Jaipur

Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II who ruled from 1699-1744 and initially his capital was Amber (city), which lies at a distance of 11 km from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water. Jaipur is the first planned city of India. The King consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the lay out of Jaipur. Finally under the architectural guidance of Vidyadar Bhattacharya, (initially an accounts-clerk in the Amber treasury and later promoted to the office of Chief Architect by the King) Jaipur came into existence on the classical basis of principals of vastushastra and other similar classical treatise.
After several battles with Marathas, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II was keen on the security aspect of the city. Being a lover of Astronomy, mathematics and Astro-Physics, Jai Singh also sought advice from Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to aid him to design many other buildings including Royal Palace in the center of the city.
The construction of the city started in 1727. It took around 4 years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the Indian Architecture. The city was divided into nine blocks, of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge fortification walls were made along with seven strong gates.
For the time, architecture of the town was very advanced and certainly the best in Indian subcontinent. In 1853, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted pink to welcome him during the regime of Sawai Ram Singh. Today, avenues remain painted in pink, provide a distinctive appearance to the city.In the 19th century the city grew rapidly; by 1900 it had a population of 160,000. The city's wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas.
The city had several hospitals. Its chief industries were in metals and marble, fostered by a school of art founded in 1868. The city also had three colleges, including a Sanskrit college (1865) and a girls' school (1867) initiated under the reign of the enigmatic Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers, particularly the Jain, Marwaris and the administrators Kayastha.
Architecture

"Jal Mahal in Jaipur,"
Jaipur is considered by many urbanists to be one of the best planned cities. In an era when most of the rajputs were busy fighting with each other, Jaipur's kings diplomatically broadened their control sphere maintaining good relations with the Mughals.
The city was planned according to Indian Vastu Shastra (Vedic or Pouranic Planning for the comfort and prosperity of the citizens). The directions of each street and market are east to West and North to South. The Eastern gate is called Suraj (Sun) Pol, while the Western gate is called Chand (Moon) Pol. There are only three gates facing East, west, and North including the Northern gate (known as Zorawar Singh gate) which faces toward the ancestral capital of Amber, while many gates face South.
Although the present city has expanded from outside of its walls, the original planning was within the walls. The gates used to be closed at sunset and opened at sunrise. Almost all Northern Indian towns of that period presented a chaotic picture of narrow twisting lanes, a confusion of run-down forts, temples, palaces, and temporary shacks that bore no resemblance at all to the principles set out in Hindu architectural manuals which call for strict geometric planning. Thus, for Sawai Jai Singh II and the Bengali Guru Vidyadhar (who was a 'Shaspati' - Hindu Priest Architect), the founding of Jaipur was also a ritual and a bronze opportunity to plan a whole town according to the principles of Hindu architectural theory.
The town of Jaipur is built in the form of a eight-part Mandala known as the 'Pithapada'. Nine signifies the nine planets of the ancient astrological zodiac. It is also known that Sawai Jai Singh II was a great astronomer and a town planner, and hence the 'Pithapada'. Also, the commercial shops are designed in multiples of nine (27), having one cross street for a planet.

The Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal

Lakshmi-Narayan Temple

The Jal Mahal

Rambagh Palace
Administration
The administration is handled here both at the Division and District Level. It is both a Divisional as well as District Headquarters. Divisional Administration is handled by Mrs.Kiran Soni Gupta (IAS-1985) whereas District Collector is Mr.Kuldeep Ranka, IAS-1994.
Geography and Climate
Jaipur
Climate chart
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average max. and min. temperatures in °C
precipitation totals in mm
source: World Weather Information Service
Imperial convionow
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average max. and min. temperatures in °F
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Jaipur is located at 26°55′N 75°49′E / 26.92°N 75.82°E / 26.92; 75.82.[2] It has an average elevation of 431 metres (1417 ft).
The district is situated in the eastern part of Rajasthan. It is bound in the north by Alwar, in South by Tonk, Ajmer and Sawai Madhopur. Nagaur, Sikar and Ajmer in the west and in east by Bharatpur and Dausa districts.
The major rivers passing through the Jaipur district are Banas and Banganga. Ground water resources to the extent of about 28.65 million cubic meter are available in the district. Although serious drought is rare, poor water management and exploitation of groundwater with extensive tube-well systems threatens agriculture in some areas.
Jaipur has a semi-arid climate. Although it receives over 650 mm (25 in) of rainfall annually the rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon months between June and September. Temperatures remain relatively high throughout the year, with the summer months of April to early July having average daily temperatures of around 30oC. During the monsoon months there are frequent, heavy rains and thunderstorms, but flooding is not common. The winter months of November to February are mild and pleasant, with average temperatures in the 15-18oC range and little or no humidity. There are however occasional cold waves that lead to temperatures near freezing.
Politics
The recent general election showed tremendous swing toward the Indian National Congress but it has won only 2 of 14 parliament elections in the past. Currently Mahesh Joshi is the MP from Jaipur. Before that Late Girdhari Lal Bhargava of BJP was the MP from Jaipur, who won first time in 1989 and has been elected six times since then.
Jaipur Districts has 19 constituencies for electing MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) of Rajasthan, namely Shahpura, Chaksu, Bassi, Bagru, Sanganer, Malviya Nagar, Adarsh Nagar, Kishanpole, Civil Lines, Vidhyadhar Nagar, Hawa Mahal, Jamva Ramgarh, Amber or Amer, Banipark, Dudu, Phulera, Chomu, Virat Nagar and Kotputli. Banipark is the largest constituency of all. Rajasthan's stalwart Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has also has been elected MLA for Jaipur three times.
Pankaj Joshi is currently the Mayor of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC). Totally, there are 70 seats for Vidhan Parishad in Jaipur District.
Infrastructure

Jawahar Kala Kendra, designed by Charles Correa, in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
In a recent international survey Jaipur was ranked the 7th best place to visit in Asia and in another poll it was ranked third among twelve major Indian cities.[citation needed]
Modern infrastructural facilities are developing fast, and in many cases surpass those of larger cities like Delhi and Calcutta[citation needed]. The city is expanding very quickly and has become a hot spot for development in Rajasthan. Jaipur International Airport is located at a satellite location of Sanganer and offer's flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Guwahati along with sporadic services to International locations such as Dubai.
Since 2000 Jaipur has become a centre for education. The city is very peaceful and many north Indian families prefer to send their offspring to Jaipur for higher and technical education. Jaipur has more than 60 engineering colleges, 40 business management institutes, 15 pharmacy institutes, 4 hotel management institutes, 3 medical colleges and 6 dental colleges. It also has 8 universities including Rajasthan University. Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur is one of the best technical institutes in India.
Jaipur has a well maintained road network with multi-story flyovers and traffic lights with closed circuit cameras. Police control room (PCR) vans are being equipped with GPS to monitor locations and help maintain law and order.
Jaipur boasts of International Living standards with well planned colonies of grid like patterns (sectors and blocks) and parks well maintained by JDA (Jaipur Development Authority). Two new colonies Anupam vihar and Abhinav vihar have been recently added to Jaipur by JDA. There are so many shopping malls and Multiplex which offer a urban lifestyle to Jaipurites.
SMS Cricket stadium is also located here, which is a popular venue for many international matches and for Indian Premier League matches. Events like Jaipur Jewelry Show and Jaipur Literature Festival are offering a common platform for people not only from India but from other countries also, giving Jaipur a cosmopolitan image.
SMS Hospital, SDMH (Durlabhji Hospital) are among the most famed hospitals of Jaipur. Apart from these, there are more than 40 small and mid sized hospitals in the city. Old city of Jaipur is highly congested, whereas suburbs of Jaipur provide wide and free flowing roads. Tech Park had already became operational, built by Mahindra Group and is expected to complete by 2010. Now the chief minister of Rajasthan is Ashok Gallot of congress.
Transport
Road

Jaipur Ajmer Road

Jantar Mantar attracts thousands of tourists every year.

Amber Fort.

The Ganesh Pol of Amber fort.Amber is now part of Jaipur Municipal Corporation
The city of Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is centrally located. National Highway No.8 links Delhi to Mumbai, and No.11 links Bikaner to Agra, passing through Jaipur district with a total length of 366 km. The total length of different types of roads in the district was approximately 4,102 km at March 2000.
Rail
Jaipur is well connected by rail to all of the major cities and towns of India. Jaipur is on the broad-gauge and meter gauge network of the Indian Railways and has direct trains on the broad gauge network to all major cities in Rajasthan and India. Jaipur is also connected with a metre gauge rail route with Sri Ganganagar, Churu and Sikar. One of India's most famous and luxurious trains The Palace on Wheels, also makes a scheduled stop in Jaipur.
Air
Jaipur's Jaipur International Airport (IATA: JAI, ICAO: VIJP) is situated in its satellite town of Sanganer and offers sporadic service to Muscat, Sharjah, Bangkok and Dubai. Jaipur also has well connected domestic air links with Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bangalore, Mumbai, Surat, Bhopal, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Jabalpur.
Economy

Tourism is important to the city's economy
No. of large and medium scale running units: 48 No. of small scale units: 19,544 No. of industrial areas: 19 (Bagru, Bassi, Bais Godam, Bindyaka, Dudu, Hirawala, Jetpura, Jhotwara, Kaladera, Kanakpura, Kartarpura, Malviya Nagar, Phulera, Renwal, Sanganer, Shahpura, Sitapura, Sudarshanpur and Vishwakarma).
Jaipur district is a centre for both modern and traditional industries. The main industrial products include: acetylene gas, ACSR (Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced) cable, all-purpose flour (maida), atta flour, ball bearings, bottling of LPG, ceramics, pottery, cold roll strips, corrugated boxes, deoiled cakes, durries, dyeing and printing, edible oil, electronic items, engraving on brass items, ferrous and non-ferrous castings, gems and jewelry, general engineering and manufacturing, granite slabs and tiles, hand-made paper, handicraft items, halogen automobile headlamps, "hawai" chappals (sandals), household electrical appliances, HT steel strips, iodized salt, lamps, laminated springs for railways, marble statues, marble tiles & slabs, moulded plastic components for electronics, nitrochlorobenzene, oxygen gas, perfumes, pigments, plastic containers, P.P. multifilament yarn, PVC cables, PVC doors, PVC footwear, canvas shoes, Portland cement, ready made garments (clothing), re-roller products, semolina (suji), steel furniture, steel ingots, stone grits, synthetic leather, suits & shirts made of synthetic materials, tablets and capsules, two way radio and line, washing soap, wheat, woollen carpets, refined vegetable oil and vanaspati ghee heavy Steel fabrication, brass and lacquer work, enamel work, gems and jewellery, granite tiles, handlooms, marble statues, printed cloth and textiles, ready made garments, woollen and silk carpets.
Jaipur has been ranked 31 among the 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing cities.[citation needed] Genpact and Infosys have their BPO already established and running successfully. In fact Genpact has the fastest growing location in Jaipur. Real Estate business is flourishing well from last 2–3 years. Some of the companies already present here include MICO, Coca Cola, IBM, Ericsson and NEI populary known as NBC Bearings.
Jaipur also has Reserve bank of India and many other prominent international banks. India's largest integrated IT SEZ Mahindra World City is located in Jaipur. Master planned by Jurong Constructions Singapore it covers nearly 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land off Ajmer highway and has already attracted major companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Truworth and Deutsche Bank. India's one of a kind World Trade Park is also under construction in Malaviya Nagar. It will be having luxury hotel, business halls, five screen multiplex, underwater restaurant and many showrooms of international brands. In coming years it will be the hub for modern business development in Jaipur[citation needed]. Jaipur is soon planned to have an International Convention Centre and a Golf course. A film city near Agra highway is also in the pipeline[citation needed]
Tourism is a significant part of Jaipur's economy. Some of the world's best hotels are located here.
Tourism
Places of tourist interest:Forts & PalacesHawa MahalAmber FortJaigarh FortNahargarh FortCity Palace, JaipurChandra MahalDiwan-e-AamJal MahalTemplesBirla Temple or Lakshmi Narayan MandirGovind Dev Ji templeMoti Doongri TempleGaltajiSwaminarayan MandirJain TemplePanchayati Hall devoted to Temples of Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva
MonumentsRam Niwas GardenCentral Museum (or Albert Hall Museum)GardensZoological GardenSisodia Rani Palace and GardenVidyadhar GardenCentral Park (Entrance near Statue Circle)Smriti Van Kanak Vrindavan
Shopping MallsCrystal PalmTriton MallMGF MetropolitanApex MallGaurav TowersGanpati Plaza
OthersChokhi DhaniChand Baori stepwell
Demographics
Jaipur population
Census
Pop.
%±
1981
1,015,200
—
1991
1,518,200
49.5%
2001
2,210,800
45.6%
Source: Census of India[3]
As of 2001 India census,[4] Jaipur had a population of 2,324,319. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. In Jaipur, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Culture
Further information: Jaipur Tamasha

Albert hall
Jaipur has a rich culture for which it is well known.
Festivals
Gangaur Festival:
Gangaur is a significant festival of Jaipur. This festival is especially meant for the women. Gangaur festival is widely acclaimed and celebrated throughout the state of Rajasthan. The word Gangaur is derived from two words, 'Gan' and 'Gauri' which are synonyms of 'Siva' and his consort 'Parvati' respectively.
Kite Festival:
Kite Festival is a popular festival of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Kite flying is enjoyed by people of all age-groups. However, 14 January, the day of Makar Sankranti, makes the official day for flying kites in Jaipur. People make most out of the festival by flying kites for the whole day.
Teej Festival:
Teej Festival is one of the most popular festivals of India. Festival of Teej is widely celebrated, but its real charm can be found only in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Teej celebrates the arrival of monsoon, after the scorching sun of summers. Teej is celebrated in the month of 'Shravan' (July-August), according to the Hindu calendar.
Shitla Mata Fair:
A large fair is held to propitiate the goddess of war whose wrath can be the terrible scrounge of smallpox unless appeased by her followers. Consecrated food on this day consists of stale food left out the previous night. The fair is held in and around the temple dedicated to the goddess in Amber, Jaipur.
Chaksu Fair:
A gathering of people from Jaipur's rural pockets collects here in almost all forms of transport - laden into tractor trolleys and jeeps - at what must be one of the most colourful events on the Rajasthani fair calendar.

Jayadeva

Jayadeva was born in Kenduli Sasan (formerly Kendubilva), in the Prachi valley, Khurda district in Orissa. Kenduli Sasan is a village near the famous temple city of Puri. At the time of Jayadeva's birth, Orissa was under the rule of Ganga dynasty king Chodaganga Deva. It was during the reign of this monarch and his son and successor, Raghava, that Jayadeva composed his Sanskrit epics. Chodaganga Deva, originally a Shaiva, was strongly influenced by the devotion to Krishna in and around Puri and became a Vaishnava devotee of Krishna himself.
The poet's parents were named Bhojdeva and Vamadevi. From temple inscriptions it is now known that Jayadeva received his education in Sanskrit poetry from a place called Kurmapataka, possibly near Konark in Orissa. Later on, Jayadeva married Padmavati, who according to temple inscriptions, may have been an accomplished temple dancer on her own right.
Prachi valley has a long history of worshipping Madhava, another name for Krishna. During Jayadeva's period, it was known as a religious place dominated by Vaishnava Brahmins. Even today, the village of Kenduli Sasan is replete with images of Madhava. Undoubtedly, the great poet must have been influenced by the devotional milieu in that area when he composed his magnum opus, the Gita Govinda.
Historical records on Jayadeva's life
Inscriptions at Lingaraj temple, and the more recently discovered Madhukeswar temple and Simhachal temple that were read and interpreted by Dr. Satyanarayan Rajaguru shed some light on Jayadeva's early life. These inscriptions narrate how Jayadeva had been a member of the teaching faculty of the school at Kurmapataka. He might have studied there as well. It must have been right after his childhood education in Kenduli Sasan that he left for Kurmapataka and gained experience in composing poetry, music and dancing.
The earliest mention of Jayadeva outside Orissa are by Chand Bardai, the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan. The next earliest reference outside Orissa is found in an inscription of Raja Sarangadev in the year 1201 A.D. These records establish that the Gita Govinda became popular throughout India within a brief perid of its composition, perhaps because it was regularly performed in the Jagannath temple of Puri.
Some further details about Jayadeva have been garnered from a book by an Oriya Vaishnava poet Madhava Patnaik, who was contemporaneous to Chaitanya in the fifteenth century. Madhava Patnaik's book gives a clear account of Chaitanya's visit to Puri. He mentions that Chaitanya paid a visit to Kenduli Sasan near Puri to pay homage to Jayadeva and to chant passages from the Gita Govinda. The book mentions that Kenduli Sasan was in fact the birthplace of the illustrious poet. Madhava Patnaik's book also gives an account of Jayadeva's early life from the legends around Puri. It mentions Jayadeva as excelling in the Shastras and the Puranas from early childhood. He is a great contemporary.
Literary contributions
Main article: Works of Jayadeva
Jayadeva was instrumental in popularizing the Dasavatara, the ten incarnations of Vishnu in another composition, Dasakritikrite. Furthermore, the classic Tribhangi (three-fold) posture of Krishna playing the flute gained popularity due to him.
Two hymns composed by Jayadeva have been incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh religion. Although it is not clear how these medieval Orissan hymns found their way to the Sikh religion, there are records narrating how Jayadeva's work had a profound influence on Guru Nanak during his visit to Puri [2].
The illustrious poet also institutionalized the Devadasi system in Orissan temples. Devadasis were women dancers specially dedicated to the temple deity, and as a result of the great poet's works, Orissan temples began to incorporate a separate Natamandira, or dance hall, within their precincts for Odissi dance performances.
The Gita Govinda

Gita Govinda manuscript c. 1500.
The Gita Govinda is the best known composition of Jayadeva. It is a lyrical poetry that is organized into twelve chapters. Each chapter is further sub-divided into twenty four divisions called Prabandhas. The prabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, called Ashtapadis.
The first English translation of the Gita Govinda was published by Sir William Jones in 1792, where Kalinga (ancient Orissa) is referred to as the origin of the text. Since then, the Gita Govinda has been translated to many languages throughout the world, and is considered to be among the finest examples of Sanskrit poetry

Jana Gana Mana

জন গণ মন অধিনায়ক জয় হে.ভারত ভাগ্য বিধাতাপঞ্জাব সিন্ধু গুজরাট মরাঠাদ্রাবিড় উৎ‍‌কল বঙ্গবিন্ধ্য হিমাচল যমুনা গঙ্গাউচ্ছল জলধি তরঙ্গতব শুভ নামে জাগেতব শুভ আশিস মাগেগাহে তব জয়গাথাজন গণ মঙ্গল দায়ক জয় হেভারত ভাগ্য বিধাতাজয় হে, জয় হে, জয় হে,জয় জয় জয়, জয় হে॥ Jana Gana Mana (Bengali: জন গণ মন Jôno Gôno Mono) is the national anthem of India. Written in highly Sanskritized Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a Brahmo hymn composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911. Jana Gana Mana was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national anthem on January 24, ౧౯౫౦.The music of the current version of the national anthem was composed by Captain Ram Singh Thakur. An earlier poem by Tagore (Amar Shonar Bangla) was later selected as the national anthem of Bangladesh. A formal rendition of the national anthem takes fifty-two seconds. A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also staged occasionally.[1] Tagore wrote down the English translation of the song and along with Cousins' wife, Margaret (an expert in European music), set down the notation which is followed till this day.[8] [edit] Lyrics
Although written in Bengali, the pronunciation of the anthem varies considerably across India due to the country's extensive linguistic diversity. The transcription below reflects the original Bengali pronunciation, in both the Bengali script and romanization. Many of the silent letters found in the lyrics are pronounced by speakers of other Indian languages, reflecting a spelling pronunciation of the Bengali text, and often matching the pronunciation of the cognate words in the speaker's native language. [edit] Translation into English
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[9]Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country, Dravida, Utkala and Bengal;It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and GangaThey chant only thy name.They seek only thy auspicious blessings.They sing only the glory of thy victory.The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all peopleVictory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee! [edit] Controversies

Rabindranath Tagore
Controversy exists regarding the appropriateness of Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem of an independent India. The poem was composed in December 1911, precisely at the time of the Coronation Durbar of George V, and is considered by some to be a paean in praise of "the overlord of India's destiny". The composition was first sung during a convention of the then loyalist Indian National Congress in Calcutta on Dec. 16, 1911.[10] It was sung on the second day of the convention, and the agenda of that day devoted itself to a loyal welcome of George V on his visit to India. The event was reported thus in the British Indian press:
"The Bengali poet Babu Rabindranath Tagore sang a song composed by him specially to welcome the Emperor." (Statesman, Dec. 28, 1911)"The proceedings began with the singing by Babu Rabindranath Tagore of a song specially composed by him in honour of the Emperor." (Englishman, Dec. 28, 1911)"When the proceedings of the Indian National Congress began on Wednesday 27th December 1911, a Bengali song in welcome of the Emperor was sung. A resolution welcoming the Emperor and Empress was also adopted unanimously." (Indian, Dec. 29, 1911)
The belief gained ground that the poem had been written in honour of the visiting monarch. Others aver that the newspaper reports cited above were misguided, the confusion arising since a different song, written in Hindi by Rambhuj Chaudhary, was sung[11] on the same occasion in praise of the monarch. However, the two poems were written in different languages; Tagore already enjoyed much fame in India, and newspaper reports are both consistent and categorical on the point of Tagore having himself sung his composition on the occasion.
Other explanations for the motivations that informed the creation of the poem have been proposed. On a visit to India, the poet Yeats received a visit from an Indian admirer who was also, in Yeats' words, "an Indian devotee" of Tagore. In a letter to a lady friend, Yeats quoted this unnamed devotee as giving him a 'strictly off the records' version of events dealing with the writing of Jana Gana Mana. Thus, Tagore is said to have written the poem in honour of God. In a letter to Pulin Behari Sen, Tagore himself wrote:[12][clarification needed]
"A certain high official in His Majesty's service, who was also my friend, had requested that I write a song of felicitation towards the Emperor. The request simply amazed me. It caused a great stir in my heart. In response to that great mental turmoil, I pronounced the victory in Jana Gana Mana of that Bhagya Vidhata [ed. God of Destiny] of India who has from age after age held steadfast the reins of India's chariot through rise and fall, through the straight path and the curved. That Lord of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India, that Perennial Guide, could never be George V, George VI, or any other George. Even my official friend understood this about the song. After all, even if his admiration for the crown was excessive, he was not lacking in simple common sense."
In 2005, there were calls to delete the word "Sindh" and substitute it with the word Kashmir. The argument was that Sindh was no longer a part of India, having become part of Pakistan as a result of the Partition of 1947. Opponents of this proposal hold that the word "Sindh" refers to the Indus and to Sindhi culture and people which are an integral part of India's cultural fabric. The Supreme Court of India refused to tamper with the national anthem and the wording remains unchanged.
In July 1985 in the state of Kerala, some of the Jehovah's Witnesses' children were expelled from school under the instructions of Deputy Inspector of Schools for having refused to sing the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. A parent, V. J. Emmanuel, appealed to the Supreme Court of India for legal remedy. On August 11, 1986, the Supreme Court overruled the Kerala High Court, and directed the respondent authorities to re-admit the children into the school. The decision went on to add: "Our tradition teaches tolerance, our philosophy teaches tolerance, our Constitution practices tolerance, let us not dilute it".[13]
[edit] English composition in Madanapalle
Rabindranath Tagore translated Jana Gana Mana from Sanskrit[DevNagari] to English and also set it to music in Madanapalle, a town in Andhra Pradesh.
Though the Bengali song had been written in 1911 itself, it had remained largely confined to the pages of the Brahmo Samaj journal, "Tatva Bodha Prakasika", of which Tagore was the editor.
During 1918-19, Tagore accepted an invitation from friend and controversial Irish poet James H. Cousins to spend a few days at the Besant Theosophical College, of which Cousins was the principal. On the evening of February 28, he joined a gathering of students and upon Cousins' request, sang the Jana Gana Mana in Bengali. In the days that followed, enchanted by the dreamy hills of Madanapalle, Tagore wrote down the English translation of the song and along with Cousins' wife, Margaret (an expert in Western music), set down the notation which is followed till this day.[8]
Today, in the library of Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle, the framed original English translation is displayed

Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy

Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy (8 July 1949 – 2 September 2009), popularly known as YSR, was the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.[3] He represented the Indian National Congress party. He was elected to the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Lok Sabha from the Kadapa constituency for four terms and to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for five terms from the Pulivendula constituency. He also holds the record of not losing any election throughout his political career.[4] In 2003 he undertook a three-month-long paadayaatra, or walking tour, across several districts in Andhra Pradesh.[5] He led his party to victory in the next general and assembly elections held in 2004. On 2 September 2009, a helicopter carrying Reddy went missing in the Nallamala forest area. On the morning of 3 September 2009, media agencies reported that the helicopter had been found crashed on top of Rudrakonda Hill, 40 nautical miles from Kurnool. This was later confirmed by the Prime Minister's office and all five people aboard were pronounced dead at the scene.[6][7][8]Early life
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy was born at Jammalamadugu Mission Hospital near Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh to Y. S. Raja Reddy and Jayamma in a Christian family. His father Raja Reddy was converted from Hinduism to Christianity. His schooling was in Bellary, where his father was a contractor for irrigation canal projects. He graduated with a degree in medical science from Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College (MRMC), Gulbarga University, Karnataka and completed his House Surgeonship at S.V. Medical College, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. He was the elected leader of the House Surgeon's Association at S.V. Medical College, Tirupati.
[edit] Personal life and religious beliefs
Reddy was married to Vijaya Lakshmi.[9] They have a son, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, a politician,[10] and a daughter, Sharmila.[11] His younger brother Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy is also an INC politician.
Reddy's parents were devout Christians[12] and he was buried according to Christian rites.[13] He had also visited Bethlehem and other holy Christian cities in Israel twice.[10] Although Reddy was a third generation Christian, he is described as an "ardent devotee" of the Hindu deity Venkateswara. He regularly visited the central temple of the god at Tirupati.[14][15] But, his government was also entangled in many controversies involving the affairs of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which included practicing of evangelism in Tirumala.[16] Following these allegations, he ordered a ban on evangelism and Christian missionary activities in Andhra Pradesh's Hindu shrines.[17][18]
[edit] Career
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy practiced medicine for sometime in his native Kadapa District. The hospital his father built for him at Pulivendula is still running. His family also built and ran a degree college and a polytechnic college at Pulivendula which was later handed over to the Loyola Group of Educational Institutions. Another junior college at Simhadripuram, a small town in the vicinity of Pulivendula, is run by his family.
[edit] Political career
In 1978 he contested from pulivendula on Reddy-Congress Party and won the elections, Later he joined in Indira Congress.From 1980 to 1983 he was a minister holding important portfolios related to Rural Development, Medical Health and Education under T.Anjaiah Cabinet. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kadapa constituency four times and was elected to the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly six times from Pulivendula constituency. Reddy was the leader of the opposition in the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly for five years. As an MLA he was influential in obtaining water from the Tungabhadra River for the Pulivendula Branch Canal (PBC) and fought for projects like RTPP (Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant) at Muddanur and Proddatur Milk Foods and its ancillaries
[edit] Paadayaatra
During mid-summer of 2003, he led a 1400 km long paadayaatra (journey on foot), covering some of the backward areas in the state to understand the ground realities and living conditions of the people there. As a novice in the legislature, Reddy rallied all the Congress MLAs from the Rayalaseema region and led an indefinite hunger strike demanding solution to the water crisis. He also led a paadayaatra from Lepakshi to Pothireddipadu in Kurnool district.
[edit] As Chief Minister
He was elected as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh by the Legislature party of the Indian National Congress after they later won 185 seats of the Legislative Assembly in the May 2004 elections. He has initiated a variety of programs that influence the Economy of Andhra Pradesh and for the benefit of the common people and farming community. Prominent among them are:
JalaYagnam – A large-scale program to construct more than 70 pending irrigation projects in the state to improve irrigation facilities to the farmers, with a targeted irrigation to 1.2 Crore acres of land.
Free power supply for farmers for 7 hours a day.
Rajiv Arogya Shree – A health insurance and emergency services scheme for rural masses where the government pays the entire price of any surgery up to 200,000 rupee and does not require people to pay any premium[19]
Pavala Vaddi — a program that provides loans to people at 3% per year so as to encourage them to take up small scale businesses and entrepreneurship primarily targeted at rural women
Indiramma illu — a program for construction of houses for the rural masses by charging a small amount and the government the remaining amount
Rs 2/KG of rice scheme[20]
Increase in the minimum support price for rice.
Reimbursement of full college fees for backward sections, reservations for minorities
Apart from these schemes, his government stood as the role model in implementing the central governments flagship program – the NREGA.[21] The opposition parties led by TDP however allege corruption and favoritism in the implementation of some schemes.
His tenure also saw significant weakening of the violent extremist left-wing Naxalite movement that was rampant in the state when he assumed office in 2004.[22] The movement was so intense that the former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's car was blasted by them in October 2003.
[edit] Election 2009
Reddy's major campaign slogan for the 2009 election was "Development and the credibility". He was seeking a mandate on his performance in his previous tenure. He did not promise any new schemes before the election and only promised continuation and minor extensions to the on going schemes. The opposition parties had formed a 'Grand alliance' comprising of the major opposition party – the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the communist parties. The TDP had promised numerous freebies including free color televisions. There was also a new party floated by a popular film star called Chiranjeevi.
In the elections, Reddy's party (INC) surpassed the required majority in the assembly (148 seats) by winning 156 seats. It has also bagged 33 seats in parliament out of 42 seats. This was seen as a very big victory for Reddy since he was able to come to power for the second consecutive term against the odds of anti-incumbency and an almost unified opposition.[23] He became the Congress party’s first chief minister since 1969, that is, in four decades, to be able to seek votes in his own name, and win.[24]
Reddy was sworn in as the chief minister for the term of 2009–2014 on 20 May 2009. The ceremony was held in Hyderabad's Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium and attended by a crowd of around 20,000 people.[25]
[edit] Positions held
Minister of state for rural development (1980–82)
Excise minister (1982)
Education minister (1982–83)
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (2004–2009)
[edit] Controversies
Opposition parties allege corruption in the implementation of Reddy's programs as well as in various other actions of both Reddy and his family. In 2008, Telugu Desam Party leader N. Chandrababu Naidu accused Reddy and his family of illegally amassing income through their companies Sandur Power Company, Jagathi Publications and Bharathi Cement Corporation. He also alleged that Reddy's sons were involved in the Satyam scandal.[26][27] Also, the allotment of 487 acres of land in March 2007 to Raghuram Cements,[28] which had the son of Reddy as one of its directors, was criticized by the Telugu Desam Party.[29] The surrender of more than 1600 acres by Reddy to the government in December 2006 was also criticized by the opposition parties who demanded resignation from his post.[30] Naidu also called for Reddy's resignation after a 2007 Khammam police shooting resulted in eight deaths.[31]
[edit] Death
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's Bell 430 helicopter went missing on Wednesday, 2 September 2009 at 9:35 am. Begumpet and Shamshabad Air Traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at 9:02 am while it was passing through the dense Nallamala forest area.[32] The Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, P. Ramakanth Reddy, said that inclement weather had forced the helicopter off-course.[33][34] Although the sparsely populated forest area is considered to be stronghold of the outlawed Naxal communist insurgents, the National Security Advisor of India ruled out the possibility of the Naxals bringing down the helicopter.[35]
The state government of Andhra Pradesh and the Government of India launched one of the largest search and rescue operations in the history of the country. The state's security officials mentioned that bad weather was hindering the search and rescue efforts.[36] The Home Ministry of India dispatched 5000 CRPF soldiers for the operation[37][38] while the Defence Ministry of India ordered the Indian Air Force to comb the area using low altitude planes and the Sukhoi-30MKI equipped with thermal imaging system.[7][39] In addition, police personnel from six districts were involved in the ground search. Andhra Pradesh's anti-Naxal forces were also deployed in the area, owing to their familiarity with the jungle terrain there. Local tribal residents from this part of the state assisted with the search mission. Patrol parties also combed the Krishna river for the remains of the helicopter.[40] ISRO's RISAT-2 satellite was also deployed to search the area,[41] but the 41 high-resolution images of the area were unable to trace the helicopter.[42]
The wreckage of the helicopter was finally spotted by an IAF Dhruv helicopter more than 24 hours after contact was lost with Reddy's Bell 430 helicopter.[43] The Indian Prime Minister's Office confirmed the helicopter's crash on the morning of 3 September and the death of all aboard, including Reddy, his special secretary P. Subrahmanyam, chief security officer A. S. C. Wesley, Group Captain S. K. Bhatia and Captain M. S. Reddy.[44][45] The Director General of Police said that the bodies of Reddy and others were charred beyond recognition and had to be identified on the basis of clothing.[46] The autopsy of all the bodies was carried out at Kurnool Medical College.[47]
Reddy's body was buried on 4 September at Idupulapai in Kadapa district with full state honors in accordance with Christian rites.[48][49]
[edit] The aftermath
Finance Minister Konijeti Rosaiah was sworn in as Chief Minister following the death of incumbent Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.[50]
Hearing the news of his death, 700people allegedly died either due to heart attack or by committing suicide in
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
In office14 May 2004 – 2 September 2009
Preceded by
N. Chandrababu Naidu
Succeeded by
Konijeti Rosaiah
Constituency
Pulivendula
Leader of the Opposition (Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly)
In office1999 – 2004
Born
8 July 1949(1949-07-08)Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh
Died
2 September 2009 (aged 60)Andhra Pradesh, India
Political party
Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)
Vijayalakshmi
Children
Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy,Sharmila
Residence
Begumpet, Hyderabad
Religion
Anglican (Church of South India)[1][2]

Jagjivan Ram

[edit] Early life and education
Jagjivan Ram was born at Chandwa near Arrah in Bihar, to a family of five siblings, elder brother Sant Lal, and three sisters. His father Sobhi Ram was with British Indian Army, posted at Peshawar, but later resigned due to some differences and bought some farming land in his native village Chandwa, and settled there. He also became a Mahant of Shiv Narayani sect, skilled in calligraphy he illustrated many book of the sect and distributed locally. [6][7].
Young Jagjivan started going a local school in January 1914, but shortly afterward his father died prematurely, leaving him and his mother Vasanti Devi to economic hardships. He joined Aggrawal Middle School in Arrah in 1920, where the medium of instruction was English for the first time, and joined Arrah Town School in 1922, it was here that is faced caste discrimination for the first time, yet remained unfazed. An often cited incident occurred in the school, there was this tradition of having two water pots in the school, one for Hindus and another for Muslims, so when Jagjivan drank water from the Hindu pot, while being from an untouchable class, the matter was reported to the Principal, who placed a third pot for "untouchables" in the school, but this pot was broken by him twice, eventually the Principal decided against placing the third pot [7][6]. An important turning point in his life came in 1925, when Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya visited his school, and impressed by his welcome address, invited him to join Banaras Hindu University [7][8].
Jagjivan Ram passed his matriculation in the first division and joined the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1927, where he was awarded the Birla scholarship, and passed his Inter Science Examination; while at BHU he organised the scheduled castes to protest against social discrimination [9].As a Dalit student, he would not be served meals in his hostel, denied haircut by local barbers, a Dalit barber would arrive from Ghazipur from occasionally to trim his hair, eventually he left BHU and pursued graduation from Calcutta University. In 2007, the BHU set up a Babu Jagjivan Ram Chair in its faculty of social sciences to study caste discrimination and economic backwardness [10][11].
He received a B.Sc. degree from the University of Calcutta in 1931, here again he organized conferences to draw the attention towards issues of discrimination, and also participated in the anti-untouchability movement started by Mahatma Gandhi [9].
[edit] Early career
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose took notice of him at Kolkata, when in 1928 he organized a Mazdoor Rally at Wellington Square, in which approximately 50,000 people participated. When the devastating Bihar earthquake of 1934 occurred he got actively involved in the relief work and his efforts were appreciated his work [12]. When popular rule was introduced under the 1935 Act and the scheduled castes were given representation in the legislatures, both the nationalists and the British loyalists sought him because of his first-hand knowledge of the social and economic situation in Bihar, Jagjivan Ram was nominated to the Bihar Council. He chose to go with the nationalists and joined Congress, which wanted him not only because he was valued as an able spokesperson for the depressed classes, but also that he could counter Ambedkar; he was elected to the Bihar assembly in 1937. However, he resigned his membership on the issue of irrigation cess [13].
In 1935, he contributed to the establishment of the 'All-India Depressed Classes League', an organization dedicated to attaining equality for untouchables. He was also drawn into the Indian National Congress, in the same year he proposed a resolution in the 1935 session of the Hindu Mahasabha demanding that temples and drinking water wells be opened up to Dalits [4]. and in the early 1940s was imprisoned twice for his active participation in the Satyagraha and the Quit India Movements. He was among the principal leaders who publicly denounced India's participation in the World War II between the European nations and for which he was imprisoned in 1940 [2][14].
[edit] Parliamentary career
In 1946 he became the youngest minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's provisional government and also the subsequent First Indian Cabinet, as a Labour Minister, where he is credited for laying the foundation for several labour welfare policies in India. He was a part of the prestigious high profile Indian delegation that attended to attend the International Labour Organization (ILO)'s International Labour Conference on 16 August 1947 in Geneva along with the great Gandhian Bihar Bibhuti Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha[15] his chief political mentor and also the then head of the delegation, and few days later he was elected President of the ILO [16] . He served as Labour minister until 1952, later he several Ministerial posts in Nehru's Cabinet,Communications (1952–56), for Transport and railways (1956–62), and for Transport and communications (1962–63).
In Indira Gandhi's government he worked as minister for Labour, employment, and rehabilitation (1966–67), and Union minister for Food and agriculture (1967–70), where he is best remembered for having successfully led the Green Revolution during his tenure [4][17]. When the Congress Party split in 1969, Jagjivan Ram joined the camp led by Indira Gandhi, and became the president of that faction of Congress. He worked as the Minister of Defence (1970-74) making him the virtual No. 2 in the cabinet, minister for Agriculture and irrigation (1974-77). It was during his tenure as the minister of Defence that the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was fought, and Bangladesh achieved independence. While loyal to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for most of the Indian Emergency, in 1977 he along with five other politicians resigned from the Cabinet and formed the Congress for Democracy party, within the Janata coalition.
A few days before the elections, on a Sunday, Jagjivan Ram addressed an Opposition rally at the famous Ram Lila Grounds in Delhi. The national broadcaster Doordarshan allegedly attempted to stop crowds from participating in the demonstration by telecasting the blockbuster movie Bobby. The rally still drew large crowds, and a newspaper headline the next day ran "Babu beats Bobby" [18]. He was the Deputy Prime Minister of India when Morarji Desai was the Prime Minister, from 1977 to 1979, though initially reluctant to join the cabinet, and was not present at the oath-taking ceremony on 27 March 1977; he eventually did so at the behest of Jai Prakash Narayan, who insisted that his presence for necessary, "not just as an individual but as a political and social force" and took oath later on [19]. However, he was once again given the defence portfolio. Disillusioned with the Janata party he formed his own party, the Congress (J). He remained a member of Parliament till his death in 1986, after over forty years as a parliamentarian. He was elected from Sasaram parliament constituency in Bihar. His uninterrupted representation in the Parliament from 1936 to 1986 was a world record, until Tony Benn overtook him by serving 51 years (1950-2001) in the British parliament. .
[edit] Positions held
Union Minister of Labour, 1946-1952. Union Minister for Communications, 1952-1956. Union Minister for Transport and Railways, 1956-1962. Union Minister for Transport and Communications, 1962-1963. Union Minister for Labour, Employment and Rehabilitation, 1966-1967. Union Minister for Food and Agriculture, 1967-1970. Union Minister of Defence, 1970-1974, 1977-1979. Union Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, 1974-1977. Founding Member, Congress for Democracy party (aligned with Janata Party), 1977. Deputy Prime Minister of India, March 23, 1977-August 22, 1979. Founder, Congress (J). He served as President of the Bharat Scouts and Guides from September 1976 to April 1983 [20].
[edit] Personal life
In August 1933 his first wife passed away after a brief illness, thereafter in June 1935 he married Indrani Devi, a daughter of Dr. Birbal, a well-known social worker of Kanpur, and the couple has two children, Suresh Kumar and Meira Kumar.
[edit] Legacy
The place he was cremated has been turned into the memorial Samata Sthal, and his birth anniversary is observed as Samata Diwas., (Equality Day) in India, his centenary celebrations were held all over the nation in 2008, especially at his statues at the Parliament and at Nizam College; demands for awarding him posthumous Bharat Ratna have being raised from time to time Hyderabad [21][22]. Andhra University which had conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 1973, and in 2009 on the occasion of his 102nd birth anniversary, his statue was unveiled on the university premises .[23].
His daughter, Meira Kumar, is a prominent INC leader, who has won his former seat Sasaram, both 2004 and 2009 and was later the Minister for Social Justice in the Manmohan Singh government (2004 - '09), thereafter she became the Speaker of Lok Sabha in 2009. To propagate his ideologies, the 'Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation', has been set up by Ministry of Social Justice, Govt. of India in Delhi [