Brilliant Leader

Free Resume Templates in Word: A Practical Option for Job Seekers in India

Creating a professional resume is often one of the most stressful parts of a job search, especially for freshers and candidates applying for multiple roles. While there are many resume builders available online, not all of them are easy to use, affordable, or suitable for Indian job markets.

Over the years, recruiters have consistently emphasized one thing: clarity and simplicity matter more than design-heavy resumes. This is why many hiring managers still prefer resumes created in Microsoft Word format rather than complex online designs.

Why Word Resume Templates Still Work Best

Resume templates in Word format remain popular for several practical reasons:

They are easy to edit and customize
Most recruiters can open them without formatting issues
They are ATS-friendly when structured properly
Candidates can tailor them quickly for different job roles

For freshers, entry-level professionals, and even experienced candidates, a clean Word resume often performs better than overly designed PDFs.

Common Problems Job Seekers Face

Many candidates struggle with:

Finding templates that are genuinely free
Avoiding forced sign-ups or hidden payments
Download limits or watermarked resumes
Templates that are not relevant to Indian industries

This leads to unnecessary time loss during an already stressful job-search phase.

A Useful Free Resource Worth Exploring

During research for resume resources, I came across a website that offers completely free resume templates in Word format, without sign-up requirements or download restrictions. The platform focuses on simplicity and practicality rather than pushing paid upgrades.

What stands out is that the templates are categorized by:

Fresher and experienced roles
Industry-specific profiles
Simple, ATS-friendly layouts

For candidates who want to quickly download and edit a resume without distractions, this kind of resource can be genuinely helpful. You can explore their collection of free resume templates here:
Free Resume Templates in Word Format

Who Can Benefit From Such Templates?

These templates are particularly useful for:

Freshers applying for their first job
Candidates preparing resumes in bulk
Job seekers applying through portals like Naukri, Indeed, or company career pages
Professionals who prefer offline editing in Word

Instead of spending hours designing a resume from scratch, using a well-structured template allows candidates to focus on content, skills, and achievements.

Final Thoughts

A resume does not need to be flashy to be effective. In most hiring scenarios, clarity, structure, and relevance matter far more than colors and graphics. Free, editable Word templates remain one of the most reliable tools for job seekers in India.

If you are actively applying for jobs or planning to update your resume soon, using a simple and accessible template can save time and reduce stress during the application process.

Brilliant Leader: Overview of Coaching Cyle

Brilliant Leader: Overview of Coaching Cyle: The basic component and steps are Tell Show Practice Monitor and observe Provide Constructive Feedback. The coaching cycle starts wit...

What is leadership ?

The Successful People Demonstrate - Leadership.

"Leadership is not wielding authority - it's empowering people " - Becky Brodin.

"The Size if a leader is determined by the depth of his conviction, the height of his ambitions, the breadth of his vision, and the reach of his love." - D N Jackson

Everything rise and falls on leadership : Small victories can be achieved alone : but great victories, the kinds that ultimately being success can never be achieved alone. To accomplish them you must include other people. And any time you start involving others to achieve any goal., you cross over into the area of leadership. Everything rise and fall on leadership.

What exactly leadership is ?

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." In the broadcast sense that is true. A leader is someone who does make vision come true, but you have to include another important element - other people. A Leader makes his vision become a reality through not only his own efforts, but also those of others. Anyone who thinks he is a leader but has no one following him merely taking a walk.

Leadership is Influence :

In some dictionaries of English language defines the word leadership as "the position of guidance of leader; the ability to lead." That definition doesn't help much. In fact it promotes a common misconception concerning leadership. Many people believe that leadership get its power from position or title. They think the boss is able to lead because he has the position and the manager because he has the title. But that is not true nature of leadership. A person who can do no more than lead within the narrow parameters of his position is not true leader. As some one said " People do not follow programs, but leaders who inspire them".

The definition for leadership that I have seen is this Leadership is influence. A true leader is a person able to influence others to follow him. He is able to get them to join up and more out with him. He encourages the people around him to be a willing extension of his vision, goals, and accomplishments. And he empowers them to succeed.

Leadership begins with a person's character and vision the core of who is as a person :

The core of who is as a person. As leadership expert Fred Smith said Leadership get out in front and stay there by raising the standards by which they judge themselves and by which they are willing to be judged. the beast leaders are people who are continually growing, stretching, learning,. They are willing to pay the price of leadership They will make the sacrifices needed in order to keep improving themselves, enlarging their vision, increasing their skills, reaching their potential. Through their efforts , they become people that others admire.

Positive Thinking, Character vision, communication and motivation are the principles that from the foundation of leadership :

Credible people with good personal qualities are better potential leaders then people without admirable traits, but those good qualities alone don't make them leaders. Those attributes must be coupled with the ability to positively interact with others. Leaders develop positive relationship with people, begin to care about them, and learn to communicate and motivate them. Positive thinking, character, vision communication and motivation are the principles form the foundation of leadership and Self Improvement.

Relevant Pages : Vision, Time Management, Leadership Styles

9Cs - Lee Iacocca

Lee Iacocca' 9Cs of leadership from "Where all the leaders have Gone".

1. Curiosity : A leader has to show Curiosity. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes sir" crowd in his inner circle. The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you know it or just you don't care.

2. Creative : A leader has to be Creative, go out of the way and be willing to do something new and different. Leadership is also called all about managing change. Things change and you get creative.
You adjust and adapt.

3. Communicate : Leader has to communicate in a way, facing a reality and telling the truth.

4. Character : The leader has be to a person of character, that means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having powers to do right things.

5. Courage : Talk or walk or behave in a very confident and arrogant or self important way is not courage. Courage is to sit down calmly at negotiation table and discuss. Put your view and prove it right scientifically / by data / by knowledge / by skills.

6. Conviction : To be a leader one should have Conviction. A fire in your thought. A power of thought to really have some thing done or achieve.

7. Charisma : It is also called attractiveness. People follow leader on his steps, works and set an example because people trust leaders. This was the meaning of Charisma taken.

8. Competent : Leader has to be competent. You have go to know what you are doing and which is right or wrong. Other than this you have to surround your self with people who know what they are doing.

9. Crisis : Leaders are made, not born. Leadership get tested and passed in the time of crisis.

Also Read : Communication Skills
Also Read : 80/20 Rule of communication

Managing Emails Effectively

Email can be incredibly useful – or it can be a huge distraction. The strategies in this guide will help you and your people process email effectively, so that you can all be more productive.

Email has transformed the business world. When you use it effectively, you can share information quickly, and increase your productivity as a result. But, email can easily become overwhelming if you don’t manage it carefully. In this 10-Minute Guide, we’ll outline six simple ways that you and your team can manage your email more effectively, so you can get on with the work you’re trying to do.

So, what are these six ways of managing your email better?

1. Check Your Email at Set Times.

If you check your email constantly, you disrupt your train of thought, and you become less productive. So, instead of checking your inbox throughout the day, choose set times that you’ll check your mail – for example, first thing in the morning, after lunch, and at the end of the day. Alternatively, schedule time to read and respond to emails after a long period of focused work, or at the time of day when your energy and creativity are at their lowest (so that you can do high value work at other times). You may be able to set up your email software to receive email at certain times only. But, if not, turn off alerts (including those on your smartphone or tablet), or, log out of your email program completely, so that you’re not tempted to look at it outside your allocated times. Manage colleagues’ expectations, and let them know that you only check your email at set times. If there are situations in which they need to contact you urgently, suggest that they call, or use instant messaging.

2. Use the "Two-Minute Rule".

You can waste hours if you don’t use your email reading time intelligently. Apply time management “Two-Minute Rule” to your email. It suggests that you should assess your tasks (including your email) as you come across them, and immediately do any that will take less than two minutes to complete.For more complex emails, schedule time on your calendar, add them as actions on your To-Do List, or use your email system to flag them up as messages that you’ll need to respond to.

3. Manage Informational Messages Proactively.

Many of us get lots of informational notifications – such as “FYI” emails from the corporate office, or details of updated procedures. If you see your name in the “CC” field instead of the “To” field of a message, chances are it’s an informational message. Consider filing it in a “To Read” folder, so that you can tackle it when you have time. You may even be able to set up a filter or a rule (see below) in your email program to file these emails in a specific folder that you can access when you have spare time.

4. Use Email Folders.

A simple filing system will help you find information quickly, and act on it. You could use broad categories such as “Action Items,” “Waiting,” and “Reference.” You can then use your “Action” and “Waiting” folders as informal To-Do Lists. If three categories sounds too simplistic, you can set up folders for each of your projects or clients. Then, instead of scouring your entire email system, you can simply search in the relevant folder and find the relevant emails quickly and easily. (Whether this works for you depends on the type of work you do. If you need instant access to emails, use folders. If you can spend a bit of time searching for an email, then an email search engine can give you everything you need.)

5. Use Rules

Most email programs allow you to establish “rules” that sort email into a particular folder as soon as it comes in. For instance, you might get several emails each day that notify you of sales your company has made. You want to receive these, because you want to know what’s happening, but you don’t want them to clutter your inbox. So, instead, set up a rule that moves every email with the subject header “sales notification” into a dedicated “sales notifications” folder as soon as it arrives. You can then browse these at a convenient time. You’ll also store all of these emails in one place, which can help you spot trends in the information that they contain.

6. Agree How to Use Email

If email is the main communication channel with your team, then it’s likely that your inbox is full of ongoing conversations about team projects and issues. These can be distracting, and these messages can make it difficult to manage the other contents of your inbox. Agree some simple rules with your people, so that you can all manage your email more effectively:

• If a message is short, suggest that it’s fine to type it straight into the subject line of the email and add “EOM” (End of Message) at the end. You’ll all be able to see the message quickly, act on it, and then delete it without having to open the email.

• Include deadlines in email subject headers. People can use these to prioritize tasks quickly, and to file them once a deadline has passed.

• If your team members regularly send similar emails, such as time sheets or expense forms, ask them to use agreed keywords in their email subject lines, so that you can filter these emails into folders, and tackle them in a batch.

• You can manage email volume by using the “To” and “CC” fields intelligently. Only include someone’s email address in the “To” field if you expect a reply from them, and use the “CC” field for people you’re simply keeping updated.

• Likewise, think about who needs to be kept in the loop before you press “reply all.” You don’t always need to reply to everyone included in a message.

• If it’s appropriate in your organization, switch on your “out of office” message when you need some email-free time. Provide a cell phone number or VoIP/IM username in your message that people can use if they need to reach you urgently, and state when you’ll next be reading your emails.

Key Points

Most of us feel overwhelmed by email at some point. However, when you manage it effectively, you can significantly reduce stress and boost your productivity.

To gain control of your inbox, start by checking and processing email only at certain times during the day. If you’re concerned about the delayed response, let people know that you don’t check your email constantly.

Aim to keep your inbox as clear as possible. Organize mail using folders, and, when you do check mail, use the two-minute rule – immediately handle any email that you can read and respond to in two minutes or less.

Agree simple rules within your team so that you can reduce the number of messages sent, and make them easier to handle.

Also read : Common Time management Mistakes.

What is leadership ?

The Successful People Demonstrate - Leadership.

"Leadership is not wielding authority - it's empowering people " - Becky Brodin.

"The Size if a leader is determined by the depth of his conviction, the height of his ambitions, the breadth of his vision, and the reach of his love." - D N Jackson

What exactly leadership is ?

Leadership is Influence :

Leadership begins with a person's character and vision the core of who is as a person :

Positive Thinking, Character vision, communication and motivation are the principles that from the foundation of leadership :

Discover Self

Personal development planning is all about creating a long term goal for you career and then planning how your will get there.

However, before you can know what you want to do in the long term, some serious reflection is in order. What are you good at ? What are you not so good at ? What opportunities are available ? And are there factors beyond your control that could impact you goals?

To answer these question what we studies is management Gurus have accepted two classic tools, SWOT and PEST which can be applied in personal situations. Through this analysis you will gain a solid understanding of where are you now, and where you would be well suited to go with a high chances of success.

Personal SWOT

In business, we use SWOT analysis to to identify the strength and weakness of any organization and the opportunities and threat it is facing. Just like that for single person the strength of an individual say what are you good at, the weakness say what is minus point and where the improvement is required. If person start know where he is not good, he understand that someones help can be taken.

Taken together, you strengths and opportunities help you to identity potential long term career goals. Your weakness and threats you face are the things which you need to manage, mitigate or planned to ensure the goals remain achievable. Management Gurus use four Quadrant to write the question and answers show in Fig 1.

Strengths :
Do not limit your self up to work skills, think of all the experience you have had, opportunities you have ad to grow, which may include your education, aptitude, personality factors, interests. Answers the following type of questions.

What are you really good at ?
What skills do other people recognize in you ?
What do you do better than most people you work with ?
What do you get recognized or rewarded for ?
What, about yourself, are you most proud of or satisfied with.
What experiences, resources, or connections do you have access to that other's don't have.

Remember to ask friends, relatives, partners, neighbor, your peers if required.

Weakness :

We all have weakness, the trick is to identify and work upon as an improvement area. Use the following question to identify the same.

What do you try to do that you are masters of it.
What do you do just the sake of doing or just to fill the job requirements.
Are there any personality aspects which hold you back by going forward.
Where are you vulnerable.
Where do you lack of experience, resources or connections where other go more.

Unlike the S section, limit your self to the weakness which actually may affect your career progression.

Opportunity :

Now that as you have looked inside your self, you turn your attention to outside and identify the elements that can build on or take advantage of that will improve your chances of success. This is best done by setting aside some time and brainstorming in an attempt to uncover new and innovative ideas that may not have occurred to you before.

In what ways you can maximize your strengths
What are the opportunities open to those who do things well.
What would you love to do that you are good at ?
How can you minimize your weakness.
If you weaknesses did not hold you, what could you be.
Where do you see the most potential growth for your self, Within your company, in different company, in same industry, different industry or a different career altogether.

Threats :

If the threats are not in control they can be planned for. It is called mitigation plan. That's why it important to identify all possible threats and do a mitigation plan. The more you know about them, the less you are to be "blindsided" by something unexpected. Now you might feel that you would rather avoid looking at threats as they can cause worry, fears and stress. The reality is you will encounter much more anxiety if you do not think about potential threats.

Remember, a threat loses much of its sting when it is managed and prepared for. Ask your self the following questions.

Do you have a weakness that need to be addressed before you go ahead.
What problem your weakness cause if remain unchecked.
What set backs may I face.

Personal Development Plan

Are we fully in control of our career ? Do we have a clear and inspiring idea of what we want o achieve in future? Are we actively taking a steps to reach to the career goals and to pursue dreams?

If you are not taking steps or doing something towards career goals, which is you dream, you take risk not to achieve them. If you put the course of action to your dream on your organization, your boss, your parents originally - you risk not going where you want to go, and not doing what you want to do. After all if you are not working to realize your dreams, you are working for some one else's dream.

All too often, this abdication of career direction happens without even you realizing ti. See if you are recognize your self in this below scenario.

Mr. Mehta has been in a current position from last 3 years. He is doing his job comfortably, he knows what is expected, his senior was a good person, his peers are his friends, life was stable and good in this roll. Few more months passed and now he started looking at calender and finding Friday mood in Wednesday afternoon hours. Mehta started wanting excitement and challenge. He wanted to have some thing more right away. He himself is in confusion that what he want, a promotion, a statuesque, more importance in job, job enhancement, money, cabin change, or a job change. This is the reason of higher attrition in today's time in corporate.

Unfortunately, for Mr Mehta, no one ever told him that neither his company nor his boss was responsible for his career satisfaction. No one let him know the secret that if tomorrow you do the same what you do today, results of tomorrow are not likely to be different than today.

The need is to take a charge of self and proactively change the career the way one want. When one take back the control he realize that the only way you will achieve what you want, personally or professionally is to think about where you want to go, put in place the plan to go there and then start moving.

Surprisingly, One who do this personal development plan is you yourself, we ourselves. Personal development planning is just a structure way of doing below points.

1. Understand yourself so that you can set meaningful goals.

2. Decide and define goals in terms of what you want to achive and the steps you need to be get there.

3. Last, identify the gaps in your skills and experience and create an action plan that will fill them in to start to move closer and closer.

So start the process right now. Stay connected for more details.

Discover who are you are for what you are.

360 Degree Feedback Tool for an Enterprenuears

In one of recent organization, company is conducting the 360 Degree feedback on the values of the Company based on which the vision of the Organization is designed.

360 Degree word it self says, that from all direction a person get a feedback. This means an Individual get an feedback of Direct supervisor, Peers, direct report employees and the most wonderful thing is your own feedback by some set of Questions and Answers. Like other giant organizations, a small and emerging organization should also practice this feedback mechanism for getting and giving a feedback on any topic. Remember the Feedback is not criticism, its an opportunity to improve self, improve others performance, improve organizations performance and make the work place better to work.

360 Degree Feedback Mechanism

Generally the 360 Degree feedback is done for those who are some or more at leadership level. It is an effective performance tool which is common in most of the organizations now a days. In this feedback mechanism, the employee receives confidential feedback from his manager, peers and employees about their performance. Generally it depicts what an employee should start doing, Stop doing and continue doing.

The Questions are generally on rating scale from one to five, designed based on the company requirements and type of feedback. The respondents is also asked to give comments on rating in details. 360 Degree evaluations represents the results in a form of Development plan.

The Development plan or guidance could be in this format.

1. Continue

2. Start

3. Stop

The employees who are not managers also passes through the same method of survey but since they dont have direct employees reports under him, it is generally called a 180 Degree survey for feedback.

The results of the survey can be used either way.

1. Used as a development tool to measure strength and weaknesses

2. Used for Yearly Appraisals tool for performance measurement

The 360 Degrees feedback measures behaviors, competencies, feedback on how others perceive him or her, which also address like how the person behaves, listening skills, planning, organizing the things with available resource. This evaluation focuses on teamwork, character, and leadership effectiveness like subjective areas.

This is not the way to measure employee performance objectives, meeting basic job requirement. The feedback can not be focused on some technical of job related, skill related competencies, attendance etc.

In nutshell the tool is very effective in getting honest feedback and being prepared for the strengths and weaknesses identified.

Compare Leadership skills in Whatsapp Group Admin

We have seen two major internet revolutions in computer and mobile, which are Facebook and Whatsapp. Recently Facebook has acquired Whatsapp and it was a breaking news over night. Today the both are a very strong Social medias with which people are connected with each other. However, it has reduced the personal interaction and face to face meets.

While we talk about the leadership, and mentioned in earlier posts as the persona having capabilities to transform the vision in reality, taking all teams along with him, becoming a guiding light, motivator all the time to reach the final goals. We never thought earlier about the comparting and taking exapmple of leadership qualities before on Whatsapp Group Administrator. The following write up is inspired by one of my friend Pratik Shah, who is Administrator of Telecom Gujarat Group.

Vision : Creating a group on certain theme and make it successful is a vision of the Group Admin, and he or she make it happen by having a thought in mind first. Certain people create a group on the theme of School members, college students, certain company members or a some industry altogether. Some groups are on special interest or like minded people who wish to exchange ideas on very prompt medium. Have read some where that the first ingredient of success is to dream a great dream and if you can dream it, you can do it. Our leaders are also visionary and they led us to some goals and achievements.

Establishment : People need courage and strong commitment to establish something new, on which they are not sure about the clear cut goals and guidelines. Group admin create a group by having certain thoughts in mind, like from what will be theme, first conversation, who will be group members, from where he or she wll get those number and etc etc. The small things matter, micro planning required, even if you are at top level being a leader. The planning while and before establishment makes the leaders confident and makes him aware about the potential problems lying in path. The foresight will help teams to find a solution.

Selection / Recruitment :

Selection of members in Whatsapp group is also an very important task since the activeness of group and members lies on this criteria. Even in some cases where the count of members increases above 50, Admin need to select some inactive members to remove and add new aspirants in the group. What exactly the Admin does in this process. Selection of suitable member and add them in a Group, Monitoring of Performance ( Activeness, effectiveness and Value) of the group members. Take decision to remove and add new members. Same is happening in Corporate world. In todays scenario the Corporate is totally Performance driven and employee are rated, graded, awarded and terminated based on the performance.

Policies :

Whatsapp group Admin admin generally makes and helps others to break the rules either way. I have seen certain Admin, who restrict members by posting unwanted material, photos or contents on racism which may not generate a healthy discussion. It is a leader who decide how his group will behave. In certain groups there are only light contents will be forwarded where as some groups are so active where they discuss technology, job opportunities, current affairs which adds value to you knowledge.

Conflict Resolution :

Many members have difference of opinion with others still they are active participants and who make the group alive, it is a leader who keep them alive and encourage them to talk and share their views where as applicable. In some of the cases Admin become inter mediator to resolve the difference of opinion and drive the discussion to some other fruitful directions.

We never notice such leadership skill but it is every where in each individual if a person start looking at that angle. If you have notices that the Father in his Daughters marriage, become best manager, organizer, planner, forecaster, accountant, and leader overall. No matters what his roll in his day to day job.

Relationship : Success Strategy Activities

1. Pick one person each week to get to know better. It can be someone you work, socialize, go to Church with, etc. Take time to talk with that person. Encourage him to tell you about himself. Then do whatever it takes to remember the information. When you later see that person, as heart felt questions based on your knowledge of him

2. Set aside some time to reflect on whether you are advancing yourself by taking advantage of others. If you are, go to the person you have exploited, any try to repair the relationship : apologize, offer restitution, change your interaction so that it is mutually beneficial, and determine not to repeat the same error.

3. Select someone you have desired to know or that you wish to develop a business relationship with. Try initiating relationship with that person by selecting one of the following strategies.

Ask a person for advise
Ask the person to do your favor.
Learn that the person's interest are, find our some information about that interest, and them meet with the person for the first time only with goal of discussing that interest.

4. The next time you plan to meet with a friend or colleague, plan to bring something or the table before you get together. But a book or tape that you know that he or she will enjoy. Plan to introduce the person to a good business or personal contact that you know. Be Creative.

5. Become a student of people by creating a "people notebook" At the end of each day, try to record one observation about specific person you encountered during the day or about people in general based on your experiences. In addition, write down insightful quotes that you hear or read about people. At the end of each month, review your quotes. Look for patterns in your observations, and draw truths about people from those observations. Then file especially good quotes for later use. Review the notebook again at the end of the year.

Go to : Executive Skills

The Successful Person Values : Relationships.

Recently came to know about the group of teachers who were surprised by the results of the questionnaire they sent to more than 2000 Employers. As a service to student, they asked: "Will you please look up the last three persons dismissed from your business, and tell us why you let them go ? "In two out of three cases - Regardless of the type of work or area of the country - the answer was the same :" They were dismissed because they could not get along with other people"

Business people who accomplish great things recognize the importance of people to their success. A H Smith , former president of a leading railroad in the US said " A rail road is 95% man and 5% iron. " His observation reflects what other successful people know and what various scientific studies have proven. If you learn how to deal with others, you will have gone about 85% of the way down the road to success in any business, occupation, profession. And you will have done about 99% of the way down the road to personal happiness.

The bottom line is that or relationship make or break us. The quality of our relationship with our spouse will determine what our relationships are like with our children. Our family relationship will set the tone for our outlook with others. Rarely have i met a person who is successful in long run who does not have good relationship with his or her spouse.

Likewise the quality of our relationships with our co-workers, bosses, and employees are largely responsible with our success or failure in business. All the technical expertise and skills in the world will not enable a person to achieve what he wants unless he can develop positive relationship with others.

If you have doubts concerning this, consider there facts. In actual studies of leadership in American business, it has been proven that,

The average executives spends three fourths of the wording day dealing with - People.
The largest single cost in most businesses is - People
The biggest, most valuable asset any company has as its - People.
All Plans by an executive are carried out by - Or fail to be carried out by - People

If you want to be a success in life - No matter what goals you have or profession you choose - you mist learnt to develop positive relationship with people.

How to Build Good Relationship with people:

Take your focus of yourself : The potential for good relationships increases dramatically when you begin focusing on others.
Care a lot about them.
Know a lot about them.
Don't Under estimate the value of any individual you deal with.
Do not take advantage of people.
As for advice or special favors.
Always bring something to the table. which support their goals.
Be considerate of people's feeling.
Be alert to provide service to others : Two out of three customers that you loose leave because they are dissatisfied with the service they receive.
Be a good listener.
Talk in terms of the other person's interest.
Make the other person feel important : There is nothing on Earth more important than people.
Be credible and consistent. : People must first buy into you before they will buy into your vision or your product.
Avoid Arguments.
Become a student of people.

Also Read : The Success Strategy Activities

Prevention of Stress

The bad news is that the world is filled with things that cause us stress. The good news is that we can learn to deal with it effectively. Here are some strategies to help handle stress Successfully.

1. Develop a proper Perspective :

One Common Characteristics of people who are able to avoid much of the stress that others experience is that they are able to maintain a proper perspective regardless of life's circumstances. Earle Wilson called perspective. the ability to see the present moment and immediate events against the background of larger reference.

2. Stop Running From Risks:

Fear of risk remains a major cause of stress and potential obstacle to success. Here is what charles swindoll has to say about risk.

""There are no absolute guarantees. No Fall safe plans. No perfectly reliable designs. No completely risk free arrangements. Life refuses to be that near and clear ""

Running Scared invariably blows up in one's face. All who fly risk crashing. All who walk risk stumbling. In short, all who live risk something. To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimentals. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk despair. To Try is to risk failure. Want to know the shortest route to ineffectiveness ? Give in to stress and start running scared. Take no chances. Say no to courage and yes to caution. Expect the worst.

Worrying about risk truly is the shortest route to ineffectiveness. Since life is risk, we need to learn to stop running away from risk and face it optimistically. Expect the worst, and that is what you will get every time. Expect the best, and that is what you will most often get.

3. Work in your areas of strength :

People who work in their areas of strength are less likely to become victims of stress, even when they make mistakes. To see a good examples of this, look at former American football quarterback Roger Staubach. When he was still playing for a Dallas Cowboys, he was asked what his reaction was when he threw a pass and it was intercepted by someone on the other team. He replied "When I throw one I can not wait to get my hands on that football. I can not wait to throw another Pass"

What if there is a second interception ? He was asked.
"It makes it even worse; then I really want to throw that ball, " Staubach answered.
If you are not sure where your areas of strength are, here is something that will help you to identify them. If you make mistakes, and they challenge you instead of causing your to experience stress, them you are probably working in an area of strength. If you mistakes make you feel threatened and tense, you are working in the area of weakness. As you get older, try to work more and more in your areas of strength. IF you do, you are more likely to avoid Stress and achieve Success.

4. Avoid the Rat Race:

In recent years, some people have called the competitive business world in the US the rat race. What they are describing is an intense.. Almost irrational competitive Struggle between people in an industry. It is an environment where people complete fiercely against one another, with them often " Keeping Score" in terms of the amount of personal gain and wealth they acquire. Concerning the rat race, comedian Lily Tomlin said, " The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you are still a rat".

When are person enters the rate race of competition instead of working towards his goals in order to achieve his vision, he is subjecting himself to unnecessary stress. No matter how hard that person works, he will not be able to receive a sense of satisfaction, because he is competing in too many areas.

And he will never "Win" because anyone who is driven solely by the desire for personal gain will never acquire enough to be satisfied. A Writer for the Herkimer Citizen suggested that we could learn wisdom from the animals. He Wrote.

So far as is known, no bird ever tried to build more nests than its neighbour, no fox ever fretted because he had only one hole in which to hide; no squirrel ever died of anxiety last he should not lay by enough nuts for two winters instead of one, and no dog ever lost any sleep over the fact that he did not have enough bones laid aside for his declining years.

Word hard, Strive to achieve your goals, But do not do it to the detriment of your family, your health, or your fellow man. Nothing is worth that kind of sacrifice or the stress that comes with it.

5. Get off the Road Overload :

Many of us are like the farmer who stood in the middle of his field and said, "I do not got to work; I am surrounded by it" We keep taking on more and more responsibilities until we can not possibly fulfill them all competently. And that causes stress. Sometimes we need to stop taking on more work and get off the road overload. If you are one of those people who love to try new things and keep taking on more, stop periodically and remind your self that you can not do everything and still do what is importantly more effective. Sometimes you have to give up what is merely good in order to do what is best.

6. Develop Strong Convictions :
Dr Harold Dodds Said, "It is not the fast tempo of life that kills, but the boredom. It is the feeling that nothing is worthwhile that makes men ill and unhappy" . Lack of purpose and direction seems to be epidemic in twentieth century. People no longer know what they believe. Many have replaced values with doubts - conviction with apathy.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche recognized people's need for convictions when he said, " If we have a why we shall get along with almost any how" Convictions enable a person to face nearly any situation in life with courage and dignity. The deeper the convictions, the stronger a person is. And the less likely he or she is to experience stress in the face of adversity.

Even truly successful person has strong personal conviction. I credit my success in life to my convictions - to my belief in God and the plan he has for my life. That belief has been my motivation and the source of my strength. It has also made it possible for me to remain positive and relatively stress free in the midst of life's circumstances.

If you are like many people, you may be having a hard time identifying your convictions. If that is the case, talk to some one you know who has strong convictions. He or She may be able to help you work things out.

7. Give up your Rights :

One of the concepts that was a part of the founding of United States was the belief that all people have certain inalienable rights. It is a wonderful idea, but unfortunately, many Americans have become obsessed with fighting for their rights rather than accepting their responsibility.

One of the problems with fighting for your rights, with attempting to get everything that you are entitled to, 'is that is causes a great amount of stress and emotional fatigue. You won't be always be able to get everything want , no matter how hard you try, to help avoid or minimize interruptions.

Everyone has probably heard the statement. "It is better to give than to receive". Anyone who has every given a gift to child knows that statement is true. The same can be true when it comes to your rights. It is possible to find peace in not always demanding to have you way, in giving up your rights. Giving can bring great joy and it can greatly reduce stress.

7. Reprogam your Mind :

Most of what we experience emotionally is a result of the way we think. Stress is no exception. The amount of stress we experience is directly related to our way of thinking. And our way of thinking is the direct result of what we put into our minds.

Computer experts know that the output you receive from a computer is the result of the inputs it gets. The same is true with our brains. Our outputs - what we say, think and do is generated by our input. what we read , watch, hear and see.

Each of us chooses our input, and basically we have two choices; thnigs that add either static or stability of our lives. I know a log of people who are fearful. They fear other people.They wont walk in their own neighbourhood after dark. They put bars on their windows and extra locks on their doors. Yet most of them have never had any traumatic problems with people themselves. They are afraid because of all negative things they see on television. It causes them to live stressfilled lives.

Be aware that your mind is constantly undergoing programming. And you are the only person who can choose what your mind will receive. Stay away from things that are negative and that build stress. Instead, follow the advice of Paul the apostle who said in Phillippians 4:8 "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such thing."

Go back to Handle Stress

Handle Stress

One of the greatest problems faced by people today is stress. Even successful people who seem to have their lives in order are afflicted by stress related problems. To show you are great a problem it have become in the US in last 10 years, all you need to know is the at the turn of the century, the top ten killers of people in the US were all infectious diseases. In the 1990s , the top ten killer are all stress related diseases.

Observation on Stress:

We can not deal with something we do not understand, so any discussion of how to handle stress must begin with a few observations about stress. When it comes to stress, the question is not, "Do you experience stress? "We all feel it in some or another form. The question is "What do yo let affect you, and how does it affect you?"

Some kinds of stress can be avoided altogether as a result of your mental attitude. Other forms are unavoidable, and you need to learn how to deal with team.

Some Kind of stress can be positive :

It has been said that necessary is the mother of invention. In a similar way, stress can be called the mother of achievement. Sometime stress brings out the best in people. It can prompt a person to find a better, smarter way of doing things. May be the word pressure or tension would better describe that kind of positive impetus.

You can see the positive effect of pressure particularly well in the lives of some entertainers and athletes. Some actors, for instance, give their best performance when the pressure is on, when people important to them are in the audience. The same is true to some athletes. There are the big game players whose level of play goes up during the championship game or the olympic finals. Different people react differently to that kind of pressure. Stress causes some people to break, and others to break records.

Much Stress is Unnecessary :

Most people worry unnecessary about too many things. It is almost as though they search for things to give themselves stress. You may find that hard to believe, but if you have doubts look at these figures about worry:

40 % of all things that people worry that will happen, never comes to pass.
30 % of all worries involve pas decisions that can not be changed.
12 % focuses on criticism from others who spoke, because they inferior.
10 % is related to health, which worsens when a person worries.
8 % could be described as legitimate cause of concern.

Is not remarkable? Fewer than one problem in ten that cause stress is real concern. All the other are things that can be eliminate.

When stress becomes strain it is harmful :

As Mentioned earlier, sometimes stress can be positive prompter and motivator. But stress can also be destructive. In a study performed by Dr G Canby Robinson of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the US, he discovered that out of 174 hospital patients, 140 of them were worriers. And he also discovered that for over hald of them stress was cuase of symptoms they were experiencing.

Stress becomes strain when it is continous. Dr Selye Explains that the human body reacts to stress in three stages.

Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion

Also Read : Prevention of Stress , De-stress for Life , Finance Stress

Chandrasekhar Azad

Born: July 23, 1906

Passed Away: February 27, 1931

Contributions

A contemporary of Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad was a born firebrand revolutionary. He engaged in a heroic battle against the British. His role was crucial in inspiring the others of his generation to participate in the national movement for freedom.

Life

Chandrasekhar Azad was born to Pandit Sita Ram Tiwari and Jagrani Devi on July 23, 1906 in Badarka (Unnao). His original name was Chandrasekhar Tiwari.

He received his early schooling in Bhavra District in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh. For higher studies he went to the Sanskrit Pathashala at Varanasi. Chandrashekhar was deeply troubled by the Jalianwalabagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. Azad, at an age of 15, got involved in the revolutionary activities. He was caught by the British police while participating in the non-cooperation movement and sentenced to. whiplashes as punishment. When the magistrate asked him his name, he said "Azad" (independence). From that point onwards, Chandrashekhar assumed the title of Azad and came to be known as Chandrashekhar Azad.

Following the Chauri-Chaura incident, in which police stations were vandalized and burnt by the activists, Mahatma Gandhi called for the suspension of the non-cooperation movement. Azad, along with Bhagat Singh distanced themselves from the paths of Gandhi. They were more attracted by the aggressive and violent revolutionary ideals and means. Towards this end, they formed the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and trained the revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Batukeshwar Dutt, and Rajguru. Azad was instrumental in carrying out numerous acts of violence. This includes the Kakori Train Robbery in 1926, assassination of John Poyantz Saunders in 1928 at Lahore to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.

How important his role was in the freedom struggle of India can be understood by the fact that the British police badly wanted to nab him dead or alive. On February 27, 1931 Chandrashekhar Azad while meeting with friends at Alfred Park, Allahabad, and the police surrounded the park and asked Chandrashekhar Azad to surrender. Azad fought alone and valiantly and killed three policemen but after nearly exhausting his ammunition and foreseeing no means of escape, he shot himself in the head with his last bullet. He was reportedly betrayed by an informer.

After the independence, to commemorate Chandrashekhar Azad, Alfred Park was renamed Chandrashekhar Azad Park. The patriotism of Azad, Rajguru, Pandit Ram Prasad Basil and Ashfaqula Khan was depicted in Rang De Besant, a contemporary Bollywood film starring Aimer Khan that was released in February 2006.

Go Back to : Know Our Leaders

Hitler

Adolf Hitler:20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945 was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and dictator of Nazi Germany (as Führer und Reichskanzler) from 1934 to 1945. Hitler is commonly associated with the rise of fascism in Europe, World War II, and the Holocaust.

A decorated veteran of World War I, Hitler joined the German Workers' Party, precursor of the Nazi Party, in 1919, and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923 Hitler attempted a coup d'état, known as the Beer Hall Putsch, in Munich. The failed coup resulted in Hitler's imprisonment, during which time he wrote his memoir, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained support by promoting Pan-Germanism, antisemitism, and anticommunism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda.

He was appointed chancellor in 1933 and transformed the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, a single-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of Nazism. His avowed aim was to establish a New Order of absolute Nazi German hegemony in continental Europe.

Hitler's foreign and domestic policies had the goal of seizing Lebensraum ("living space") for the Germanic people. He oversaw the rearmament of Germany and the invasion of Poland by the Wehrmacht in September 1939, which led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe. Under Hitler's direction, in 1941 German forces and their European allies occupied most of Europe and North Africa. These gains were gradually reversed after 1941, and in 1945 the Allied armies defeated the German army. Hitler's supremacist and racially motivated policies resulted in the deaths of eleven to fourteen million people, including an estimated six million Jews.

In the final days of the war, during the Battle of Berlin in 1945, Hitler married his long-time mistress, Eva Braun. On 30 April 1945—less than two days later—the two committed suicide to avoid capture by the Red Army, and their corpses were burned.

Sarojini Naidu

Born: 13 February, 1879
Passed Away: 2 March, 1949

Contributions
Sarojini Naidu was truly one of the gems of the 20th century India. She was known by the sobriquet "The Nightingale of India". Her contribution was not confined to the fields of politics only but she was also a renowned poet. The play "Maher Muneer", written by Naidu at an early age, fetched a scholarship to study abroad. She briefed the struggles of freedom for independence to the political stalwarts of European nations, she had visited. She married Dr. Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu, a South India. The marriage took place at a time when inter-caste marriage was not acceptable in the society. Her acts helped in raising many eyebrows. In 1905, a collection of poems, she had composed, was published under the title of "Golden Threshold".

Life
Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879 in Hyderabad. Her father, Dr. Aghornath Chattopadhyaya was a scientist, philosopher, and educator. He founded the Nizam College of Hyderabad. Her mother, Varada Sundari Devi was a Bengali poetess. Dr. Aghornath Chattopadhyaya was the first member of the Indian National Congress in Hyderabad. For his socio-political activities, Aghornath was dismissed from his position as Principal.

Since childhood, Sarojini was a very bright and intelligent child. Though Aghornath wanted his daughter to become a mathematician or scientist, young Sarojini was fond of poetry. At an early age, she wrote a "thirteen-hundred-lines" long poem "The Lady of the Lake". Impressed with her skills of expressing things with appropriate words, Aghornath Chattopadhyaya encouraged her works. Few months later, Sarojini, with assistance from her father, wrote the play "Maher Muneer" in the Persian language.

Sarojini's father Dr. Aghornath Chattopadhyaya distributed some copies of the play among his friends and relatives. He also sent a copy to the Nizam of Hyderabad. Impressed with the works of the little child, the Nizam granted her a scholarship to study overseas. At the age of 16, she got admission in the King's College of England. There, she had the opportunity to meet prominent English authors like Arthur Simon and Edmond Gausse. It was Gausse who asked Sarojini Naidu to write on the Indian themes like great mountains, rivers, temples, social milieu etc.

After returning to India, at the age of 19, Sarojini Naidu married Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu. He was a noted doctor from South India. They were married by the Brahmo Marriage Act (1872), in Madras in 1898. The marriage took place at a time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed and tolerated in the Indian society. Her marriage was a very happy one. They had four children.

National Movement
Sarojini Naidu was moved by the partition of Bengal in 1905 and decided to join the Indian freedom struggle. She met regularly with Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who later introduced her to the stalwarts of the Indian freedom movement. She met Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, C. P. Ramaswami Iyer and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. With such an encouraging environment, Sarojini later moved on to become leader of the Indian National Congress Party. She traveled extensively to the United States of America and many European countries as the flag-bearer of the Indian Nationalist struggle.

During 1915, Sarojini Naidu traveled all over India and delivered speeches on welfare of youth, dignity of labor, women's emancipation and nationalism. In 1916, she took up the cause of the indigo workers of Champaran in the western district of Bihar.

In March 1919, the British government passed the Rowlatt Act by which the possession of seditious documents was deemed illegal. Mahatma Gandhi organized the Non-Cooperation Movement to protest and Naidu was the first to join the movement. Besides, Sarojini Naidu also actively campaigned for the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, the Khilafat issue, the Sabarmati Pact, the Satyagraha Pledge and the Civil Disobedience Movement.

In 1919, she went to England as a member of the all-India Home Rule Deputation. In January 1924, she was one of the two delegates of the Indian National Congress Party to attend the East African Indian Congress. In 1925, she was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress Party.

As a Poet
Besides her role and sacrifices in the Indian Nationalist Movement, Sarojini Naidu is also commended for her contribution in the field of poetry. Her works were so beautiful that many were transformed into songs. In 1905, her collection of poems was published under the title "Golden Threshold". Later, she also published two other collections called "The Bird of Time", and "The Broken Wings".

Death
Sarojini Naidu was the first woman Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Her chairmanship of the Asian Relations Conference in 1947 was highly-appraised. Two years later, on 02 March 1949, Sarojini Naidu died at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Born: 31 October 1875

Passed Away: 15 December 1950

Contributions

Vallabhbhai Patel was one of the great social leaders of India. He played a crucial role during the freedom struggle of India and was instrumental in the integration of over 500 princely states into the Indian Union. Despite the choice of the people, on the request of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel stepped down from the candidacy of Congress president. The election on that occasion eventually meant for the election of the first Prime Minister of independent India.

Life

Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875 in Gujarat to Zaverbhai and Ladbai. Vallabhbhai, His father had served in the army of the Queen of Jhansi while his mother was a very spiritual man.

Starting his academic career in a Gujarati medium school Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and shifted to an English medium school. In 1897, Vallabhbhai passed his high school examination and started preparing for law examination. 1910, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel went to England to study law. He completed his law studies in 1913 and came back to India and started his law practice. For his Excellencies in Law, Vallabhbhai was offered many lucrative posts by the British Government but he rejected all. He was a staunch opponent of the British government and its laws and therefore decided not to work for the British.

He later started practicing at Ahmedabad. After a meeting with Mahatma Gandhi, at the Gujarat Club, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel got influenced by Gandhi's words. Later, inspired by Gandhi's work and philosophy Patel became a staunch follower of him.

Indian National Movement

In 1917, Sardar Vallabhbhai was elected as the Secretary of the Gujarat Sabha. The next year, when there was a flood in Kaira, the British insisted on collecting tax from the farmers. Sardar Vallabhbhai led a massive "No Tax campaign" that urged the farmers not to pay their land. The peaceful movement forced the British authority to return then land taken away from the farmers His effort to bring together the farmers of his area brought him the title of 'Sardar' to his name.

In 1928, the farmers of Bardoli faced a similar problem of "tax-hike". After prolonged summons, when the farmers refused to pay the extra tax, the government in retaliation seized their lands. Vallabhbhai Patel. The agitation took on for more than six months and after a deal struck between the government and farmer's representatives, the lands were returned.

In 1930 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was imprisoned for participating in the famous Salt Satyagraha called by Mahatma Gandhi. His inspiring speeches during the "Salt Movement" transformed the lives of numerous people, who later played a major role in making the movement successful.

Sardar Patel was freed in 1931 following an agreement signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. The treaty was popularly known as the Gandhi-Irwin pact. The same year, Patel was elected as the president of Indian National Congress Party for its Karachi session.

In the Karachi session, the Indian National Congress Party committed itself to the defence of fundamental rights and human rights and a dream of a secular nation. An agreement regarding this was also sanctioned.

In 1934, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the all-India election campaign for the Indian National Congress. Though he did not contest a seat for himself, Sardar Patel helped his fellow party mates during the election.

Sardar Patel was annoyed at Jawaharlal Nehru for the latter's declarations of the adoption of socialism in 1936. Patel also considered Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose a "keen of more power within the party.

Influence of Gandhi

While senior leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari and Maulana Azad criticized Mahatma Gandhi's concept that the civil disobedience movement would compel the British to leave the nation, Patel extended his support to Gandhi. Despite the unwillingness of the Congress High Command, Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel strongly forced the All India Congress Committee to ratify the civil disobedience movement and launch it without delaying further. Acting under the pressure, the All India Congress Committee sanctioned the drive on 7 August 1942.

One important episode that could change the political lines of the country had shaped up just a year of attaining independence. During the election for the Congress presidency in 1946, thirteen of the sixteen states proposed Sardar Patel's name for the post. It was a very crucial election, as the elected president of the congress party would be later considered as the first Prime Minister of independent India. Just a few days, before the all important election, Mahatma Gandhi request Sardar Patel to leave the candidacy and support Jawaharlal Nehru. Sardar Patel, without pondering twice, stepped down.

Integration of princely states

At the time of independence, Indian territory was divided into three parts. First, the territories under the direct control of the British government, second were the territories over which the hereditary rulers had suzerainty. The regions, which had been colonized by France and Portugal, formed the last. India, without the integration of these different territories under one roof, could not be considered as a unified and total country. It was a stupendous task for the ruling party, to persuade the rulers of these states to join. According to British government, the province rulers had the liberty to choose how they wanted to be ruled. They were given two choices. They could join either of India and Pakistan or stay independently. The stance of the British government had made the task much difficult for India. At this point many leaders of the congress approached the rulers but they failed to convince. At last, they all made a request Vallabhbhai Patel to think some other options to bring the princely rulers under Indian control. Sardar Patel eventually dealt with the tough-situation and came out successfully. He had made secured their accession. Therefore, the state of India we see today was a result of the efforts put in by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Death

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's health declined in 1950. He, himself realized that he was not going to live much longer. On 2 November his health deteriorated further and was confined to bed. After suffering a massive heart attack, on 15 December 1950, the great soul left the world.

Rajiv Gandhi

Born: 20 August 1944
Passed Away: 21 May 1991

Contribution
Rajiv Gandhi was one of the popular Prime Ministers of India. The developmental projects launched by him include the national education policy and expansion of telecom sector. Besides his achievement and subsequent popularity, Rajiv Gandhi also emerged as one of India's controversial Prime Ministers. He was allegedly involved in the "Bofors scandal" worth Rs 640 million.

Early Life
Rajiv Gandhi was born on 20 August 1944, into the country's eminent political dynasty - the Nehru-Gandhi family. His mother Indira Gandhi was the first and the only woman Prime Minister of India. Feroze, a key member of the Indian National Congress became the editor of The National Herald newspaper founded by Motilal Nehru in Allahabad.

Rajiv Gandhi initially attended the Welham Boys' School and subsequently sent to the elite Doon School in Dehradun. Later, he went to the United Kingdom to study at the Cambridge University. It was here in Cambridge University, young Rajiv met Sonia Maino (later Sonia Gandhi) from Italy. After his return from the United Kingdom, Rajiv Gandhi exhibited least interest in the politics and focused onto becoming a professional pilot. He, later, worked for Indian Airlines, as a pilot.

His Brother
Unlike Rajiv, his younger brother had developed an interest and knowledge in the subjects of public administration and political developments. Although he had not been elected, Sanjay began exercising his influence with police officers, high-level government officers and even the Cabinet Ministers. Many senior ministers, as a protest against Sanjay Gandhi, resigned from office. Sanjay, gradually promoted as a close political advisor to Indira Gandhi. On June 23, 1980, Sanjay Gandhi died in an air crash in Delhi.

Entry into politics
After the death of his brother Sanjay, the senior members of the Indian National Congress party approached Rajiv Gandhi, in order to persuade him joining politics. But, Rajiv was reluctant about joining and said "no" to them. His wife, Sonia Gandhi, also stood by Rajiv's stand of not entering into politics. But after constant request from his mother Indira Gandhi, he decided to contest. His entry was criticized by many in the press, public and opposition political parties. They saw the entry of Nehru-Gandhi scion into politics as a forced-hereditary-participation. Within a few months of his election as a Member of Parliament, Rajiv Gandhi acquired significant party influence and became an important political advisor to his mother. He was also elected as the general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee and subsequently became the president of the Youth Congress.

Assassination
Following the assassination of his mother, on 31 October 1984, the Congress leaders and partisans favored Rajiv as the immediate successor to the coveted throne. The decision was also supported by Zail Singh, the then President of India.

Achievements
As Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi endeavored to eliminate the corrupt and criminal faces within the Indian National Congress party. To deal with the anti-Sikh agitation, that followed the death of his mother, Rajiv Gandhi signed an accord with Akali Dal president Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, on 24 July, 1985. The key points of the pact were:

Along with ex-gratia payment to those innocent killed in agitation or any action after 1- 8-1982, compensation for property damaged will also be paid.
All citizens of the country have the right to enroll in the Army and merit will remain the criterion for selection.
For all those discharged, efforts will be made to rehabilitate and provide gainful employment.
Revived Policies
The economic policies adopted by Rajiv Gandhi were different from his precursors like Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Going, against the traditional socialism, Rajiv Gandhi decided to improve the bilateral relationships with the United States of America and subsequently expanded the economic and scientific cooperation with it. A revived foreign policy, emphasizing on the economic liberalization and information and technology moved India closer to the West.

His introductory measures to reduce the "Red Tapism" and allow business house to set up their establishments was remarkable. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi announced a "national education policy" to modernize and expand higher education programs across India. Rajiv Gandhi brought a revolution in the field of information technology and telecom. The idea helped in originating the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited, popularly known as MTNL. Rajiv Gandhi was the man to transcend telecom services to the rural India or "India in true sense".

Controversies
While commenting on the anti-Sikh riots, that followed the assassination of India Gandhi in Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi said, "' When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes". The statement was widely criticized both within and outside the Congress Party. Many viewed the statement as "provocative" and demanded an apology from him. Beside, Rajiv Gandhi's name had also surfaced in the major controversies like Bofors and the formation of Indian Peace Keeping Force.

Bofors Case
The infamous Bofors scandal that still haunts the political walls of the country was exposed during Rajiv Gandhi's reign. A strong corruption racket involving many stalwarts of the Congress Party was unearthed in the 1980s. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India and several others prominent leaders were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors for winning a bid to supply India's 155 mm field howitzer (a type of artillery piece).

IPKF
In 1987, the Indian Peace Keeping Force was formed to end the Sri Lankan Civil War between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan military. The acts of the military contingent was opposed by the Opposition parties of Sri Lanka and as well as LTTE. But, Rajiv Gandhi refused to withdraw the IPKF. The idea also turned out to be unpopular in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. The IPKF operation cost over 1100 Indian soldiers lives and cost over 2000 crores.

Death
On 21 May, 1991, on his way towards the dais, Rajiv Gandhi was garlanded by many Congress supporters and well wishers. At around 10 pm, the assassin greeted him and bent down to touch his feet. She then exploded an RDX explosive laden belt attached to her waist-belt. The act of violence was reportedly carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, expressing their resentment over the formation Indian Peace-keeping Force.