. Assam and Bihar were not included in the new Bengal. With the partition of 1947, Pakistanis’ share was called East Pakistan which later on became an independent country, named Bangladesh after the 1971india –Pakistan war. India’s share was called west Bengal.
C) On the 30th January, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi hurried to his prayer meeting as he was ten minutes late. A young man, Nathuram Godse came forward and knelt before him with hands joined. As Gandhi raised his hand in blessing, the man fired three shots at him and murmuring, Hey Ram, Gandhi collapsed. The whole nation was stunned, and wept.
Later that night,
Pandit Nehru, India’s prime minister addressing the people of India on all India radio, said ``The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness every where….’’
Freedom
Struggles have been part and parcel of the life of individuals as of nations. With out struggles nothing can be achieved. Struggles may be for economic development; for social progress; for spiritual greatness; for physical power. But greater than this entire struggle is the struggle for freedom. History has shown much evidence of the many struggles and actions waged to win political freedom. Great souls like Gandhi and Martin Luther king and all religious leaders waged an incessant war against ignorance and for the freedom of the soul. Wars –both bloody and bloodless –have been fought for political emancipation. Those who have made great sacrifices have won immortality because they did not seek an end beyond the winning of freedom. They considered freedom as an end in itself.
Freedom has its own reward. Even to-day there is many in our country that refuses to accept pension. They argue that when they fought for freedom in illustrious company they never thought of pensions or any other materials reward. Freedom to them was every thing, an end in itself. This amply proves that an act selfless sacrifice seeks no external reward or gain.
Freedom may be classified as freedom of the individual and the nation of which the individual is a part, and spiritual freedom. Freedom and sacrifice are almost synonymous in their significance. There are many achievements that have left their foot prints on the sands of time. Florence Nightingale fought for freedom for women from disease and dirt. Martin Luther fought for the emancipation of the souls of the Negro Gandhi strove for the uplift of the Harijans. It is said that they did not look beyond this ideal of winning freedom for such unfortunate people.
This view cannot be true; it is not acceptable. If freedom should be an end in itself, there cannot be any progress. Normally freedom is accompanied by an initial period of confusion and chaos. If freedom is an end in itself, it will mean that the great people sacrificed their all only to perpetuate chaos. In reality freedom should be followed up with constructive work for the rehabilitation of the unfortunate. Freedom won must be safe guarded. It has to look forward. It has to look forward to something beyond itself, to something that would make living worthwhile. Freedom is only a means to something more valuable. It will have a real weight and value only if it paves the way for a good life for posterity. Hence, it is not an end in itself.
We know that we were ruled by British before 15th August 1947. Representatives of king or Queen of England used to make laws for us. After independence we started governing ourselves.
In 1946, elections to the constituent Assembly were held and 389 members were elected. These members represented all the political parties, communities and regions of India. It elected Dr. Babu Rajendra Prasad as its president.
The constituent assembly appointed a committee for drafting the constitution under the Chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Constitution is a document which helps the government in ruling the country. It contains all the rules which a government has to follow in conducting its business.
The drafting committee has prepared the draft of the constitution and submitted to the constituent Assembly on 26th November 1949. It came into farce on 26thJanuary, 1950 and India was declared republic.
Republic is a country which is government by the people themselves we elect our representatives and these representatives govern us. The president of India is elected by us – so we call our country a republic.
Some of the main points
A) We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved of constitute India into a sovereign, Socialist, Secular, and Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens.
B) Justices social, economic and political
C) Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship
D) Equality of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
E) Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity integrity of the nation.
F) In our constituent assembly this twenty-sixth day of November. 1949, do hereby adopt. Enact and give to ourselves this constitution.
When America was independent, George Washington became its first president. His name is even now a household word in America. India also has been made free from the British rule. Dr. Rajendra Prasad has been the first president of the Republic of India. We hope his name will be also a household word in India as the first president of the Indian Republic.
Rajendra Prasad was born on the 3rd December, 1884 at Jiradei in the district of Saran in Bihar. People of Bihar are particularly proud of him. Calcutta, also has reason to be proud of him. The first president of the Indian Republic had passed the B.A. and M.A. examinations of the University of Calcutta from the Presidency College of Calcutta in 1906 and 1907 respectively. He obtained the B.A. degree with honours in English and History. Then he passed the B.L. examination. In 1925, he passed the M.L. examination. Later Calcutta University conferred on him the honorary degree of D.L. in recognition of his knowledge of law.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad started his life as Professor of English in G.B.B. College, Muzaffarpur in 1908. Later he joined the bar and started practice in the High Court of Calcutta in 1911. In 1916, he joined the High Court of Patna and practised there till 1920. At this time Mahatma Gandhi started his famous non-co-operation movement. In 1920, he joined the non-co-operation movementand gave up legal practice. Since then he has dedicated his life to the service of the motherland and has struggled hard in the fight for the freedom of India.
Rajendra Prasad loved his country even when he was a student. It was the dream of his life to make India free from foreign rule. When the opportunity came, he fully availed himself of it. So he sacrificed his personal interest for the welfare of his country. Since that time he served his motherland in various ways. He was a prominent member of the youth movement of Bihar and leader of the Bihar student;s conference. He was a member of the Senate of the Patna University for several years. He was twice President of the All-India Hindi Literary Conference. In 1917, he joined Mahatma Gandhi in Champaran Satyagraha and afterwards he joined all congress movements. He became the General Secretary of the Indian National Congree in 1922. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee. He was President of the Indian National Congress in 1932, 1934, 1939 and 1947. He was minister for food and Agriculture in the Indian Interim Government and first Indian government after Independence. He had been chairman of the Indian Constituent Assembly since its formation in December, 1946. On January 26, 1950, India was declared a republic state and Rajendra Prasad became its first President. He still occupies that honourable position with great credit to him. Thus Rajendra Prasad has a long and brilliant record of service to his motherland in various ways and capacities.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad has many noble qualities. He is a man of sterling chracter. His glowing patriotism, his selfless devotion to country's cause, his honesty and sincerity, his firmness of mind are worthy of imitation. He did not care for personal gain so he gave up legal practise and threw himself heart and soul into the struggle for the freedom of India. He became a stauch follower of Mahatma Gandhi so he sincerely followed the policy of non-voilence in the struggle for freedom. He had to court imprisonment for several times in the country's cause. He is a man of plain living and high thinking. He is a friend of the common people. We know of his splendid service to the people of Bihar when a terrible earthquake devastated a greater part of Bihar in 1934. Though he has received English education, he is a true Indian in manners and customs and mode of living. So he firmly supports many time-honoured ideals of this ancient land of ours.
Rajendra Prasad now holds the highest position of honour in India by virtue of his own merit. He has risen to this position from an humble life. His life is an inspiration to the young men of this country.
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