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The Three Jewels of Jainism

Born a prince, Mahavira renounced his worldly titles and possessions to become an ascetic. He wandered everywhere with not even a tiny piece of cloth to protect from the elements. His followers were many, including royalty. Mahavira is the founder of Jainism, built on the core principle of ahimsa or non-violence. This principle is not restricted to man alone, but to every living creature on the planet, be it fauna or flora.

On the occasion of Mahavira Jayanti, let us all try to inculcate these pearls of wisdom from the great monk.

Amar Chitra Katha’s ‘Mahavira’ is available on the Amar Chitra Katha app as well as Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers.

Famous Quotes #1

Here is a quote by Rabindranath Tagore to remind you that no matter how bad a situation may be, there is always a way out.

Illustration: Sanjhiya Mayekar

Anna Mani (1918-2001)

On the occasion of World Meteorology Day, let’s take a moment to remember renowned physicist, Anna Mani. From heading a team of 12 men at the Indian Meteorological Department to developing the Indian ozonesonde instrument, from publishing books on meteorology to setting up the Meteorological Observatory at Thumba for India’s first rocket launch, Anna Mani left an indelible mark on our country’s progress in the field of meteorology. 

Illustration: Dilip Kadam

Read Anna Mani’s story in Amar Chitra Katha’s ‘Women Path-breakers of India’, available on the Amar Chitra Katha app as well as Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers.

The Festival of Nowruz

Nowruz is the Persian or Iranian New Year, celebrated by Parsis across India. It is a holy day for Zorastrians and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. That’s why it is usually celebrated on the day of the March equinox i.e. when the sun is directly over the equator. As per the Iranian calendar, this day marks the beginning of a new year. The word Nowruz literally translates to ‘new day’ in Persian.

This Nowruz, let us look to Zarathushtra’s words for guidance and happiness.

Illustration: Ram Waeerkar

Amar Chitra Katha’s ‘Zarathushtra’ is available on the Amar Chitra Katha app as well as Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers.

Ustad Vilayat Khan (1928-2004)

 A luminary in the horizon of classical music, Ustad Vilayat Khan created magic with his instruments. He was conferred with special decorations of ‘Bharat Sitar Samrat’ and ‘Aftab-e-Sitar’ (Sun of the Sitar). 

Illustration: Divyesh Sangani

In a career spanning over six decades, he released between 70 and 100 commercials, composed and conducted scores for three feature films, and was responsible for creating and developing gayaki ang sitar and surbahar. To play gayaki ang means to sing through the instruments with the versatility of human voice and Vilayat Khan was a master at this.

Ustad Vilayat Khan passed away on March 13, 2004, from lung cancer.

World Speech Day 2020

Illustration: Souren Roy

I would rather look forward to the opening of a new chapter in his history after the cataclysm is over and the atmosphere rendered clean with the spirit of service and sacrifice. Perhaps that dawn will come from this horizon, from the East where the Sun rises. A day will come when an unvanquished Man will retrace his path of conquest, despite all barriers, to win back his lost human heritage.

The above is an excerpt from Rabindranath Tagore’s last speech, which he delivered on his last birthday, in 1941, at Santiniketan, West Bengal. His speech, Crisis in Civilization, is as relevant today as it was then. 

On the occasion of World Speech Day, let’s recollect the words of the legendary man that changed the world. The theme of this year is ‘Thoughts for a better world’. Let’s use the power of thoughts and spoken words to make the world a better place to live.

National Science Day 2020

This year’s theme for National Science Day is ‘Women in Science’. Amar Chitra Katha salutes the #FirstIndian women who took up careers as scientists, doctors, and researchers against the wishes of their fellow countrymen, paving the way for millions of other Indian women.

Illustration: Ketan Pal

Illustration: Dilip Kadam

Illustration: Harsho Mohan Chattoraj

Illustration: Ketan Pal

 

Anandibai Joshi (1865-1887)

Anandi Gopal Joshi was India’s first woman doctor and she was a path-breaker in the truest sense of the word. From receiving a congratulatory message from Queen Victoria to having a crater on Venus named after her, Anandibai Joshi is celebrated by millions today. 

Illustration: Durgesh Velhal

At a young age of 17, she embarked on a journey to America to learn medicine, becoming the first and youngest Indian woman to do so in 1883. Unfortunately, she often kept unwell and her health deteriorated on her journey back to India. She died at the young age of 21 years. Although Anandibai couldn’t practice or preach medicine as she desired, she was the #WomenPathBreaker who opened up the possibility of pursuing medical sciences as a career for millions of Indian women. 

You can read Anandibai’s complete life story in Amar Chitra Katha’s ‘Women Path-breakers of India’, available on the Amar Chitra Katha app as well as Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers.

Happy Mahashivratri!

Here are some of the many names of Shiva. How many names do you know?

Shivaji and Jijabai

Illustration: Pratap Mulick

We have heard much about the bravery of the great Maratha warrior, but do you know who instilled this sense of courage and valour in him? 

Jijabai had prayed for a son to be born who could lead the Marathas one day. When her prayers were answered, she left no stone unturned to mould Shivaji into a brave warrior. Jijabai almost single-handedly brought up Shivaji, as Shivaji’s father Shahji was mostly away fighting on the battlefield. 

Jijabai taught Shivaji the importance of strategy, values, and dharma by telling him stories from the great epics and folklore. She taught him the art of politics and prepared him to be a just and honest ruler. She even supervised his weapon training sessions. 

It was thanks to all this training from his mother that he was later able to escape from the trickiest situations with ease.

Buy Amar Chitra Katha’s Shivaji here: