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[ Mahabharat Characters as Tweet Peeps ]
Gayatri Devi (1919-2009).
Indian princess and politician.
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She was the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949, a politician, and philanthropist who was admired as an icon of glamorous royalty but later emerged as an outspoken politician and social activist.
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Ethnically born in a Koch Rajbongshi Hindu family, her father was Maharaja Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar in West Bengal, and her mother was Maratha Princess Indira Raje of Baroda, the only daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III.
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In 1940 she became the third wife of Sawai Man Singh II, the maharajah of Jaipur and an international polo player. Gayatri Devi rejected purdah (the seclusion expected of female Indian royalty), traveled frequently, and received foreign dignitaries, including U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962. Gayatri Devi also founded several girls’ schools.
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Following India's independence and the abolition of the princely states, she became a successful politician in the Swatantra Party. She advocated free enterprise and greater involvement with the West. She served 12 years in Swatantra Party, during which time she was a prominent critic of Indira Gandhi's government. When Prime Minister Gandhi declared a state of emergency in 1975, she was arrested due to an alleged political vendetta on the false accusation of violating tax laws and was jailed for five months. After her departure from politics, she lived a quiet life in her large estate, spending time with her grandchildren and on hobbies and leisure.
She published her biography, A Princess Remembers, written by Santha Rama Rau, in 1976.
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Gayatri Devi was also celebrated for her classical beauty and became something of a fashion icon in her adulthood.
She was a particularly avid equestrienne. She was an excellent rider and an able Polo player. Her Highness was fond of cars and is credited with importing the first Mercedes-Benz W126, a 500 SEL to India which was later shipped to Malaysia.
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She had a son, Prince Jagat Singh.
She died on 29 July 2009 in Jaipur, at the age of 90. She was suffering from paralytic ileus and a lung infection. She left an estate estimated at nearly half a billion USD.
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Krishna : Now I’ll just casually tell Arjun that Duryodhan wants to marry Subadhra, and also drop hints about where she’ll be tonight ! What could go wrong ?
His phone the next day :
tagging @soniaoutloud @chaanv @bigheadedgirlwithbigdreams
If you are still doing the six squared meme, can we have Animal Husbandry, Family Tree and Hours and Day for Krishna? [What can I say, he's a favourite. I think you can empathise. :-P]
(I certainly do :P Behind the cut because this is long)
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{Mass media and social networks} urge us to admire all the innovations rushing toward us like surfers on the crest of a powerful wave. But historians and anthropologists remind us that in the water's depths, changes are gradual. Víctor Lapuente Giné has written that modern society suffers from a clearly future-oriented bias. When we compare something old and something new — like a book and an iPad or a nun sitting next to a texting teenager on a train — we believe that the new thing has more of a future, when in fact the reverse is true. The longer an object or custom has been with us, the greater its staying power. On average, the newest things die out first. It's more likely that nuns and books will exist in the twenty-second century than WhatsApp and tablet computers. There will be tables and chairs in the future, but maybe not plasma screens or cell phones. We'll be celebrating the winter solstice long after we stop using tanning beds. An invention as ancient as money has a strong chance of outlasting 3D cinema, drones, and electric cars. Many trends that seem irrevocable — from rampant consumerism to social networks — will subside. And old traditions that have been with us since time immemorial — from music to spiritual exploration — will never disappear. In fact, when we visit the world's most socioeconomically advanced countries, what's surprising is their fondness for archaisms — from monarchy, protocol, and social rituals to neoclassical architecture and outdated streetcars.
— Irene Vallejo, Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World
@puppyloveblog24 requested Sita, anything.
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What do you think is required from a person to succeed ?
I study successful people on a daily basis and it’s one of my favorite hobbies. I read their biographies, befriend them, interact with them regularly, and learn from them. Most important personality traits I’ve isolated and identified:
Required
Discipline (linked with consistency): Work ethic, dedication, timeliness, organization, and consistency of effort. On consistency, it’s okay to change your mind (Ne-dom and Ne-aux types, are you listening to me right now?) but change your mind within a consistent framework. For example, DO: “If x doesn’t happen, we’ll change our method and try y.” For example, DON’T: “Let’s do A, B, C, M, Z, Y, K, your mom, Jumanji, I’m coming in to work today but not tomorrow, nm I won’t be coming in at all, let’s study cars, let’s study balloons, hey let’s go over here, there, everywhere.” Being inconsistent will lose the trust and respect of your peers and superiors. It’s also annoying as shit.
Competence: Every successful person has a ‘pocket skill’, something they’re exceptionally good at, something they’ve practiced and perfected, and something they’re known for. Warren Buffett for investment, Ben Carson for pediatric neurosurgery, Roger Federer for tennis, etc. Never stop learning and developing your craft.
Charisma: Communication skills, listening skills, people skills, networking skills, compassion, empathy. The ability to understand people, what they want, what they need, and how to convey your thoughts and ideas to them with impeccable clarity and precision. To be successful you must have the ability to make people not only like you, but trust and respect you.
Resilience: The emotional, mental, and psychological fortitude to endure stress, the ability to recover from failure and setbacks, the physical strength to work long hours. To be successful you must be able to endure pain, discomfort, disappointment, and fatigue because nothing will come easy and the road is long and hard.
Passion: The strong belief in a goal or cause, the commitment to achieve high levels of performance to serve that goal or cause. Passion is not the same as ambition.
Summary
Successful people are disciplined and consistent.
Successful people are skilled at something.
Successful people are liked, trusted, and respected.
Successful people are durable and undeterred.
Successful people have a sense of purpose.
Optional (and helpful), but not required
Intelligence: All the thinkers will be surprised that I listed intelligence is optional, but it is. There are a lot of smart people who never make it in life for various reasons. Filtering the external factors (like being born in a third world country or a war zone), discipline is the key differentiating factor between an intelligent person who succeeds and one who fails.
Money: It’ll help expedite your way to success, but it’s not required.