Top 10 Famous Alumni of Harvard University

My article Published on TopYaps

Harvard University has pumped up numerous accomplished individuals. From prominent leaders, entrepreneurs to great literary experts. The alumni of this soaring institution has always been a prominent name especially in politics, business and literature. TopYaps presents the top 10 famous alumni of Harvard University from the huge list of the celebrated graduates from this renowned academia.

10. Benazir Bhutto:

The first woman prime minister of a Muslim realm, Benazir Bhutto graduated from Harvard with a B.A. degree in comparative government in 1973 before getting into Oxford for International Law and Diplomacy. Daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), she inherited leadership of the PPP after a military coup led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq overthrow her father’s government and hanged him on charges of authorizing the murder of an opponent. She won election in 1988 and became the prime minister of Pakistan. She was killed in 2007 in a suicide attack after she returned to Pakistan from an extensive exile.

(img source: heroesofpakistan.com)

9. Al Gore:

Currently a businessman, author and environmental activist, Albert Arnold Al Gore Jr. was the 45^th Vice-President of the United States under the presidentship of Bill Clinton. He is the co-founder of Current TV, senior advisor to Google and a member of the Board Directors of Apple Inc.  His book “An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What Can We Do About It” Won a Grammy award in February 2009 for best spoken word album. He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 along with the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change.

(img source: kpcb.com)

8. T.S. Eliot:

One of the most important English poets of the 20^th century, Thomas Stearns Eliot before becoming an elite poet, playwright and publisher went to study philosophy at the Harvard University. The poet earned his bachelor’s degree in just three years instead of the normal four. A year later he started working on his poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock which earned him name and fame. He won many honorary awards in his lifetime including the Nobel Prize in literature for his outstanding contribution to present day poetry.

(img source: guardian.co.uk)

7. Bill Gates:

America’s business patron, William Henry Bill Gates III is  the co-founder, chairman, president and CEO of the pioneer company of computer industry, Microsoft Corporation. One of the wealthiest persons across the world, he has also authored two books, The Road Ahead in 1995 and Business @the Speed of Thought in 1999.

(img source: telegraph.co.uk)

6. George W. Bush:

The 43^rd president of the United States, George Walker Bush holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and till the date is the only American President to earn this degree. The eldest son of the 41^st US President George W.H. Bush, he is the man accountable for pronouncing a global war on terrorism, organizing an invasion in Iraq and Afghanistan and promoting policies on education, health care, social security reform and economy.

(img source: telegraph.co.uk)

5. Barack Obama:

Barack Hussein Obama II, is the 1^st African-American in the United States to become the President of US. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he again created history by winning the 2012 US presidential election by beating Mitt Romney, again a Harvard graduate. The African-American president has now become the first Democratic president after Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) to triumph the majority of the popular vote two times.

(img source: telegraph.co.uk)

4. Mark Zuckerberg:

In 2007, at the age of 23, he was in the list of youngest billionaires of the world. The computer programmer and Internet Entrepreneur, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg founded trendiest social networking site, Facebook, while attending at Harvard University for majoring in Computer Science. From 2010, Zuckerberg has been one among the hundred most influential and people in the world.

(img source: businessweek.com)

3. John F. Kennedy:

Until his assassination, JFK served as the 35^th US President. An ex Lieutenant in the US Navy, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was also a Senator and US house of representative from Massachusetts. One of the youngest presidents of the United States, he continues to rank greatly in public outlook ratings of US president. Enrolled in 1936 in Harvard University, he completed his graduation in  Bachelors of Science with honor in international affairs.

(img source: boston.com)

2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

FDR, till 2012 US presidential elections was the only president to be elected for more than two terms. One of the most favored presidents of the United States, FDR was involved in direct assistance to the individuals. During his tenure, he also brought up new jobs for the unemployed. During the World War 2, he supported countries particularly the Great Britain in fight against the Nazi Germany.

(img source: history.com)

1. John Adams:

The Founding Father and one of the prominent names in the American Revolution, John Adams was also a Harvard Law graduate who had won a scholarship to attend Harvard University at the age of 16. John Adams served on the First Continental Congress and assisted in drafting the Declaration of Independence. He became the first vice president of the US for two terms and then went to become the second President of the United States.

(img source: history.com)

Mahabharat: The Birth of the Pandavas and Kauravas

Often there are jokes around the Internet by Indians as well as foreigners on Dhitrashtr and Gandhari as to how they could manage 100 children. However, Indian mythology has its own mystics and so physical intimacy for 100 times certainly was not the cause. On the contrary, Kauravas were born from the lump of masses that Gandhari had delivered, courtesy Rishi Vyasa. Besides, the five children which were born back to back to Kunti and Madri were not due to physical intimacy but by the aashirwads and tathastus, thanks to various Gods again.

Image Source: http://soudavya.synthasite.com/

So, how are the Gods involve in giving birth to Pandavas and Kauravas?

Well, Pandu had killed a sage in disguise as a stag mating with his wife disguised as a doe. He therefore was cursed by the dying sage that since he had killed a creature in its tenderest form he would die instantly too if he ever approaches a woman with a passionate intent. Saddened, he decides to leave Hastinapur and pursue the rest of his life in a forest as a hermit. However, after meeting several sages and gaining knowledge in the concept of salvation, he is startled to know that a man without children could never aim for heaven. He then seeks their blessings who bless him of many worthy sons.

Pandu then thinks of methods to have children and tells Kunti to beget children from illustrious men. Kunti too narrates the incident of her begetting a son from lord Surya as a girl from a mantr which she had received from Durvasa Rishi. Pandu is overjoyed after hearing this incident and he wishes his first son to be from Yama, the Lord of Justice as truth is the most superlative virtue any man may possess. So, this is how Yudhishtr is born to Kunti as soon as she chants the mantr and summons Lord Yama with waiting for the gestation period of nine months. When Yudhishtr was born, Dhritrashtr was still childless and so Yudhishtr became the eldest son of the Kuru dynasty.

When Gandhari got to know that Kunti delivered Yudhistr she beat her womb in frustration as her pregnancy prolonged for a very unusual time. She then did not deliver any baby but a lump of mass. Satyawati then approached King Vyasa who divided the lump into 100 equal parts. Kept each of them into the pots of ghee and sealed it into the earth for a period of 1 year. The show however shows that it was hanged and not buried unlike the tale. So, this is how the Kauravas were born, the first one being the Duryodhan.

Meanwhile, Pandu in the forest thinks that a man with only one son is equal to those who have none and so once again urges Kunti to beget a son and this time from Vyau, the Lord of the Wind. This is how Bheem is born exactly next day after the birth of Duryodhan. Next, is Arjun from Lord Indra.

Madri too desires children of her own and so Kunti teaches her the incantations and then Madri begets the twins, Nakul and Sehdev from the Ashwin brothers.

This is how the 105 children of the Kuru dynasty are born. Out of which 100 are Kauravas, the children of Dhitrashtr and 5 are of Pandavas, the sons of Pandu. One among the Kauravas is a girl who is called Dushala, which was granted to Gandhari from Lord Shiva after she had expressed her wish.

Bagan: The Ancient Lost Temple City of Myanmar

“The finest things in Bagan are found when you are not looking for them at all. “

Across the world, there are many large places but with just one prominent monument. However, have you ever heard of a less traveled small place with more than 2000 temples in a given area? Well, that’s precisely Bagan, the heart and capital of the first Burmese Empire in the ancient Myanmar (earlier Burma).Home to around 2200 temples and pagodas (stupas), these temples were built by numerous kings and leaders in Burma from the 11^th to 15^th century. An ancient place with lots of remarkable archaeological sites and amazing pagodas, it not only lets one embark on a historical but also a spiritual voyage as one ventures from one temple to the other in the arid central parts of Myanmar situated on the eastern banks of river Ayeyarwady.

Let’s have a look into this beautiful town and dig out some ancient temples here at Indiaopines

What do you know about Jodha Bai?

Harka Bai or Jodha Bai or Hira Kunwar or Mariam –Uz – Zamani, The name is well-known in the history either as Emperor Akbar’s wife or as Jahangir’s mother. However, nothing much is said about the person as an individual. Her identity is still rolled between a Mughal Emperor’s wife and mother. Here I reveal certain facts and data about the Rajput Princess-Mughal Begum beyond these identities –

To know her history Read here —–> http://indiaopines.com/history-jodha-bai/

Img Source: https://fineartamerica.com

 

Chandra Gupta Maurya and Greek Princess, Helen – A Love Story

We are quite well known with the historic love at first sight tragic story in the form of Cleopatra-Mark Anthony, nothing much however has been said about one of the happiest historical love at first sight. Here, I would like to share one of the happy love story of all time – The glorious love affair of Chandra Gupta Maurya and Helen, the Greek princess and daughter of Seleucus Nicatar, the ruler of Western India and Persia (earlier the general of Alexander)

To read the entire love story check out my article on IndiaOpines here –

http://indiaopines.com/chandra-gupta-maurya-greek-princess-helen-love-story/