chakravarthy

A passionate freedom fighter, a partisan socialist, a Gandhian by heart, and a competent teacher; these are the terms that are often related to the name that is Acharya Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani. Although most remembered for holding the Presidency of the Indian National Congress during the turbulent period of 1947, his contribution is much, much more. Getting himself into the strikes during the college days for Indians being called liars; he had given the sign of things to come early. He was an ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophies remained exactly that, even when Gandhi's philosophies were getting adjusted in the background. He actively and passionately participated in Indian Freedom Movement, taught at a few universities, took responsibility of caring for Gandhi's ashrams, became the President of Indian National Congress, and last but not the least - he contributed his time to a lot of environmental and social causes. A contribution that cannot be forgo...

If there is a single episode that one can imagine and understand as to why Chhatrapati Shivaji is considered such a great persona, then it would be the killing of Afzal Khan. The Pratapgad campaign is much more than just Shivaji killing Ali Adil Shah's general at a meeting. Shivaji's leadership acumen and mental fortitude as a twenty nine year old comes to the fore. Intelligence, spies, disinformation campaigns and other weapons of guerilla warfare had been honed to perfection by Shivaji in his short career. Important details like - the proper fort to be selected for meeting Afzal Khan, the exact location / spot on that fort (near to the forest, escape routes, etc.), the guard to be recruited at that time on the fort - each and every minute decision has a sound reasoning behind it. And Shivaji does not merely stop at evicting Afzal Khan - he ensures that Adil Shah has a net negative outcome. The days of status quo are finished by Chhatrapati Shivaji.  1659: Lead up to the c...