Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi: जवाहरलाल नेहरू, pronounced [dʒəʋaːɦərˈlaːl ˈneːɦruː]; 14 November

1889–27 May 1964[4]) was an Indian statesman who was the first (and to date the longest-
serving) prime minister of India, from 1947 until 1964. One of the leading figures in the Indian
independence movement, Nehru was elected by the Congress Party to assume office as
independent India's first Prime Minister, and re-elected when the Congress Party won India's first
general election in 1952. As one of the founders of the Non-aligned Movement, he was also an
important figure in the international politics of the post-war era. He is frequently referred to as
Pandit Nehru ("pandit" being a Sanskrit and Hindi honorific meaning "scholar" or "teacher")
and, specifically in India, as Panditji (with "-ji" being a honorific suffix).

The son of a wealthy Indian barrister and politician, Motilal Nehru, Nehru became a leader of the
left wing of the Indian National Congress when still fairly young. Rising to become Congress
President, under the mentorship of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Nehru was a charismatic and
radical leader, advocating complete independence from the British Empire. In the long struggle
for Indian independence, in which he was a key player, Nehru was eventually recognized as
Gandhi's political heir. Throughout his life, Nehru was also an advocate for Fabian socialism and
the public sector as the means by which long-standing challenges of economic development
could be addressed by poorer nations.

Jawaharlal Nehru was born to Motilal Nehru (1861–1931) and

Swaroop Rani (1863–1954) in a Kashmiri Pandit family. Nehru
was educated in India and Britain. In England, he attended the
independent boy's school, Harrow and Trinity College,
Cambridge. During his time in Britain, Nehru was also known as
Joe Nehru.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

On 8 February, 1916, Nehru married seventeen year old Kamala

Kaul. In the first year of the marriage, Kamala gave birth to their
only child, Indira Priyadarshini.

Nehru raised the flag of independent India in New Delhi on 15 August 1947, the day India gained
Independence. Nehru's appreciation of the virtues of parliamentary democracy, secularism and
liberalism, coupled with his concerns for the poor and underprivileged, are recognised to have guided
him in formulating socialist policies that influence India to this day. They also reflect the socialist origins
of his worldview. He is sometimes referred to as the "Architect of Modern India" [citation needed]. His
daughter, Indira Gandhi, and grandson, Rajiv Gandhi, also served as Prime Ministers of India.
Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Patel (Gujarati: વલ્લભભાઈ પટે લ,
pronounced [ʋəlːəbʱːai pəʈel]  ( listen))
(31 October 1875
– 15 December 1950) was a political and social leader of
India who played a major role in the country's struggle for
independence and guided its integration into a united,
independent nation. He was called as "Iron Man Of India"
In India and across the world, he was often addressed as
Sardar (Gujarati: સરદાર, [səɾdaɾ]), which means Chief
in many languages of India.

Raised in the countryside of Gujarat in Gurjar [1] [2]

community and largely self-educated, Vallabhbhai Patel
was employed in successful practice as a lawyer when he
was first inspired by the work and philosophy of Mahatma
Gandhi. Patel subsequently organised the peasants of
Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in Gujarat in non-violent civil
disobedience against oppressive policies imposed by the
British Raj; in this role, he became one of the most
influential leaders in Gujarat. He rose to the leadership of the Indian National Congress and was
at the forefront of rebellions and political events, organising the party for elections in 1934 and
1937, and promoting the Quit India movement.

As the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, Patel organised relief for
refugees in Punjab and Delhi, and led efforts to restore peace across the nation. Patel took charge
of the task to forge a united India from the 565 semi-autonomous princely states and British-era
colonial provinces. Using frank diplomacy backed with the option (and the use) of military
action, Patel's leadership enabled the accession of almost every princely state. Hailed as the Iron
Man of India, he is also remembered as the "Patron Saint" of India's civil servants for
establishing modern all-India services. Patel was also one of the earliest proponents of property
rights and free enterprise in India.

Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was born at his maternal uncle's house Desai Vago in Nadiad in
Leva Patidar Gujjar[1] community of Gujarat. His actual date of birth was never officially
recorded—Patel entered 31 October as his date of birth on his matriculation examination papers.
[3]
He was the fourth son of Jhaverbhai and his wife Ladba Patel. They lived in the village of
Karamsad, in the Kheda district where Jhaverbhai owned a homestead. Somabhai, Narsibhai and
Vithalbhai Patel (also a future political leader) were his elder brothers. He had a younger brother,
Kashibhai and a sister, Dahiba. As a young boy, Patel helped his father in the fields and
bimonthly kept a day-long fast, abstaining from food and water—a Hindu cultural observance
that enabled him to develop physical toughness.[4]
Chandrasekhar Azad
Chandrashekhar Sitaram Tiwari, better known as
Chandrasekhar Azad (Hindi: चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद, Urdu: ‫چندر‬
‫( )شیکھر آزاد‬July 23, 1906, Bhavra, Jhabua District(bhabra is
now in ALIRAJPUR district), Madhya Pradesh, India –
February 27, 1931, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh) is one of the
most important Indian revolutionaries, and is considered the
mentor of Bhagat Singh.

Chandrashekhar Azad, often called, Panditji was a

revolutionary. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he was the
first among many Indian revolutionaries to use arms in their
fight for independence against the British rulers. A devout
Brahmin, he believed that it was his "dharma" (duty) to fight
for others. He also believed that a soldier never relinquishes
his weapon.

Chandrashekhar Azad was born on 23 July 1906 in village

Bhavra in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh(Myth :Unnao dist- Badarka uttar pradesh).His
father was Pt. Sitaram Tiwari and his mother was Jagrani Devi.Chandrashekhar Azad was deeply
troubled by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. In 1921, when Mahatma Gandhi
launched the Non-Cooperation movement, he actively participated in the protest movement. He
was arrested and received his first punishment at the age of fifteen for this act of civil
disobedience. When the magistrate asked him his name, he said "Azad" (meaning free). For this,
he was sentenced to fifteen lashes. With each stroke of the whip, young Chandrasekhar shouted
"Bharat Mata Ki Jai"["Hail The Motherland!"]. From that point onwards, Chandrashekhar
assumed the title of Azad and came to be known as Chandrashekhar Azad.

After suspension of the non-cooperation movement, Azad was attracted by more aggressive and
violent revolutionary ideals. He committed himself to complete independence by any means.
Towards this end, he formed the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and was mentor to
revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Batukeshwar Dutt, and Rajguru. HSRA's goal
was full Indian independence and wanted to build a new India based on socialist principles. Azad
and his compatriots also planned and executed several acts of violence against the British. He
was involved in numerous such activities like the Kakori Train Robbery (1925), the attempt to
blow up the Viceroy's train (1926), and the shooting of John Poyantz Saunders at Lahore (1928)
to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.

On February 27, 1931 Chandrashekhar Azad met two of his comrades at Alfred Park, Allahabad.
He was recognised by a police, the police surrounded the park and ordered Chandrashekhar Azad
to surrender. Azad fought alone and killed three policemen but was shot in the thigh. After nearly
exhausting his ammunition and foreseeing no means of escape, he shot himself in the head with
his last bullet.
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh (Punjabi: ਭਗਤ ਸਿੰ ਘ ‫بھگت سنگھ‬, IPA: [pə̀ɡət̪ sɪ́ŋɡ])
(28 September 1907[2] – 23 March 1931) was an Indian freedom
fighter, considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries
of the Indian independence movement. He is often referred to as
Shaheed Bhagat Singh (the word shaheed means "martyr", in
Arabic, and is used for Muslims usually but was conferred on him).

Born to a Jat[3] Sikh family which had earlier been involved in

revolutionary activities against the British Raj in India, Singh, as a
teenager, had studied European revolutionary movements and was
attracted to anarchism and communism.[4] He became involved in
numerous revolutionary organizations. He quickly rose through the
ranks of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) and became
one of its leaders, converting it to the Hindustan Socialist
Republican Association (HSRA). Singh gained support when he
underwent a 64-day fast in jail, demanding equal rights for Indian
and British political prisoners.[5] He was hanged for shooting a police officer in response to the
killing of veteran freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. His legacy prompted youth in India to begin
fighting for Indian independence and also increased the rise of socialism in India.[6]

Bhagat Singh was born into a Sandhu Jat [4] family to Sardar Kishan Singh Sandhu and Vidyavati
in the Khatkar Kalan village near Banga in the Lyallpur district of Punjab.[7] Singh's given name
of Bhagat means "devotee", and he was nicknamed "Bhaganwala" by his grandmother, meaning
"The lucky one"[8]. He came from a patriotic Jatt Sikh family, some of whom had participated in
movements supporting the independence of India and others who had served in Maharaja Ranjit
Singh's army.[9] His grandfather, Arjun Singh, was a follower of Swami Dayananda Saraswati's
Hindu reformist movement, Arya Samaj,[10] which would carry a heavy influence on Singh. His
uncles, Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh, as well as his father were members of the Ghadar Party,
led by Kartar Singh Sarabha Grewal and Har Dayal. Ajit Singh was forced to flee to Persia
because of pending cases against him while Swaran Singh was hanged on 19 December 1927 for
his involvement in the Kakori train robbery of 1925.[11]

Unlike many Sikhs his age, Singh did not attend Khalsa High School in Lahore, because his
grandfather did not approve of the school officials' loyalism to the British authorities.[12] Instead,
his father enrolled him in Dayanand Anglo Vedic High School, an Arya Samajist school.[13] At
age 13, Singh began to follow Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement. At this point he
had openly defied the British and had followed Gandhi's wishes by burning his government-
school books and any British-imported clothing. Following Gandhi's withdrawal of the
movement after the violent murders of policemen by villagers from Chauri Chaura, Uttar
Pradesh, Singh, disgruntled with Gandhi's nonviolence action, joined the Young Revolutionary
Movement and began advocating a violent movement against the British.[14]
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shrivastav Shastri (Hindi: लालबहादरु शास्त्री ,
pronounced [laːl bəˈhaːdʊr ˈʃaːstriː]; 2 October 1904 - 11
January 1966) was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of
India and a significant figure in the Indian independence
movement.

Lal Bahadur was born in Mughalsarai, United Provinces, British

India to Sharada Shrivastava Prasad, a poor school teacher, who
later became a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad[1] and
Ramdulari Devi. When he was three months old, he slipped out
of his mother's arms into a cowherder's basket at the ghats of the
Ganges. The cowherder, who had no children, took the child as a
gift from God and took him home. Lal Bahadur's parents lodged
a complaint with the police, who traced the child, and returned
him to his parents[2].

His father died when he was only a year and a half old. His mother took him and his two sisters
to her father's house and settled down there[3]. Lal Bahadur stayed at his grandfather Hazari Lal's
house till he was ten. He studied upto class IV in Railway School Mughalsarai. Since there was
no high school in their town, he was sent to Varanasi where he stayed with his maternal uncle
and joined the Harischandra High School. While in Varanasi, Shastri once went with his friends
to see a fair on the other bank of the Ganges. On the way back he had no money for the boat fare.
Instead of borrowing from his friends, he jumped into the river and swam to the other bank[4].

As a boy, Lal Bahadur loved reading books and was fond of Guru Nanak's verses. He revered
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Indian nationalist, social reformer and freedom fighter. After hearing a
speech of Mahatma Gandhi at Varanasi in 1915, he dedicated his life to the service of the
country[5]. He also dropped his surname Shrivastav, as it indicated his caste and he was against
the caste system[1]. During the non-cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi in 1921, he
joined processions in defiance of the prohibitory order. He was arrested but let off as he was a
minor[6]. He then enrolled at the nationalist Kashi Vidyapeeth in Varanasi. During his four years
there, he was greatly influenced by the lectures of Dr. Bhagawandas on philosophy. Upon
completion of his course at Kashi Vidyapeeth in 1926, he was given the title Shastri ("Scholar").
The title was a bachelor's degree awarded by the Vidya Peeth, but it stuck as part of his name[3].
He also enrolled himself as a life member of the Servants of the People Society and began to
work for the upliftment of the Harijans at Muzaffarpur[7]. Later he became the President of the
Society[8].

In 1927, Shastri married Lalita Devi of Mirzapur. In spite of the prevailing hefty dowry tradition,
Shastri accepted only a charkha and a few yards of khadi as dowry. In 1930, he threw himself
into the freedom struggle during Mahatma Gandhi's Salt Satyagraha.
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali: রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর,
robindronath ţhakur)α[›]β[›] (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941),γ[›]
sobriquet Gurudev,δ[›] was a Bengali poet, novelist, musician,
painter and playwright who reshaped Bengali literature and
music. As author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive,
fresh and beautiful verse",[1] he was the first non-European to
win the Nobel Prize in Literature,[2] His poetry in translation
was viewed as spiritual, and this together with his
mesmerizing persona gave him a prophet-like aura in the west
but his "elegant prose and magical poetry" still remains
largely unknown outside the confines of Bengal[3].

A Pirali Brahmin[4][5][6][7] from Kolkata, Tagore was already

writing poems at age eight.[8] At age sixteen, he published his
first substantial poetry under the pseudonym Bhanushingho
("Sun Lion")[9][10] and wrote his first short stories and dramas
in 1877. Tagore denounced the British Raj and supported independence. His efforts endure in his
vast canon and in the institution he founded, Visva-Bharati University.

Tagore modernised Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms. His novels, stories, songs,
dance-dramas, and essays spoke to political and personal topics. Gitanjali (Song Offerings),
Gora (Fair-Faced), and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works, and
his verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism,
and contemplation. Tagore was perhaps the only litterateur who penned anthems of two
countries: India and Bangladesh: Jana Gana Mana and Amar Shonar Bangla.

The youngest of thirteen surviving children, Tagore was born in the Jorasanko mansion in
Calcutta (now Kolkata) of parents Debendranath Tagore (1817–1905) and Sarada Devi (1830–
1875).ε[›][11] Tagore family patriarchs were the Brahmo founding fathers of the Adi Dharm faith.
He was mostly raised by servants, as his mother had died in his early childhood; his father
travelled extensively.[12] Tagore largely declined classroom schooling, preferring to roam the
mansion or nearby idylls: Bolpur, Panihati, and others.[13][14] Upon his upanayan initiation at age
eleven, Tagore left Kolkata on 14 February 1873 to tour India with his father for several months.
They visited his father's Santiniketan estate and stopped in Amritsar before reaching the
Himalayan hill station of Dalhousie. There, young "Rabi" read biographies and was home-
educated in history, astronomy, modern science, and Sanskrit, and examined the poetry of
Kālidāsa.[15][16] He completed major works in 1877, one a long poem of the Maithili style
pioneered by Vidyapati. Published pseudonymously, experts accepted them as the lost works of
Bhānusiṃha, a newly discoveredζ[›] 17th-century Vaiṣṇava poet.[17] He wrote "Bhikharini" (1877;
"The Beggar Woman"—the Bengali language's first short story)[18][19] and Sandhya Sangit (1882)
—including the famous poem "Nirjharer Swapnabhanga" ("The Rousing of the Waterfall").
Subhas Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose (Bengali: সুভাষ চন্দ্র বসু) was born 23
January 1897; and presumed to have died 18 August 1945,
although this is disputed, popularly known as Netaji (literally
"Respected Leader"), was one of the most prominent leaders
in the Indian independence movement.

Bose advocated complete independence for India at the

earliest, whereas the All-India Congress Committee wanted it
in phases, through Dominion status and finally at the historic
Lahore Congress convention, the Congress adopted Purna
Swaraj (complete independence) as its motto. Bhagat Singh's
martyrdom and the inability of the Congress leaders to save
his life infuriated Bose and he started a movement opposing
the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. He was imprisoned and expelled from
India. But defying the ban, he came back to India and was
imprisoned again.

Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms, but had to
resign from the post following ideological conflicts with Mohandas K. Gandhi and after openly
attacking the Congress' foreign and internal policies. Bose believed that Gandhi's tactics of non-
violence would never be sufficient to secure India's independence, and advocated violent
resistance. He established a separate political party, the All India Forward Bloc and continued to
call for the full and immediate independence of India from British rule. He was imprisoned by
the British authorities eleven times. His famous motto was "Give me blood and I will give you
freedom".

His stance did not change with the outbreak of the Second World War, which he saw as an
opportunity to take advantage of British weakness. At the outset of the war, he left India,
travelling to the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, seeking an alliance with each
of them to attack the British government in India. With Imperial Japanese assistance, he re-
organised and later led the Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army (INA), formed with Indian
prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from British Malaya, Singapore, and other parts of
Southeast Asia, against British forces. With Japanese monetary, political, diplomatic and military
assistance, he formed the Azad Hind Government in exile, regrouped and led the INA in failed
military campaigns against the allies at Imphal and in Burma.

His political views and the alliances he made with Nazi and other militarist regimes at war with
Britain have been the cause of arguments among historians and politicians, with some accusing
him of fascist sympathies, while others in India have been more sympathetic towards the
inculcation of realpolitik as a manifesto that guided his social and political choices.

He is presumed to have died on 18 August 1945 in a plane crash in Taiwan. However,

contradictory evidence is believed to be extant regarding his death in the accident.
Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin Ahmed (11 November
1888 – 22 February 1958) was an Indian Muslim scholar and a
senior political leader of the Indian independence movement.
He was one of the most prominent Muslim leaders to support
Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of India on
communal lines. Following India's independence, he became
the first Minister of Education in the Indian government. He is
commonly remembered as Maulana Azad; he had adopted
Azad (Free) as his pen name.

As a young man, Azad composed poetry in Urdu as well as

treatises on religion and philosophy. He rose to prominence
through his work as a journalist, publishing works critical of
the British Raj and espousing the causes of Indian nationalism.
Azad became a leader of the Khilafat Movement during which
he came into close contact with Indian leader Mahatma
Gandhi. Azad became an enthusiastic supporter of Gandhi's ideas of non-violent civil
disobedience, and worked actively to organise the Non-cooperation movement in protest of the
1919 Rowlatt Acts. Azad committed himself to Gandhi's ideals, including promoting Swadeshi
(Indigenous) products and the cause of Swaraj (Self-rule) for India. He would become the
youngest person to serve as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1923.

Azad was one of the main organisers of the Dharasana Satyagraha in 1931, and emerged as one
of the most important national leaders of the time, prominently leading the causes of Hindu-
Muslim unity as well as espousing secularism and socialism.[1] He served as Congress President
from 1940 to 1945, during which the Quit India rebellion was launched and Azad was
imprisoned with the entire Congress leadership for three years. Azad became the most prominent
Muslim opponent of the demand for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan and served in the
interim national government. Amidst communal turmoil following the partition of India, he
worked for religious harmony. As India's Education Minister, Azad oversaw the establishment of
a national education system with free primary education and modern institutions of higher
education. He is also credited with the establishment of the Indian Institutes of Technology and
the foundation of the University Grants Commission, an important institution to supervise and
advance the higher education in the nation.[1]

Azad's family descended from a line of eminent Ulama or scholars of Islam, hailing from Herat
(now in western Afghanistan) and had settled in India during the reign of the Mughal emperor
Babur. His mother was of Arab descent, the daughter of Shaikh Muhammad Zahir Watri, and his
father, Maulana Khairuddin was, then living in Bengal, was from Herat. The family lived in the
Bengal region until Maulana Khairuddin left India during the Indian rebellion of 1857 and settled
in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, where he met his wife.
Rajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad (Hindi: डा॰ राजेन्द्र प्रसाद) (3 December
1884 – 28 February 1963) was the youngest son of Mahadev
Sahay from the village Ziradei, then the Saran district of
Bihar. Dr. Prasad is considered to be one of the architects of
the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and
serving as the first president of India.

During the independence movement, he left his law work and

joined the Congress Party, playing a prominent role in the
Indian Independence Movement. He served as the president
of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the first constitution
of the Republic, which lasted from 1948 to 1950. He also
briefly served as a cabinet minister in the first Government of
the Indian Republic.

He was a vegetarian [1].

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, son of Mahadev Sahai, was born in Zeradei village, in the Siwan district of
Bihar, on 3 December 1884. He was the youngest in a large family, & was close to his mother
and eldest brother. He was known as "Rajen" to his family and friends. His father, Mahadev
Sahay, was a scholar of both the Persian and Sanskrit languages, while his mother, Kamleshwari
Devi, was a religious woman. Zeradei's population was diverse, with both Muslims and Hindus
living in relative harmony.

When Rajendra Prasad was five years old, his parents put him under a Mawlawi, an
accomplished Muslim scholar, to learn the Persian language, followed by Hindi and arithmetic.
After the completion of traditional elementary education, Rajendra Prasad was sent to the
Chhapra District School. At the age of 12, Rajendra Prasad was married to Rajavanshi Devi. He,
along with his elder brother Mahendra Prasad, then went on to study at T.K. Ghosh's Academy in
Patna.

Since childhood, Rajendra Prasad was a brilliant student. He placed first in the entrance
examination to the University of Calcutta and was awarded Rs.30 per month as a scholarship. In
1902, Rajendra Prasad joined the Presidency College. He was initially a student of science and
his teachers included Jagadish Chandra Bose and Prafulla Chandra Roy. Later he decided to
focus on the arts. Prasad lived with his brother in the Eden Hindu Hostel. A plaque still
commemorates his stay in that room. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was instrumental in the formation of
the Bihari Students' Conference in 1908. It was the first organization of its kind in the whole of
India, which would later produce many of the important figures of Bihar.

In 1915, Rajendra Prasad graduated with a Masters in Law, passing his examination with honors.
He then went on to complete his Doctorate in Law.
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (Sanskrit: स्वामी विवेकानन्द Bengali:
স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ, Shami Bibekānondo) (January 12, 1863–July
4, 1902), born Narendranath Dutta (Bengali: নরেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত)
[1]
was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the founder of Ramakrishna
Mission.[2] He is considered a key figure in the introduction of
Hindu philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga in Europe and
America[2] and is also credited with raising interfaith
awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a world religion
during the end of the 19th century.[3] Vivekananda is
considered to be a major force in the revival of Hinduism in
modern India.[4] He is perhaps best known for his inspiring
speech beginning with "Sisters and Brothers of America",[5][6]
through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the
World's Religions at Chicago in 1893.[1] Swami Vivekananda
was born in an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta in 1863.
Swami's parents influenced his thinking—the father by his rational mind and the mother by her
religious temperament. From his childhood, he showed inclination towards spirituality and God
realization. While searching for a man who could directly demonstrate the reality of God, he
came to Ramakrishna and became his disciple. As a guru, Ramakrishna taught him Advaita
Vedanta and that all religions are true, and service to man was the most effective worship of
God. After the death of his Guru, Vivekananda became a wandering monk, touring the Indian
subcontinent and getting a first-hand knowledge of India's condition. He later sailed to Chicago
and represented India as a delegate in the 1893 Parliament of World Religions. An eloquent
speaker, Vivekananda was invited to several forums in the United States and spoke at
universities and clubs. He conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes,
disseminating Vedanta and Yoga in America, England and a few other countries in Europe. He
also established the Vedanta societies in America and England. Later he sailed back to India and
in 1897 founded the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, a philanthropic and spiritual
organization.

Swami Vivekananda was born in Shimla Pally, Calcutta at 6:33 a.m on Monday, 12 January
1863, during the Makra Sankranti festival[8] and was given the name Narendranath Dutta.[9] His
father Vishwanath Dutta was an attorney of Calcutta High Court. He was considered generous,
and had a liberal and progressive outlook in social and religious matters.[10] His mother
Bhuvaneshwari Devi was pious and had practiced austerities and prayed to Vireshwar Shiva of
Varanasi to give her a son. She reportedly had a dream in which Shiva rose from his meditation
and said that he would be born as her son.[8] Narendranathji's thinking and personality were
influenced by his parents—the father by his rational mind and the mother by her religious
temperament.[11][12] From his mother he learnt the power of self-control.[12] One of the sayings of
his mother Narendra quoted often in his later years was, "Remain pure all your life; guard your
own honor and never transgress the honor of others. Be very tranquil, but when necessary,
harden your heart."[9] He was reportedly adept in meditation and could reportedly enter the state
of samadhi.[12] He reportedly would see a light while falling asleep and he reportedly had a vision
of Buddha during his meditation.[13] During his childhood, he had a great fascination for
wandering ascetics and monks.[12]

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ
ગાંધી, pronounced [moːɦən̪d̪aːs kərəmʨən̪d̪ ɡaːn̪d̪ʱiː]  ( listen);
2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent
political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian
independence movement. He pioneered satyagraha. This is
defined as resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience,
a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence.
This concept helped India to gain independence, and inspired
movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.
Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma Gandhi ([məɦaːt̪maː];
Sanskrit: महात्मा mahātmā or "Great Soul", an honorific first
applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore),[1]. In India he is also
called Bapu (Gujarati: બાપુ, bāpu or "Father"). He is officially
honoured in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there as
Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi first employed civil disobedience while an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, during the
resident Indian community's struggle there for civil rights. During this time, he wrote articles for
Indian newspapers about black people that some modern readers consider racist. After his return
to India in 1915, he organised protests by peasants, farmers, and urban labourers concerning
excessive land-tax and discrimination. After assuming leadership of the Indian National
Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights,
build religious and ethnic amity, end untouchability, and increase economic self-reliance. Above
all, he aimed to achieve Swaraj or the independence of India from foreign domination. Gandhi
famously led his followers in the Non-cooperation movement that protested the British-imposed
salt tax with the 400 km (240 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930. Later, in 1942, he launched the
Quit India civil disobedience movement demanding immediate independence for India. Gandhi
spent a number of years in jail in both South Africa and India.

As a practitioner of ahimsa, Gandhi swore to speak the truth and advocated that others do the
same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional
Indian dhoti and shawl, woven from yarn that he had spun by hand himself. He ate simple
vegetarian food, experimented for a time with a fruitarian diet, and undertook long fasts as a
means of both self-purification and social protest.