Akbar “The great”

Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar was the greatest of Mughal Emperors and one of the ablest kings of the world has ever seen. It was under his reign that the Mughal Empire reached its climax. He united the whole of north India and built up an empire which extended from Afghanistan to Bengal and from Kashmir to Godavari in the south.

Akbar, along with his tutor and guardian Bairam Khan, was at Kalanaur in Punjab when he got the news of the death of his father, Humayun. There itself, on February 14, 1556 he was coronated at a simple ceremony by Bairam Khan, who himself became his regent. But the new king had neither a kingdom nor a capital as in the turmoil of Humayun’s death, Hemu, the Hindu general of Muhammad Adil Shah, had captured Delhi and Agra and ascended the throne as Vikramaditya. Akbar, with the help of Bairam Khan, defeated Hemu in the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556 and, thus, became the king of Delhi and Agra. He was a brave general and capable administrator. Though uneducated, he was highly cultured and refined. He initiated a policy of toleration and goodwill towards all his subjects. He befriended the Rajputs and married the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber. He abolished the Jazya (a tax that had been imposed on Hindus by the earlier rulers). He introduced a new Divine Faith (Din-i-ilahi), which combined the good points of all the religions. His long reign of five decades forms the bright chapter of the Indian history during which the country made rapid progress in all walks of life, establishment of a regular revenue system, organization of civil and military administration, encouragement of art and literature and construction of magnificent buildings and monuments. Akbar also brought about social reforms and made efforts of the abolition of Sati and child marriage. During his rule, the public services were open to all on merit without discrimination on the basis of caste, sect or color. Akbar died in 1605 and was buried at Sikandara near Agra.

Acharya Vinoba Bhave

Acharya Vinoba Bhave was born on September 11, 1895 in Gagoda village of Kulaba district of Maharashtra. He had his early education in Baroda and later came to Varanasi. He is known to be the true disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. He came all the way to Sabarmati to see Gandhiji and join his Ashram in 1916. He remained a true Gandhian throughout his life.

Philosophically, he was always a disturbed soul and was in continuous search of ‘Brahma’. He was also equally disturbed to see “Mother India in chains”. Ultimately, he decided to stay in the society to find his ‘Brahma’ and sought the blessings of Mahatma in search of a “Peaceful Revolution”. In 1921, he left Sabarmati and came to Wardha. When Gandhiji started his Dandi March, he initiated No-cooperation Movement from his Wardha Ashram. He was imprisoned several times.

When Gandhiji decided on individual Satyagraha, he selected Vinoba Bhave. When Gandhiji visited him at Paunar with the offer, he accepted Ganhiji’s proposal with all humility.

An alert freedom fighter, he gave a passionate speech, when he started his Satyagraha at Paunar, for which he was arrested. In the 1942, Quit India Movement, he was arrested on the first day when the movement was declared. He was the leader of Bhoodan and Sarvodaya movement, and travelled the length and breadth of the country. Many miles he travelled on foot. He became known to the rural poor as “land-distributing God”. He spent his life even after Independence for services to the poor. Nehru had a great respect for him.

He died at his Parndham Ashram at Paunar in 1982. He was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna in 1983.

“Love is more powerful than hatred. Harmony is more natural. Spirit can move mountains.”

These inspiring words were uttered by none other than the disciple of Gandhiji, Acharya Vinoba Bhave. What is it that has made him so great? His ascetic power or spiritual insight? Or both? Anyway some divine power lay concealed behind that bearded, lean personality, Acharya Vinoba Bhave. He was the synonym for greatness, patriotism and simplicity. In his heart and soul were carved the Gandhian principles, the abiding power by which he could light in our minds an eternal flame. To put it in other words, by his words and deeds Vinobaji immortalized the lofty ideals of Gandhiji.

Born in a Brahmin family, young Vinayaka (as was his real name) learnt Gita, Upanishads, etc., from his mother. He was determined to become a Brahmachari. Though he joined the Baroda College after matriculation, Vinayaka preferred serving his countrymen groaning under the tyrannical British rule. The partition of Bengal and the subsequent disturbances opened the eyes of Vinayak, who was driven to a bit of extremist views. But the revolutionary, nevertheless nonviolent, Gandhiji. In Gandhiji’s ashram Vinoba undertook all types of jobs including cleaning, teaching, etc. He had no craze for name or fame. He was very intuitive by nature; he broke all records and introduced new methods of spinning and weaving. All these won for him a special place in Gandhiji, who once commented, “Vinoba is here not to receive blessings from the ashram, but to bless the ashram itself”.

Vinobaji has written many precious books like Gitai, Mangal Bharat, Swarajyashastra, etc. He studied all the Indian languages, French, German and Arabic and wrote a book on the principle of Quran. Because of the virtues of simplicity and morality, his book Maharashtra-Dharma was hailed by all.

Vinobaji has participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924 and Gandhiji’s famous Salt Satyagraha or Dandi March of 1930. The shy, silent Vinoba was known to the world when Gandhiji chose him as his first individual satyagrahi in 1940, adding a golden feather to his cap. Vinobaji’s selfless service impressed everyone. The Hindu-Muslim riots and the consequent bloodshed following India’s Partition pained him very much. Gandhiji’s martyrdom was yet another severe blow to him in as much as he lost his best guide and mentor.

Vinobaji was a true disciple of Gandhiji. He considered primary education a vital necessity and advocated Panchayati Raj and financial decentralization to make the country strong.

We knowVinobaji more for his Padyatra, which he had started on 26^th June, 1951. While on the Yatra, Vinobaji met many landless people and assured them that they would be provided land. To attain the goal, he started the famous Bhoodan Yagna. He approached the rich farmers and said: “Brother, if you have five sons, you would divide your property equally among them. Think of me as the sixth son. Give me a share of your land for the sake of God.” Surprisingly, donors came in hundreds and thousands giving solace to the landless and poor. This effort of Vinobaji gained universal approbation.

Vinobaji believed that the essence of all religions is one and the same. His activities were the glaring examples of religious tolerance. While the Muslims called him “A great fakir of India”, Hindus honored him as “An important disciple of Gandhiji”.

Vinobaji introduced social reforms like the upliftment of women through the Brahmvidya Mandir, entry of Harijans to temples, etc.

Last but not the least, his strong mind and blessings of the Almighty made him bold enough to dissuade the dacoits of Chambal forests from pursuing their self-destructive and anti-social activities. Where the police and the Draconian measures of the State couldn’t succeed, Vinobaji’s calm and cool approach won the day.