One of the well-known reformists and freedom fighter of India, Mahadev Govind Ranade was born in 1842 at Biphad in Nasik, Maharashtra. Known to be the mentor and political guru of famous freedom fighters Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak,he himself was deeply involved in the freedom struggle of India. Ranade was a social reformer who also believed in ancient customs. He said that the social reforms should be introduced in such a way [...]
Keshab Chandra Sen was a renowned scholar, a social and religious reformer and an ardent nationalist of India. He was born on 19th November 1838 in Kolkata. He was a descendant of the medieval Sena kings of West Bengal. He received his education from Hindu College. He was a scholar who studied Philosophy, History, Sanskrit literature, Gita and the Vedas very deeply. During his college days, he read the tract on ‘Brahmoism’ written by an [...]
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was one of the earliest leaders of the Indian National Congress who propagated the idea of self-rule for India. He became the voice of the Indians who wanted freedom from British rule. He is more widely known as Gandhi’s Political Guru, as Gandhi himself said. Born on May 9,1866 in a farmer’s household, Gopal Krishna Gokhale received his early education in a local school. Later he graduated from Elphinstone College in Bombay [...]
Founder of the Arya Samaj, Dayanand Saraswati preached egalitarianism as opposed to the widespread casteism prevalent in the society during his lifetime. Born as Mool Shankar Tiwari in 1824 in Tankara, Gujarat, he was brought up in a conservative household. Once his father had taken him to a temple to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva. When Dayanand saw a rat nibbling at the offerings made to Lord Shiva, he was flummoxed and wondered as to [...]
The Father of the Indian Constitution”, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, was born on April 14, 1891, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. His parents belonged to the Mahar Caste, which was considered as ” untouchable”. He was lucky to get a good education in his early childhood as his father was in the British Army. Even after Bhimrao’s father retired from the army, he continued his studies and passed his Matriculation examination from Bombay University with excellent results [...]
Freedom fighter, poet, scholar and philosopher, Aurobindo Ghose was born on August 15, 1872 in Kolkata, West Bengal. He belonged to an illustrious lineage. His maternal grandfather was a name to reckon with in Bengali literature and was an important figure in the nationalist movement. He went abroad early on in life when at the age of seven in 1879, he was sent to England along with his brothers. After completing his schooling from London, [...]
Founder of the Home Rule League and famous Theosophist, Annie Besant was born in London on October 1, 1847. Her father died early when she was just five years old. She traveled widely as a young woman. In 1867, she married 26-year-old clergyman Frank Besant, but the marriage did not last long. She began to study part-time at the Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution. She was a strong advocate of women’s causes, secularism, birth control, [...]
Anna Hazare was born as Kisan Baburao Hazare on January 15,1940 in Bhingar, Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. This well-known social worker hails from a modest background. His father was an unskilled laborer and they owned 5 acres of cultivable land. Adverse farming conditions pushed their family into the grip of poverty and in 1952 Hazare moved into his ancestral home in Ralegan Siddhi. He was brought up by a childless aunt who financed his education [...]
Vinoba Bhave occupies a place of pride in the annals of Indian history for his Bhoodan (Gift of the Land) movement launched on April 18, 1951. Revered all through the country as Acharya Vinoba Bhave, he was born as Vinayak Narahari Bhave on September 11, 1895 in the village of Gagoda in Kolaba district of Maharashtra. Young Bhave was greatly influenced by his mother Rukmini Devi. At an young age, he immersed himself in studying [...]
One of the chief disciples of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendra Nath Datta on January 12, 1863, in Kolkata, West Bengal, to Vishwanath Datta and Bhuvaneswari Devi. He took the name Swami Vivekananda after becoming a monk. He was a good student, besides being proficient in music and sports. He stood up against many of the superstitions prevalent during that time and had great affection and respect for ascetics. He entered the [...]
