Munshi Premchand[

Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known by his pen name Munshi Premchand (pronounced [mʊnʃiː preːm t͡ʃənd̪] ( listen)), was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindi-Urdu literature. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent, and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindi writers of the early twentieth century. He began writing under the pen name "Nawab Rai", but subsequently switched to "Premchand", Munshi being an honorary prefix. A novel writer, story writer and dramatist, he has been referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by writers. His works include more than a dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi .

Early life

Munshi Premchand was born on 31 July 1880 in Lamhi, a village located near Varanasi (Benares) and was named Dhanpat Rai ("master of wealth"). His ancestors came from a large Kayastha family, which owned eight to nine bighas of land. His grandfather, Guru Sahai Rai was a patwari (village land record-keeper), and his father Ajaib Rai was a post office clerk. His mother was Anandi Devi of Karauni village, who could have been the inspiration for the character Anandi in his Bade Ghar Ki Beta. Dhanpat Rai was the fourth child of Ajaib Lal and Anandi; the first two were girls who died as infants, and the third one was a girl named Suggi. His uncle, Mahabir, a rich landowner, nicknamed him "Nawab" ("Prince"). "Nawab Rai" was the first pen name chosen by Dhanpat Rai.

Munshi Premchand Memorial Gate, Lamhi, Varanasi

When he was 7 years old, Dhanpat Rai began his education at a madrasa in Lalpur, located near Lamahi.^[6] He learnt Urdu and Persian from a maulvi in the madrasa. When he was 8, his mother died after a long illness. His grandmother, who took the responsibility of raising him, died soon after. Premchand felt isolated, as his elder sister had already been married, and his father was always busy with work. His father, who was now posted at Gorkhapur, remarried, but Premchand received little affection from his stepmother. The stepmother later became a recurring theme in Premchand's works.
As a child, Dhanpat Rai sought solace in fiction, and developed a fascination for books. He heard the stories from the Persian-language fantasy epic Tilism-e-Hoshruba at a tobacconist's shop. He took the job of selling books for a book wholesaler, thus getting the opportunity to read a lot of books. He learnt English at a missionary school, and studied several works of fiction including George W. M. Reynolds's eight-volume The Mysteries of the Court of London. He composed his first literary work at Gorakhpur, which was never published and is now lost. It was a farce on a bachelor, who falls in love with a low-caste woman. The character was based on Premchand's uncle, who used to scold him for being obsessed with reading fiction; the farce was probably written as a revenge for this.
After his father was posted to Jamniya in the mid-1890s, Dhanpat Rai enrolled at the Queen's College at Benares as a day scholar. In 1895, he was married at the age of 15, while still studying in the ninth grade. The match was arranged by his maternal step-grandfather. The girl was from a rich landlord family and was older than Premchand, who found her quarrelsome and not good-looking.
His father died in 1897 after a long illness. He managed to pass the matriculation exam with second division(below 60% marks). However, only the students with first division were given fee concession at the Queen's College. He then sought admission at the Central Hindu College, but was unsuccessful because of his poor arithmetic skills. Thus, he had to discontinue his studies. He then obtained an assignment to coach an advocate's son in Benares at a monthly salary of five rupees. He used to reside in a mud-cell over the advocate's stables, and used to send 60% of his salary back home. Premchand read a lot during these days. After racking up several debts, in 1899, he once went to a book shop to sell one of his collected books. There, he met the headmaster of a missionary school at Chunar, who offered him a job as a teacher, at a monthly salary of ₹ 18. He also took up the job of tutoring a student at a monthly fees of ₹ 5.
In 1900, Premchand secured a job as an assistant teacher at the Government District School, Bahraich, at a monthly salary of ₹ 20. Three months later, he was transferred to the District School in Pratapgarh, where he stayed in an administrator's bungalow and tutored his son.
Dhanpat Rai first wrote under the pseudonym "Nawab Rai". His first short novel was Asrar e Ma'abid ("Secrets of God's Abode", Devasthan Rahasya in Hindi), which explores corruption among the temple priests and their sexual exploitation of poor women. The novel was published in a series in the Benares-based Urdu weekly Awaz-e-Khalk from 8 October 1903 to February 1905. Literary critic Siegfried Schulz states that "his inexperience is quite evident in his first novel", which is not well-organized, lacks a good plot and features stereotyped characters. Prakash Chandra Gupta calls it an "immature work", which shows a tendency to "see life only white or black".

Stay at Kanpur

From Pratapgarh, Dhanpat Rai was relocated to Allahabad for training, and subsequently posted at Kanpur in 1905. He stayed in Kanpur for around four years, from May 1905 to June 1909. There he met Munshi Daya Narain Nigam, the editor of the Urdu magazine Zamana, in which he later published several articles and stories.
Premchand visited his village Lamahi during the summer vacation, but did not find the stay enjoyable because of a number of reasons. He did not find the weather of the atmosphere conducive for writing. Plus, he faced domestic trouble due to quarrels between his wife and his step-mother. Premchand angrily scolded his wife, after she unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide by hanging. Dismayed, she went to her father's house, and Premchand displayed no interest in bringing her back. In 1906, Premchand married a child widow, Shivarani Devi, who was the daughter of a landlord from a village near Fatehpur. The step was considered to be revolutionary at that time, and Premchand faced a lot of social opposition. After his death, Shivarani Devi wrote a book on him, titled Premchand Ghar Mein ("Premchand in House").
In 1905, inspired by the nationalist activism, Premchand published an article on the Indian National Congress leader Gopal Krishna Gokhale in Zamana. He criticised Gokhale's methods for achieving political freedom, and instead recommended adoption of more extremist measures adopted by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Premchand's first published story was Duniya Ka Sabse Anmol Ratan ("The Most Precious Jewel in the World"), which appeared in Zamana in 1907. According to this story, the most precious 'jewel' was the last drop of blood necessary to attain independence. Many of Premchand's early short stories had patriotic overtones, influenced by the Indian independence movement.
Premchand's second short novel Hamkhurma-o-Hamsavab (Prema in Hindi), published in 1907, was penned under the name "Babu Nawab Rai Banarsi". It explores the issue of widow remarriage in the contemporary conservative society: the protagonist Amrit Rai overcomes social opposition to marry the young widow Poorna, giving up his rich and beautiful fiance Prema. According to Prakash Chandra Gupta, "while containing seeds of his future greatness in many ways, the novel is still youthful and lacks the discipline which full maturity brings".
In 1907, another of Premchand's short novels, Kishna was published by the Medical Hall Press of Benares. This 142-page work, which satirises women's fondness for jewellery, is now lost.^[15] Literary critic Nobat Rai criticised the work in Zamana, calling it a mockery of the women's conditions.
During April–August 1907, Premchand's story Roothi Rani was published in serial form in Zamana. Also in 1907, the publishers of Zamana published Premchand's first short story collection, titled Soz-e-Watan. The collection, which was later banned, contained four stories which sought to inspire the Indians in their struggle for political freedom.

Adoption of the name Premchand

In 1909, Premchand was transferred to Mahoba, and later posted to Hamirpur as the Sub-deputy Inspector of Schools. Around this time, Soz-e-Watan was noticed by the British Government officials, who banned it as a seditious work. The British collector of the Hamirpur District ordered a raid on Premchand's house, where around five hundred copies of Soz-e-Watan were burnt. After this, Munshi Daya Narain Nigam, the editor of the Urdu magazine Zamana, who had published Dhanpat Rai's first story "Duniya Ka Anmol Ratan" advised the pseudonym "Premchand". Dhanpat Rai stopped using the name "Nawab Rai" and became Premchand.
In 1914, Munshi Premchand started writing in Hindi (Hindi and Urdu are considered different registers of a single language Hindustani, with Hindi drawing much of its vocabulary from Sanskrit and Urdu being more influenced by Persian). By this time, he was already reputed as a fiction writer in Urdu.^[8] Sumit Sarkar notes that the switch was prompted by the difficulty of finding publishers in Urdu.^[26] His first Hindi story Saut was published in the magazine Saraswati in December 1915, and his first short story collection Sapta Saroj was published in June 1917.

Gorakhpur

A plaque commemorating Munshi Premchand at the hut where he resided in Gorakhpur from 1916 to 1921.

In August 1916, Premchand was transferred to Gorakhpur on a promotion. He became the Assistant Master at the Normal High School, Gorakhpur.
At Gorakhpur, he developed a friendship with the bookseller Buddhi Lal, who allowed him to borrow novels for reading, in exchange for selling exam cram books at the school.^[9] Premchand was an enthusiastic reader of classics in other languages, and translated several of these works in Hindi.
By 1919, Premchand had published four novels, of about a hundred pages each. In 1919, Premchand's first major novel Seva Sadan was published in Hindi. The novel was originally written in Urdu under the title Bazaar-e-Husn, but was published in Hindi first by a Calcutta-based publisher, who offered Premchand ₹ 450 for his work. The Urdu Publisher of Lahore published the novel later in 1924, paying Premchand ₹ 250.^[28] The novel tells the story of an unhappy housewife, who first becomes a courtesan, and then manages an orphanage for the young daughters of the courtesans. It was well received by the critics, and helped Premchand gain wider recognition.
In 1919, Premchand obtained a BA degree from Allahabad. By 1921, he had been promoted to Deputy Inspectors of Schools. On 8 February 1921, he attended a meeting in Gorakhpur, where Mahatma Gandhi asked people to resign from government jobs as part of the non-cooperation movement. Premchand, although physically unwell and with two kids and a pregnant wife to support, thought about it for 5 days and decided, with the consent of his wife, to resign from his government job.

Back to Benares

After quitting his job, Premchand left Gorakhpur for Benares on 18 March 1921, and decided to focus on his literary career . Till his death in 1936, he faced severe financial difficulties and chronic ill health.
In 1923, he established a printing press and publishing house in Benares, christened "Saraswati Press". The year 1924 saw the publication of Premchand's Rangabhumi, which has a blind beggar called Surdas as its tragic hero. Schulz mentions that in Rangabhumi, Premchand comes across as a "superb social chronicler", and although the novel contains some "structural flaws" and "too many authorial explanations", it shows a "marked progress" in Premchand's writing style According to Schulz, it was in Nirmala (1925) and Pratigya (1927) that Premchand found his way to "a balanced, realistic level" that surpasses his earlier works and manages to "hold his readers in tutelage". Nirmala, a novel dealing with the dowry system in India, was first serialised in the magazine Chand between November 1925 and November 1926, before being published as a novel.Pratigya ("The Vow") dealt with the subject of widow remarriage.
In 1928, Premchand's novel Gaban ("Embezzlement"), focusing on the middle class' greed, was published. In March 1930, Premchand launched a literary-political weekly magazine titled Hans, aimed at inspiring the Indians to mobilise against the British rule.^[33] The magazine, noted for its politically provocative views, failed to make a profit. Premchand then took over and edited another magazine called Jagaran, which too ran at a loss.
In 1931, Premchand moved to Kanpur as a teacher in the Marwari College, but had to leave because of difference with the college administration. He then returned to Benares, and became the editor of the Maryada magazine. In 1932, he published another novel titled Karmabhumi. He briefly served as the headmaster of the Kashi Vidyapeeth, a local school. After the school's closure, he became the editor of the Madhuri magazine in Lucknow.

Bombay

Premchand arrived in Bombay on 31 May 1934 to try his luck in the Hindi film industry. He had accepted a script writing job for the production house Ajanta Cinetone, hoping that the yearly salary of ₹ 8000 would help him overcome his financial troubles. He stayed in Dadar, and wrote the script for the film Mazdoor ("The Labourer"). The film, directed by Mohan Bhawnani, depicted the poor conditions on the labour class. Premchand himself did a cameo as the leader of labourers in the film. Some influential businessmen managed to get a stay on its release in Bombay. The film was released in Lahore and Delhi, but was banned again after it inspired the mill workers to stand up against the owners.
Ironically, the film inspired the workers of his own loss-making press in Benares to launch a strike, after they were not paid their salaries.^[34] By 1934–35, Premchand's Saraswati Press was under a heavy debt of ₹ 4000, and Premchand was forced to discontinue the publication of Jagaran. Meanwhile, Premchand was beginning to dislike the non-literary commercial environment of the Bombay film industry, and wanted to return to Benares. However, he had signed a one-year contract with the production house. He ultimately left Bombay on 4 April 1935, before the completion of one year. Himanshu Roy, the founder of Bombay Talkies, tried to convince Premchand to stay back, but did not succeed.

Last days

 

After leaving Bombay, Premchand wanted to settle in Allahabad, where his sons Sripat Rai and Amrit kumar Rai were studying. He also planned to publish Hans from there. However, owing to his financial situation and ill-health, he had to hand over Hans to the Indian Literary Counsel and move to Benares.
Premchand was elected as the first President of the Progressive Writers' Association in Lucknow, in 1936. He died on 8 October 1936, after several days of sickness and while still in office.
Godaan upanyas (The Gift of a Cow, 1936), Premchand's last completed work, is generally accepted as his best novel, and is considered as one of the finest Hindi novels. The protagonist, Hori, a poor peasant, desperately longs for a cow, a symbol of wealth and prestige in rural India. According to Schulz, "Godan is a well-structured and well-balanced novel which amply fulfills the literary requirements postulated by the Western literary standards. Unlike other contemporary renowned authors such as Rabindranath Tagore, Premchand was not appreciated much outside India. Siegfried Schulz believes that the reason for this was absence of good translations of his work. Also, unlike Tagore and Iqbal, Premchand never travelled outside India, studied abroad or mingled with the renowned foreign literary figures.
In 1936, Premchand also published Kafaan ("Shroud"), in which a poor man collects money for the funeral rites of his dead wife, but spends it on food and drink. Premchand's last published story was Cricket Matching, which appeared in Zamana in 1938, after his death .

Novels

Hindi title	Urdu title	Publisher	Date	Length (pages)	Description
Devasthan Rahasya	Asrar-e-Ma'abid	Awaz-e-Khalk (serial form)	1903 (8 October)-1905 (February)		English translation of the title: "The Mystery of God's Abode"
Prema	Hamkhurma-o-Ham Sawab	Indian Press/Hindustan Publishing House	1907		Amrit Rai overcomes social opposition to marry the young widow Poorna, giving up his rich and beautiful fiance Prema. (Penned under the name "Babu Nawab Rai Banarsi")
Kishna		Medical Hall Press, Benares	1907	142	Now lost; satirises women's fondness for jewellery
Roothi Rani		Zamana (serial form)	1907 (April–August)
	Soz-e-Watan	Publishers of Zamana	1907,1909		Banned by the British Government in 1909
Vardaan	Jalwa-e-Isar	Granth Bhandar and Dhanju	1912	128	Vardan ("Boon") is about Pratap Cahndra and Brij Rani, two childhood neighbours who like each other. Brij gets married to another man and becomes a famous poet after being widowed. Her friend Madhvi starts liking Pratap after hearing about him from Brij. Pratap becomes a sadhu, and Madhvi becomes his devotee.
Seva Sadan	Bazaar-e-Husn	Calcutta Pustak Agency (Hindi)	1919 (Hindi); 1924 (Urdu)	280	An unhappy housewife first becomes a courtesan, and then manages an orphanage for the young daughters of the courtesans.
Premashram	Gosha-e-Afiyat		1922
Rangbhoomi	Chaugan-e-Hasti	Darul Ishaat (Urdu, 1935)	1924
Nirmala (novel)	Nirmala	Idaara-e-Furoogh-Urdu	1925	156	English title: The second wife. About the dowry system in India (serialised in the magazine Chand between November 1921 and November 1926, before being published as a novel)
Kaayakalp	Parda-i-Majaz	Lajpat Rai & Sons, Lahore (Urdu)	1926 (Hindi), 1934 (Urdu)	440
Pratigya	Bewa		1927		Deals with widow remarriage
Gaban	Ghaban	Saraswati Press, Benares; Lajpatrai & Sons, Urdu Bazaar	1931	248
Karmabhoomi	Maidan-e-Amal	Maktaba Jamia, Delhi	1932
Godaan		Saraswati Press	1936	344	English title: The Gift of the Cow. Themed around the socio economic deprivation as well as the exploitation of the village poor.
Mangalsootra (incomplete)		Hindustan Publishing House			Premchand completed only first four chapters (around 70 pages) of this novel.[48]

Short stories

Several of Premchand's stories have been published in a number of collections, including the 8-volume Mansarovar (1900-1936). Some of his stories include:

Title	Publisher	Date	Description
Adeeb Ki Izat			A story of writer who wanted respect and recognition of his work but later realised that he is a candle which will have to burn giving light to others.
Duniya ka Sabse Anmol Ratan	Zamana	1907	The title means "The Most Precious Jewel in the World", which according to the story, is the drop of the blood necessary for the nation's independence
Bade Bhai Sahab	Zamana	1910 (December)	A story of two brothers, their conflict, resolution and understanding
Beti ka Dhan	Zamana	1915 (November)
Saut	Sarasvati (Vol. 16, Part 2, No. 6, 353–359)	1915 (December)	The title means "co-wife".
Sajjanata ka dand	Sarasvati	1916 (March)	The title means "The Penalty for Integrity".
Panch Parameshvar	Sarasvati	1916 (June)	A friendship is marred when one friend delivers a verdict against the other. The story narrates how they reunite as friends.
Ishwariya Nyaya	Sarasvati	1917 (July)	The title means "The Divine Law"
Beton Wali Vidhwa	Sarasvati	1920 (July)
Durga ka Mandir	Sarasvati	1917 (December)	The title means "The Temple of Durga".
Maa	Sarasvati	1921 (November)
Ghar Jamai	Sarasvati	1933 (June)
Dhikkar	Sarasvati	1925 (May)
Dil ki Rani	Sarasvati	1926 (December)
Gulli Danda	Sarasvati	1925 (May)
Updesh		1917
Meri Pahli Rachna	Sarasvati	1930 (May)
Lanchan	Sarasvati	1929 (May)
Manovratti	Sarasvati	1932 (May)
Balidan	Sarasvati	1918 (May)	The title means "Sacrifice".
Putra Prem	Sarasvati	1920 (July)	The title means "Love of a Son".
Boodhi Kaki (The Old Aunt)	Hans	1921	An old woman craves for love from her family.
Pariksha	Chand	1923 (January)	The title means "The Test". Its background is the Nadir Shah's invasion and sack of Delhi. The retiring minister Sardar Sujan Singh has been ordered by the king to find a new minister to replace him. The minister tests several candidates for a month and then announces the rightful successor based on his values of sympathy and bravery.
Shatranj ke khiladi (Hindi) Shatranj ki bazi (Urdu)	Madhuri	October 1924	Two aristocrats – Mirza Sajjad Ali and Mir Roshan Ali — live in the kingdom of Awadh during the times of the British Raj. Both of them are careless towards their duties and spend their days playing chess. Their love for the game is so immense that even when the ruler of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, is captured by the British they continue playing chess. In the end, a move in the game sparks a verbal conflict between them and they end up killing each other with their swords.
Hinsa Parmo Dharma	Madhuri	1926 (December)
Ghasvali	Madhuri	1929 (December)
Idgah	Chand	1933 (August)	A poor boy in India lives with his grandmother. On the festival day of Eid, the other kids buy themselves candies and toys. The poor boy, thinking of his grandmother, buys a pair of tongs to help her make rotis, since she burns her hands trying to cook them bare-handed.
Nashaa	Chand	1934 (February)	Two friends from different strata of society study away from their homes. The story explores class disparity and aspirations in their friendship. It has an autobiographical touch.
Kafan	Jamia	1936	A low-caste father and his son are poor labourers in a village. An emergency occurs when the son's wife dies while giving birth to a child and the family has no money to cremate the body of the dead woman. The lazy duo ask for money from the village zamindar and other members of the society. However, they use the money they get on liquor and food instead.
Cricket Match	Zamana	1937	Published posthumously
Gupt Dhan			Haridas, a man of character, owns a brick factory. He loses his character when he gets a map of a hereditary treasure of a worker, but eventually dies as a punishment of god.
Mantra			The selfishness of a rich doctor named Chaddha results in the death of a patient. The same patient's father selflessly cures Dr. Chaddha's son, when the doctor meets the same sort of situation.
Namak Ka Daroga		1925 (May)	The title means 'The Salt Inspector'. An idealist becomes a police officer, and faces problems while performing his duties.
Poos ki raat[49]	Madhuri	1930 (May)	The title means "A night of the Poos month (Winter)". A poor farmer stays out with his dog to protect his field on an extremely cold December night.
Lottery	Zamana		It is a story of an Indian family in which every member bought a ticket of a 1 million rupees worth lottery. After some time they began to fight over that what would they do if anyone win the lottery but at last neither from their home even town, state or country win the lottery but someone from America.
"Vidhwans"			The title means " Catastrophe". An old widow with no children is engulfed in a fire caused by the owner of the village intentionally and therefore, the pandit pays for the price.
"Kazaki"			A story of love, adore and friendship between a little boy and kazaki, a poor but cheerful and jolly man used to work under his father.

Other stories include:

• Abhushan
• Agni Samadhi
• Alagyojha
• Amrit
• Atmaram
• "Bade Ghar Ki Beti" (1926)
• Bhoot (1926)
• Chori
• Daroga Sahab
• Devi
• Dhaai ser gehun
• Dikri Ke Rupaye
• Do Bahanein
• Do Sakhiyan (1926)
• Do Bailon ki Katha
• Do Kabren (1920)
• Doodh ka Damm (1910)
• Fauzdaar
• Gilli danda"
• Grihaneeti
• Gurumantra (1927)
• Har Ki Jeet (1925)
• Jail (1931)
• Juloos (1930)
• Jurmana
• Khudai
• Mahatirtha
• Manushya Ka Param Dharma (March 1920)
• Maryada ki Vedi
• Mukti Marg (1922)
• Muktidhan (1921)
• Mamta (1928)
• Mandir (1927)
• Nairashya
• Nimantran (1926)
• Pashu se Manushya
• Prayaschit
• Prem Purnima
• Prem Ka Uday (1923)
• Prerna (1925)
• Ramleela (1926)
• Samar Yatra (1930)
• Sati (1925)
• Satyagraha (1923)
• Sawa Ser Gehun (1921)
• Sewa Marg
• Subhagi
• Suhag ki Sari (1923)
• Sujan Bhagat
• Rani Sarndha (1930)
• Swatva Raksha
• Thakur ka Kuaan (1924)
• Thriya Charita
• Tagada (1924)
• Khoon Safed (1923)
• Udhar Ki Ghadi
• Vajrpaat (1922)
• Raja Hardaul (1925)
• Vimata
• Hajje Akbar
• Sautele Maa
• Kajaki (1921)
• Ibrat
• Roshni
• Bhadde ka Tattu (1922)
• Nijat
• mazdoor
• Kazaaki (1921)
• Mritak Bhoj (1922)

Translations

Premchand translated several non-Hindi works into Hindi. These included the writings of Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens (The Story of Richard Doubledick), Oscar Wilde (Canterville), John Galsworthy (Strife), Sadi, Guy de Maupassant, Maurice Maeterlinck (Sightless) and Hendrik van Loon (The Story of Mankind).
Some of the translated titles include:

Premchand's title	Original
Ahankar	Thais by Anatole France (adaptation)
Azad Katha	Fasana-e Azad (1880) by Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar
Parvat Yatra	Sair-e-Kohsar (1890) by Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar
Chandi Ki Dibiya	The Silver Box (1906) by John Galsworthy
Hartal	Strife (1909) by John Galsworthy
Nyaya	Justice (1910) by John Galsworthy
Sukhdas	Silas Marner by George Eliot (adaptation)
Tolstoy Ki Kahaniyan	Stories of Leo Tolstoy	SOURCES  :      POSTED BY ;	WIKIPEDIA	': VIPUL KOUL

Udham Singh

Udham Singh (26 December 1899 – 31 July 1940), was a Punjab revolutionary and freedom fighter belonging to the Ghadar Party best known for assassinating Michael O' Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 March 1940. The assassination was in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. Singh was subsequently tried and convicted of murder and hanged in July 1940.he was the ancestor of kartikey Kamboj
Udham Singh is a well-known figure of the Indian independence movement. He is sometimes referred to as Shaheed-i-Azam Sardar Udham Singh (the expression "Shaheed-i-Azam," Urdu: شہِیدِاعظم‎, means "the great martyr"). A district (Udham Singh Nagar) of Uttarakhand was named after him to pay homage in October 1995 by the then Mayawati government.

Shaheed Udham Singh Kamboj
Born	26 December 1899 Sunam, Punjab, British India
Died	31 July 1940 (aged 40) Barnsbury, England, United Kingdom
Organization	Ghadar Party, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, Indian Workers          Early life Udham Singh was born as Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam in the Sangrur district of Punjab, India, to a Sikh kamboj family. His father, Tehal Singh Kamboj, was a railway crossing watchman in the village of Upalli. After his father's death, Singh and his elder brother, Mukta Singh Kamboj, Were taken in by the Central Khalsa Orphanage Putlighar in Amritsar. At the orphanage, Singh was administered the Sikh initiatory rites and received the name of Udham Singh Kamboj. He passed his matriculation examination in 1918 and left the orphanage in 1919. Massacre at Jallianwala Bagh Main article: Jallianwala Bagh massacre On 10 April 1919, a number of local leaders allied to the Indian National Congress including Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested under the Rowlatt Act. Protestors against the arrests were fired on by British troops, precipitating a riot. On 13 April, over twenty thousand unarmed People were assembled in Jallianwal Bagh, Amritsar to protest against the act. Udham Singh and his friends from the orphanage were serving water to the crowd. Troops were dispatched by Governor Michael O'Dwyer, under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer. Dyer ordered his troops to fire without warning on the assembled crowd in Jallianwala Bagh. Since the only exit was barred by soldiers, people tried to escape by climbing the park walls or jumping into a well for protection. An estimated 1,800 people were killed and over 1,200 were wounded.Udham Singh Kamboj was deeply affected by the event. The governor of Punjab, Michael O'Dwyer, had ordered the massacre, and Udham Singh held him responsible.Udham Singh became involved in revolutionary politics and was deeply influenced by Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group. In 1924, Udham Singh became involved with the Ghadar Party, organizing Indians overseas towards overthrowing colonial rule. In 1927, he returned to India on orders from Bhagat Singh, bringing 25 associates as well as revolvers and ammunition. Soon after, he was arrested for possession of unlicensed arms. Revolvers, ammunition, and copies of a prohibited Ghadar Party paper called "Ghadr-i-Gunj" ("Voice of Revolt") were confiscated. He was prosecuted and sentenced to five years in prison. Upon his release from prison in 1931, Singh's movements were under constant surveillance by the Punjab police. He made his way to Kashmir, where he was able to evade the police and escape to Germany. In 1934, he reached London, where he found employment as an engineer. Privately, he formed plans to assassinate Michael O'Dwyer. In Singh's diaries for 1939 and 1940, he occasionally misspells O'Dwyer's surname as "O'Dyer", leaving a possibility he may have confused O'Dwyer with General Dyer. Shooting in Caxton Hall On 13 March 1940, Michael O'Dwyer was scheduled to speak at a joint meeting of the East India Association and the Central Asian Society (now Royal Society for Asian Affairs) at Caxton Hall, London. Singh concealed a revolver he had earlier purchased from a soldier in a pub inside his jacket pocket, then entered the hall, and found an open seat. As the meeting concluded, Singh shot O'Dwyer twice as he moved towards the speaking platform. One of these bullets passed through O'Dwyer's heart and right lung, killing him almost immediately. Others injured in the shooting included Sir Louis Dane, Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland,[10] and Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington. Singh was arrested and tried for the killing. He tried to kill O'Dwyer and Zetland (who was secretary of State for India affairs in 1919), together to draw attention to British atrocities in India. Murder trial and execution Udham Singh Kamboj (second from the left) being taken from 10 Caxton Hall after the assassination of Michael O'Dwyer On 1 April 1940, Udham Singh Kamboj was formally charged with the murder of Michael O'Dwyer, and remanded in custody at Brixton Prison. Initially asked to explain his motivations, Singh—who spoke poor English—stated: I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. I don't belong to society or anything else. I don't care. I don't mind dying. What is the use of waiting until you get old? ... Is Zetland dead? He ought to be. I put two into him? I bought the revolver from a soldier in a public house. My parents died when I was three or four. ... Only one dead? I thought I could get more. While awaiting his trial, Singh went on a 42-day hunger strike and had to be forcibly fed. On 4 June 1940, his trial commenced at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson, with V.K. Krishna Menon and St. John Hutchison representing him. When asked about his motivation, Kamboj explained: Wide view of Jallianwala Bagh memorial I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. He was the real culprit. He wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I have crushed him. For full 21 years, I have been trying to seek vengeance. I am happy that I have done the job. I am not scared of death. I am dying for my country. I have seen my people starving in India under the British rule. I have protested against this, it was my duty. What greater honour could be bestowed on me than death for the sake of my motherland? Singh was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Following his conviction, he made a speech which the judge directed should not be released to the press. On 31 July 1940, Singh was hanged at Pentonville Prison. His remains are preserved at the Jallianwala Bhag in Amritsar, Punjab. On every 31 July, marches are held out in Sunam by various organisations and every statue of Singh in the city is tributed with flower garlands. Although many Indians regarded Singh's actions as a response to some brutal aspects of British colonial rule, officially, his actions were deplored and condemned in India, with Mahatma Gandhi referring to Singh's actions as "an act of insanity",[11] stating: "The outrage has caused me deep pain. I regard it as an act of insanity ... I hope this will not be allowed to affect political judgement."[14] The Hindustan Socialist Republican Army condemned Mahatma Gandhi's statement, considering this to be a challenge to the Indian Youths. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in The National Herald, "[The] assassination is regretted but it is earnestly hoped that it will not have far-reaching repercussions on [the] political future of India." In its 18 March 1940 issue, Amrita Bazar Patrika wrote, "O'Dwyer's name is connected with Punjab incidents which India will never forget". The Punjab section of Congress in the Punjab Assembly led by Dewan Chaman Lal refused to vote for the Premier's motion to condemn the assassination. In April 1940, at the Annual Session of the All India Congress Committee held in commemoration of 21st anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, the youth wing of the Indian National Congress Party displayed revolutionary slogans in support of Singh, applauding his action as patriotic and heroic. Singh had some support from the international press. The Times of London called him a "fighter for freedom", his actions "an expression of the pent-up fury of the downtrodden Indian people." Bergeret from Rome praised Singh's action as courageous. In March 1940, Indian National Congress leader Jawahar Lal Nehru, condemned the action of Singh as senseless, however, in 1962, Nehru reversed his stance and applauded Singh with the following published statement: "I salute Shaheed-i-Azam Udham Singh with reverence who had kissed the noose so that we may be free." Repatriation In 1974, Singh's remains were exhumed and repatriated to India at the request of MLA Sadhu Singh Thind. Thind accompanied the remains back to India, where the casket was received by Indira Gandhi, Shankar Dayal Sharma and Zail Singh. Udham Singh Kamboj was later cremated in his birthplace of Sunam in Punjab and his ashes were scattered in the Sutlej river. Some of his ashes were retained; these retained ashes are kept inside sealed urn at Jallianwala Bagh. Ancestral House S. Udham Singh Kamboj's ancestral house in Sunam is still conserved, albeit with several modifications to prevent the structure from collapsing. It is located near Anand Chowk in the city. It is not a large mansion, but a small house with a small, old wooden door. If seen from outside, it is old fashioned i.e.- made up of small old bricks without cement layer. From inside, it is well furnished and organised and numerous pictures of Singh and his family are hung on the walls. Also, a library has been established inside the house where the books related to him and his life are kept. Biographies on him by different authors can be found in the collection. A person has also been employed to guide the tourists and also to take care of the place. A register is placed on a table inside the house, in which the visitors fill in their details, their remarks about the place and their suggestions. Till now, many names and suggestions from different parts of the country and abroad have been recorded. SOURCES :AMAR KRANTIKARI , BHARAT KAY KRANTKARI  AND WIKIPEDIA    POSTED BY  : VIPUL KOUL , EDITED BY : ASHOK KOUL

वैज्ञानिकों की समझ से बाहर है ये शिव मंदिर | World's Most Mysterious Shi...

Karna

Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST transliteration: Karṇa), originally known as Vasusena, is one of the central characters in the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. The epic describes him as the king of Anga (present day Bhagalpur and Munger). As per the Mahabharata, he was one of the warriors in that era who conquered the entire world. Karna single-handedly and successfully conducted Digvijaya Yatra, a campaign in which he conquered all kings in every direction of the world, and was instrumental in establishing Duryodhana as the emperor of the world by conducting the Vaishnava sacrifice.^[1] Karna was equal to 2 Maharatha warriors
Karna was the son of Surya and Kunti, born to Kunti before her marriage with Pandu. Karna was the closest friend of Duryodhana and fought on his behalf against the Pandavas (his brothers) in the Kurukshetra War. Karna fought against misfortune throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances. It is believed that Karna founded the city of Karnal, in present Haryana .

Story

Birth, education and curses

Surya, father of Karna, the Hindu Sun god.

As a young woman Kunti, the princess of the Kunti Kingdom, had been granted a boon by sage Durvasa to be able to invoke any deity to give her a child. Eager to test the power, while still unmarried, she called upon the solar deity Surya and was handed a son Karna wearing armour (Kavacha) and a pair of earrings (Kundala). Afraid of being an unwed mother and having an illegitimate son, Kunti placed the baby in a basket and set him afloat on a river. The child was found by Adhiratha, a charioteer of King Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur. Adhiratha and his wife Radha raised the boy as their own son and named him Vasusena. He also came to be known as Radheya, the son of Radha.
Karna became interested in the art of warfare and approached Dronacharya, an established teacher who taught the Kuru princes. But he refused to take Karna as his student, since Karna was not a Kshatriya. However, according to some versions of the tale, appreciating Karna's boldness, Drona tells Adhiratha to call his son "Karna".^[3] After being refused by Drona, Karna wanted to learn advanced skills of archery and hence he decided to learn from Parashurama, Drona's own guru.
As Parashurama only taught Brahmins, Karna appeared before him as such. Parashurama accepted him and trained him to such a point that he declared Karna to be equal to himself in the art of warfare and archery. On a day towards the end of his training, Karna happened to offer Parashurama his lap so his guru could rest his head and take a nap. While Parashurama was asleep, a bee stung Karna's thigh. Despite the pain, Karna did not move, so as to not disturb his guru. When Parashurama woke up and saw the blood oozing from Karna's wound, he at once deduced that Karna was not a Brahmin. Enraged, Parashurama accused Karna of stealing knowledge, and laid a curse upon Karna that he would forget all the knowledge required to wield the Brahmastra.
Upon Karna's pleading, Parshurama relented and modified his curse, saying that Karna would only lose the knowledge when he needed it most while fighting against an equal warrior.^{[citation needed]} This curse would come to haunt him in his final fight against Arjuna. Rewarding Karna's diligence, Parashurama gave him his personal celestial weapon Bhargavastra which no one else possessed. Repenting over a curse made in anger, and in order to nullify said curse, Parashurama also gave Karna his personal bow Vijaya to be ever victorious in battle and blessed Karna with greatness.^[4]

Second Curse

Karna was also cursed by a Brahmin for killing his cow while practising his skills with bow and arrow. The Brahmin got angry and cursed him that he would die helpless in the same way that his innocent cow had died.

Meeting Duryodhana

The coronation of Karna

To display the skills of the Kuru princes, their guru Dronacharya arranged a friendly tournament. His student Arjuna, third of the Pandava brothers, was a gifted archer. Karna arrived at this tournament, uninvited, and displaying Arjuna's feats, challenged him to a duel. Kripacharya refused Karna his duel, asking first for his clan and kingdom; for according to the rules of duelling, only a prince could challenge Arjuna to a duel. Due to his low standing, Karna was not allowed to fight Arjuna. He was further insulted by Bhima who compared him to a stray dog, for his mixed caste and lineage. This incident marks the beginning of a feud between Karna and the Pandavas. Duryodhana, the eldest of the one hundred sons of the king Dhritarashtra, was envious of the martial prowess of his cousins, the Pandavas. Seeing Karna as a chance to get on even terms with them he immediately offered Karna the throne of the kingdom of Anga, making him a king and hence eligible to fight a duel with Arjuna. Neither of them knows that Karna was in fact Kunti's eldest son, born to the Sun God Surya. When Karna asked him what he could do to repay him, Duryodhana told him that all he wanted was his friendship. Karna later married women belonging to the Suta caste, as per the wishes of his foster father Adiratha.

Fight with Jarasandha

Karna helped Duryodhana marry the Princess Bhanumati of Kalinga. Duryodhana abducted Princess Bhanumati from her Swayamvara ceremony in a chariot and Karna fought with the rest of the suitors. Many legendary rulers like Bhishmaka, Vakra, Kapotaroman, Nila, Rukmi, Sringa, Asoka, Satadhanwan etc. were defeated by Karna. Jarasandha, the king of Magadha later challenged Karna to a one-on-one fight. Karna and Jarasandha fought continuously with different weapons until Karna defeated Jarasandha by trying to tear him apart during a wrestling fight. Jarasandha gifted the city of Malini to Karna as a token of appreciation. The victory over Jarasandha made Karna famous. Later following his accession to the throne of Malini, Karna took an oath that anyone who approached him with a request, when he worshipped the sun, would not leave empty-handed.

Hostilities with the Pandavas

Upon prodding by his uncle Shakuni and Karna, Duryodhana goes forward with a plot to kill the Pandavas through treachery, apparently succeeding, And Duryodhana plotted many evils plan against Pandavas .
After Shakuni won a game of dice by trickery, Draupadi, now queen to all five Pandavas, was dragged into the court by Dushasana. Duryodhana and his brothers attempted to strip her. Karna insulted Draupadi by saying that a woman with more than one husband is nothing but a whore. Arjuna took an oath to kill Karna for insulting sacred lady Draupadi by commenting her as whore.

Conquering the world

Later after the Pandavas were in exile, Karna took up the task of establishing Duryodhana as the Emperor of the World. Karna embarks upon a worldwide military campaign, otherwise called Digvijaya Yatra, conquering kings in every direction and subjugating their kingdoms and making them swear allegiance to Duryodhana as the king of Hastinapur.
In this military adventure, Karna waged wars against many kingdoms. Among these include the Panchals, the kings of the Himalayas, the Angas, the Kalingas, the Magadhas, Chedi, Yavana, etc. Having thus conquered and brought under his subjection the many kingdoms, Karna came back to Hastinapura with immense wealth and power.
King Dhritarashtra praised Karna, comparing him favourably to those like Bhishma and Drona, who had never returned such tribute. Bringing tribute and allegiance from all the world's kings, Karna helped Duryodhana to perform the Vaishnava yagna to please Vishnu and crown Duryodhana as "Emperor of the World", as Yudhisthira did with the Rajasuya Yagna. No person in the entire universe, except Lord Vishnu and Indrajit, the son of Ravana had performed this Vaishnava sacrifice before.

Prelude to war

The Pandava elder brother Yudhisthira always considered Karna as the foremost warrior in the world and worries about this fact in the prelude to the war.
Indra realized that Karna would be invincible in battle and unable to be killed as long as he had his Kavach and Kundal. He approaches Karna as a poor Brahmin during Karna's sun-worship. Surya warned Karna of Indra's intentions, but Karna thanked Surya and explained that he was bound by his word and could not send anyone from his door empty-handed. When Indra approached Karna in the form of a Brahmin beggar and asked his Kavach and Kundal as alms, Karna reveals that he knew the Brahmin's true identity but assured that he would never turn anyone away. Indra became happy and took his normal form. Cutting the armor and earrings off his body, Karna handed them to Indra. Indra granted the boon as Vasavi Shakti, with the stipulation that Karna could only use the weapon once. In some versions of the story, Indra gives Karna the name "Karna" for this great act.^[16]
Following failed peace negotiations with Duryodhana, Krishna is driven back to the Pandavas by Karna. Krishna then revealed to Karna that he is the eldest son of Kunti, and therefore, technically, the eldest Pandava. Krishna implored him to change sides and assures him that Yudhishthira would give the crown of Indraprastha to him; even Duryodhana will happily see his friend get the crown. Shaken from the discovery, Karna still refuses these offers over Duryodhana's friendship. Krishna is saddened, but appreciating Karna's sense of loyalty, accepted his decision, promising Karna that his lineage would remain a secret. In addition, Karna was elated to learn that his true father was none other than Surya.
Krishna went to Kunti and asked her to emotionally blackmail Karna by revealing the truth about his birth. According to Krishna when Karna knows about his real identity it will emotionally weaken him and Kunti can manipulate Karna. Krishna told Kunti that it is up to her to make a decision to choose between Karna and her 5 other son. As the war approached, Kunti met Karna and in desperation to keep her children alive asked Karna to join the Pandavas. Kunti revealed the truth about Karna's birth. Surya Deva also validated the words of Kunti and Karna was emotionally weakened. His hatred against Pandavas become weakened. But Karna rejects the offer of Kunti again. Knowing that Karna will fight against Arjuna with a motive to kill, Kunti extracted a promises from Karna that he will not kill any of the Pandavas except Arjuna. Karna requested his mother to keep their relationship a secret till the end of the war, as pandavas will not fight against their own brother in the Dharma Yuddha if she reveals the truth to them, due to dharma against fighting a brother/father figure. After the end of the war she is supposed to reveal his birth identity to everyone and also promised that at the end of the war she would still have five sons, the fifth one be either Arjuna or Karna himself.

Kurukshetra war

Sitting out

Bhishma is appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. But giving the reason that Karna had humiliated Draupadi and disrespected their shared guru, Parashurama, Bhishma refuses to take him in the Kaurava army. Secretly, he knows of Karna’s lineage and doesn't want Karna to fight his own brothers..At the tale of Rathi's and Atirathi's, Bhishma further insults Karna and declares him as just an Ardha Rathi(Half a Rathi) warrior since Karna had a habit of flying away from the battlefield after being defeated. Duryodhana wants Karna to fight in the war from the beginning, but Bhishma threatens that he will not fight if Karna is in the army. Duryodhana considers instead installing Karna as the commander, but due to Karna's low birth, he knows that many kings would threaten not to fight under Karna when people like Bhishma and Dronacharya are present. So Karna decides that he will not fight until the fall of Bhishma. Knowing the Karna's situation on Kurukshtra war that Karna will not fight till Bhishma was present, Lord Krishna requested Karna to stay with him and Pandavas in Pandavas camp and insists Karna that he may join Kaurava side whenever the Bhishma has slain. But Karna politely dismissed Lord Krishna's appeal that he has dedicated his life to fight for his friend Duryodhana and will not do anything that is unpleasant to him. Only after Bhishma falls on the eleventh day did Karna enter the war. After the fall of Bhishma, Karna visits him on the bed of arrows and Bhishma reveals his knowledge about Karna's birth. He then explains his previous attitude, praises Karna's prowess, relates Karna's exploits, and gives Karna his blessings.

Karna (left) kills Ghatotkacha (centre) as Arjuna (right) watches

Joining the battle

There is a popular folklore which is totally false that on the morning of 11th day of battle, Surya offered his invincible chariot and his charioteer Aruṇa to Karna, just like Lord Indra who gave his chariot to Arjuna. The chariot of Surya was brilliant as the sun, yoked with 7 horses of different colors and only a person with divine vision could look into it. Confident in his own skills, Karna rejects this offer, saying he didn't want to be remembered as a person who depended upon others strength to gain victory, indirectly referring to Arjuna who depended upon Lord Krishna. Drona took the commander-in-chief position. His nine sons also entered the battlefield with their father, Karna.

Ascension to svarga

The Mahabharata mentions that after his death in the Kurukshetra war, Karna's soul ascended to Suryalok (the abode of his father, Sun god), and along with his sons and "attained" the "state" of a god.

Other stories

Parasurama's command

In some versions, during the night of 15th day of battle, Karna had a dream in which he envisioned his guru Parashurama and asked him to take back the curse he had placed years back. Parashurama revealed that he had known all along Karna was a Kshatriya, but because he was a worthy student Parashurama had instructed him regardless. The avatar explained to Karna that the Brahmanda astra had to fail him when he needed it most. If he killed Arjuna, Duryodhana would be king instead of Yudhishthira and chaos would ensue. Parashurama asked Karna to accept his curse and asked him to die at the hands of Arjuna, so that the world might live in peace. Karna accepted his guru's words and in return the grateful guru, Parashurama blessed Karna with immortal glory and everlasting fame.

Family

Mahabharata does not name Karna's wives specifically, though they are mentioned multiple times collectively in the epic. Because of this anonymity, various later writers had built up stories about Karna's wives, weaving in their own imagination. Shivaji Sawant in his famous book Mrityunjay, names them Vrushali and Supriya. Kashiram Das in his 15th Century retelling had named Karna's wife Padmavati. In Tamil stories, she is known as Ponnurvi, Uruvi and Kanchana. He had nine sons: Vrishasena, Vrishaketu, Chitrasena, Satyasena, Sushena, Shatrunjaya, Dvipata, Banasena, and Prasena; eight of them took part in the Kurukshetra war. Prasena was killed by Satyaki. Shatrunjaya, Vrishasena, and Dvipata were slain by Arjuna. Bhima killed Banasena; Nakula killed Chitrasena, Satyasena, and Sushena. Vrishakethu was his only son who survived the war.After the war when Pandavas were made aware of Karna's lineage, Vrishakethu was under the patronage of Arjuna and took part in various battles that preceded the Ashvamedha yagna.

Themes and analysis

Within the various Hindu legends, Karna draws resemblance with various other characters. The attributed author of Mahabharata, sage Vyasa, is also noted to be born from an unwed union of Satyavati and sage Parashara, just the way Karna is born before Kunti's marriage. Philologist Georges Dumézil also compares him with his father Surya in the sense that he too has two mothers, Kunti and Radha, just the way Surya in Vedas has two mothers, the night and the dawn. German indologist Georg von Simson, notes the similarities in the names of Karna and of the Kumbhakarna, the demon brother of the main antagonist Ravana of the epic Ramayana. He also notes that both Karna and Kumbhakarna did not take part in the great wars of their respective epics at the start. Scholars internationally have also drawn parallels with various European mythologies. Karna's kawach (armour) has been compared with that of Achilles's Styx-coated body and with Irish warrior Ferdiad's horny skin that could not be pierced. He has been compared to the Greek character Achilles on various occasions as they both have powers but lack status .
by  : vipul koul

Kaurava

Kaurava (Sanskrit: कौरव) is a Sanskrit term for the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata. The well-known Kauravas are Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna, Yuyutsu and Dussala.

Etymology

The term 'Kaurava' is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:

• The wider meaning, is used to represent all the descendants of Kuru. This meaning, which includes the Pandava brothers, is often used in the earlier parts of popular renditions of the Mahābhārata.
• The narrower but more common meaning, is used to represent the elder line of the descendants of King Kuru. This restricts it to the children of King Dhritarashtra, as his line is the older line of descent from Kuru. It excludes the children of the younger brother Pandu, who founds his own line, the Pandava.

The rest of this article deals with the Kaurava in the narrower sense, that is, the children of Dhritarashtra by Gandhari. When referring to these children, a more specific term is also used – Dhārtarāṣṭra (Sanskrit: धार्तराष्ट्र), a derivative of Dhritarashtra.

Birth of Kauravas

After Gandhari was married to Dhritarashtra, she wrapped a bandage over her eyes and vowed to share the darkness that her husband lived in. Gandhari's brother Shakuni came to live with them to look after the interests of Gandhari. Once Sage Vyasa came to visit Gandhari in Hastinapur. She took great care of the comforts of the great saint and saw that he had a pleasant stay in Hastinapur. The saint was pleased with Gandhari and granted her a boon. Gandhari wished for one hundred sons who would be as powerful as her husband. Vyasa granted her the boon and in due course of time Gandhari found herself to be pregnant. But two years passed and still the baby was not born. Meanwhile, Kunti received a son from god Yama whom she called Yudhishthira. After two years of pregnancy, Gandhari gave birth to a hard piece of lifeless flesh that was not a baby at all. Gandhari was devastated as she had expected a hundred sons according to the blessing of Rishi Vyas. She was about to throw away the piece of flesh when Rishi Vyas appeared and told her that his blessings could not have been in vain and asked Gandhari to arrange for one hundred jars to be filled with Ghee(oil). He told Gandhari that he would cut the piece of flesh into hundred pieces and place them in the jars, which would then develop into the one hundred sons that she so desired. Gandhari told Vyas then that she also wanted to have a daughter. Vyas agreed and cut the piece of flesh into one hundred and one pieces and placed them each in the jars. After two more years of patient waiting the jars were ready to be opened.
When the first jar was opened the first baby was born and was named Suyodhana who was later called Duryodhana (for his bad deeds) which means "the unconquerable one" or "difficult to fight with". As soon as the baby started crying all the beasts of the jungle started howling and many signs of ill omen were seen. Vidura warned that the child would have to be abandoned as the omens at his birth will herald doom for the Kuru clan. He said, "The scriptures clearly state that for the good of the clan an individual can be sacrificed, for the good of the village a clan can be sacrificed, for the good of the country a village can be sacrificed and for the development of the soul, even the earth can be sacrificed." So for the good of the clan and of the country and of humanity, please sacrifice this son of yours. But both Gandhari and Dhritrashtra were adamant that a baby could not cause any harm and much against Vidura's wishes kept the baby. At the same time Bhima was born to Kunti in the forest. Another son of Dhritarashtra was from a Vaishya servant Sukhada named Yuyutsu was born on the same day as Bhima and Duryodhana.The other children of Gandhari were taken out of the jars and now Gandhari had one hundred sons and a daughter called Duhsala. All the children grew up to be strong and powerful.
This story should be read in view of the dispute over the succession to the throne of the kingdom. It attributes a late birth to Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritarashtra, despite his father's early marriage. This legitimises the Yudhishthira's claim to the throne, since he was the eldest of his generation.

Children of Dhritarashtra

The children of Dhritarashtra by Gandhari are also referred by a more specific and frequently encountered term - Dhārtarāṣṭra, a derivative of Dhṛtarāṣṭra(Dhritarashtra).
According to the epic, Gandhari wanted a hundred sons and Vyasa granted her a boon that she would have these. Another version says that she was unable to have any children for a long time and she eventually became pregnant, but did not deliver for two years, after which she gave birth to a lump of flesh. Vyasa cut this lump into a hundred and one pieces and these eventually developed into a hundred boys and one girl.
The birth of these children is relevant to the dispute over succession of the kingdom's throne. It attributes the late birth of Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritarashtra, despite his father's early marriage and legitimizes the case for his cousin Yudhishthira to claim the throne, since he could claim to be the eldest of his generation. All the sons of Dhritarashtra excluding Yuyutsu(born of Dhritarashtra's marriage with a Vaysya woman, thus a half-brother of Duryodhana) were killed in the great battle at Kurukshetra.
Quote from Mahabharata, Sambava jayesh, 
"And during the time when Gandhari was in a state of advanced pregnancy, there was a maid servant of the Vaisy class who used to attend on Dhritarashtra. During that year, O king, was begotten upon her by the illustrious Dhritarashtra a son endued with great intelligence who was afterwards named Yuyutsu. And because he was begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Vaisy woman, he was subject to the constant taunts of the Kaurava.
Thus were born unto the wise Dhritarashtra, a hundred sons who were all heroes and mighty chariot-fighters, and a daughter over and above the hundred and another son Yuyutsu of great energy and prowess begotten upon a Vaishya woman.

List of Dhritarashtra's children

1. Duryodhana
2. Dushasana
3. Gaurav
4. Jalsandha
5. Sam
6. Sudushil
7. Bheembal
8. Subahu
9. Sahishnu
10. Yekkundi
11. Durdhar
12. Durmukh
13. Bindoo
14. Krup
15. Chitra
16. Durmad
17. Dushchar
18. Sattva
19. Chitraksha
20. Urnanabhi
21. Chitrabahoo
22. Sulochan
23. Sushabh
24. Chitravarma
25. Asasen
26. Mahabahu
27. Samdukkha
28. Mochan
29. Sumami
30. Vibasu
31. Vikar
32. Chitrasharasan
33. Pramah
34. Somvar
35. Man
36. Satyasandh
37. Vivas
38. Vikarna
39. Upchitra
40. Chitrakuntal
41. Bheembahu
42. Sund
43. Valaki
44. Upyoddha
45. Balavardha
46. Durvighna
47. Bheemkarmi
48. Upanand
49. Anasindhu
50. Somkirti
51. Kudpad
52. Ashtabahu
53. Ghor
54. Roudrakarma
55. Veerbahoo
56. Kananaa
57. Kudasi
58. Deerghbahu
59. Adityaketoo
60. Pratham
61. Prayaami
62. Veeryanad
63. Deerghtaal
64. Vikatbahoo
65. Drudhrath
66. Durmashan
67. Ugrashrava
68. Ugra
69. Amay
70. Kudbheree
71. Bheemrathee
72. Avataap
73. Nandak
74. Upanandak
75. Chalsandhi
76. Broohak
77. Suvaat
78. Nagdit
79. Vind
80. Anuvind
81. Arajeev
82. Budhkshetra
83. Droodhhasta
84. Ugraheet
85. Kavachee
86. Kathkoond
87. Aniket
88. Kundi
89. Durodhar
90. Shathasta
91. Shubhkarma
92. Saprapta
93. Dupranit
94. Bahudhami
95. Yuyutsoo
96. Dhanurdhar
97. Senanee
98. Veer
99. Pramathee
100. Droodhsandhee
101. Dushla (the only daughter )  sources : Mahabarta    SOURCES : WIKIPEDIA  AND BOOK 18 DAYS BY DR. RAM KUMAR BRAMAR................POSTED BY  : VIPUL KOUL