True Inspiration

Sixty-nine years after India finally got its hard won independence, the courage and contributions of many little known freedom fighters have faded away from public memory. Largely overlooked by writers and historians, these men and women laid the foundation of India’s freedom from the British. One such unacknowledged heroine is a woman few Indians know about, a woman who lived a life of intrigue and danger to help her nation fight colonial rule. The woman was India’s youngest spy, 16-year-old Saraswathy Rajamani , who smuggled secrets for the Indian National Army’s intelligence wing . Saraswathi Rajamani was born in Burma, in a family of freedom fighters, in 1927. Rajamani grew up in a liberal household where there was little to no restrictions for the girls. The deeply patriotic girl was barely 10 when she met Mahatma Gandhi, who was visiting their palatial home in Rangoon. "Shocked to see the child with a gun, Gandhi ji asked Rajamani why she needed a gun." “To shoot do

They blossomed to explore the hidden celebrity in themselves, they influenced our culture by striking revolutions and overall, they actualized us that WE CAN DO IT to live out on our dreams, despite of physical barriers- 10. Sudha Chandran:  A lady of sheer determination, Sudha Chandran is counted among one of the most celebrated Bharatnatyam dancers of the Indian subcontinent. Holder of master degree in Economics, her right leg was amputated in 1981, due to Gangrene but this lady of incredible will-power defeated her impairment and fixed an artificial leg. After slow down of two years, she was back in her profession with the thunderous applause across the world. Apart from her dancing skills, she is also known for her astounding performances in Indian movies and television series .   9. Patrick Henry Hughes: What more can I say about this dynamic and inspiring soul? This multi-instrumental musician was born blind on March 10, 1988, along with crippled limbs. An in

On the Samana Range of the Hindu Kush mountains in Pakistan, the British Army built a small communications post at Saragarhi, to be housed by an equally small contingent of soldiers. The region had always been a troubled area, and during the last quarter of the 19th century, British India’s hold on the North West Frontier was tenuous. In fact, several expeditions had been sent to maintain control and suppress rebellion in the region in the years immediately preceding the Saragarhi battle. Equipped with a heliograph, Saragarhi transmitted messages by using flashes of sunlight, sent much like telegraphic communication (read: Morse code). The flashes themselves were made by either pivoting a mirror or interrupting a beam of light. In the summer of 1897, things were getting tense in the region, and the British had only recently ended an uprising of Pashtun tribesmen in the Malakand region (known later as the Siege of Malakand) in early August. By the end of the month, there

Narayanan Krishnan, an award winning chef at the Taj, a five star hotel in India, was on his way to take up a job in an elite hotel in Switzerland after being shortlisted from thousands of hopefuls.In 2002, Krishnan witnessed an incident which had lead him to give up his dream job and dedicate his life to provide support and food to the homeless and destitute people in his home town of Madurai, India. "I saw a very old man eating his own human waste for food," Krishnan said. "It really hurt me so much. I was literally shocked for a second. After that, I started feeding that man and decided this is what I should do the rest of my lifetime." Krishnan was visiting a temple in the south Indian city of Madurai in 2002 when he saw the man under a bridge. Krishnan quit his job within the week and returned home for good, convinced of his new destiny. "That spark and that inspiration is a driving force still inside me as a flame -- to serve all the mentally ill desti

Original Name - Har Parkash Born On - July 7, 1942 Aim - Demonstrating that his goal is setting new Guiness records. WORLD RECORDS ALREADY BROKEN/CREATED 1- Longest He na Tattoo 63 ft. 2574 Links one hr. Created by Ms. Juhi 16-08-09 2- 755 Drinking straws of 5mm. outer dia in mouth (after removing all teeth) 3- Longest distance Domino Pizza Hand delivered 12,431 KM. on 10th sep. 2001 from New Delhi to 4- Ripley’s museum, san Francisco, U.S.A. 5- Non-Stop scooter riding 30,965 km. in 1001 hrs. by 3 riders. 6- Longest will of the world 489 pages 1,04,567 characters 6- Oldest adoptee 61 years 7 Months 22 days 7- Longest lease of the world 8- Shortest will of Bimla Rishi 9- Longest Domain Name 10- Longest URL of 71 Characters 11- Smallest Holding Half by Half Inch 12- Smallest Greeting Card 4 mm long, 2mm wide 13- Smallest Holy Book Quran 14- Tallest Sugar cube Tower 15- Smallest Will engraved on one inch Brass Disc, 499 characters 16- Son’s Wedding smallest invitation card He i

Mohammad Raees Markani from Madhya Pradesh has invented a car that runs on water . This 12th pass took five years to develop the final product. The car runs on acetylene gas, which is formed from a chemical reaction between calcium carbide and water. Raees now has a patent for his water car. According to Mirror, Raees has been modifying an 800 cc engine for the last five years – and now believes he has made the scientific breakthrough. The eco-friendly car uses a mix of water and carbides. Cost per KM is just half only Rs 3/ KM against gasoline Rs 6 / KM. Raees who has been a mechanic for the last 15 years told Mirror, “The gas is used for several industrial purposes including welding and portable lighting for miners. But in my case, I am using it to propel the car engines . I have made other changes to the engines, which helps the overall performance of the car. So basically, it is just about the water.” “The market for environmentally friendly cars is getting bigger and automob

BEFORE: Once, a young school boy was caught in a fire accident in his school and was assumed that he would not live. His mother was told that he was sure to die, for the terrible fire had devastated the lower half of his body. Even if he were to survive, he would be a cripple throughout his life. But the brave boy did not want to die nor did he want to be a cripple. Much to be the amazement of the doctor, he did survive. But unfortunately from his waist down, he had no motor ability. His thin legs just dangled there, lifeless. Ultimately he was discharged from the hospital. But his determination to walk was indomitable. At home, when he was not in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. One day, he threw himself from the chair and pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him. He reached the picket fence, raised himself up and then stake by stake, he began dragging himself along the fence, his resolve to walk undeterred. He did this every day, with faith in himself t

One of the inspiring story that I came across a long time back is of Dashrath Manjhi. He received the appellation "Mountain Man" after he carved a path 360-foot-long (110 m) through-cut, 25-foot-deep (7.6 m) in places and 30-foot-wide (9.1 m) to form a road through a mountain in the Gehlour hills, working day and night for 22 years from 1960 to 1982. But why would he do such a humongous task? Such motivation stirred from the loss of his wife, Falguni Devi, as she was unable to receive a medical treatment in time because the nearest town with a doctor was 70 kilometers (43 mi) away from their village in Bihar, India. Moreover, kids of the village have to take up an arduous task of walking miles to attend school. To ameliorate the pain of thousands and not letting anyone suffer the same fate as his wife inspired him to create a short-cut through the mountain, reducing the distance between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of the Gaya district from 55 km to 15 km, bringing him

Sou. Sindhutai Sapkal also known as Mother of Orphans is an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for her work for raising orphan children. At the age of nine, she was married to a man with the age difference of 21 years. Her husband was a 30-year-old cattle-herder, who would often beat her for no reasons. At the age 20, she was deserted by her husband and thrown out of her house along with an infant baby girl. She landed up on a railway station and tried to commit suicide twice to end her gruesome life.But she decided not to give up and fight against the cruelty of male dominated society. “I was told there are only two processions in a woman’s life; once when she gets married and the other when she dies. Imagine my state of mind when they took me in a procession to my husband’s home in Navargaon forest in Wardha"- Sindhutai Sapkal During the homelessness, she came across dozens of street children and orphans living pathetic lives. A day, she got up w

He is the CEO of Hyderabad-based Bollant Industries, an organisation that employs uneducated and disabled employees to manufacture eco-friendly, disposable consumer packaging solutions, which is worth Rs 50 crores. Sounds nothing great right? Here comes the twist in the tail. He was born blind into an agricultural family in Sitaramapuram village in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, India. After his birth villagers in his family advised his mother and father to let him die. "Many questions bothered me. Why should a disabled child be pushed to the back row in the class? Why should the 10 percent of the disabled population of India be left out of the Indian economy?" In school, he was pushed to the back bench and was not allowed to play. He excelled in studies and scored above 90 percent in his class 10 examinations. Indian Institute of Technology and BITS Pilani has closed its doors citing his disability. He applied to the top Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

“Everything is a state of mind. Finally, what do we take with us when we leave planet earth?” 73-year-old Tamil Nadu librarian donated Rs 30 crore to the uneducated poor This man, an Indian, received "Man of the Millennium" from an American organization. The reason they awarded will put to shame many of the celebrities who are treated as demi-gods in India. Kalyanasundaram, has donated his entire salary in his whole lifetime to the welfare of the society for various social causes ranging from child welfare to free hand donations . He used to do laundry and server jobs for his daily needs. He is unmarried and also donated his family share to various social causes. He donated the entire amount which he got with the award also to the underprivileged. And Just for facts, the amount was 30 crores.

The person who inspired every countrymen. He always dreamed for a better society and a better nation. He was a great man who changed our country, a great inspiration for the youth like me and a great model for all. Sir Kalam demonstrated the great potential for dynamism and innovations. Agni, Pritvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag- missiles that have become household names in India and have raised the nation to the level of a missile power of international reckoning. After graduating from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT – Chennai) in 1960, he joined Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a scientist. Sir Kalam started his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army, but remained unconvinced with the choice of his job at DRDO. Later Sir Kalam was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) where he was the project director of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite

Well not exactly a success story but it was highly inspiring to know about the 15 year old boy who broke a 116 year old record in cricket.  His name is Pranav Dhanawade. He scored 1009 runs of his own in a single match. Pranav, whose father drives an autorickshaw, may have grown up in Kalyan, not quite the cricketing artery of Mumbai, only showed coolth and great self-confidence. His nervous father revealed to this reporter that he often worked overtime to provide Pranav two square meals and cricketing gear. Inspired by Prithvi Shaw's Harris Shield feat, Pranav had vowed to his father on Monday that he would get to a score that would be near-impossible to surpass. His unbeaten knock of 1009, an innings laced with 129 fours and 59 sixes off 327 deliveries has forever put Kalyan on the cricketing map. Salute! Source: Pranav Dhanawade's record feat hides more than it reveals - Times of India

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” Jordan suffered his first set-back in his sophomore year when he was left out of the varsity basketball team, because he was only 5’9” at that time and his taller classmate Leroy Smith had won the last spot on the team. He made up his mind that he would never have to face a similar situation ever again and started practicing every day after that, making it a point to take out time for his practice daily without fail. He soon shot up to 6’3”, made the team the next year and never had to look back after that. From being a part of two gold-medal winning teams at the Olympics to winning NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award five times in his career, Jordan dominated the sports field for more than a decade in the ‘90s.

The Heroine Of The Hijack She was a flight attendant for Pan Am, based in Mumbai, India, who was murdered while saving passengers from terrorists on board the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 on 5 September 1986. Posthumously, she became the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime military award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra. Bhanot was the senior flight purser on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by four heavily armed terrorists after it landed at Karachi at 5 am from Mumbai. PA 73 was en route to Frankfurt and onward to New York City. Bhanot, being the senior-most cabin crew member on board, took charge. The hijackers were part of the terrorist Abu Nidal Organization and were backed by Libya. The terrorists then instructed Bhanot to collect the passports of all the passengers so that they could identify the Americans. Bhanot and the other attendants under her charge hid the passports of the 41 Americans on board – some under a seat and the rest down a rubbi

Jessica Cox proved YOU DON'T NEED 'WINGS' TO FLY the first pilot with no arms The 32-year-old, who was born with a rare non-genetic birth defect that left her without arms, has never let her disability hold her back. Growing up, Cox did it all, from swim lessons to girl scouts, modeling, tap dancing and Taekwondo — at the age of 14, she'd already earned a black belt. "I can't believe how much I did growing up. Every single day after school there was something going on. I don't know how my parents did it," Cox told TODAY. "I was expected to learn to do things like everybody else in my own way, which worked out just fine." Becoming a pilot wasn't always a dream for Cox, but after going up in a single engine airplane with a fighter pilot several years ago, she was inspired to overcome her initial fears."Being up in the air put me on edge, but that quickly went away," she said. "It still keeps me on edge, which I like.&quo

Attacked for Going to School On 9 October 2012, as Malala and her friends were travelling home from school, a masked gunman entered their school bus and asked for Malala by name. She was shot with a single bullet which went through her head, neck and shoulder. Two of her friends were also injured in the attack. Malala survived the initial attack, but was in a critical condition. She was moved to Birmingham in the United Kingdom for treatment at a hospital that specialises in military injuries. She was not discharged until January, 2013 by which time she had been joined by her family in the UK. The Taliban's attempt to kill Malala received worldwide condemnation and led to protests across Pakistan. In the weeks after the attack, over 2 million people signed a right to education petition, and the National Assembly swiftly ratified Pakistan's first Right To Free and Compulsory Education Bill.

Crazy! Brave! Inspiring Indian! Name: Shaheed Captain Vikram Batra Also known as Sher Shah, Captain Vikram Batra joined the Indian Military Academy in June 1996 at Dehradun. After graduating in December 1997, he joined the army as a Lieutenant of 13 JAK Rifles at Sopore, Jammu & Kashmir.  June 1, 1999, his unit proceeded to the Kargil Sector where by now war like situation had erupted. The first task assigned to the young officer was the recapture of Point 5140, which was at an altitude of 17000 feet.  Upon reaching the point he got into a cheeky conversation with a terrorist commander on the radio. The enemy commander challenged him by saying, “Why have you come Sher Shah (Vikram’s nick name given by his commanding officer), you will not go back”. Captain Vikram Batra with immense confidence replied, “We shall see within one hour, who remains on the top”.  In a short while Captain Vikram Batra and his company of troops killed 8 enemy soldiers and captured a heavy a

An inspirational story about never giving up! ​He was doing great at Circuit of the Americas qualifying, until the last 3 minutes... His bike dies on the pit straight when he was at his best and leading the scoreboard... And... Now what he does next, teaches us a lesson about how to face the odds and evolve as a champion !!! This 22-year-old two-time MotoGP champ decides to leap over the wall and run down the pit lane to grab his backup bike.

Home: India The leader of the Indian independence movement, Gandhi Ji learned a non-violent form of protest while visiting in South Africa that he later developed in the uprisings he lead for India’s independence from British rule. His style of protest became the model after which Martin Luther King, Jr. styled his protests for civil rights. Gandhi’s simplistic lifestyle and campaigns for the poorest Indian citizens not only endeared him to the people.

Mother Teresa (1910-1997) Home: Macedonia Mother Teresa joined a group of missionary nuns working in India, where she took her vows of a nun. From childhood, she felt the call of God and the desire to help others. In India, she started a school for the poorest children. In 1950, she started her own religious order, The Missions of Charity," specifically to care for the people that no one else wanted to look after. She devoted her entire life to the poorest citizens, earning numerous awards throughout her lifetime–including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971 and the Nehru Prize in 1972.

For me, I'm focused on what I want to do. I know what I need to do to be a champion, so I'm working on it.

A blockbuster performer at the Bollywood box-office, Amitabh Bachchan's career tanked along with his production house, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL). His meteoric rise and quick downfall is a true Bollywood tale within Bollywood. He was bankrupt but did not give up and continued to fight. It was at this crucial juncture when his career took at 360 degree turn with the arrival of KBC series in India and slowly, he once again rose to the top. Big B truly proved that nothing, not even a simple desi hairoil advert is "beneath" you but in any profession respect is earned by your skills and your attitude.