The Great Ones is that rare book, wherein the artistic and literary skills of the famous author-artist V.K. Subramanian are applied to an ennobling theme: the life and work of the Great Ones, who have contributed to the advancement of human civilisation and culture.
The Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
1. The Great Ones in Art (Painting, Sculpture & Architecture)
2. The Great Ones in Literature (Poetry, Drama, Fiction, etc.)
3. The Great Ones in Science
4. The Great Ones in Medicine and Biology
5. The Great Ones in Exploration (Scientists and Voyageurs)
6. The Great Ones in Philosophy
7. The Great Ones in Public Life
8. The Great Ones in Social Reform
9. The Great Ones in Business (Technology, Economics & Management)
10. The Great Ones in Entertainment (Music, Movies, Theatre & Sports)
This book is the first volume in a ten-volume series, each volume dealing with 100 Great Ones (ten from each category).
It will be an ideal presentation to every school and college student, enabling them to learn about the great ones who have made a difference to life on this planet by their lifework, and adopt their own role-models to emulate.
The Great Ones (Vol. II)
Like its predecessor volume, The Great Ones, Volume Two is the rare book, wherein the artistic and literary skills of the famous author-artist, V.K. Subramanian, are applied to an ennobling theme: the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture.
As in Volume One, the Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
2. The Great Ones in Literature (Poetry, Drama & Fiction)
8. The Great Ones in Social Reform.
This book is the second volume in a ten-volume series. Each volume dealing with 100 Great Ones (ten from each category). It will be an ideal presentation to every school and college student, eager to learn about the Great Ones who have made a difference to life on this planet by their life work, and adopt rolemodels to emulate.
The Great Ones - Vol. III
Like its predecessor volumes, one and two, The Great Ones, Volume Three continues to deal with the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture. As in the earlier volumes, the Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
As in the earlier volumes, the artistic and literary skills of the famous Author-Artist combine to make the volume pleasant to peruse and rewarding to read.
This volume, the third in a ten-volume series, would be an ideal presentation to all school and college students, enabling them to learn about the achievements of the Great Ones in diverse fields of human endeavour and encouraging them to adopt their own role models to emulate and spurring them on to discovery, achievement and success.
Like its predecessor volumes one, two and three, The Great Ones, Volume Four continues to deal with the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture. As in the earlier volumes, the Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
2. The Great Ones in Literature (Poetry, Drama, Fiction etc.)
This volume, the fourth in a ten-volume series, would be an ideal presentation to all school and college students, enabling them to learn about the achievements of the Great Ones in diverse fields of human endeavour and encouraging them to adopt their own role models to emulate and spurring them on to discovery, achievement and success.
V.K. Subramanian, the artist, author, deals with the life and contribution of the great ones who have moulded India from the early beginnings to modern times. He has categorised these great ones into ten major categories:
1. Those who transformed the polity
2. Those who infused the patriotic spirit
3. Those who illuminated public life
4. Those who reformed society
5. Those who helped develop the economy
6. Those who expanded the frontiers of science
7. Those who founded lasting institutions
8. Those who created art
9. Those who wrote masterpieces of literature
10. Those who provided entertainment of the highest order.
It was Thomas Carlyle who said: "History is the essence of innumerable biographies."
In this book, Subramanian presents the History of India through the short biographies of the great ones of India who not only shaped its polity, society and economy but also its scientific and cultural achievements and bequeathed lasting institutions and immortal legacies.
THE GREAT ONES OF INDIA will be an invaluable reference book to scholars of indology and a precious heirloom for the sons and daughters of India scattered across the globe, reminding them of their national heritage and the persons who bequeathed it.
Like its predecessor volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The Great Ones Volume Six continues to deal with the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture. As in the earlier volumes, the Great ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
1. The Great Ones in Art (Painting, sculpture and architecture)
2. The Great Ones in Literature (Poetry, drama, fiction etc.)
4. The Great Ones in medicine and biology
8. The Great Ones in Social reform
As in the earlier volumes, the artistic and literary skills of the famous Author-Artist V.K. Subramanian combine to make the volume pleasant to peruse and rewarding to read.
This volume, the sixth in a ten volume series, would be an ideal presentation to all school and college students, enabling them to learn about the achievements of the Great Ones in diverse fields of human endeavor and encouraging them to adopt their own role models to emulate and spurring them on to discovery, achievement and success.
Like its predecessor volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, The Great Ones Volume Seven continues to deal with the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture. As in the earlier volumes, the Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
This volume, the seventh in a ten-volume series, would be an ideal presentation to all school and college students, enabling them to learn about the achievements of the Great Ones in diverse fields of human endeavour and encouraging them to adopt their own role models to emulate and spurring them on to discovery, achievement and success.
Like its predecessor volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 The Great Ones Volume Eight continues to deal with the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture. As in the earlier volumes, the Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
This volume, the eighth in a ten-volume series, would be an ideal presentation to all school and college students, enabling them to learn about the achievements of the Great Ones in diverse fields of human endeavour and encouraging them to adopt their own role models to emulate and spurring them on to discovery, achievement and success.
Like its predecessor volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 The Great Ones Volume Nine continues to deal with the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture. As in the earlier volumes, the Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
This volume, the nine in a ten-volume series, would be an ideal presentation to all school and college students, enabling them to learn about the achievements of the Great Ones in diverse fields of human endeavour and encouraging them to adopt their own role models to emulate and spurring them on to discovery, achievement and success.
Like its predecessor volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 The Great Ones Volume Ten continues to deal with the life and work of the Great Ones who have contributed to the advancement of human civilization and culture. As in the earlier volumes, the Great Ones dealt with fall into ten categories:
This volume, the ten in a ten-volume series, would be an ideal presentation to all school and college students, enabling them to learn about the achievements of the Great Ones in diverse fields of human endeavour and encouraging them to adopt their own role models to emulate and spurring them on to discovery, achievement and success.
Vadakaymadom Krishna Iyer Subramanian (Birth 1930, Kerala, India) is an eminent scholar, whose life mission is to study the life and work of The Great Masters in the fields of Art, Literature, Science, Medicine and Biology, Exploration, Philosophy, Public Life, Social Reform, Business and Entertainment etc. and present them to the world.
He has already published a series of lucidly written books on the devotional mystic poet-saints of India titled Sacred Songs of India (ten volumes).
An author with universalistic taste, Subramanian has over 52 books to his credit, covering a variety of subjects ranging from art to astrology and palmistry. He has been an astropalmic counsellor for the last 35 years.
Subramanian is also a reputed painter, who has held 24 one-man shows (some of them inaugurated by the President and Vice President of India), and whose paintings (some of them in the Chandigarh Museum, India and the National Academy of Audit & Accounts, Shimla) have won wide acclaim from leading art critics of India.
The author-painter profusely illustrates most of his books.
A former member of the prestigious Indian Audit and Accounts Service (which he joined in 1953 and served for 28 years), Sri Subramanian has held important positions in Government as Financial Commissioner, Nagaland, Accountant General, Haryana, Director of Audit, Indian Embassy Washington, Financial Adviser, Hindustan Zinc, Director, National Academy of Audit and Accounts etc.
He has been awarded Param acharya award for his Lifetime Achievement.
He has travelled extensively in India and abroad. He has been living in the United States for the last 20 years and now divides his time between India & USA.
A book without a preface is like a body without a soul, says the old Hebrew proverb.
This preface is hence important and seeks to tell the reader not only what the book contains but also what it excludes.
When one considers the Great Ones who have shaped India, foremost among them all come the mystic sages of India who have shaped the spiritual life of the people and inculcated values and faith in a Divine power in the psyche of the masses, which empower them to face the harsh realities of life with equanimity, courage and hope. ,p> There have been myriads of such sages in the holy land of India. These do not find a place in this volume, since I have separately dealt with them in another book titled "101 Mystics of India".
A perusal of that book would reveal such illustrious names as Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Valmiki, Veda Vyasa, Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Madhvachatya, and the doyens of the Bhakti movement like the Alwars, Nayanmars, the Maharashtra saints like Tukaram, Jnaneswar and others, the Sikh Gurus like Guru Nanak, the stalwarts of the North like Tulsidas, Surdas, Kabir, the Vaishnavite saints like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Chandidas, Sankaradeva, the music composers of the South like the Trinity of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri and several others who sought to realise Divinity through music and the modern giants like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Rabindranath Tagore, Ramana Maharishi, Ramalinga Swamiga, Paramacharya of Kanchi, J. Krishnamurthy etc., whose inspired teachings and living role models have influenced millions in India (and abroad) to lead better lives- lives infused with courage, confidence, faith and hope.
Having excluded the spiritual giants who left an indelible impress on the lives of the people of India, we are left with those great ones who have shaped the polity, society and economy of India, who have established great institutions, and bequeathed immortal legacies and those who have advanced the frontiers of knowledge.
Here again, I am faced with a dilemma: whether to include those who have already found a place in the globally Great Ones in other volumes of my ten-volume series THE GREAT ONES. Under this category come rulers like Asoka, leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, C. Rajagopalachari, social reformers like Raja Ram Mohun Roy, Mother Teresa, Annie Besant, scientists like C. V. Raman, Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Hargobind Khorana, pioneers of medicine like Charaka and Susruta and people who triggered economic transformation like MS. Swaminathan (through the green revolution) and industrialists such as Dhirubhai Ambani.
For the sake of completeness, I have decided not to exclude all of them, accepting the accusation of being repetitive. Since the total number of the Great Ones of India is being restricted to 100, the book would still be guilty of being incomplete, the selections also being arbitrary and whimsical being my prejudiced choices, for which I crave the pardon of my indulgent readers.
The Upanishadic sages of India exhorted:
"Arise! Awake! Find out the Great Ones and learn of them." (Uttishta Jagrata Prapya varan nibodhata) (Kathopanishad)
Who are the Great Ones? Not certainly the Military Leaders and Conquerors like Adolf Hitler, Napoleon or Alexander who enslaved people by violence and massacre of innocents.
The really Great Ones are those who seek new frontiers, who explore not only the vast expanse of the external universe, but also the inner fathoms of the human psyche,
They are leaders who shape and reform society and create a better life for fellow human beings,
They are the Ones who discover hidden truths and Laws of Nature and delve into the divine design of the cosmos created by God,
They are the Ones who add beauty, colour and comfort to the people and world around them,
They are the Ones who have made invaluable contributions to human culture and civilization,
They are the Ones who made a difference, by writing a book, painting or sculpting a work of art or inventing a new machine or innovating a new idea.
In short, they are the Ones who "leave footprints on the sands of time" (to use Longfellow's immortal lines).
I have categorized the Great Ones into ten groups as under:
1. The Great Ones in Art (Painting, Sculpture, Architecture)
2. The Great Ones in Literature (Poetry, Drama, Fiction, History etc.)
3. The Great Ones in Science (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)
5. The Great Ones in Exploration (Astronomers and Voyageurs)
9. The Great Ones in Business (Technology, Economics, Management) (The Inventors, Innovators, Thinkers, Entrepreneurs)
10. The Great Ones in Entertainment (Music, Movies, Theatre, Television, Sports etc.) (Composers, Directors and Performers)
It has been a fascinating experience for me to study the life and work of these Great Ones (over 1000 in number) and transmit that experience to my readers through a sketch and a brief write-up on each.
There was a problem in categorizing multifaceted personalities into a single group and scientists whose contributions affect such varied fields as medicine, health, exploration, business etc.
I have taken the liberty of including such persons in the category which I considered most appropriate. If there have been any misjudgements on my part, I crave the readers' pardon.
This book is the first volume in a ten-volume series, each volume dealing with one hundred Great Ones. "Tell me whom you admire and I will tell you what you are" goes the old saying. My endeavour in offering this book to the younger generation is to present a variety of Great Ones from different fields, whose life and work can be admired, hero-worshipped and emulated
This second volume of The Great Ones-second in a ten-volume series-continues the fascinating study of the life and work of the Great Ones in the various fields of human endeavour:
1. Art (Painting, Sculpture, Architecture)
2. Literature (Poetry, Drama, Fiction, History, etc.)
3. Science (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)
4. Medicine and Biology
5. Exploration (Astronomers and Voyageurs)
6. Philosophy
7. Public Life
8. Social Reform
9. Business (Technology, Economics, Management, Entrepreneurship)
10. Entertainment (Music, Movies, Theatre, Television, Sports, etc.)
As in Volume One, I have included ten Great Ones in each category, and attempted to give a glimpse of their life and work through a brief one-page write-up and a sketch in black ink. These Great Ones lived in different periods of history and came from different parts of the globe. But all of them had certain commonalities as indicated below.
All of them made invaluable contributions to human culture and civilization by writing a book, painting a picture or sculpting a work of art or inventing a new machine or a new cure for a disease, innovating a new idea, or discovering hidden truths and Laws of Nature, delving into the divine design of the cosmos created by God, or shaping and reforming society and creating a better life for fellow human beings, or seeking new frontiers not only in the external world but the inner fathoms of the human psyche. In short, they are the ones who have added beauty, colour, and comfort to human life on earth. They are the ones "who have left footprints on the sands of time" (to use Longfellow's immortal lines). A study of the life and work of these great ones, how many of them achieved success, despite handicaps like poverty, ill-health, domestic tensions and environmental obstacles etc., should be a source of inspiration for the younger generation to spur them to discovery, success and achievement and make them (in Tennyson's words): "To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."
In this third volume of The Great Ones, third in a ten-volume series, I have continued the fascinating study of the life and work of the Great Ones in the various fields of human endeavour: Art, Literature, Science, Medicine and Biology, Exploration, Philosophy, Public Life, Social Reform, Business and Entertainment.
They lived in different periods of human history, came from different parts of the globe and pursued very different avocations. But the life and work of each one of them has lessons to teach us. One may live long or one's life span may be short. One may be born poor or rich. Any handicap does not bar achievement of dreams if one has the will, the courage and the determination to pursue one's goal.
The variety of life patterns and the diversity of achievements of the various Great Ones are truly amazing. A study of their lives and contributions to human advancement has been educative, elevating and inspirational to me, as I hope it will be for everyone who reads this series of volumes. To quote the oft-quoted lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
"Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and ship wrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again."
In proudly presenting this volume, like the earlier ones, I must mention that I have worn two hats: one as an artist and the other as a writer. It is for the readers to judge which job I have done better: presenting the likeness or the life sketch of each great one. All faults in either may be forgiven.
In this fourth volume of The Great Ones, fourth in a ten-volume series, I have continued the fascinating study of the life and work of the Great Ones in the various fields of human endeavour: Art, Literature, Science, Medicine and Biology, Exploration, Philosophy, Public Life, Social Reform, Business and Entertainment.
They lived in different periods of human history, came from different parts of the globe and pursued very different avocations. But the life and work of each one of them has lessons to teach us. One may live long or one's life span may be short. One may be born poor or rich. Any handicap does not bar achievement of dreams if one has the will, the courage, and the determination to pursue one's goal.
The variety of life patterns and the diversity of achievements of the various Great Ones are truly amazing.
A study of their lives and contributions to human advancement has been educative, elevating and inspirational to me, as I hope it will be for everyone who reads this series of volumes. To quote the oft-quoted lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
Lives of great men all remind us
And, departing leave behind us
A forlorn and ship wrecked brother
, Seeing, shall take heart again.
In this sixth volume of The Great Ones, sixth in a ten-volume series - I have continued the fascinating study of the life and work of the Great Ones in the various fields of human endeavour; Art, Literature, Science, Medicine and Biology, Exploration, Philosophy, Public Life, Social Reform, Business and Entertainment.
They lived in different periods of human history, came from different parts of the globe and pursued very different avocations. But the life and work of each one of them has lessons to teach us.
One may live long or one's lifespan may be short. One may be born poor or rich. Any handicap does not bar achievement of dreams if one has the will, the courage and the determination to pursue one's goal.
The variety in life patterns and the diversity of achievements of the various great ones are truly amazing.
A study of their lives and contributions to human advancement has been educative, elevating and inspirational to me, and I hope it will be for everyone who reads this series of volumes.
To quote the of quoted lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
Seeing, shall take heart again.
In this seventh volume of The Great Ones, seventh in a ten volume series, I have continued the fascinating study of the life and work of the Great Ones in the various fields of human endeavour: Art, Literature, Science, Medicine and Biology, Exploration, Philosophy, Public Life, Social Reform, Business and Entertainment.
The variety of life patterns and the diversity of achievements of the various great ones are truly amazing. A study of their lives and contributions to human advancement has been educative, elevating and inspirational to me, as I hope it will be for everyone who reads this series of volumes. To quote the oft-quoted lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
`Lives of great men all remind us
Sailing over life's solemn main,
Seeing, shall take heart again.'
In this eighth volume of The Great Ones, in a ten-volume series - I have continued the fascinating study of the life and work of the Great Ones in the various fields of human endeavour: Art, Literature, Science, Medicine and Biology, Exploration, Philosophy, Public Life, Social Reform, Business and Entertainment.
One may live long or one's life span may be short. One may be born poor or rich. Any handicap does not bar achievement of dreams if one has the will, the courage and the determination to pursue one's goal.
The variety of life patterns and the diversity of achievements of the various great ones are truly amazing. A study of their lives and contributions to human advancement has been educative, elevating and inspirational to me, as I hope it will be for everyone who reads this series of volumes.
To quote the oft-quoted lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
'Lives of great men all remind us
In proudly presenting this volume, like the earlier ones, I must mention that I have worn two hats: one as an artist and the other as a writer. It is for the readers to judge which job I have done better: presenting the likeness or the life sketch of each great one.
All faults in either may be forgiven.
In this ninth volume of The Great Ones, in a ten-volume series - I have continued the fascinating study of the life and work of the Great Ones in the various fields of human endeavour: Art, Literature, Science, Medicine and Biology, Exploration, Philosophy, Public Life, Social Reform, Business and Entertainment.
We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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