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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948), was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. In India, he is recognized as the Father of the Nation. October 2nd, his birthday, is commemorated each year as Gandhi Jayanti, and is a national holiday. He was the pioneer of Satyagraha—the resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence—which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is commonly known in India and across the world as Mahatma Gandhi (Hindi: महात्मा, məhatma ; from Sanskrit, mahātmā: Great Soul) and as Bapu (in Gujarati, Father).

A British-educated lawyer, Gandhi first employed his ideas of peaceful civil disobedience in the Indian community's struggle for civil rights in South Africa. Upon his return to India, he organized poor farmers and labourers to protest against oppressive taxation and widespread discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for the alleviation of poverty, for the liberation of women, for brotherhood amongst differing religions and ethnicities, for an end to untouchability and caste discrimination, and for the economic self-sufficiency of the nation, but above all for Swaraj—the independence of India from foreign domination. Gandhi famously led Indians in the disobedience of the salt tax on the 400 kilometre (248 miles) Dandi Salt March in 1930, and in an open call for the British to Quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned for many years on numerous occasions in both South Africa and India.

Throughout his life, Gandhi remained committed to non-violence and truth even in the most extreme situations. A student of Hindu philosophy, he lived simply, organizing an ashram that was self-sufficient in its needs. Making his own clothes—the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl woven with a charkha, he lived on a simple vegetarian diet. He used rigorous fasts, for long periods, for both self-purification and protest. Gandhi's life and teachings inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Biko and Aung San Suu Kyi and through them the American civil rights movement and the freedom struggles in South Africa and Myanmar respectively.

Early life
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born into the Hindu Modh family in Porbandar, l.a., in 1869. He was the son of Karamchand Gandhi, the diwan (Prime Minister) of Porbandar, and Putlibai, Karamchand's fourth wife, a Hindu of the Pranami Vaishnava order. Karamchand's first two wives, who each bore him a daughter, died from unknown reasons (rumored to be in childbirth). Living with a devout mother and surrounded by the Jain influences of Gujarat, Gandhi learned from an early age the tenets of non-injury to living beings, vegetarianism, fasting for self-purification, and mutual tolerance between members of various creeds and sects. He was born into the vaishya, or business, caste.

Gandhi and his wife Kasturba (1902)
In May 1883, at the age of 13, Gandhi was married through his parents' arrangements to Kasturba Makhanji (also spelled "Kasturbai" or known as "Ba"). They had four sons: Harilal Gandhi, born in 1888; Manilal Gandhi, born in 1892; Ramdas Gandhi, born in 1897; and Devdas Gandhi, born in 1900. Gandhi was a mediocre student in his youth at Porbandar and later Rajkot. He barely passed the matriculation exam for Samaldas College at Bhavanagar, Gujarat. He was also unhappy at the college, because his family wanted him to become a barrister.

At the age of 18 on September 4, 1888, Gandhi went to University College London to train as a barrister. His time in London, the Imperial capital, was influenced by a vow he had made to his mother in the presence of the Jain monk Becharji, upon leaving India, to observe the Hindu precepts of abstinence from meat, alcohol, and promiscuity. Although Gandhi experimented with adopting "English" customs — taking dancing lessons for example — he could not stomach his landlady's mutton and cabbage. She pointed him towards one of London's few vegetarian restaurants. Rather than simply go along with his mother's wishes, he read about, and intellectually embraced vegetarianism. He joined the Vegetarian Society, was elected to its executive committee, and founded a local chapter. He later credited this with giving him valuable experience in organizing institutions. Some of the vegetarians he met were members of the Theosophical Society, which had been founded in 1875 to further universal brotherhood, and which was devoted to the study of Buddhist and Hindu Brahmanistic literature. They encouraged Gandhi to read the Bhagavad Gita. Not having shown a particular interest in religion before, he read works of and about Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and other religions. He returned to India after being called to the bar of England and Wales by Inner Temple, but had limited success establishing a law practice in Bombay. Later, after applying and being turned down for a part-time job as a high school teacher, he ended up returning to Rajkot to make a modest living drafting petitions for litigants, but was forced to close down that business as well when he ran afoul of a British officer. In his autobiography, he describes this incident as a kind of unsuccessful lobbying attempt on behalf of his older brother. It was in this climate that (in 1893) he accepted a year-long contract from an Indian firm to a post in Natal, South Africa.

Gandhi stayed out of the limelight for most of the 1920s, preferring to resolve the wedge between the Swaraj Party and the Indian National Congress, and expanding initiatives against untouchability, alcoholism, ignorance and poverty. He returned to the fore in 1928. The year before, the British government had appointed a new constitutional reform commission under Sir John Simon, with not a single Indian in its ranks. The result was a boycott of the commission by Indian political parties. Gandhi pushed through a resolution at the Calcutta Congress in December 1928 calling on the British government to grant India dominion status or face a new campaign of non-violence with complete independence for the country as its goal. Gandhi had not only moderated the views of younger men like Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru, who sought a demand for immediate independence, but also modified his own call to a one year wait, instead of two. The British did not respond. On December 31, 1929, the flag of India was unfurled in Lahore. January 26, 1930 was celebrated by the Indian National Congress, meeting in Lahore, as India's Independence Day. This day was commemorated by almost every other Indian organization. Making good on his word, he launched a new satyagraha against the tax on salt in March 1930, highlighted by the famous Salt March to Dandi from March 12 to April 6, marching 400 kilometres (248 miles) from Ahmedabad to Dandi, Gujarat to make salt himself. Thousands of Indians joined him on this march to the sea. This campaign was one of his most successful at upsetting the British rule who responded with the imprisonment of over 60,000 people.

The government, represented by Lord Edward Irwin, decided to negotiate with Gandhi. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in March 1931. The British Government agreed to set all political prisoners free in return for the suspension of the civil disobedience movement. Furthermore, Gandhi was invited to attend the Round Table Conference in London as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress. The conference was a disappointment to Gandhi and the nationalists, as it focused on the Indian princes and Indian minorities rather than the transfer of power. Furthermore, Lord Irwin's successor, Lord Willingdon, embarked on a new campaign of repression against the nationalists. Gandhi was again arrested, and the government attempted to destroy his influence by completely isolating him from his followers. This tactic was not successful. In 1932, through the campaigning of the Dalit leader B. R. Ambedkar, the government granted untouchables separate electorates under the new constitution. In protest, Gandhi embarked on a six-day fast in September 1932, successfully forcing the government to adopt a more equitable arrangement via negotiations mediated by the Dalit cricketer turned political leader Palwankar Baloo. This was the start of a new campaign by Gandhi to improve the lives of the untouchables, whom he named Harijans, the children of God. On May 8, 1933 Gandhi began a 21-day fast of self-purification to help the Harijan movement.

In the summer of 1934, three unsuccessful attempts were made on his life.
When the Congress Party chose to contest elections and accept power under the Federation scheme, Gandhi decided to resign from party membership. He did not disagree with the party's move, but felt that if he resigned, his popularity with Indians would cease to stifle the party's membership, that actually varied from communists, socialists, trade unionists, students, religious conservatives, to those with pro-business convictions. Gandhi also did not want to prove a target for Raj propaganda by leading a party that had temporarily accepted political accommodation with the Raj.

Gandhi returned to the head in 1936, with the Nehru presidency and the Lucknow session of the Congress. Although Gandhi desired a total focus on the task of winning independence and not speculation about India's future, he did not restrain the Congress from adopting socialism as its goal. Gandhi had a clash with Subhas Bose, who had been elected to the presidency in 1938. Gandhi's main points of contention with Bose were his lack of commitment to democracy, and lack of faith in non-violence. Bose won his second term despite Gandhi's criticism, but left the Congress when the All-India leaders resigned en masse in protest against his abandonment of the principles introduced by Gandhi.

Gandhi's principles

Gandhism

Truth
Gandhi dedicated his life to the wider purpose of discovering truth, or Satya. He tried to achieve this by learning from his own mistakes and conducting experiments on himself. He called his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

Gandhi stated that the most important battle to fight was overcoming his own demons, fears, and insecurities. Gandhi summarized his beliefs first when he said "God is Truth." He would later change this statement to "Truth is God." Thus, Satya (Truth) in Gandhi's philosophy is "God".

Nonviolence
The concept of nonviolence (ahimsa) and nonresistance has a long history in Indian religious thought and has had many revivals in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Jewish and Christian contexts. Gandhi explains his philosophy and way of life in his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth. He was quoted as saying:

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always."

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?"

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

Vegetarianism
As a young child, Gandhi experimented with meat-eating. This was due partially to his inherent curiosity as well as his rather persuasive peer and friend Sheikh Mehtab. The idea of vegetarianism is deeply engrained in Hindu and Jain traditions in India, and, in his native land of Gujarat, most Hindus were vegetarian. The Gandhi family was no exception. Before leaving for his studies in London, Gandhi made a promise to his mother, Putlibai and his uncle, Becharji Swami that he would abstain from eating meat, taking alcohol, and engaging in promiscuity. He held fast to his promise and gained more than a diet, he gained a basis for his life-long philosophies. As Gandhi grew into adulthood, he became a strict vegetarian. He wrote the book The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism and several articles on the subject, some of which were published in the London Vegetarian Society's publication, The Vegetarian. Gandhi, himself, became inspired by many great minds during this period and befriended the chairman of the London Vegetarian Society, Dr. Josiah Oldfield.

Brahmacharya
This decision was deeply influenced by the philosophy of Brahmacharya—spiritual and practical purity—largely associated with celibacy and asceticism. Gandhi saw brahmacharya as a means of going close to God and as a primary foundation for self realization. In his autobiography he tells of his battle against lustful urges and fits of jealousy with his childhood bride, Kasturba. He felt it his personal obligation to remain celibate so that he could learn to love, rather than lust. For Gandhi, brahmacharya meant "control of the senses in thought, word and deed."

Simplicity
Gandhi earnestly believed that a person involved in social service should lead a simple life which he thought could lead to Brahmacharya. His simplicity began by renouncing the western lifestyle he was leading in South Africa. He called it "reducing himself to zero," which entailed giving up unnecessary expenditure, embracing a simple lifestyle and washing his own clothes. On one occasion he returned the gifts bestowed to him from the natals for his diligent service to the community.

Faith
Gandhi was born a Hindu and practised Hinduism all his life, deriving most of his principles from Hinduism. As a common Hindu, he believed all religions to be equal, and rejected all efforts to convert him to a different faith. He was an avid theologian and read extensively about all major religions. He had the following to say about Hinduism:

"Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being ... When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of tragedies and if they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita."

Gandhi's birthday, 2 October is a national holiday in India, Gandhi Jayanti.

The word Mahatma, while often mistaken for Gandhi's given name in the West, is taken from the Sanskrit words maha meaning Great and atma meaning Soul. It is a titular reference that the Indian people refer to the greatest by, similar to the British honorifics like Your Excellency or Sir but unlike in that these are officially conferred. Most sources, such as Dutta and Robinson's Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology, state that Rabindranath Tagore first accorded the title of Mahatma to Gandhi. Other sources state that Nautamlal Bhagavanji Mehta accorded him this title on January 21, 1915. In his autobiography, Gandhi nevertheless explains that he never felt worthy of the honour. According to the manpatra, the name Mahatma was given in response to Gandhi's admirable sacrifice in manifesting justice and truth.

Gandhi in film, literature, plays, and popular culture

Main article: List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi has been portrayed in film, literature, and in the theater. Ben Kingsley portrayed Gandhi in the 1982 award-winning film, Gandhi. Philip Glass and Constance de Jong made an opera of Gandhi's early years in South Africa titled Satyagraha. Gandhi is also a central figure in the 2006 Bollywood film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The philosophy of Gandhism is an important thematic component of both the 2005 film, Water and the novel by author Bapsi Sidhwa based on the film, also called Water (Gandhi also appears as a character in both). The Making of the Mahatma documents Gandhi's 21 years in South Africa. The play Mahatma vs. Gandhi explores his troubled relationship with his eldest son Harilal Gandhi. The Tamil film 'Hey Ram', directed by the famous south-Indian actor, Kamal Hassan, deals with the theme of Gandhi's assassination and its precursors.

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the diversity of life in an area. There are three kinds of biodiversity. One type is genetic diversity which is the diversity of genes in a species. Species need certain genes to survive. If the diversity is lacking, the species may die, and its numbers will diminish. Species diversity (another kind of biodiversity) is the variety of living things in areas such as rainforests, reefs, deserts, tundra, etc. The last type of biodiversity is ecological diversity. It’s the complexity and richness of an entire ecosystem.

Why is Biodiversity Important?

A small idea of how species are interconnected

Biodiversity increases ecosystem productivity; all of the species in that ecosystem, no matter their size, have a big role. A diverse ecosystem can prevent and recover from lots of disasters. Humans depend on plants and animals. For example, one quarter of all prescription medicines in the U.S. have ingredients from plants. If a diverse ecosystem is more productive, it's easier to get these plants.

Humans also directly benefit from a diverse ecosystem: plants, clean water and air, provide oxygen, and control erosion.

Here are some of the major ways biodiversity helps humans:

Plants absorb greenhouse gases and help stop global warming.
It is easier for biodiverse ecosystems to recover from natural disasters.
Healthy biodiversity of species can provide a variety of food (like meat and produce).
Many of our medicinal drugs come from plants.
All of our wood products come from nature.
We can learn more about our earth by observing a diverse ecosystem.
Many recreational areas benefit from a healthy ecosystem, which promotes tourism.
Biodiversity is beautiful and should be enjoyed.

These values are free to us, but as we lose biodiversity the cost of replacing these (if even possible) would be very high!

What Are the Threats to Biodiversity?
There are a lot of threats to biodiversity. We have links to almost all of these on our Threats page. Here are some of the major threats:

Using up natural resources before they can be renewed (over-fishing in oceans, or over-harvesting trees on land)
Habitat destruction like clearing forests or draining wetlands for towns or agricultural purposes
Releasing invasive species into foreign ecosystems (like the cane toad in Australia or the zebra mussel in the Great Lakes)
Any kind of pollution (water, air, soil, etc).
Failure of food chains

Those are some of the big threats to biodiversity, and some of those are threats to other things, too. For example, using up natural resources can hurt the world's economy.

Where is Biodiversity Found?
Biodiversity is found wherever there is life which is all around the Coral Reef its very Biodiverseworld. However, some parts of the world are more biologically diverse than others. For example, the Great Barrier Reef contains many different species: 1500 fish, 350 kinds of hard coral, 5000-8000 mollusks, 22 species of sea birds, and many more animals species. Over 30 different species of marine mammals and 6 species of sea turtles are listed as threatened.

In the Amazon Rainforest, over 500 kinds of mammals, 175 lizards and over 300 reptile species live there. About 1/3 of the world's birds live there and about 30,000,000 insect types can be found there.

The African Savannah has about 45 species of mammals, about 500 bird species, and 55 species of acacia (plants that are shrub-like). The savannah has the largest diversity of hoofed animals in the whole world. Overall, biodiversity is found all over the world, and even in your own backyard.

How Can You Help?
Here are a few things you can do to help biodiversity (there are more on other parts of our site).

Put out bird feeders, bird bathes, and houses.
Put up a bat house.
Be careful not to buy coral, ivory, or tortoise shell products. They come from endangered species.
You can volunteer at a nature center, park, or a zoo.
Add mulch to soil to prevent erosion.
Composting can add nutrients to your soil.
Buy organic produce.
Don’t use pesticides; they can kill plants and animals.
Stop junk mail to save paper and protect our forests.
When renovating your house, buy FSC approved wood, because it is harvested in ways that don’t harm the forests.
Use cloth napkins.
Recycle old newspaper and buy recycled paper products.
Use e-mail since it saves paper.
You should always use eco-friendly cleaning products.

United Nations Conference on Biodiversity begins tomorrow in Hyderabad

Hyderabad will play host to the 18-day International Biodiversity Conference of Parties slated from October 1, 2012.

R. Hampaiah, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Bio Diversity Board, said over 8,000 delegates from 193 countries were expected to participate in the summit.

“It will discuss a wide-range of bio-diversity issues. At the end, the outcome of the conference will be named as the Hyderabad Protocol or something to that effect,” he told media persons here today.

To mark the occasion, an Rs 100-crore biodiversity museum will be set up in Hyderabad. While the Union Government will provide the finance, the State Government will contribute 15-acre land for the project, he said, adding that it would take about two years for completion.

Hampaiah said the State Government will showcase the wealth of medicinal plants that the State was bestowed with.

Telugu Article on Biodiversity (Right click on the image & choose "Save Image As" in you local)

Download Biodiversity Wallpapers

Just below the surface of Sweden’s Lake Malaren, there is something waiting for you! It’s not a scary mutant fish, though. In fact, it’s a one-room underwater hotel.

Utter Inn is an exclusive offer for those who want to have a rest and feel the pleasure of the nature. It is a typical Swedish red house located on the surface of the water. It has only one room with two beds and a table. This strange whim was conceived by Mikael Genberg, a local artist and sculptor, who wanted to give something unique to the public.Although it opened on the coldest day of the summer of 2000, the hotel attracted people’s attention.

After arriving in the Swedish port of Vasteras, guests are taken across the lake and given the use of an inflatable boat. From there, they are on their own (unless they opt for the deluxe package, in which case their dinner will arrive on another boat later).

From the top of the hotel, guests are free to swim, sunbathe or make their way over to the lake’s uninhabited island before retiring to their own, personal bedroom/aquarium. This one-off hotel really gives its guests the perfect blend of excitement and relaxation.

What makes Utter Inn special is that people can seclude from the noisy world and be surrounded only by water and fish. When guests arrive at the port of Vasteras, they are taken to the hotel and given an inflatable boat. If they prefer deluxe accommodation, someone can deliver dinner by boat in the evening. Otherwise they are left alone during their whole stay.

Utter Inn is also the place where you can overcome your fears. Those who are brave enough can swim, use the inflatable boat to go to an uninhabited island or watch the fish downstairs. If you decide to spend the night 3 meters under the surface of the lake, you will be able to feel the pleasure of being surrounded by fish as you are in an aquarium. When you learn to control your fears, you will feel better, steadier and more alive.

Guests spend their time watching the sunset, passing boats, sunbathing and so on. They are guaranteed new emotions, adventures and an unforgettable stay.

Underwater Hotel Video:

Underwater Hotel Photos:

Download Twenty20 World Cup 2012 Schedule

ICC World Twenty20 - Social Responsibility
1. Think Wise
For almost a decade the ICC has been working in close partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF to raise awareness and reduce stigma about HIV and AIDS across the major cricket-playing countries

By providing exposure at its major events and involving elite players, these campaigns have been credited with contributing to reduced levels of stigma and greater levels of awareness in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

During the WT20 players from South Africa and the West Indies will undertake specific awareness-raising activities and a public service announcement featuring Kumar Sangakkara and Virender Sehwag will be screened at all tournament matches.

In keeping with a custom that began in 2004, players from the teams taking part in the men¹s and women¹s semi-finals will wear red ribbons as a sign of solidarity for people living with HIV and AIDS.

The umpires and referees will also sport the Think Wise logo on their shirt sleeves.

To find out more go to www.thinkwisecricket.com

2. Murali Harmony Cup
As part of its commitment to the local community in Sri Lanka, the ICC will be supporting the staging of the Murali Harmony Cup in the build-up to the ICC World Twenty20.

The cricket tournament, dedicated to promoting peace and understanding across Sri Lanka by bringing together young people from across the island, will mirror the format of the ICC World Twenty20, featuring 12 boys teams and eight teams of young women.

The matches will be staged at five venues in the north and east of Sri Lanka, contributing positively to the physical and emotional rebuilding of the region. Over the course of the event in early September, leading international players will conduct master classes for the participants at the rejuvenated school grounds of Oddusudan which will be upgraded as part of the tournament¹s legacy.

The Murali Harmony Cup is run by the Foundation of Goodness and supported by the Mahela Foundation and Sanga¹s Bikes for Life campaign. As well as bringing together young players from across the north and east of Sri Lanka and the three WT20 competition venues, the tournament will feature teams from Seenigama, the cricket village¹ built with the support of international cricket stakeholders in the aftermath of the tsunami in 2004.

In 2012 the Murali Harmony Cup is also being supported by Emirates. The ICC partner will be bringing the winning youngsters to Colombo to watch the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals and sending some of the top-performing players on a tour to Singapore.

Several of the participating teams at the WT20 will also interact with the youngsters during specially-arranged training sessions.

For more information visit www.themuralicup.com

Room to Read
The ICC piloted a partnership with the educational charity Room to Read during the ICC Cricket World Cup and the success of this initiative convinced both parties to extend the relationship through to 2015.

One of the early fruits of this continuation has been the development of local language cricket books to promote literacy, the first of which features local star Angelo Mathews. This book Little Angelo¹s Big Day Out - is available in both Sinhalese and Tamil and will be distributed to youngsters throughout Sri Lanka as part of the WT20¹s local legacy.

Room to Read¹s ambition to promote access to literacy and girls¹ education has resonated with many of cricket¹s leading players and Angelo is joined as a champion of this cause by Virat Kohli and Shane Watson, both of whom will be involved in awareness-raising activities during the tournament.

A major success in 2011 was the joint initiative with Reliance Life Insurance called boundaries for Books¹ which saw the ICC partner make a donation to Room to Read for every six that was hit during the tournament. Reliance¹s commitment helped provide access to education for thousands of boys and girls and it remains a committed supporter of Room to Read

The ICC¹s broadcast partner, ESPN Star Sports, will also be producing a Room to Read public service announcement for the WT20 that will be shown on big screens during the tournament and on television screens around the world.

For more information about Room to Read visit: www.roomtoread.org