In jail, I read the complete literature of Swami Vivekananda. One thing which impressed and amazed me very much was that Swami Vivekananda left his home and all worldly affairs to attain salvation but after travelling the whole of India for four years and seeing the poverty of our country, gave up the idea of Moksha too. On the rock of Kanyakumari, he made a historical announcement—“O Lord! I do not want salvation till every human being of my country is not free from hunger: And let me be born again and again to serve my motherland.” Not only this, he called upon all the countrymen to forget all the Gods and Goddesses for sometime as the poor countrymen are the greatest Gods and Goddesses and their service is the highest worship. He gave the Mantra of DRIDARA-NARAYANA.—Shanta Kumar

He is a successful politician as well as an able laureate. He has written much about poems, novels, essays also. As he himself is a part of Indian Politics, he has a deep knowledge about the character of world politics.Shanta Kumar was born in 1934 in a village in the Kangra district. He received his first education from his mother. Then he came under the influence of ‘Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh’ and leaving his house at the young age of 17, became a preacher. He then took part in the Jammu-Kashmir protest and spent 8 months in prison at the age of l’>. In 1972 he was elected iiic-mber of the Himachal Legislative Assembly. During emergency in 1975, he was j.iiled for 19 months. He has I’l-on the Chief Minister of Ilimachal Pradesh twice. I’ri’sently, he is a Cabinet Minister in Govt. of India.