Saturday, 20 October 2012

5 Facts of Micronesia

The capital of Micronesia is Palikir

The Federated States of Micronesia are an island nation composed of 271 square miles located in Micronesia. The islands are about 1,802 miles north of Australia. The Federated States of Micronesia are composed of four states, Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap.
5 Facts You Might Not Know
1
Historians have noted that the first settlers into the Federated States of Micronesia may have settled there 4,000 years ago and may have traveled from Melanesia or islands such as Borneo and Malaysia.The people of the Federated States of Micronesia are fisherman and seafarers and continue to hone the art of canoeing only using the stars, waves and sea animals for navigating the ocean.
2
The first Europeans to visit the Federated States of Micronesia were the Portuguese and afterwards, were followed by other travelers from Spain, Germany and Japan. The Federated States of Micronesia was occupied by Germany, Japan and then part of a U.S. Trust Territory before gaining independence on May 10, 1979.
3
The Federated States of Micronesia do have a President but also have a free association with the United States written into their constitution. The Federated States of Micronesia maintains its livelihood based upon farming and fishing. It has no major industries and has a very small tourism industry.
4
The Federated States of Micronesia's farming products include tropical fruits, betel nut, tropical vegetables, black pepper, sweet potatoes, coconuts and bananas. The average temperature of the Federated States of Micronesia varies around the mid-to-upper 80s and they have two seasons, rainy and dry season.
5
The Federated States of Micronesia are prone to tsunamis and typhoons with the most violent approaching in the September through December months. The land in the Federated States of Micronesia is mostly undeveloped with few working roads, few cars and limited electricity available to the island populace.

Friday, 19 October 2012

Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar is the pride of Indian music industry. Blessed with beautiful voice, she is the most well known Indian vocalist. Highly versatile, she has sung in more than 20 languages. To honor and give recognition to her works, Lata Mangeshkar is also known as the Nightingale of India. Well, in this article, we will present you with the biography of Lata Mangeshkar.

Early Life
Lata was born on September 28, 1929 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh as the daughter of Dinanath Mangeshkar, who was a classical singer as well as a theater artist. She was the first child of the Mangeshkar family. She was born in Indore, but brought up in Maharashtra. When she was five years old, she began working as a theater artist in sangeet nataks. She also started taking singing lessons from her father.

Lata sang her maiden cinematic song for the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal (1942). Her father did not like the idea of her daughter singing for the films. So, her song was deleted from the movie. In the year 1942, she lost her father. Due to sudden demise of her father and unsound financial condition of the house, she decided to play small roles in various Hindi and Marathi films. She had to take up the acting assignments, despite the fact that, she was not at all fond of acting. To know the complete life history of Lata Mangeshkar, read on.

Career
In the year 1945, she happened to meet the film producer S. Mukherji through Ghulam Haider. Haider personally wanted her to be given an opportunity to show her singing talent. However, S. Mukherji did not like her voice and said no for giving her a chance to sing for his film. At that point of time, Haider promised himself to establish her singing career in Bollywood. He even said to the producer that, one day will come when all the producers and directors will fall on her feet and beg her to sing in their films.

Lata got her biggest break, when she was given the chance to sing the song "Aayega Aanewaala" for the movie Mahal. The song was a super duper hit. The period of 1950s witnessed tremendous growth in her career. She rose to the top in the list of Bollywood singers. She worked with all the famous composers of that era like Shankar Jaikishan, S D Burman, Naushad, Hemant Kumar, and Salil Chowdhury. Shankar Jaikishan was absolutely stunned by her voice and used her voice for playback singing in almost all the movies that he got.

The period of 1960s made her the queen of Bollywood playback singing. She sang for almost all the prominent composers of the industry and set her foothold in Bollywood. Her songs got an overwhelming response from people all over the country. During the 1970s, Lata recorded songs for Bollywood actress Meena Kumari in the film Pakeezah, which brought her recognition and popularity. She performed tracks for S.D. Burman's films like Prem Pujari, Sharmilee, and Abhimaan.

In late 1970s and early 1980s, Lata Mangeshkar worked with the children of the music composers, with whom she had worked in the past. In the year 1990, Lata established her own production house. Their first and last film "Lekin" was a total flop. Mangeshkar has also sung some non film songs including ghazals with Jagjit Singh. Lata Mangeshkar has also sung for Yash Chopra`s films including Lamhe, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Darr, Yeh Dillagi, and Dil To Pagal Hai. She sang quite a number of Bengali songs with renowned music directors like Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar.

Trivia
Lata Mangeshkar has composed music and also produced movies under the name of 'Anand Ghan'.
She is very fond of cooking nice dishes.
She always sings barefoot.

Awards Won
Filmfare Awards (1958, 1962, 1965, 1969, 1993 and 1994)
National Awards (1972, 1975 and 1990)
Maharashtra State Award (1966 and 1967)

Other awards
1969 - Padma Bhushan
1974 - Recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for having sung the maximum number of songs in the world
1989 - Dada Saheb Phalke Award
1993 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
1996 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
1997 - Rajiv Gandhi Award
1999 - NTR Award
1999 - Padma Vibhushan
1999 - Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement
2000 - Lifetime Achievement Award by IIFA in London
2001 - Best Playback Singer of the Millennium (female) by Hero Honda and magazine "Stardust"
2001 - Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award
2001 - Noorjehan Award
2001 - Maharashtra Ratna

Biography of Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Born: July 23, 1856
Died: August 1, 1920
Achievements: Considered as Father of Indian National Movement; Founded “Deccan Education Society” to impart quality education to India's youth; was a member of the Municipal Council of Pune, Bombay Legislature, and an elected 'Fellow' of the Bombay University; formed Home Rule League in 1916 to attain the goal of Swaraj.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak is considered as Father of Indian National Movement. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a multifaceted personality. He was a social reformer, freedom fighter, national leader, and a scholar of Indian history, sanskrit, hinduism, mathematics and astronomy. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was popularly called as Lokmanya (Beloved of the people). During freedom struggle, his slogan “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it” inspired millions of Indians.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on July 23, 1856 in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. He was a Chitpavan Brahmin by caste. His father Gangadhar Ramachandra Tilak was a Sanskrit scholar and a famous teacher. Tilak was a brilliant student and he was very good in mathematics. Since childhood Tilak had an intolerant attitude towards injustice and he was truthful and straightforward in nature. He was among India's first generation of youth to receive a modern, college education.

When Tilak was ten his father was transferred to Pune from Ratnagiri. This brought sea change in Tilak’s life. He joined the Anglo-Vernacular School in Pune and got education from some of the well known teachers. Soon after coming to Pune Tilak lost his mother and by the time he was sixteen he lost his father too. While Tilak was studying in Matriculation he was married to a 10-year-old girl called Satyabhama. After passing the Matriculation Examination Tilak joined the Deccan College. In 1877, Bal Gangadhar Tilak got his B.A. degree with a first class in mathematics. He continued his studies and got the LL.B. degree too.

After graduation, Tilak began teaching mathematics in a private school in Pune and later became a journalist. He became a strong critic of the Western education system, feeling it demeaning to Indian students and disrespectful to India's heritage. He came to the conclusion that good citizens can be moulded only through good education. He believed that every Indian had to be taught about Indian culture and national ideals. Along with his classmate Agarkar and great social reformer Vishnushastry Chiplunkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded “Deccan Education Society” to impart quality education to India's youth.

The very next year after the Deccan Education Society was founded, Tilak started two weeklies, 'Kesari' and 'Mahratta'. 'Kesari' was Marathi weekly while 'Mahratta' was English weekly. Soon both the newspapers became very popular. In his newspapers, Tilak highlighted the plight of Indians. He gave a vivid picture of the people's sufferings and of actual happenings. Tilak called upon every Indian to fight for his right. Bal Gangadhar Tilak used fiery language to arouse the sleeping Indians.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress in 1890. He was a member of the Municipal Council of Pune, Bombay Legislature, and an elected 'Fellow' of the Bombay University. Tilak was a great social reformer. He issued a call for the banning of child marriage and welcomed widow remarriage. Through the celebrations of Ganapati Festival and the birthday of the Shivaji he organized people.

In 1897, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was charged with writing articles instigating people to rise against the government and to break the laws and disturb the peace. He was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one and a half year. Tilak was released in 1898. After his release, Tilak launched Swadeshi Movement. Through newspapers and lectures, Tilak spread the message to each and every village in Maharashtra. A big 'Swadeshi Market' was opened in front of Tilak's house. Meanwhile, Congress was split into two camps-Moderates and Extremists. Extremists led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak opposed the moderate faction led by Gopal Krishna. Extremists were in the favour of self rule while the moderates thought that time is not yet ripe for such an eventuality. This rift finally led to a split in the Congress.

Tilak was arrested on the charges of sedition in 1906. After the trial, Tilak was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in Mandalay (Burma). Tilak spent his time in prison by reading and writing. He wrote the book 'Gita-Rahasya' while he was in prison. Tilak was released on June 8, 1914. After his release, Bal Gangadhar Tilak tried to bring the two factions of Congress together. But his efforts did not bear much fruit. In 1916, Tilak decided to build a separate organization called the 'Home Rule League'. Its goal was swaraj. Tilak went from village to village, and explained the aim of his league to the farmers and won their hearts. He traveled constantly in order to organize the people. While fighting for people’s cause Bal Gangadhar Tilak died on August 1, 1920.

Biography of Aurobindo Ghose

Born: August 15, 1872
Died: December 5, 1950
Achievements: He was a freedom fighter, poet, scholar, yogi and philosopher. Worked towards the cause of India’s freedom, and for further evolution of life on earth.

Aurobindo Ghose was a multifaceted person. He was a freedom fighter, poet, scholar, yogi and philosopher. He spent his life working towards the cause of India’s freedom, and for further evolution of life on earth.

Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was born on August 15, 1872 at Calcutta. His father was Krishnadhan and his mother was Swamalata. Aurobindo Ghose had an impressive lineage. Raj Narayan Bose, an acknowledged leader in Bengali literature, and the grandfather of Indian nationalism was Sri Aurobindo’s maternal grandfather. Aurobindo Ghosh owes not only his rich spiritual nature, but even his very superior literary capacity, to his mother’s line. His father was an M.D. from England.

When Sri Aurobindo was five years old, he was sent to Loretto Convent School at Darjeeling. Two years later in 1879, Aurobindo Ghose, was sent to England along with his brothers for higher studies. Aurobindo completed his schooling from St. Paul's in London. In 1890, at the age of eighteen, Sri Aurobindo got admission into Cambridge. Here, he distinguished himself as a student of European classics. To comply with the wish of his father, Sri Aurobindo Ghose also applied for the ICS while at Cambridge. He passed the Indian Civil Service Examination with great credit in 1890. He, however, failed to stand the required test in horsemanship and hence was not allowed to enter the Covenantal Service of the Indian Government.

In 1893, Aurobindo Ghose, returned to India, and became the Vice-principal of the State college in Baroda. He drew a salary of Rs.750/-. He was held in great respect by the Maharaja of Baroda. Aurobindo was an accomplished scholar in Greek and Latin. From 1893 to 1906 he extensively studied Sanskrit, Bengali literature, Philosophy and Political Science.

In 1906, in the wake of partition of Bengal, resigned his job and joined the Bengal National College on a salary of Rs.150/-. He plunged headlong into the revolutionary movement. Aurobindo Ghose played a leading role in India’s freedom struggle from 1908. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was one of the pioneers of political awakening in India. He edited the English daily Bande Mataram and wrote fearless and pointed editorials. He openly advocated the boycott of British goods, British courts and everything British. He asked the people to prepare themselves for passive resistance.

The famous Alipore Bomb Case proved to be a turning point in Sri Aurobindo Ghosh’s life. For a year Aurobindo was an undertrial prisoner in solitary confinement in the Alipore Central Jail. It was in a dingy cell of the Alipore Jail that he dreamt the dream of his future life, the divine mission ordained for him by God. He utilized this period of incarceration for an intense study and practice of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Chittaranjan Das defended Sri Aurobindo, who was acquitted after a memorable trial.

During his time in prison, Aurobindo Ghosh, had developed interest in yoga and meditation. After his release he started practicing pranayama and meditation. Sri Aurobindo Ghose migrated from Calcutta to Pondicherry in 1910. At Pondicherry, he stayed at a friend’s place. At first, he lived there with four or five companions. Gradually the number of members increased and an Ashram was founded.

In 1914 after four years of concentrated yoga at Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo launched Arya, a 64 page monthly review. For the next six and a half years this became the vehicle for most of his most important writings, which appeared in serialised form. These included Essays on The Gita, The Secret of The Veda, Hymns to the Mystic Fire, The Upanishads, The Foundations of Indian Culture, War and Self-determination, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, and The Future Poetry. In 1926, Sri Aurobindo Ghose retired from public life.

Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy is based on facts, experience and personal realisations and on having the vision of a seer or Rishi. Aurobindo’s spirituality was inseparably united with reason. The goal of Sri Aurobindo was not merely the liberation of the individual from the chain that fetters him and realization of the self, but to work out the will of the Divine in the world, to effect a spiritual transformation and to bring down the divine nature and a divine life into the mental, vital and physical nature and life of humanity.

Sri Aurobindo passed away on December 5, 1950 at Pondicherry at the age of 78.

Biography of Aruna Asaf Ali

Born: July 16, 1908
Died: July 29, 1996
Achievements: Aruna Asaf Ali played a leading role during Quit India Movement; elected as Delhi’s first Mayor; awarded the Lenin Prize for peace in 1975 and the Jawahar Lal Nehru award for International understanding for 1991; honored with Bharat Ratna in 1998.

Aruna Asaf Ali was a legendary heroine of India's freedom struggle. Her moment of reckoning came in 1942 during Quit India Movement and she rose to the occasion. She unfurled the national flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan to signify the commencement of the Quit India Movement and became a legend for thousands of youth that rose to emulate her.

Aruna Asaf Ali was born as Aruna Ganguly on July 16 1908 at Kalka (Haryana) in an orthodox Hindu Bengali family. She was educated at Sacred Heart Convent in Lahore, and then in Nainital. After graduating from school, she taught at the Gokhale Memorial School in Calcutta. In Allahabad, she met her future husband, Asaf Ali,a prominent Congressman who was 23 years older than her. They were married in 1928 against parental opposition on the grounds of both religion and age.

As Asaf Ali was deeply involved with freedom struggle, after marriage Aruna Asaf Ali too plunged into it. Her first major political action was during the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 when she addressed public meetings and led processions. British Government charged her for being a “vagrant” and sentenced her to one year’s imprisonment. When political prisoners were released in the aftermath of Gandhi-Irwin pact, Aruna was not released. But a public agitation in favour of her release forced British government to release her.

She was arrested again in 1932 and put in Tihar Jail. In Tihar Jail she went on a hunger strike against the treatment meted out to political prisoners. Her protest caused an improvement in conditions, but she herself was moved to solitary confinement in Ambala. After her release, she dropped out of the national movement for 10 years.

In 1942 she attended the Bombay Congress Session with her husband, where the historic Quit India resolution was passed on 8th August. When the Congress leaders were arrested on the day after this resolution was passed, Aruna presided over the flag-hoisting ceremony at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay. She provided the spark that ignited the movement. She became a full-time activist in the Quit India movement and went underground to evade arrest. Her property was seized by the Government and sold. The Government also announced Rs. 5000 reward for her capture. Meanwhile, she fell ill and on hearing this Gandhiji advised her to surrender. However, Aruna Asaf Ali surrendered herself only when the warrants against her were cancelled on 26th January 1946.

At the time of independence Aruna Asaf Ali was a member of the Congress Socialist Party, which until then had been part of the Congress framework. In 1948, however, the socialists, including Aruna, formed a socialist party of their own. In 1955 this group merged with Communist Party of India and she became a member of its Central committee and a Vice President of the All India Trade Union Congress. In 1958 she left the Communist Party of India and was elected Delhi's first Mayor. she rejoined the Congress party in 1964 but ceased to play any active part in politics. She was awarded the Lenin Prize for peace in 1975 and the Jawahar Lal Nehru award for International understanding for 1991. Aruna Asaf Ali died on died July 29 1996. She was awarded India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, and was honoured with a stamp issued by the Indian Postal Service in 1998.

Biography of Annie Besant

Born: October 1, 1847
Died: September 20, 1933
Achievements: President of Theosophical Society of India; founded Home Rule League in 1916 and demand self rule in India; became first woman president of Indian National Congress.

Annie Besant was a prominent Theosophist, social reformer, political leader, women's rights activist, writer and orator. She was of Irish origin and made India her second home. She fought for the rights of Indian and was the first woman president of Indian National Congress.

Annie Besant was born as Annie Wood on October 1, 1847 in a middle-class family in London. She was of Irish origin. Her father died when she was only five. Annie’s mother supported the family by running a boarding house for boys at Harrow. As a young woman she traveled widely in Europe and this widened her outlook.

Annie Besant was married in 1867 to a clergyman called Frank Besant. But the marriage did not last long. They legally separated in 1873. Annie Besant had two children from the marriage. After her separation Annie began to question not only her long-held religious beliefs but the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the Churches and the way they controlled people’s lives. In particular she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.

Annie Besant fought for the causes she thought were right, such as, women's rights, secularism, birth control, Fabian socialism and workers' rights. She became interested in Theosophy as a way of knowing God. Theosophical Society was against discrimination of race, color, gender and preached Universal brotherhood. To serve humanity at large was its supreme goal. It was as a member of Theosophical Society of India that she arrived in India in 1893.

She toured the entire country of India. It gave her first hand information about India and middle-class Indians who were affected more by British rule and its system of education. Her long-time interest in education resulted in the founding of the Central Hindu College at Benares (1898).

She also became involved in Indian freedom movement. In 1916, she founded Home Rule League which advocated self rule by Indians. She became the President of Indian National Congress in 1917. She was the first woman to hold that post. She started a newspaper, "New India", criticized British rule and was jailed for sedition. After the arrival of Gandhiji on Indian national scene, differences arose between Mahatma Gandhi and Annie Besant. Gradually, she withdrew from active politics.

Annie Besant died on September 20, 1933 at Adyar (Madras). As per her wish her ashes were immersed in Ganga in Benares.

Biography Of Narendra Modi

Born On: September 17, 1950
Born In: Vadanagar, Gujarat
Career: Politician

As a strong man with unparalleled administrative talents and great determination, Narendra Modi's name is written in golden letters in Gujarat's political history. Modi ruled Gujarat for about ten consecutive years and still continues to hold a considerable amount of power. Born and brought up in a noble culture, he derived his values of generosity, benevolence and social service from his family and social backdrop. He possesses excellent knowledge on human psychology and is also endowed with impressive organizational capabilities that are well evident in the economic and political atmosphere of present-day Gujarat. With his deliberate and uncompromised efforts that made Gujarat an economic power house, he proved that 'action speaks louder than words'. In spite of the vicious and prolonged campaign of vilification against him, he managed to rule the minds of the people in Gujarat who elected him as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the third consecutive time. Narendra Modi with his action-oriented style of administration has shut the mouth of his enemies, who even now are desperate to pull him down from power. With his unusual courage to convert challenges into opportunities, Modi is regarded as a great administrator and a powerful, innovative leader. Read on to know more about one of the most popular political leaders in India.

Early Life
Narendra Damodardas Modi was born into a middle class Hindu family. He served the Indian Army soldiers in transit during the Indo-Pak war. He lent his benevolent hands to serve the flood-affected people in Gujarat in 1967. He joined a student organization called the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and worked as a full-time organizer for the same. He also was involved in the anti-corruption Reconstruction Movement (Navnirman). Later he was nominated as the organization's representative in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He worked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is a socio-cultural organization that focuses on the social and cultural development of India. Modi did his schooling in Vadnagar and finished a Master's degree in Political Science. He is also quite the poet and has written a large number of poems.

Career
Narendra Modi started his political career in his early ages and spread the ideology of ABVP and worked with the RSS.He carried out important roles in many crucial situations such as the anti-corruption agitation in 1974 and the 19-month long emergency period in 1975-1977 declared by the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. He stood by the people and fought a spirited battle against the fascist acts of the central government. Modi entered mainstream politics in 1987 by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party and worked for the Gujrat unit of the party. It was because of his proven talent as an effective organizer that he grew to the post of General Secretary of the party (Gujarat Unit) within a year. He created a strong cadre base for the party in Gujarat, working in partnership with Shankarsingh Vaghela. Working under a master strategist like Modi, BJP started gaining political mileage in Gujarat and managed to ascend to power with a two-thirds majority in 1995. Since then, the BJPis successfully ruling Gujarat till now.

Between 1988 and 1995 Modi was given responsibility to organize major events of national importance like Somnath - AyodhyaYatra (led by L.K Advani) and also Kanyakumari - Kashmir Yatra which led to the growth of BJP as the Central Government in 1998. He was appointed as the National Secretary of the party in 1995 with the charge of five major states in India, which was truly a rare distinction for a young leader and then as the General Secretary of BJP in 1998 up to 2001. In 2001, when Keshubhai Patel was removed from power, BJP chose Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat and from then on, he is the favorite leader of Gujarat people.

Gujarat witnessed a major riot in 2002, after the Sabarmati Express train was attacked by a group of Muslims thus leading to a Hindu-Muslim communal riot. These mishaps occurred on 27th February, 2002 at Godhra City and a total of 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed and 223 more people were reported missing. It caused heavy damage to the state including the destruction of religious worship places: 298 dargahs, 205 mosques, 17 temples and 3 churches were destroyed during the riots. As a consequence of the riots, Modi resigned from his position. However, the people of Gujrat still patronized Modi and he came back to power after getting elected again in the state elections.

Modi was considered responsible for these riots and the U.S withdrew his visa. The Supreme Court of India on its part appointed a special investigation team to investigate Modi's alleged role in the riots, but the team could not find any evidence against him.

Contributions
Narendra Modi has contributed a lot towards the growth of Gujarat. He introduced many Yojnas in Gujarat. Some of them are:
  • Krishi Mahotsav for agricultural research labs.  
  • Chiranjeevi Yojanato to reduce infant mortality rate.
  • Matru Vandana for Reproductive and Child Health Programmes.
  • Beti Bachao campaign to protect infant girls and to improve the sex ratio.
  • Jyotigram Yojanato to introduce electricity to every village.
  • Karmayogi Abhiyan to provide education and training to government employees.
  • Kanya Kelavani Yojana to encourage education amongst girls.
  • Balbhog Yojana as a midday meal project for students.
With the assistance of a Broadband connection, Modi is planning to connect villages of Gujarat to one another. His affective administration skills helped Gujrat to recover from the damage caused by the 2001 earthquake.

Legacy
In 2001, when Modi took charge as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the state was struggling with a shrinking economy because of various reasons including the massive earthquakes of 2001. He put in a lot of efforts to restore the state's economy and as a result of his efforts, Gujarat registered a 10% growth rate in his first tenure which was the highest growth rate among Indian states. Gujarat has bagged several awards and was recognized by the world under his leadership. The state of Gujarat won awards like "The UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction", "Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM)" award for innovations in governance, UNESCO award and CSI award for e-Governance to name some.

Awards And Accolades
Best Chief Minister of the Country (2006)
Best Chief Minister of the Country (2006)
fDi Personality of the Year Award (2009) by fDi Magazine. This award was withdrawn later and awarded to the state of Gujarat instead.

Time Line
1950 - Born at Vadnagar, Gujarat
1987 - Entered mainstream politics
1995 - Became the National Secretary of BJP
1998 - Became General Secretary of BJP
2001 - Became the Chief Minister of Gujarat
2002 - Modi was elected again as the Chief Minister of Gujarat