Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, (born 18 July 1918) a former President of South Africa, was one of its chief anti-apartheid activists. He is now almost universally considered to be a heroic freedom fighter.At the age of seven, he became the first member of his family to attend school, where he was given the English name ‘Nelson’ […]
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (April 14, 1891- December 6, 1956) was one of the prominent Indian leader of the 20th century. He was born in Mhow in central India, the fourteenth child of parents who belonged to the very lowest stratum of Hindu society, known as untouchables or Dalits.Ambedkar’s father had acquired a certain amount of
Marudur Gopalamenon Ramachandran (January 17, 1917-December 24, 1987), popularly known as MGR, was a long time Tamil film actor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death.He was born at Kandy, Sri Lanka, to Marudhar Gopalan and Satyabhama.After his father’s death, MGR settled with his family at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. He
Abdul Ghaffar Khan was one of the greatest practitioners of nonviolent resistance and humanitarians of the 20th century but few people have heard of him—even those from the part of the world where he lived and worked and strived for peace, independence, and the dignity of the people. He has been called the ‘Frontier Gandhi’.
Vinoba was born in a Brahmin family on September 11, 1895 at the village of Gagoda in Kolaba district of Maharashtra. He was named Vinayak at birth and was influenced by his mother Rukmini Devi, a religious woman.Vinoba, well-read in the writings of Maharashtra’s saints and philosophers at a young age and deeply interested in
On August 27, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu alias Mother Teresa was born 1910 to Albanian parents in Skopje, which at the time was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Skopje is now the capital of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.When she was 18, she entered the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of
K. Kamaraj was born on July 15,1903 to the couple Kumarasamy and Sivakami in Virudhunagar, Tamilnadu. His father Kumarasamy had a small coconut shop to support his family.While Kamaraj was studying in the primary school, the family was struck with a misfortune. His father, the only breadwinner of the family, succumbed to a massive heart
Varahagiri Venkata Giri (August 10, 1894-June 24, 1980), commonly known as V. V. Giri, was the fourth president of the Republic of India (August 24, 1969 – August 23, 1974).He was born on 10 August, 1894 at Berhampore in Ganjam district in Orissa. He came of a rather well-offBrahmin family. His father Shri V.V. Jogaiah
Indian history has been witness to only one female Prime Minister—Indira Gandhi. She was the third Prime Minister of India and the daughter of the first—Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru. Her charm, intelligence and charisma made her a powerful statesperson, much loved and admired by her people.Born on 19th November 1917, in Allahabad, she was greatly loved
Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2 October, 1905 in Mogulsarai, a small town in U.P. His father Sharada Prasad, a school teacher at the local school, passed away when Lal Bahadur was barely a year and a half. Growing up without a father forced Lal Bahadur to accept responsibility at an early age. He
Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane was born on May 7, 1880 was a famous Indologist and Sanskrit scholar. He was born in a conservative Brahmin family. He hails from the Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.Dr. Kane is famous for his magnum opus in English, History of Dharmasastra subtitled Ancient and Mediaeval Religions and Civil Law in India.
Dr. Zakir Hussain (February 8, 1897-May 3, 1969) was the third President of India from May 13, 1967 until his death.He was born at Hyderabad on February 8, 1897. His father, Fida Hussain Khan, went to Hyderabad, studied Law and had a most successful career.Unfortunately, he died when Dr. Zakir Hussain was only ten years
Dr. Rajendra Prasad (December 3, 1884-February 28, 1963) was the first President of India.Prasad was born in Zeeradei, Bihar. His father, Mahadev Sahay was a Persian and Sanskrit language scholar; his mother, Kamleshwari Devi was a devout lady who would tell stories from the Ramayana to her son. At the age of 5, the young
Born on August 1, 1882, Tandon had his education in Lahore. He entered the legal profession in 1906. He joined the Congress in 1899 even as a student. He was associated with the Congress committee which inquired into the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre. He was imprisoned in 1928 for active participation in the non-cooperation movement.He was
Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on July 1, 1882, at Bankipore in Patna, Bihar. His father Prakash Chandra was an Excise Inspector. Bidhan was the youngest of five children and was greatly influenced by the simplicity, discipline and piety of his parents. His parents inculcated in him the idea of service by taking care of