stamps issued in 2001

january

The paintings of St. Aloysius College Chapel, Mangalore are among the finest specimens of paintings in India, and truly constitute a national treasure. Executed by Antonio Moscheni, a Jesuit Brother from Italy during 1899-1901, the paintings are of three types: frescoes (paintings on wet plaster), tempera (paintings on dry plaster) and panels painted on canvas and fixed to the ceilings. The masterly use of light and shade by the artist creates a sense of depth, making his images life-like. The rich colours and the delicate touch evoke the mysterious presence of the divine. The layout of the paintings follows a threefold division. The central ceiling and the wall behind the main altar of the Chapel depict the life of the noble youth, Aloysius Gonzaga, the Patron saint of the College, who renounced a dukedom to become a Jesuit and died in the service of the plague stricken in Rome in 1591 at the age of 23.

Second comes the two aisles of the chapel, painted with the life of Jesus Christ as described in the Gospels. These are painted on the walls as also on the ceilings together with the texts describing the events. The third set of paintings, on the slope of the roof and the two levels of arches, depict the saints of the Church and of the Jesuit order. Late Shri C. Rajagopalachari, one of the greatest exponents of the study of India's culture and heritage commented thus on the paintings of the St. Aloysious College Chapel: "It is an education and an elevation. As you enter it, your heart is ennobled and you soar to higher things. Even the fanatic would shed every drop of his fanaticism in the face of such humanising glory".

The stamp depicts one of the panels from the central ceiling of the Chapel, showing the early life of Aloysius Gonzaga. The stamp was released on January 12, 2001, as it was on this day in 1880 that the St. Aloysius College was inaugurated.

Born on 23rd January 1897, Subash Chandra Bose was deeply influenced by the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda. He formed the Indian National Army and proclaimed the Provisional Government of Azad Hind on October 21, 1943. He was hailed as Netaji, the leader by the people of India.

Pandurang Sadashiv Sane alias Sane Guruji (1899-1950), like thousands of others from his generation, was drawn to the Freedom Struggle by the teachings, philosophy and life of Mahatma Gandhi. He made extensive use of the public platform during the Freedom Struggle to develop national consciousness and promote the desire for Independence. He was imprisoned many times. In particular, he worked tirelessly to implement Gandhiji's teachings on social reform. In a prayer meeting in Delhi, Gandhiji paid tribute to his efforts in getting the temple at Pandharpur open to the dalits. Sane Guruji was distressed to find the spirit of religion distorted by social evils such as caste system, and wrote the book "Bharatiya Sanskriti" to clear up such prejudices and educate people about the values of life, The Sadhana weekly, started by him in August 1948 as a vehicle of socio-cultural emancipation, continues to spread his message.

E.M.S. Namboodiripad (1909-1998) started his public life as a Congress worker in Kerala during the Freedom Movement, but was later drawn towards Marxism in his search for solutions to the problems of poverty and inequality .He was among the founders of the Communist Party in Kerala and created history in the 1957 elections by leading it to power in the state. As Chief Minister of Kerala, he initiated the path-breaking land reform legislation and many other pro-poor measures, bringing solace to millions of people. Namboodiripad was also a brilliant Marxist theoretician, whose vast body of writing on a variety of subjects bears the mark of an original and creative mind.

Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir (1899-1976) plunged into the Freedom Struggle at an early age, stirred by anguish over the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. He threw himself into the freedom struggle movement, calling people to action through his sensitive, poems in Punjabi. He went on to play a crucial role in the Struggle in Punjab, courting arrest many times. He was drawn to the Akali Movement for social reform, in which his sincerity of purpose and spirit of dedication took him to the highest religious office of Sikhism i.e., Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Amritsar in 1930. After Independence, he was actively involved in building up Punjab as a model of growth and development. In 1966, when the new state of Punjab came into being after re-organisation, Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafirtook over as its first Chief Minister.

Professor N.G. Ranga (1900-1995) hailed from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. Deeply influenced by western socialist thinkers at Oxford, England, where he went for higher studies, the amelioration of the lot of the peasantry became his major motivation, and he joined the Freedom Movement and championed the cause of the downtrodden peasants. He continued to be active in politics in independent India, strengthening the Kisan movement, striving for empowerment of women and working for famine relief. He was instrumental in the formation of the Swatantra Party along with Rajaji in 1959, though he later returned to the Congress. Bold, uncompromising and knowledgeable, he waged a tireless war against social evils such as the caste system. Prof. N.G. Ranga is remembered as champion of rural India.

Sheel Bhadra Yajee (1906-1996) the fiery freedom fighter from Bihar was associated with the non-violent and the violent form of freedom struggle. Yajee's participation in the freedom movement began in 1928 when, as a student, he attended the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. He joined the Congress Socialist Party four years later and became involved in the Kisan movement. Later, he came in close touch with Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as Mahatma Gandhi. In 1939 he joined Subhas Chandra Bose to found the All India Forward Bloc. He was actively associated with the INA movement. Yajee raised his voice against caste prejudices and other social evils. He was a firm believer in the active participation of the peasants, workers and the middle classes in the struggle for the transformation of society. He authored several books like' A Glimpse of the Indian Labour Movement', 'Forward Bloc and Its Stand', 'Is Socialism a Necessity to India', and 'True Face of Monopolistic American Democracy'.

Yogendra Shukla (1896-1966) as well as his nephew Baikunth Shukla (1907-1934) hailed from village Jalalpur in Muzaffarpur (now Vaishali), district of Bihar and were torch bearers of the revolutionary spirit of freedom struggle. Young Yogendra made his greatest contribution to the cause of Indian freedom between 1930 and 1942, as one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement in Bihar and U.P. becoming "Almost a legendary figure for his many exploits". He was a close associate of Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Datta. He had to serve prison terms for a total of more than sixteen and a half years for his revolutionary activities. During imprisonment in different jails of India, he was subjected to extreme torture, which corroded his iron constitution.

Baikunth Shukla was also initiated into the freedom struggle at a young age taking active part in the 'Salt Satyagraha' of 1930. He was associated with revolutionary organisations like the Hindustan Seva Dal and Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. The execution of the great Indian revolutionaries, Bhagat Singh,Rajguru and Sukhdev in 1931 as a result of their trial in the 'Lahore conspiracy case' was an event that shook the entire country. Phanindra Nath Ghosh hitherto a key member of the Revolutionary Party had treacherously betrayed the cause by turning an approver, giving evidence, which led to the execution. Baikunth was commissioned to plan the execution of Ghosh as an act of ideological vendetta which he carried out successfully on 9th November 1932. He was arrested and tried for the killing. Baikunth was convicted and hanged in Gaya Central Jail on May 14th, 1934. He was only 28 years old.

Jubba Sahni (1906-1944) hailed from a poor family in the Muzaffarpur District of Bihar and was forced by circumstances to work as a labourer in a large agricultural farm where British supervisors kept watch. Jubba experienced the ruthlessness with which the British supervisors treated the Indian workers. From the Salt Satyagraha of 1930 to the Quit India Movement of 1942, his revolutionary activities were on the increase. In August 1942, he led an armed revolt against the Police Station in Meenapur in which the in-charge of the Police Station, Waller was killed. Jubba Sahni took the entire responsibility of the episode upon himself and was later sentenced to death by a special court appointed by the British Government. He was hanged to death in Bhagalpur Central Jail, at the age of 38.