Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam usually known Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, was the 11th President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007, he is one of the hardly any presidents who have touched the hearts thats why during his term as President, he was popularly known as the People’s President. In India he is highly respected as a scientist and as an engineer. He is popularly known as the Missile male of India for his employment on development of ballistic missile and time rocket technology.

Stories of extreme hardship, braving impossible odds and innumerable sacrifices, abound in the lives of nearly 90 percent of the students in the nation. however among them, some perform exceptionally well.Their academic laurels are so brilliant, that at times their CV looks intimidating. And each one acknowledges that it’s the fair education that made them what they are todaydistinct months back, after finishing an interview with Dr APJ Kalam, and just before leaving his Rajaji Marg residence he made me repeat these three words in a schoolteacher’s tone perseverance, dense employment and patience.This, he said, was alone the path to progress. Later, much later, I realised, that those were the very words he’s lived by all through his lifetime. They are both philosophical and practical, quite like the earth he grew up in as a boy in the island town of Rameswaran, in south India.

His father, a humble boat owner, Jainulabdeen, was a devout Muslim and a close friend of the Rameswaran temple priest. Kalam was brought up in a multi-religious, tolerant society; one with a progressive outlook. His father often quoted from the Quran to constitute the young Kalam see the earth without fear. He had seven siblings, and a doting mother who, at times, made chappatis for Kalam, while the others were given rice as Kalam’s day would commence at four in the morning and end at 11 pm.

His father wasn’t educated, however he wanted Kalam to study. Kalam would get up at 4 am, bathe, and then go for his mathematics class, which was taught by a teacher who took only five students in the whole session; and bathing before class was a condition he had laid to all his students. After his morning class, Kalam along with his cousin Samsuddin went encircling town distributing the newspaper. As the town had no electricity, kerosene lamps were lit at his house between 7 pm and 9 pm.

Being a bright student, Kalam always had the support of his schoolteachers. Schwarzt High School’s Iyadurai Solomon often told Kalam that if he truly, intensely desired something, he would get it. “This made me fearless,” said Dr Kalam. And outside college, Ahmed Jallaluddin, who later became his brother-in-law, and Samsuddin, encouraged Kalam to appreciate nature’s wonders. So at once, while growing up, he was exposed to a religious and a practical path of looking at the earth.

The flight of birds had fascinated him since he was a boy, however it was years later he realised that he wanted to fly aircrafts. After finishing college, he took up Physics at St Joseph’s College, Trichi, on the other hand towards the end he was dissatisfied. When he discovered aeronautical engineering, he regretted having lost three precious years. however he was glad to have discovered Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Hardy and F Scott Fitzgerald and other English poets in his institution years. At Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai, where Kalam studied aeronautics, he learnt an valuable lesson the value of period. He was leading a project on system design, when one day the principal walked into the class to see his occupation.

He appeared dissatisfied and told Kalam that he wanted the project finished in the later two days; else his scholarship aid would be withdrawn. That unsettled Kalam; years of his father’s hardships would come to naught. Kalam worked without feed and sleep. On the ultimate day, his professor came to check on his progress. He was impressed and said: “I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline,” recounted Dr Kalam.

Although Kalam has led distinct projects in his professional duration, he’s treated each like his last. Such was his passion. No wonder, he’s always led projects. His advisor, Major common R Swaminathan explained Kalam’s success as a leader. “He has this unique capability of being a boss as well as a worker. He can obtain on any role with ease.”

When Dr Kalam’s first major project SLV 3-failed the first period he was almost shattered. Also, all over this time, Kalam’s childhood mentor, Jallaluddin, died. “A part of me very passed away…” said Dr Kalam. however he never thought of quitting after SLV-3. “I knew that for success, we have to profession burdensome and persevere.” And so, SLV-3 was launched again, this time with success. He drew strength from philosophy, religion and literature to tide by his professional setbacks; also a career with rare companions. In time, he also learnt to deal with professional jealousy and uncooperative team members.

Kalam played a pivotal organisational, technical and political role in India’s Pokhran-II nuclear check in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974. He is chancellor of Indian Institute of margin Science and Technology (Thiruvanthapuram), a professor at Anna University (Chennai) and adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.

Success followed Dr Kalam. Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Trishul and Nag missiles were huge successes. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan and Bharat Ratna, and then he became the President of India; one of the unusual presidents who have touched the hearts of so many poor children in the nation. on account of he also came from a poor background, he knew the influence of education in changing one’s prospect.

INDIRA GANDHI Born Nov. 19, 1917, Allahabad, India-Died Oct. 31, 1984, New Delhi Politician Who Served As Prime Minister Of India For Three Consecutive Terms (1966-77) And A Fourth Term (1980-84). She Was Assassinated By Sikh Extremists. Indira Gandhi was the third Prime Minister of India, serving from 1966 until 1984. Her father Jawaharlal Nehru  was the first Prime Minister of India. She was imprisoned twice on charges of official corruption. In 1984, in response to political threats, she ordered the army to attach a holy Sikh shrine, leaving 450 dead. She was assassinated five months later by her own bodyguards.

She Was The Only Minor Of Jawaharlal Nehru, The First Prime Minister Of Independent India. She Attended Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, And The University Of Oxford, And In 1942 She Married Feroze Gandhi (Died 1960), A Fellow Member Of The Indian National Congress (Congress Party). She Was A Member Of The Working Committee Of The Ruling Congress Party From 1955, And In 1959 She Was Elected To The Largely Honorary Advertise Of Party President. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Who Succeeded Nehru As Prime Minister In 1964, Named Her Minister Of Data And Broadcasting In His Administration.

On Shastri’s Sudden Death In January 1966, Gandhi Became Leader Of The Congress Party-And Thus Also Prime Minister-In A Compromise Between The Fair And Left Wings Of The Party. Her Leadership, However, Came Under Continual Challenge From The Right Wing Of The Party, Led By A Former Minister Of Finance, Morarji Desai. In The Election Of 1967 She Won A Slim Majority And Had To Accept Desai As Deputy Prime Minister. In 1971, However, She Won A Sweeping Electoral Victory Over A Coalition Of Conservative Parties. Gandhi Strongly Supported East Bengal (Immediately Bangladesh) In Its Secessionist Conflict With Pakistan In Late 1971, And India’s Armed Forces Achieved A Swift And Decisive Victory Over Pakistan That Led To The Creation Of Bangladesh.

In March 1972, Buoyed By The Country’s Success Against Pakistan, Gandhi Again Led Her Fresh Congress Party To A Landslide Victory In National Elections. Shortly Afterward Her Defeated Socialist Party Opponent Charged That She Had Violated The Election Laws. In June 1975 The High Court Of Allahabad Ruled Against Her, Which Meant That She Would Be Deprived Of Her Seat In Parliament And Would Have To Stay Outside Of Politics For Six Years. In Response, She Declared A State Of Emergency Throughout India, Imprisoned Her Political Opponents, And Assumed Emergency Powers, Passing Many Laws Limiting Personal Freedoms. During This Period She Implemented Distinct Unpopular Policies, Including Large-Scale Sterilization As A Form Of Birth Control. When Long-Postponed National Elections Were Held In 1977, Gandhi And Her Party Were Soundly Defeated, Whereupon She Left Office. The Janata Party Took Over The Reins Of Administration.

Early In 1978 Gandhi’s Supporters Split From The Congress Party And Formed The Congress (I) Party-The “I” Signifying Indira. She Was Briefly Imprisoned (October 1977 And December 1978) On Charges Of Official Corruption. Despite These Setbacks, She Won A Fresh Seat In Parliament In November 1978, And Her Congress (I) Party Began To Gather Strength. Dissension Within The Ruling Janata Party Led To The Fall Of Its Administration In August 1979. When Fresh Elections For The Lok Sabha (Lower House Of Parliament) Were Held In January 1980, Gandhi And Her Congress (I) Party Were Swept Back Into Ability In A Landslide Victory. Her Son Sanjay Gandhi, Who Had Become Her Chief Political Adviser, Also Won A Seat In The Lok Sabha. All Legal Cases Against Indira, As Well As Against Her Son, Were Withdrawn.

Kalpana Chawla was the first female astronaut from India. To pursue her dream of flying airplanes and becoming an aerospace engineer, she studied physics, chemistry, and math in high college and excelled at an engineering college in India. She then took on advanced studies in the United States. She joined the American time program in 1995 and traveled millions of miles in space, orbiting Earth hundreds of times on two space-shuttle missions. She was a flight engineer and mission specialist on the space shuttle Columbia, which broke up sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land on February 1, 2003.

Her musical tastes ranged from classic rock like Deep Purple to devotional music of Muslim mystics like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. She was born in India, however completed her education in America and managed to bridge the traditions of both countries.And as her lifetime ended in tragedy during her second shuttle mission, Kalpana Chawla is being mourned by admirers in India and America alike.

She was very much a role imitation for Indian Americans, particularly for girls brought up here,” said Bhailal Patel, president of the National Federation of Indian American Associations, an umbrella collection based in Silver Spring, Md. Chawla, 41, is a naturalized American citizen who lived in the Houston suburb of Seabrook, about 10 miles from Johnson time Center. however she was born in Karnal, India, the youngest of four children who grew up less than 75 miles from India’s capital in fresh Delhi.

Her rising career was very closely followed by schoolchildren, engineers and women in India. “People were extremely proud of the circumstance that a woman of Indian descent had risen to such heights and had become so visible,” said S.N. Sridhar, chair of Asian and Asian American Studies at SUNY Stony Brook. “She was considered a great path to showcase the achievements of Indian women.” “Almost every Indian is quite saddened,” said Anish Keskar, 28, a resident of Pune, India, who said Indian television was filled with news of the tragedy and interviews with her college principal and others.The Tagore college in her hometown of Karnal was hit dense by the news. Chawla had arranged for five students from her college to come to NASA every year for a space-program visit. She received her bachelor’s degree from Punjab Engineering College in India in 1982, then went to Texas to begin her graduate employment despite getting many job offers in India.

She met her husband of 14 years, flight instructor Jean-Pierre Harrison, shortly after coming to America. In two years, Chawla earned her master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, before earning a doctorate degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Chawla, whose first designation Kalpana method “thought” or “imagination” in the ancient Indian language Sanskrit, in a sense lived up to her name. In previous interviews, Chawla said she always thought she’d become an engineer rather than an astronaut however then realized that the posters she kept on her dorm-room walls of shuttles and time probably subconsciously pushed her aspirations. “You see the continents go by, the thunderstorms shimmering in the clouds, the megalopolis lights at night. The Nile River looks like a lifeline in the Sahara. And we looked down on Mount Everest.

Earth is very beautiful,I wish everyone could see it,” Chawla said, describing the view from time in an interview with the UTA Magazine for alumni of the college, from which she graduated in 1984. Professors who taught Chawla at UTA remembered her as a quiet woman in college, however an energetic mentor who gave back to the university. After Chawla went on her first shuttle flight in 1997, she gave a presentation to students and faculty on the trip, said Don Seath, professor of aerospace engineering at UT Arlington.

“She was very enthusiastic about it and was very encouraging to the students to become astronauts,” Seath said. “She was much more effervescent than she was when she was a master’s student.”

Madurai Or “The City Of Nectar” Is The Oldest And Second Largest City Of Tamil Nadu. This City Is Located On Vaigai River And Was The Capital Of Pandyan Rulers. The Pandyan King, Kulasekhara Had Built A Gorgeous Temple Around Which He Created A Lotus Shaped City. It Has Been A Center Of Learning And Pilgrimage, For Centuries. Legend Has It That The Divine Nectar Falling From Lord Shiva’s Locks Gave The City Its Name – ‘Madhurapuri’, Now Known As “Madurai”.

The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple And Madurai City Originated Together. The Structures That Are Standing Today Date Mostly From The Twelfth To The Eighteenth Century. They Occupy A Vast Space, 258-M By 241m. There Are The Two Main Shrines, No Less Than Twelve Gopuras, A Pool And Innumerable Mandapas. At Every Turn There Is Superb Sculpture, Magnificent Architecture.

The Meenakshi Temple Complex Is One Of The Largest And Certainly One Of The Most Ancient. According To Legend Madurai Is The Actual Site Where The Wedding Between Shiva And Meenakshi Took Place. The Gigantic Temple Complex, The Statues Exploring The Entire Range Of Human Emotions, Everything Here Is Larger Than Life. The Soaring And Exquisitely Carved Towers Enclose The Temple Dedicated To Meenakashi. The South Gateway Contains The Twin Temples Of Shiva And Meenakshi And Is About Nine Storeys High.

Once Dhananjaya, A Merchant Of Manavur, Where The Pandyas Had Arrived After The Second Deluge In Kumari Kandam, Having Been Overtaken By Nightfall In Kadamba Forest, Spent The Night In The Indra Vimana. When Next Morning He Woke Up, He Was Surprised To See Signs Of Worship. Thinking That It Must Be The Work Of The Devas, He Told The Pandya, Kulasekhara, In Manavur, Of This. Meanwhile Lord Shiva Had Instructed Pandya In A Dream To Build A Temple And A City At The Spot Dhananjaya Would Indicate. Kulasekhara Did So. Thus Originated The Temple And City.

In The 14th Century An Invasion By Malik Kafur Damaged The Temple. In The Same Century Madurai Was Under Muslim Rule For Nearly Fifty Years. The Temple Authorities Closed The Sanctum, Covered Up The Linga, And Set Up Another In The Ardhamandapa. When The City Was Liberated, The Sanctum Was Opened, And, Tradition Says The Flower Garlands And The Sandalwood Paste Placed On The Linga Were As Fresh As On The First Day, And Two Oil Lamps Were Still Burning

Tirupati is situated at 67-km from Chittoor in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirupati is one of the important pilgrim centres in India. The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the Tirupati Hill. This historic shrine of Sri Venkateswara is famous all over the country and attracts pilgrims from all over the country who stand in line for hours together to obtain a glimpse of the presiding deity for a few fleeting seconds.

The shrine is located on a hill at Tirumala, a cluster of seven hills known as Seshachalam or Venkatachalam with an elevation of 853m (2, 800ft.) above the sea level. It is said to be the richest temple in the world. This temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history spanning several centuries.

All the great dynasties of rulers of the southern peninsula paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th – 15th century AD) were devotees of the Lord.

Tirupathi is a fine example of dravidian temple architecture. The ‘gopuram’ or tower of the Tirupati Temple shows a characteristic feature of Dravidian architecture. The ‘Vimana’ or Cupola over the sanctum sanctorum is covered entirely with gold plate and is known as “the Ananda Nilayam”. The Shrine consists of three ‘Prakarams’ or enclosures. The outermost enclosure contains the ‘Dhvajastambha’ or the banner post and, among others, the statues of Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya and his consorts, and of Todarmal, the minister of Akbar.

The idol of the deity, the full figure of Lord Venkateswara or ‘Venkataramana’ or ‘Srinivasa’ or ‘Balaji’ has the attributes of both Vishnu and Shiva, preserving and destroying aspects of the Hindu Trinity.

Brihadisvara temple located in the town of Thanjavur in the state of Tamil Nadu in India is an exemplary production in the Dravidian style of temple architecture.

Brihadisvara temple was built by one of the greatest emperors, king Rajaraja Chola of the Chola dynasty. The main deity of the temple is Siva Linga. The most celebrated Saiva temple of all, appropriately called Brihadisvara and Daksinameru, is the grandest creation of the Chola emperor Rajaraja (AD 985-1012). It was inaugurated by the king himself in his 19th regal year (AD 1009-10) and named it after himself as “Rajesvara Peruvudaiyar”. As we gather from the inscriptions running throughout the plinth, the king, on the 257th day of the twenty-fifth year of the reign (1010 A.D) presented a gold-covered finial to be planted on the top of the Vimana of the temple.

Surrounded by two rectangular enclosures, the Brihadisvar (built from blocks of granite and, in part, from bricks) is crowned with a pyramidal 13-storey tower, the vimana, standing 61 m high and topped with a bulb-shaped monolith. The walls of the temple are covered with rich sculptural decoration. The Sivalinga of Sri Brihadisvara is probably the grandest in existence.

Architecturally, it is the most ambitious structural temple built of granite. Brihadisvara Temple is within a spacious inner Prakara of 240.90 m long (east-west) and 122m broad (north-south), with a Gopura at the east and three other ordinary ‘Torana’ entrances one at each lateral sides and the third at rear. The Prakara is surrounded by a double-storeyed ‘Malika’ with ‘Parivaralayas’.

The Sikhara, a cupolic dome, is octagonal and rests on a single block of granite, a square of 7.8 m weighing 80 tons. The majestic ‘Upapitha’ and ‘Adhishthana’ are common to all the axially placed entities like the ‘Ardhamaha’ and ‘Mukha-Mandapas’ and linked to the main sanctum but approached through a north-south transept across the ‘Ardha-Mandapa’, which is marked by lofty ‘Sopanas’.

Fine arts were encouraged in the service of the temple. The sculptures, the paintings in the surrounding passages of the sanctorum and even the inscriptions in elegant Chola Grantha and Tamil letters are a proof of the great art that flourished under Rajaraja.

Dance and music were greatly cultivated and were equally employed to serve the temple. Every evening it was at once an entertainment and a ritual that the towns-folk, assembled in the mandapa, witnessed and enjoyed during the ceremony of the waving of lights and the chanting of the Veda and Devaram hymns.

The temples of Devi near the Nandi-mandapa and of Subramanya were later added later, the former during the time of Konerimaikondan (a Pandya of the 13th century ) and the latter during the Nayaka period in the 17th century. The shrine of Ganesa and the mandapa of Nataraja are also later additions. The temple of Subramanya has exquisite carvings and is an excellent example of South Indian temple-architecture in the late medieval period.

One of the main causes of unemployment is the growing population. Every year a large number of qualified young men and women are coming out of colleges and universities. Most of them want jobs. Not many of these are prepared for hard work. Agriculture is our main industry. But it does not pro­vide work round the year. So farmers too remain unemployed for some time.

Many young people want jobs only in government offices and industries. Our system of education does not have much scope for self-employment. Industrial development is slow in our country. A large number of skilled workers are jobless. Even highly trained doctors and engineers do not find suit­able jobs.

Our young men and women are not ready for self-em­ployment. Sometimes they do not receive proper encourage­ment. They find it hard to get the capital required to be self employed. ‘Getting loans from the government agencies is a long process. All this discourages the youth. People should understand the seriousness of the problem.

First of all population should be controlled. Vocational train­ing is to be provided to the youth. Youngmen should be ready to accept whatever work they get. Job-oriented courses have to be started in schools and colleges. Government should encourage self-employment schemes in a big way. Only then the problem will be solved.

With this view N.C.C. was started. For some years this training was made compulsory for all students in colleges. But later it was made voluntary. N .c.c. cadets are given train­ing in military operations on a low scale. They receive train­ing in firing, trekking, rock climbing etc. They are taught res­cue operations.

Cadets with a good record in N.C.C. can have a bright career. Some seats are reserved for such students in higher studies and professional courses. They can also enter the army and have a bright future. Girls wings are also started in N.C.C.

N.C.C. brings out the best in a student. His physical health improves and his mental alertness grows. N.C.C. cadets are taught how to behave in a crisis. They serve the society in many ways. They help the local authorities in times of trouble. When large gatherings are held they are used to maintain order. N.C.C. Cadets control traffic in many towns and cities. They participate in various activities the government designs for the good of the public. They grow up as responsible citi­zens of the country.

Information fed to the computer is called data. Arriving at solutions based on this data is called processing. A computer receives and processes information and provides solutions. Computers can store a lot of information. This is done by the memory unit of the device. We can get back the information as and when required.

Computers help us in many ways. They are being largely used in offices, educational institutions and business organisations. A large number of milrhines are operated with the help of computers. Computers have a great use in space research as well. For different purposes different computer languages are used. Basic, Cobol and Fortran are some im­portant languages. Computers used only in numerical calcu­lations are called digital computers.

Modern science is largely dependant on computers. Many remote control operations are carried out with their help.The field of computers offers jobs to a large number of quali­fied young people. Earnings in this field are good.

Bill Gates is an example of what one can get through computers. But com­puters may add to the problem of unemployment. However the present generation cannot do without computers