With the outbreak of the war in 1939, Gandhi was dragged back into the political arena. He had supported the Empire in the First World War. In the Boer War, even though his moral sympathies were with the Boers who were fighting for their independence, he had offered his services to the Empire out of […]
The Civil Disobedience Movement led by M K Gandhi, in the year 1930 was an important milestone in the history of Indian freedom struggle. There are three distinct phases that mark the development of Indian Nationalism. In the first phase, the ideology of the moderates dominated the political scenario. This was followed by the prominence
Partition of Bengal, 1905 effected on 16 October during the viceroyalty of Lord Curzon (1899-1905), proved to be a momentous event in the history of modern Bengal. The idea of partitioning Bengal did not originate with Curzon. Bengal, which included Bihar and Orissa since 1765, was admittedly much too large for a single province of
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was both a military mutiny and a civilian uprising against the British East India Company. Confined mainly to north-central India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, northern Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi), it began in Meerut on 10 May 1857 and largely ended with the fall of Gwalior on 20 June 1858. The rebellion
The rebellion of the Bengal Army in 1857 was a traumatic event in the history of British rule in India. Even today it is difficult to describe it as a ‘War of Independence’, ‘Revolution’, ‘Religious War’ or a ‘Mutiny’. The discussion is made more complicated because of the fact that India is a jigsaw puzzle
Arrival of European traders: Indian trade links with Europe started in through sea route only after the arrival of Vasco da Gama in Calicut, India on May 20, 1498. The Portuguese had traded in Goa as early as 1510, and later founded three other colonies on the west coast in Diu, Bassein, and Mangalore. In
Dr. Zakir Hussain was born at Hyderabad on February 8, 1897, he came of a Pathan family of the upper middle-class, settled at Qaunganj in the District of Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Fida Hussain Khan, went to Hyderabad, studied Law and had a most successful career. Unfortunately, he died when Dr. Zakir Hussain was
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born on May 28, 1883 into a family of jagirdars in the village of Bhagpur near Nasik. Vinayak was one of four children others being, Ganesh (Babarao), Mainabai and Narayan, born to Damodarpant Savarkar and Radhabai. Being descendents of a line of Sanskrit scholars, the Savarkars inculcated the love of learning
Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875, in a farmer’s family in Nadiad, Gujarat. His father, Zaverbhai, had served in the army of Jhansi ki Rani, and his mother, Ladbai, was a deeply religious woman.Vallabhbhai’s initial schooling was in Gujarati. His brother Vithalbhai, after completing middle school, had enrolled himself in English tutorial classes
Acharya Vinoba Bhave was a scholar, saint, man of God, moral tribune, a beacon of hope and solace to millions in India and abroad. He was Mahatma Gandhi’s spiritual successor.Vinobaji was born in a village in Maharashtra’s Kolaba district on September 11, 1895. He was drawn to Mahatma Gandhi and his unique ‘Weaponless War’ as
Udham Singh was one of the great patriots of India, born as Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam, in the then princely state of Patiala. Sher Singh lost his parents before he was seven years and was admitted along with his brother Mukta Singh to the Central Khalsa Orphanage at Amritsar on 24
Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was an eminent lawyer, political and social leader in India during the British Raj. He was knighted in 1922. Tej Bahadur Sapru was born on December 8, 1875 in Aligarh, (U.P.) He was born in a Kashmiri Hindu family. He was educated at the Agra College. Sapru worked in the Allahabad
Tantya Tope (1814-1859), also known as Ram Chandra Pandurang, was an Indian leader in the Indian rebellion of 1857.Born in at village Yeola in Maharashtra, he was the son of Pandurang Rao Tope, an important noble at the court of the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II. His father shifted his family with the ill-fated Peshwa
Sarvepalli Radha-krishnan was born in Tirutani on September 5, 1888 into a poor brahmin family. His father Sarvepalli Veeraswami was employed on a meagre salary in the zamindari. His mother’s name was Sitamma. It was difficult for Radhakrishnan’s father to educate him with a meagre income and a large family to take care of. Radhakrishnan went
Born on 10 November 1848 at Calcutta in West Bengal, Surendranath Banerjee was intensely swayed by the liberal, progressive thinking of his father, Durga Charan Banerjee.Surendranath Banerjee was the President of the Indian National Congress twice, in 1895 and 1902. He was largely responsible in canalising the energy of the youth of Bengal to the