books

"The Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa with the commentary Sanjivani of Mallinatha Cantos I-V"

The Raghuvamsa sings of the great solar race of Iksvaku in which Visnu was pleased to become incarnate as Rama, that he might destroy the demon Ravana and free the gods and men from his tyranny. This story of the Ramayana forms the central theme of the poem 'Raghuvamsa'.

After their father is mysteriously abducted by strangers, Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis move with their mother from their comfortable city home to ‘Three Chimney’s, a tiny cottage in the countryside, next to a railway station. Soon the children find enough to amuse themselves with at the station, befriending everybody from the porter and the stationmaster to an old gentleman who waves at them from the 9.15 each day. But the mystery of their father’s disappearance looms large over them. Where is Father? And how does the old gentleman hold the key to the mystery?

Told in simple, lucid prose, Nesbit’s classic is one of the most endearing coming-of-age stories ever written.

One of India’s two greatest epics, the Ramayana pervades the country’s moral and cultural consciousness. For generations it has served as a bedtime story for Indian children, while at the same time engaging the interest of philosophers and theologians. Now this magnificent translation makes the monumental work available to a new audience. Believed to have been composed by Valmiki sometime between the eighth and sixth centuries BC, the Ramayana tells the tragic and magical story of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, an incarnation of Lord Visnu, born to rid the earth of the terrible demon Ravana. Exiled for fourteen years because of his stepmother’s fit of jealousy on the eve of his coronation, Rama enters the forests of Dandaka with his beautiful wife Sita and devoted brother Laksmana. Sita is abducted from the forest by Ravana who takes her to his isolated kingdom on the far side of the southern ocean. The two brothers set out to rescue her and, along the way, make an alliance with a dispossessed monkey, king Sugriva. At the end of a bloody war Ravana is killed and Sita, reunited with her husband, and victorious Rama returns to Ayodhya to claim the throne that is rightfully his. An idealized heroic tale ending with the inevitable triumph of good over evil, the Ramayana is also an intensely personal story of family relationships, love and loss, duty and honour, of harem intrigue, petty jealousies and destructive ambitions. All this played out in a universe populated by larger-than-life humans, gods and celestial beings, wondrous animals and terrifying demons. In her translation Arshia Sattar has successfully bridged both time and space to make this ancient classic accessible to the present-day English reader. An added attraction is her superb introduction which provides new insights and background information for both the general reader and scholar alike.

"This is the second of seven volumes that will present a complete and fully annotated translation of the Valmiki Ramayana of the seven sections of this great Sanskrit epic, the Ayodhyakanda is the most human, and it remains one of the best introductions to the social and political values of traditional India. This readable translation is accompanied by a commentary that elucidates the various problems of the text, whether philological, aesthetic, or cultural. Extensive use is made in the annotations of the numerous commentaries on the Ramayana composed in medieval India. The substantial introduction supplies a historical context for the poem and a critical reading that explores its literary and ideological components. The volumes of this work will present the entire Ramayana, translated here for the first time on the basis of the critical edition (Oriental Institute, baroda), which takes into account manuscripts representing all regional traditions.
Contents
List of Abbreviations, Preface, Guide to sanskrit Pronunciation, PART I. Introduction, Prelude to the Ayodhyakanda, Synopsis of the Ayodhyakanda, The Central Issues, A Problem of Narrative and Its Significance, The Philosophy, Aesthetic and Literary-Historical Considerations, The Characters, The Women of the Ayodhyakanda, Dasaratha, Rama, The Text, Annotations, and Translation, PART II: Ayodhyakanda, PART III. Notes, Glossary of Important Proper Nouns and Epithets, Emendations and Corrections of the Critical Edition Bibliography of Works Consulted, Index."

"This is the third volume of a planned seven volume translation of India`s most beloved and influential epic tale-the Ramayana of Valmiki. This third volume carries forward the narrative by following the exiled hero Rama his wife and his brother on their wanderings. The book contains the narrative center of the epic the abduction of Sita by the demon king Ravana. It provides a profound meditaion on the paradox of the hero as both human and divine.
"

"The sixth book of the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Yuddhakanda, recounts the final dramatic war between the forces of good led by the exiled prince Rama and the forces of evil commanded by the arch demon Ravana. The hero Rama's primary purpose in the battle is to rescue the abducted princess Sita and destroy the demon king. However, the confrontation also marks the turning point for the divine mission of the Ramavatara, the incarnation of Lord Visnu as a human prince, who will restore righteousness to a world on the brink of chaos. The book ends with the Gods' revelation to Rama of his true divine nature, his emotional reunion with his beloved wife, his long-delayed consecration as king of Kosala, and his restoration of a utopian age. The Yuddhakanda contains some of the most extraordinary events and larger-than-life characters to be found anywhere in world literature..

This sixth volume in the critical edition and translation of the Valmiki Ramayana, includes an extensive introduction, exhaustive notes, and a comprehensive bibliography."

This is the first of seven volumes that will present a complete and fully annotated translation of the Valmiki Ramayana. This great sanskrit epic of ancient India has profoundly affected the literature, art, religions, and culture of countless millions of people in South and Southest Asia-an influence that is perhaps unparalleled in the history of world literature. For the first time it has here been translated on the basis of the critical edition which is based on manuscripts representing all recensional traditions. In this first volume Robert P. Goldman, general editor of the translation, has written a major scholarly introduction and, in collaboration with Sally J. Sutherland, assistant editor, has given copious annotations dealing with the poem`s numerous textual and exigetial problems, drawing on the contributions of generations of Sanskrit commentators.

"This is the fourth volume of a translation of India`s most beloved and influential epic tale-the Ramayana of Valmiki. As befits its position at the center of the work, Volume IV presents the hero Rama at the turning point of his fortunes. Having previously lost first his kingship and then his wife , he now forms an alliance with the monkey prince, Sugriva. Rama needs the monkeys to help him find his abducted wife, Sita, and indeed, by the end of this book, they have at least discovered where her abductor has taken her. But first Rama must agree to secure for his new ally the throne of the monkey kingdom by eliminating the reigning king, wh is none other than Sugriva`s detested elder brother, Valin. The tragic rivalry between the two monkey brothers is in sharp contrast to Rama`s affectionate relationship with his own brothers and forms a self-contained episode within the larger story of Rama`s adventures. This volume continues the translation of the critical edition of the Valmiki Ramayana, a version considerably reduced from the vulgate on which all previous translations were based. It is accompanied by extensive notes on the original Sanskrit text and on several untranslated early Sanskrit commentaries.
Contents
List of Abbreviations, Preface, Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation, PART 1: Introduction, Prologue, Synopsis, The Critical Edition, The Commentaries, The Description of the Four Directions, Rama's Allies, The Death of Valin, The Translation and Annotation, PART II. Kiskindhakanda, PART III. Notes, Glossary of Important Sanskrit Words, Proper Nouns, and Epithets, Glossary of Flora and Fauna, Bibliography of Works Cited, Index."

The fifth and most popular book of the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Sundarakanda, recounts the adventures of the monkey hero Hanuman in leaping across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka. Once there, he scours the city for the abducted Princess Sita. The poet vividly describes the opulence of the court of the demon king, Ravana, the beauty of his harem, the splendors of the palace gardens, and the hideous deformity of Sita`s wardresses. After witnessing Sita`s pathetic state and her stern rejection of Ravana`s blandishments, Hanuman reveals himself to the princess and restores her hope of rescue. The great monkey then wreaks havoc on the royal park and fights a series of hair-raising battles with Ravana`s generals. Permitting himself to captured by the warrior Indrajit, Hanuman is led into the presence of Ravana, whom he admonishes for his lechery. His tail is set ableze, but he escapes his bonds and, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, sets fire to the city. Taking leave of Sita, Hanuman once more leaps the ocean to rejoin his monkey companions. Returning in triumph to report the news of Sita`s discovery to Rama, the monkeys pause for an interlude of drunken revelry in the pleasure grove of the monkey king. At last, Hanuman reports on his adventures to Prince Rama. This is the fifth volume translated from the critical edition of the Valmiki Ramayana. It contains an extensive introduction, exhaustive notes, and comprehensive bibliography.

From the Jacket

Makhan Lal Sen's The Ramayana of Valmiki is a modernized version in English prose of the great Sanskrit epic Ramayana. The appeal and freshness of epic poems transcend all limitations imposed by time, space, age, caste, creed, society, and language. All, irrespective of their age, succumb to the charms and fascinating personalities of its heroes, who have inspired countless men of different generations and spurred them on to perform almost superhuman task. Modern civilization owes most of its dazzling achievements to such inspiration.

Valmiki's Ramayana is something more than an epic. No one has built shrines in honour of Homer's heroes, to worship them as God. In contrast, from the time of its composition to this day, Valmiki's hero never lacked devotees. The reason for this strange phenomenon lies in this: in the Greek epics the cause is ambition, and the effect is the valour of its heroes; in Ramayana the cause is the moral welfare of society and the effect is the ideal conduct of its heroes under the most trying circumstances that destiny can weave. Rama is a personification of all that is expected of an ideal son, ideal brother, ideal husband, ideal prince, ideal ally, ideal commander, and an ideal king.

Translation of epics and rendering them in prose, is, at the best of times, an hazardous and arduous job. Here, the translator has done his best to capture to a remarkable degree the grandeur of the epic, the loftiness of its thought, the simplicity and elegance of its diction, and the freshness of its enduring beauty. This book, being one of those rare ones which elevates one's soul, should find a place under every roof.

About the Book

Makhan Lal Sen's The Ramayana of Valmiki is a modernized version in English prose of the great Sanskrit epic Ramayana. The appeal and freshness of epic poems transcend all limitations imposed by time, space, age, caste, creed, society, and language. All, irrespective of their age, succumb to the charms and fascinating personalities of its heroes, who have inspired countless men of different generations and spurred them on to perform almost superhuman task. Modern civilization owes most of its dazzling achievements to such inspiration.

Valmiki's Ramayana is something more than an epic. No one has built shrines in honour of Homer's heroes, to worship them as God. In contrast, from the time of its composition to this day, Valmiki's hero never lacked devotees. The reason for this strange phenomenon lies in this: in the Greek epics the cause is ambition, and the effect is the valour of its heroes; in Ramayana the cause is the moral welfare of society and the effect is the ideal conduct of its heroes under the most trying circumstances that destiny can weave. Rama is a personification of all that is expected of an ideal son, ideal brother, ideal husband, ideal prince, ideal ally, ideal commander, and an ideal king.

Translation of epics and rendering them in prose, is, at the best of time, an hazardous and arduous job. Here, the translator has done his best to capture to remarkable degree the grandeur of the epic, the loftiness of its thought, the simplicity and elegance of its diction, and the freshness of its enduring beauty. This book, being one of those rare ones which elevates one's soul, should find a place under every roof.

The Ramayana is always a fascinating study. This Adi Kavya coming from the pen of one of India's greatest poets has exercised a very powerful influence on the life and thought of millions of people of India over the ages. A voluminous work like the Ramayana can certainly be expected to be a good repertory of all kinds of information, historical, social, religious and cultural. So can it be a good index of the language as it obtained in contemporary society. The present study is the first attempt of its kind analysing and critically evaluating the language of the Ramayana in all its varied aspects and, therefore, fulfils a long-felt desideratum. The twenty-four thousand verses of this great epic of India have been given here the most searching treatment and fresh ground broken in more ways than one. The study of the Ramayana synonyms, phonetic tendencies, onomatopoeia, prepositional verbs, usage, etymologies and un-Paninian forms, to mention only a few of the many topics dealt with exhaustively here, is bound to interest students of Sanskrit language in general and Linguistics in particular. The treatment of the subject is scientific throughout. The work is well-documented. Printed Pages: 314.

"The Ratnavali or the 'Jewel Necklace' is a drama of the Natika type by Sriharsa. Theme is the marriage, through various obstacles and at the clever intervention of the minister Yaugandharayana, of king Udayana and Ratnavali, daughter of the king of Ceylon.

A brief but sufficiently exhaustive commentary in sanskrit has been written, as there was no suitable ancient commentary available on this play. Another feature of this edition is the introduction wherein all that has been known of the author and the play has been put together for ready reference and and systematic study."

Specification:

• Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
• By :Osho  (Author)
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : English
• Edition : 2009
• Pages : 624 pages
• Size : 20 x 14 x 4 cm
  
• ISBN-13: 978-8179929834
  

Description

Entering into the Unknown

This question and answer book tells a true story of great trust, love, and humor between Osho and those who have gathered around him again after a long separation. Fresh from their adventures and experiences as seekers alone in the marketplace, this book is full of genuine, pertinent questions and enlightened responses from Osho that will inspire each one of us to live our full potential and risk walking on the razor’s edge of life.

“You have taken the first step towards reality, now never look backwards, however dangerous it seems – because as questions and answers and I and you start disappearing, you will find yourself entering into a more and more unknown space. This I call ‘the razor’s edge’.”

—OSHO

Osho is an Indian mystic and philosopher. He has spoken on major spiritual traditions including Jainism, Hinduism, Hassidism, Tantrism, Christianity, Buddhism, on a variety of Eastern and Western mystics and on sacred scriptures such as the Upanishads.

Specification:

• Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
• By  Radhanath Swami  (Author)
• Language : English
• Edition : 2013
• Pages : 164 pages
• Size :  20 x 14 x 4 cm
  
• ISBN-10: 8184954441
  
• ISBN-13: 978-8184954449

Description

When the sun shines on a snow-capped mountain, the layers of snow melt down helplessly. Similarly, when sun-like wisdom shines on a covered entity, layers of ignorance start melting away, thus uncovering The Real You. In this book, you will find a combination of the wisdom of the heart and the wisdom of art. This combined wisdom can make us ponder, wonder and help us overcome the blunder of ignorance which leads to suffering and sorrow. This book is a collection of pearls of wisdom, in the necklace of life, for the beauty of the soul. Radhanath Swami was born in Chicago in 1950. In his teens, he set out to wander the world on a spiritual quest where he eventually discovered the yoga path of devotion. He presently travels in Asia, Europe and America teaching devotional wisdom, but can often be found with his community in Mumbai.

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
• By : Ryuho Okawa (Author)
• Binding : Paperback
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2011
• Pages :264 pages
• Size :20 x 14 x 4 cm
  
• ISBN-10 : 8184951248
• ISBN-13 : 978-8184951240
  

DESCRIPTION:

Free DVD includes Authors Lectures and Animation Movie, "Believe in my voice. Awaken to my voice. Follow my lead". Chapter One: I Have Returned Come, Follow Me. "What is the purpose of life and the foundation of happiness and is the pursuit of happiness really worth spending one's entire life for"? These were the questions the Buddha sought, pursued and found answers for. In this fascinating and unique book Master Ryuho Okawa brings the message of the Buddha, on the core principles of Buddhism, back into our lives.

Set in Shimla, The Red Tin Roof evokes with rare delicacy and precision the interplay of seasons, nature and people, while it broodingly tells the story of a young girl growing into adolescence, in the company mostly of older women but also of a younger brother who trails her. In this exploration of an inner world, Nirmal Verma does not so much as tell a story as reminisce. Memory is the seed of his story.

Specification:

• Publisher : Zen Publications
  
• by : Ramesh S. Balsekar
  
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2006
  
• Pages : 86
  
• Weight : 120gm.
  
• Size : 8 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
  
• ISBN-10: 8188071269
  
• ISBN-13: 978-8188071265

Description:

You cannot have an ‘ego’ because you are the ego: Consciousness identified with a name and form as a separate entity. The sage responds to his name being called; therefore, the sage has an ego. The ordinary man also responds to his name being called. What is the difference between the ego of the sage and the ego of the ordinary man? That is the core question. The answer is that in the ego of the sage the sense of personal doership has been totally annihilated: he knows that he is only a psychosomatic apparatus through which the Primal Energy functions and brings about whatever is supposed to happen according to the Cosmic Law. The ego of the ordinary man is impregnated with the sense of personal doership. The ego of the sage is totally free from the burden of pride and arrogance for his good actions and guilt and shame for his bad actions, whereas the ego of the ordinary man carries the burden of guilt and shame for his own actions and a heavier burden of hatred for the others for their actions which have hurt him. In the words of Ramana Maharshi, the ego of the sage is like “the remnants of a burnt rope.”

From the jacket

The Vedic Literature the most ancient product of the Aryan mind held in the highest esteem and regarded as the most sacred by the Hindus presents a panorama of the life of the ancient population of India in all its facets. The scared literature was subjected to analytical study for the first time in the recent centuries by European scholars mainly Germans the foremost among then being Herman Oldenberg His magnum opus-Die Religion des Veda first appeared in print in 1894 and in a revised edition in 1916. He made use of linguistic methods, ethnology and folklore in his exhaustive and penetrating study of the Vedic religion. This work has had a great impact on subsequent Vedic studies and has an abiding interest to the student of the Veda, as is amply evident from the fact that even after nearly a century of its first publication it continues to attract the attention of Vedic researchers and is very frequently sought for guidance and consultation by them, and here is the first ever English translation of this four classic

The work is complete in four chapter preceded by an introduction discussing in detail the source, viz, the Vedas Brahmanas and sutra. The first chapter deals with the Vedic gods and demons in general the second one with the individual gods such as Agni, Indra Vruna Mitra and others the evil demons the origin of the world and the divine and the moral worlds the third treats at length of the cult of sacrifice magic observances festivals prayer priests and the like and the fourth one of the dead, soul heaven and ell, ghosts fathers funeral rites and animism.

Author of the book

Hermann Oldenberg (1854-1920) is considered as one of the greatest Indologists of Germany. After studying classical and Indian philology in Gottingen ands Berlin he became university professor at Kiel and Berlin. He visited India in 1912-13. His contributions to Vedic and Buddhistic studies are vast. He translated the Dipavaqmsa rgveda and Grhyasutras into German.

Of his many books like Buddha sein Leben , sein Lehre, sein Gemeide, Die Lehre des Upanischadern und die Anfange des Buddhism Die Literature des alten Indiens among other Die Religion des Veda (1894) in most outstanding and oft-quoted work.

Shridhar B. Shrotri (b.1934) had his education at Pune. He was the first to have obtained a doctorate degree in Geman from an Indian University in 1965. He has also studies at Heideberg and Munich. He taught at rajaram college Kolhapur and M.E.S and fergusson colleges at pune before joining Karnatak University Dharwad in 1962 where he rose to the position of professor in the foreign languages Department in 1985. Dr. Shrotri has several research papers and translations to his credit.

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
• By:  Antony Welfare  (Author)
• Binding : Paperback
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2013
• Pages :  208 pages
• Size : : 20 x 14 x 4 cm
  
• ISBN-13 :978-8184955033
  

DESCRIPTION:

For every retailer that wishes to learn how to achieve their potential in Retail. The Retail Handbook follows a logical 11 part journey that centres around, and begins with, the Customer. Based on 20 years of experience and a number of different retail businesses, this handbook will guide you through the journey to make your business customer focussed, and realise the potential you have to make your retail business a success. Whether you are a seasoned retailer or you are just starting out, The Retail Handbook will help you master the basics in retail and set you up to compete with the larger retailers . . . and win the battle for your customers.

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Krishnamurti Foundation India
• By : J. Krishnamurti
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : English
• Edition : 2001
• Pages : 246
• Weight : 330 g.
• Size : 7.9 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches
• ISBN-10: 8187326085
• ISBN-13: 978-8187326083

DESCRIPTION:

The revolution from within is the second in the series titled selections from the decades and consists of twenty-three public talks that krishnamurti gave between 1952 and 1959 whereas in the 1940s, krishnamurti had to address a variety of contemporary social and political issues, here his focus is primarily, if not solely, on a radical change in the mind and heart of every human being what brings about such a change is not knowledge or reason, not new ideas or ideals, or the pursuit of some religious goals; nor does it come about through effort and will it is only in understanding ourselves completely that this transformation takes place however, throughout these talks, krishnamurti seems to be suggesting that this attempt to change oneself is not a mere psychological exercise but a religious act; it is not just a matter of digging into oneself endlessly, but also remaining open to that which he calls truth or reality transformation is in the hands of reality, not within the sphere of the mind, he says

Specification:

• Publisher : Sri Ramanasramam
  
• by : Saint Ribhu/Translated by Dr.Lingeswar Rao and Dr.Anil Sharma with support from T.Venkateswar Rao 
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2012
  
• Pages : 738
  
• Weight : 750gm.
  
• Size : 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
  
• ISBN-10: 8182880882
  
• ISBN-13: 978-8182880887

Description:

Is there a book while reading which,the reader feels increasingly drawn towards his own self even if it is the very first spiritual book that he reads? The Ribhu Gita is one such. There is no greater testimony to the unique value of Ribhu Gita than the fact that Bhagavan Ramana himself told one of his little educated devotees,Sampurnamma;It does not matter if you donn't understand the book.Just go through it ,it will be of immense benefit to you; Bhagavan would then often say that the recitation of Ribhu Gita is as good as Samadhi and would himself take part in the recitation. So,let us read,chant and be absorbed in His Grace.

Editorial Reviews

Shivarahasya Purana (Sanskrit: ; IAST: iva rahasya pur a) is one of the 'Shaiva Upapuranas' or ancillary Purana regarding Shiva and Shaivite worship and is also considered 'Indian epic poetry' (Sanskrit: Itih sa).Its origins are acclaimed to be over 7000 years old.It is one of the first few works of the acclaimed Saint Ribhu, who was taught by Shiva himself. The Ribhu Gita (Sanskrit: ; IAST: bhug t ) is an acclaimed advaita, monist and/or nondual song at the heart of this Purana. --Wikipedia

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
• By : George S. Clason (Author)
• Binding : Paperback
• Language : English  
  
• Edition : 2019
• Pages :  160 pages
• Size : :20 x 14 x 4 cm
  
• ISBN-10 :   9388423399
  
• ISBN-13 :  978-9388423397

DESCRIPTION:

The timeless bestselling classic The success secrets of the ancients a bestseller that holds the key to personal wealth the richest man in Babylon is considered as one of the greatest inspirational works on the subject of thrift, financial planning, and personal wealth. Revealed inside are the secrets to acquiring money, keeping money, and making money earn more money. Providing financial wisdom through parables, this book was originally a set of pamphlets, written by the author and distributed by Banks and Insurance companies. These pamphlets were later collated, giving birth to a book. These fascinating and informative stories set you on a sure path to prosperity and its accompanying joys. “Full of time-tested advice on saving and investing.” The Washington post “delightful set of parables that explain the basics of money.” Los Angeles times.

Specification:

• Publisher : Vakils Feffer & Simons
  
• by : Zena Sorabjee
  
• Cover : Paperback
  
• Language : English
  
• Edition : 2013
  
• Pages : 164
  
• Weight : 600gm.
  
• Size : 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
  
• ISBN-10: 8184620683
  
• ISBN-13: 978-8184620689

Description:

The Right to Be is a powerful and unique attempt to introduce children to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It asserts that we are all born free and equal – no matter how we look, where we are born or whether we are rich or poor. Rights are the same for everyone, and they protect us all equally.

Specification

Description

Dr Kalam, who was India’s eleventh President and has been a scientist and a teacher, has written more than twenty books. Ranging from inspirational and spiritual thoughts, to autobiographical reflections to his vision statements for a developed India, these works bear the imprint of a mind that is deeply reflective.

For the first time, some of the most thoughtful, inspiring and educative of these writings have been compiled in one place in The Righteous Life. Some of the essays in this volume describe his early life, family and teachers and his entry into the world of scientific development and research. Also included are his thoughts on education, governance, probity in public life, and his analysis and solutions to some of India’s problems such as corruption, energy independence and the overall development of the country.

Filled with wisdom and farsighted thinking that upholds honesty, diligence and spirituality, The Righteous Life showcases the working of one of the finest minds in the country.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Born on 15 October 1931, at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam specialized in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Dr Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India and has received honorary doctorates from forty-five universities and institutions in India and abroad. He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan (1981), the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna (1997). He has also received the King Charles II medal (2007), the Woodrow Wilson Award (2008), the Hoover Award (2008) and the International Von Karman Wings Award (2009) among other international accolades. Dr Kalam became the eleventh President of India on 25 July 2002. His focus and greatest ambition remains fnding ways to transform India into a developed nation.