Mahatma Gandhi - The Peace Endeavour

As Gandhi's biography is written it would go on books . So ,I am describing it briefly i would his post his writings etc., in other posts .

Historical Importance

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is considered the father of the Indian independence movement. Gandhi spent twenty years in South Africa working to fight discrimination. It was there that he created his concept of satyagraha, a non-violent way of protesting against injustices. While in India, Gandhi's obvious virtue, simplistic lifestyle, and minimal dress endeared him to the people. He spent his remaining years working diligently to both remove British rule from India as well as to better the lives of India's poorest classes. Many civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., used Gandhi's concept of non-violent protest as a model for their own struggles.

Early Life

Gandhiji's full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was born on October 2, 1869 in a town called Porbandar, Gujarat. He was the architect of India's freedom and one of the greatest men of this century. Mahatma Gandhi's life was dedicated to the ideals of truth, non-violence and love.His father Karamchand Gandhi was the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Porbandar. Gandhi's mother Putlibai was a pious lady and under her tutelage Gandhi imbibed various principles of Hinduism at an early age.

In 1883, all of 13 and still in high school, Gandhi was married to Kasturbai as per the prevailing Hindu customs. For a person of such extraordinary visionary zeal and resilience, Mahatma Gandhi was by and large an average student in school and was of a shy disposition. After completing his college education, at his family's insistence Gandhi left for England on September 4, 1888 to study law at University College, London. During his tenure in London, Mohandas Gandhi strictly observed abstinence from meat and alcohol as per his mother's wishes.

When Mahatma Gandhi was only nineteen years old, he went to England to become a barrister.Upon completion of his law degree in 1891, Gandhi returned to India and tried to set up a legal practice but could not achieve any success. In 1893, when an Indian firm in South Africa offered him the post of legal adviser Gandhi was only too happy to oblige and he set sail for South Africa. This decision alone changed the life of Gandhi, and with that, the destiny of an entire nation. 

Once he had to make a journey by train,, so he bought a first-class ticket. During the journey, an officer of the railway asked him to vacate his seat for a white man, and to move to the van on the train. Mahatma Gandhi refused. The railway officials, with the help of the police, had his things thrown out. He was also removed from the carriage by force. Thus Gandhiji was subject to untold shame. This incident transformed him. Gandhi started an organisation and called it 'The Natal Indian Congress'. It was to carry on the struggle of the Indians against racial discrimination. He also started a newspaper called 'The Indian Opinion'. The paper became an organ to give information about the struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi stayed on in South Africa for nearly 21 years to fight against racial discrimination against Indian settlers. He propagated the concept of Satyagraha (satya means truth and agraha firmness). It was the use of 'Soul-Force' against 'Brute-Force' or violence.

He trained men, women and children as volunteers. He called his band a 'Peace Brigade'. He won his battle when, finally, the South African Government gave in to his demands. Gandhi now became a world-renowned person. He soon earned the title of 'Mahatma' (maha means great and atma means soul) among Indians all over the world.

Gandhiji came back to India in 1915 and built an ashram on the banks of the Sabaramati river near Ahmadabad. It was called 'Satyagraha Ashram'. The way of life that he practised there was known as 'Sarvodaya' the well-being of all. He fought peacefully for many causes and succeeded in persuading the government to abolish many abuses against labourers in Bihar, the Kaira peasants in Gujarat, etc.

In 1921, Mahatma Gandhi called for the non-cooperation movement against the British Government with the sole object of attaining Swaraj or independence for India. Even though the movement achieved roaring success all over the country, the incident of mob violence in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh forced Gandhi to call off the mass disobedience movement. Consequent to this, Mahatma Gandhi took a hiatus from active politics and instead indulged in social reforms.

In the year 1930 saw Gandhi's return to the fore of Indian freedom movement and on March 12, 1930 he launched the historic Dandi March to protest against the tax on salt. The Dandi March soon metamorphosed into a huge civil disobedience movement. The Second World War broke out in 1939 and as the British might began to wane, Gandhi called for the Quit India movement on August 8, 1942. Post World War, the Labour Party came to power in England and the new government assured the Indian leadership of imminent independence. 

The Cabinet Mission sent by the British government proposed for the bifurcation of India along communal lines which Gandhi vehemently protested. But eventually he had to relent and on the eve of independence thousands lost their lives in communal riots.Gandhi urged for communal harmony and worked tirelessly to promote unity among the Hindus and Muslims.

Assassination

On January 30, 1948, the 78-year-old Gandhi spent his last day as he had many others. The majority of the day was spent discussing issues with various groups and individuals. At a few minutes past 5 p.m., when it was time for the prayer meeting, Gandhi began the walk to Birla House. A crowd had surrounded him as he walked, being supported by two of his grandnieces. In front of him, a young Hindu named Nathuram Godse stopped before him and bowed. Gandhi bowed back. Then Godse rushed forward and shot Gandhi three times with a black, semi-automatic pistol. Although Gandhi had survived five other assassination attempts, this time, Gandhi fell to the ground, dead.

Bill Gates - The Gateway Of Modern Technology

Early Life

William H. Gates III was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. He was the second child and only son of William Henry Gates Jr., a successful Seattle attorney, and Mary Maxwell, a former schoolteacher. Kristi, his older sister, later became his tax accountant and Libby, his younger sister, lives in Seattle raising her two children. Gates enjoyed a normal, active childhood and participated in sports, joined the Cub Scouts, and spent summers with his family in Bremerton, Washington.

Although Gates's parents had a law career in mind for their son, he developed an early interest in computer science and began studying computers in the seventh grade at Seattle's Lakeside School. Lakeside was a private school chosen by Gates's parents in the hopes that it would be more challenging for their son's intellectual drive and curiosity. At Lakeside, Gates came to know Paul Allen, a classmate with similar interests in technology who would eventually become his business partner. Immediately, Gates and Allen realized the potential of the young computer industry.

Early Experience

Gates's early experiences with computers included debugging (eliminating errors from) programs for the Computer Center Corporation's PDP-10, helping to computerize electric power grids for the Bonneville Power Administration, and founding with Allen a firm called Traf-O-Data while still in high school. Their small company earned them twenty thousand dollars in fees for analyzing local traffic patterns.

While working with the Computer Center's PDP-10, Gates was responsible for what was probably the first computer virus, a program that copies itself into other programs and ruins data. Discovering that the machine was connected to a national network of computers called Cybernet, Gates invaded the network and installed a program on the main computer that sent itself to the rest of the network's computers, making it crash (became damaged). When Gates was found out, he was severely punished, and he kept away from computers for his entire junior year at Lakeside. Without the lure of computers, Gates made plans for college and law school in 1970. But by 1971 he was back helping Allen write a class scheduling program for their school's computer.

Gates entered Harvard University in 1973 and pursued his studies for the next year and a half. His life changed in January of 1975, however, when Popular Mechanics carried a cover story on a $350 microcomputer, the Altair, made by a firm called MITS in New Mexico. When Allen excitedly showed him the story, Gates knew where he wanted to be: at the forefront of computer software (a program of instructions for a computer) design.

Gates dropped out of Harvard in 1975, ending his academic life and beginning his career as a software designer. At this time, Gates and Allen cofounded Microsoft. They wrote programs for the early Apple and Commodore machines. One of Gates's most significant opportunities arrived in 1980, when IBM approached him to help with their personal computer project, code name Project Chess. Gates developed the Microsoft Disk Operating System, or MS-DOS. (An operating system is a type of software that controls the way a computer runs.) Not only did he sell IBM on the new operating system, but he also convinced the computer giant to allow others to write software for the machine. The result was the rapid growth of licenses for MS-DOS, as software developers quickly moved to become compatible with (able to work with) IBM. By the early 1990s Microsoft had sold more than one hundred million copies of MS-DOS, making the operating system the all-time leader in software sales. For his achievements in science and technology, Gates received the Howard Vollum Award in 1984 from Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

Gates's competitive drive and fierce desire to win has made him a powerful force in business, but it has also consumed much of his personal life. In the six years between 1978 and 1984, he took a total of only two weeks vacation. But on New Year's Day 1994 Gates married Melinda French, a Microsoft manager, on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The ceremony was held on the island's Challenge golf course, and Gates kept it private by buying out the unused rooms at the local hotel and by hiring all of the helicopters in the area to keep photographers from using them. His fortune at the time of his marriage was estimated at close to seven billion dollars. By 1997 his worth was estimated at approximately $37 billion, earning him the title of "richest man in America."

Microsoft Foundation

Many criticize Gates not just for his success, but because they feel he tries to unfairly—and maybe even illegally—dominate the market. As a result of Microsoft's market control, the U.S. Department of Justice brought an antitrust lawsuit (a lawsuit that is the result of a company being accused of using unfair business practices) against the company in 1998, saying the company had an illegal stronghold on the software industry.

Gates maintained Microsoft's success over rivals such as Oracle and IBM was simply the result of smart, strategic decision making. U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Jackson did not agree, and in November 1999, he found Microsoft to be a monopoly (a company with exclusive control) that used its market power to harm competing companies. Because of the ruling, Gates faced the prospect of breaking up Microsoft.

On January 13, 2000, Gates handed off day-to-day management of Microsoft to friend and right-hand man Steve Ballmer, adding chief executive officer to his existing title of president. Gates held on to his position as chairman in the reshuffle, and added the title of chief software architect.

In the spring of 2002 Gates himself was scheduled to testify on behalf of Microsoft. The final ruling on the fate of Microsoft has the potential to be a landmark decision on the future of the computer industry.

Gates as philanthropist

Aside from being the most famous businessman of the late 1990s, Gates also has distinguished himself as a philanthropist (someone working for charity). He and wife Melinda established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on helping to improve health care and education for children around the world. The foundation has donated $4 billion since its start in 1996. Recent pledges include $1 billion over twenty years to fund college scholarships for about one thousand minority students; $750 million over five years to help launch the Global Fund for Children's Vaccines; $50 million to help the World Health Organization's efforts to eradicate polio, a crippling disease that usually attacks children; and $3 million to help prevent the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS; an incurable disease that destroys the body's immune system) among young people in South Africa. In November 1998 Gates and his wife also gave the largest single gift to a U.S. public library, when they donated $20 million to the Seattle Public Library. Another of Gates's charitable donations was $20 million given to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to build a new home for its Laboratory for Computer Science.

In July 2000 the foundation gave John Hopkins University a five-year, $20 million grant to study whether or not inexpensive vitamin and mineral pills can help save lives in poor countries. On November 13, 2000, Harvard University's School of Public Health announced it had received $25 million from the foundation to study AIDS prevention in Nigeria. The grant was the largest single private grant in the school's history. It was announced on February 1, 2001, that the foundation would donate $20 million to speed up the global eradication (to completely erase) of the disease commonly known as elephantiasis, a disease that causes disfigurement. In 2002 Gates, along with rock singer Bono, announced plans for DATA Agenda, a $24 billion fund (partially supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) that seeks to improve health care in Africa.

Although many describe Gates as cold and distant, his friends find him friendlier since his marriage and since the birth of his daughter, Jennifer, in April 1996. Further, he recognizes his overall contribution to both the world of technology and his efforts in philanthropy. In Forbes magazine's 2002 list of the two hundred richest people in the world, Gates was number one for the eighth straight year, coming in with a net worth of $52.8 billion.

Some Facts About Bill Gates

Microsoft was launched by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975.

Microsoft’s first Window based program was released on November 20, 1985 it was called Microsoft Windows.

Bill Gates became a billionaire at the age of 32 in the year 1987, Bill Gates has been ranked the richest person in the world for 20 times.

In 1994 Gates established the William H. Gates Foundation, which supports a variety of initiatives of particular interest to Gates and his family.

On January 1, 1994 Bill Gates married Melinda. In 1996 they had a daughter named Jennifer Katherine Gates. In 1999 they had a son named Rory John Gates and in 2002 they had another daughter named Phoebe Adelle Gates.

In 1995 Bill Gates wrote a book called The Road Ahead which was a book about technology. The Road Ahead was number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list for 18 weeks. The book was published in more than 20 countries and sold 400,000 copies in China alone.

In addition to his passion for computers, Gates is interested in biotechnology. He sits on the board of the ICOS Corporation and is a shareholder in Chiroscience Group of the United Kingdom and its wholly owned subsidiary, Chiroscience R&D Inc. (formerly Darwin Molecular) of Bothell, Wash.

Corbis Corporation founded by Bill Gates, is developing one of the largest resources of visual information in the world – a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography from public and private collections around the globe.

Gates has invested in Teledesic, a company that is working on an ambitious plan to launch hundreds of low-orbit satellites around the Earth to provide a worldwide two-way broadband telecommunications service.

Biography Of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln , the son of a farmer , was born near Hodgenville , Kentucky , on 12th February , 1809. Although his parents were virtually illiterate , and he spent only a year at school , he developed a love of reading . In March 1830 , the Lincoln family moved to Illinios.

After helping his father to clear and fence his father's new farm , Lincoln moved to New Salem , where he worked as a storekeeper , postmaster and surveyor. He took a keen interest in politics and supported the Whig Party. In 1834, Lincoln was elected to the Illinios State Legislature where  he argued that the role of federal government was to encourage business by establishing a national bank , imposing protective tariffs and improving the country's transport system.

In his spare time , Lincoln continued his studies and become a lawyer after passing his bar examination in 1836. There was not much legal work in New Salem and the following year he moved to Springfield , the new state capital of Illinios.

In November 1842 , Lincoln married Mary Todd , the daughter of a prosperous family from Kentucky. The couple had four sons but three of them died young and only Robert lived long enough to marry and have children.

The country[USA] was having problems regarding the practice of slavery. The white men owned large farms in the southern states, Blacks were brought from Africa to work on these farms, they were kept as slaves. The people of northern states were against this practice of slavery and wanted to abolish it. The Constitution of America is based on the equality of man. Therefore, there was no place for slavery in that country.

At this difficult time, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the USA in 1860. He wanted to solve the problem of slavery. The southern states were against the abolition of slavery. This brought the unity of the country in danger. The southern states were prepared even to form a new country. Abraham Lincoln wanted all the states to remain united.

He faced many problems. He wanted to preserve the unity of the country at any cost. Finally a civil war broke out between the northern and southern states. He fought the war bravely and declared, 'A Nation cannot exist half free and half slave.' He won the war and kept the country united.

Lincoln was elected president for a second term. He was not against anybody and wanted everybody to live in peace. He made sincere efforts to heal the people's wounds caused by the war. In 1862, Lincoln declared that from then onwards all slaves would be free. This made him very popular among the people.

At his Cabinet meeting on 14th April 1865, Lincoln commented: "There are many in Congress who possess feelings of hate and vindictiveness in which I do not sympathize and cannot participate." He added that enough blood had been shed and would do what he could to prevent any "vengeful actions".

That night Lincoln went to Ford's Theatre with his wife, Mary Lincoln, Clara Harris and Major Henry Rathbone to see a play called " Our American Cousin ". During the Third Act, John Wilkes Booth entered Lincoln's box and shot the president in the back of the head. Booth then jumped to the stage eleven feet below. Despite fracturing his ankle, he was able to reach his horse and gallop out of the city.Lincoln was taken to the White House but died early the next morning.

Gautham Buddha - The Renounced Professor Of Mankind

Introduction

Gautam Buddha was a spiritual teacher from ancient India who founded Buddhism. Buddha means "Awakened One". From this general account of  the nature of Buddha we now consider this specific person known to history as the Buddha. His life like that of most great religious teachers has been adorned with miracles and legends but from this mass of myth, a historical core can be found and even the mythical element should not be dismissed just as pure fantasy since much of it conveys an important message. The Buddha's given name was Siddhartha and his family name was Gotama. Buddhas know him as the Buddha Gotama or the Buddha Shakyamuni, the sage of Shakya clan. The dates for his birth, accepted now by most historically oriented scholars is 563B.C. to 483B.C. though other dates are also recognized.

Early Life

Though for history, the story of the Buddha begins with his birth, from the traditional Buddha's perspective, the story goes back much further. He was born to King Sudhodhana, the leader of Shakya clan and Queen Maha Maya in Lumbini and was raised in the small kingdom of Kapilavasthu. His birth, according to many texts was full of miracles and wonders. Soon after he was born and brought back into the palace, the king called in the court astrologers to foretell his future. Eight Bramhins, noteworthy astrologers came to examine the baby and consulted the horoscope. When they finished, all the astrologers with one exception help up two fingers. The two fingers symbolized the destiny of Siddhartha, either he would grown up to become great emperor if he is shielded from the sorrows of the world or else he would renounce the world and became a spiritual leader whose teachings would spread throughout the world. The one exception raised only one finger said that it was sure that Siddhartha would renounce the world.

The king, who did not want his son to became an ascetic built three palaces, one for each seasons and kept Siddhartha engrossed in all sorts of luxuries and worldly pleasure and shielded him from the sufferings of the world. When he reached the age of 16, he was married to a cousin of same age, Yasodhara who gave birth to a son named Rahul.

Ascetic Life

At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace in search of enlightment. Despite his fathers efforts to hide from him sickness, old age and suffering, Siddhartha is said to have witnessed an old man, a diseased man, a decaying corpse and an ascetic. These depressed him, and he initially strived to overcome aging, sickness and death by leading the life of an ascetic.

In his ascetic life Siddhartha went to various places and learnt meditation techniques from a  number of gurus but none of them satisfied him. Siddhartha and a group of five ascetics then set out to take their austerities further. They tried to find enlightment through deprivation of worldly goods, including food, practicing self mortification. After nearly starving himself to death by restricting his food intake to around a leaf or a nut per day, he collapsed in a river while bathing and almost drowned. Siddhartha began to reconsider his path.Then he remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the seasons's plowing. He attained a concentrated and focused  state that was blissful and refreshing, the dhyan.

According to the early Buddhist texts, after realizing that the meditative dhyan was  the right path to awakening, Gautama discovered what Buddhists call The Middle Way - a path of moderation away from the extremes of self indulgence and self mortification. Gotama then sat under the Pipal tree, now known as The Bodhi Tree - in Bodh Gaya, India, when he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth. The other four companions,believing that he had abandoned his search and become indisciplined,left him. After a reputed 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, he attained enlightment.

Teachings

The Four Noble Truths

   1.   Life means suffering

   2.   The origin of suffering is attachment

   3.   The cessation of suffering is attainable

   4.   Noble Eightfold path is the path to cessation of suffering

End of Worldly Life

At the age of 80,Buddha announced that he would soon reach Parinirvanam, or final deathless state, and abandon his earthly body. Buddha's final words are reported to have been "All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence".

Swami Vivekananda - The World Entreprenuer

Swami Vivekananda is one of the mist eminent personalities of India. He was born in Kolkata on 12 January 1863. His father was Viswanatha Datta and his mother was Bhubaneshwari. His original name was Narendranath.

He studied Sanskrit, The Ramayana, The Mahabharatha, The Puranas etc. He learnt things very quickly. He had an aptitude for music. He had a good voice. He joined the school of Sri Eswar Chandra Vidya Sagar and completed primary eduacation. He completed his secondary education, a course of three years, in one year, and passed with distinction. He joined the college in his 16 years of age and studied logic and philosophy. He was handsome and bold. He gained mastery over English language and proved be an eloquent orator.

  
He was however not interested in wordly affairs. He was drawn towards spiritualism. He made his mind klown to his and went to see Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at Dakshineswar. On the request of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Narendranath sang some devotional songs. Swami Paramahamsa went into went into trace listening to his songs.

Later he informed Narendranath that he would be able to see god in his trance. He added that if one prayed to God in all perfection,one could see God,Narendranath became a disciple of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Later Narendranath's father died and Narendranath was forced to take up a teachers's job for sometime to meet his family's needs.

Swami Ramakrishna endowed Narendranath with all his spiritual powers and made him his heir. With this Narendranath assumed the name of Swami Vivekananda and a sanyasi in true sense. After the demise of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda started a mutt named after his Guru, at Belur. Swami Vivekananda implored the youth to develop the spirit of adventure. He travelled all over India and reached KanyaKumari. There he swam the ocean, reached to rock nearby and meditated there. During his travel he found poverty all over India and was moved by the sufferings of the poor. He felt that serving to mankind is serving to God. He felt there was a need for a tremendous effort in this direction. He loved the motherland and was a great patriot.

In 1893, Parliament of the world was convened at Chicago. With the financial assistance from Maharaja of Khetri, Vivekananda went to Chicago and addressed the audience on the  greatness of Hindu religion. His address began with words "My dear Sisters and Brothers of America". This thrilled the audience, as this greeting contained the spirit of universal brotherhood. One young lady by name Margaret became his disciple and later became Sister Nivedita to carry on his mission.

Swami Vivekananda said that youth of the day were moving without any aim. There was no correct spiritual guidance. He felt that religion can lead a man on the moral and righteous path. He believed and propagated that all men on the world are one. Colour,caste and creed had no meaning. He felt that there is a lot to be achieved. He advised the youth to move forward. His words were:"Arise,Awake and Stop Not till the Goal is Reached". Swami Vivekananda started many institutions under the Ramakrishna Mission to carry on his message of service. He passed away at an early age on 4July 1902.  

The Primary Key for Success --- Confidence

Confidence ... The Sure Way To Success
   Everyone yearns for success. But only some achieve it. The reason - some fail to find the way. Mere luck may not guarantee success. It's not just fate.It's not only because it was written on one's forehead. Excellent intelligence alone cannot achieve everything. Marvellous mental ability doesn't automatically ensure the attainment of targetted goals. Success is the result of consistent, concerted and determined efforts put in with confidence and in a disciplined manner. Success is a dream realised.

   Even the longest journey starts with the smallest step. But one should first be very clear about the destination. Be sure about your goal and then work systematically towards its attainment.

   Success never comes overnight. Rome was not built in a day. Successful persons are those who burn midnight oil while all others are in deep slumber. Effort takes life in visions. It results from determination. It conquers desperation. It subsides all weaknesses. It leads to the cherished victory.

   Time is gold. Achievers are always mindful of this golden saying. Clear goal inspires mental preparedness,determination and industry. They together fill one's vision with banners of victory.

One who aims high has to face the risk of falling down. One should be very cautious to overcome that kind of risks. Be the careful about possible threats but let discouragement never influence your thoughts.
     
                               Have Faith in Yourself and Be Confident

Inspirational Stories of Failure Turned Into Success

Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.

Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.

Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967. He went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer interested in his 11 herbs and spices. Seven years later, at the age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-lickin' $15 million!

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.

Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, gave up a medical career and was told by his father, "You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat catching." In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, "I was considered by my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect.

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn't read until he was seven. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern turned down his PhD dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.

The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th-Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history.

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15 out of 22 in chemistry.

When NFL running back Herschel Walker was in junior high school, he wanted to play football, but the coach told him he was too small. He advised young Herschel to go out for track instead. Never one to give up, he ignored the coach's advice and began an intensive training program to build himself up. Only a few years later, Herschel Walker won the Heisman trophy.

When General Douglas MacArthur applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.

After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said, "Can't act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!" Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.

The father of the sculptor Rodin said, "I have an idiot for a son." Described as the worst pupil in the school, Rodin failed three times to secure admittance to the school of art. His uncle called him uneducable.

Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts.

Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.

Margaret Mitchell's classic Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers.

Richard Hooker worked for seven years on his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, only to have it rejected by 21 publishers before Morrow decided to publish it. It became a runaway bestseller, spawning a blockbusting movie and highly successful television series.

When the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book was completed, it was turned down by thirty-three publishers in New York and another ninety at the American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim, California, before Health Communications, Inc., finally agreed to publish it. The major New York publishers said, "It is too nicey-nice" and "Nobody wants to read a book of short little stories." Since that time more than 8 million copies of the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book have been sold. The series, which has grown to thirty-two titles, in thirty-one languages, has sold more than 53 million copies.

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, "You ain't goin' nowhere… son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck." Elvis Presley went on to become the most popular singer in America.

Dr. Seuss' first children's book, And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected by twenty-seven publishers. The twenty-eighth publisher, Vanguard press, sold six million copies of the book.

Never give up believing in yourself!!!

                                  Never Lose Hope It is ALL.

                                 If You  Lose  It You Will Lose Everything.

This is the first inspirational essay i came to know in my life.

How to Respond instead of Reacting???????
Here is a solution for people who wants to respond to a situation instead of being reacting to it.
This is a speech given by Azim Hashim Premji[Chairman of WIPRO]

An Address by Azim Premji in the ‘Shaping Young Minds Program’ (SYMP)  organized by AIMA in collaboration with the Bombay Management  Association (BMA) in Mumbai on ‘My Lessons in Life’.

I am very happy to be here with you.  It is always wonderful to be  with young people. As my hair turned from  black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have  begun to realize the importance of youth.  At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons  I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life.

First :

The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a  rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At  the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping  but failed in  swimming. The parents were concerned. They said,  ‘Forget about hopping.  You are, anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming.’ They sent the  rabbit for tuition in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit  forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must  also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.

Second:

The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more  value than five found.. My friend was sharing with me, the story of his eight year-old niece.  She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried  everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my  friend took the  child to a supermarket and brought one of those  ready-to-cook cereal  packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. The child found the food delicious. The difference was that she had cooked  it! In my own life, I have  found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our own  rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of   ‘come easy, go easy’. I guess we only know the value of what we have,  if we have struggled to earn it.

Third :

The third lesson I have learnt is, in Cricket, no one bats a hundred  every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are  already  on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along  the  way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don’t beat yourself   for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own   share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not ‘lose the lesson.

Fourth :

The fourth lesson I have learnt, is the importance of humility.  Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering,  whether you  deserve all of it. We have so much to be grateful for.  Our parents, our  teachers and our seniors, have done so much for us,  that we can never  repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings,  because obviously, no one can be perfect. But it is important to first  acknowledge, what we  have received. Nothing in life is permanent, but  when a relationship  ends, rather than becoming bitter,

we must learn to savor the memory, of the good things, while they lasted.

Fifth :

The fifth lesson I learnt is, that we must always strive for Excellence.  One way of achieving excellence, is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. But excellence cannot be  imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It  must involve not only our mind, but also our heart and soul.  Excellence is not an act, but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines  of a poem,  which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp.  That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.

Sixth :

The sixth lesson I have learnt is, never give up in the face of adversity.  It comes on you, suddenly without warning. Always keep in mind, that  it  is only the test of fire, that makes fine steel. A friend of mine  shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was  struggling away  at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but  could not succeed.  Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend  told her, “Look, why dont you just give up? I don’t think you will  complete it tonight. Look at it another day.” The daughter looked with
a strange look in her eyes, “But, dad, why should I give up? All the  pieces are there! I have just  got to put them together!” If we persevere long enough, we can put any  problem into its perspective.

Seventh :

The seventh lesson I have learnt is, that while you must be open to  change, do not compromise on your values.  Mahatma Gandhiji often said, You must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze.” Values like   honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for  generations. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person  more than the achievements. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to  the destination.

Final :

And the final lesson I learnt is, that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong.  There was a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning,  the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the  paper  off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor  would pick  up the money, smile politely and say, ‘Thank you, Sir.’  One day, the  vendor’s assistant asked him, “Why are you always so  polite with him  when he is so rude to you? Why don’t you throw the  newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?” The vendor smiled and  replied, “He can’t help  being rude and I cant help being polite. Why should I let his rude  behavior dictate my politeness?”

I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what  gives you the maximum happiness in life.

Try these in your life you will be a legend in History.

                                                                 ALL THE BEST