national leaders biography in english

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Mahatma Gandhi

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 6, 2019 | Original: July 30, 2010

Revered the world over for his nonviolent philosophy of passive resistance, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was known to his many followers as Mahatma, or “the great-souled one.” He began his activism as an Indian immigrant in South Africa in the early 1900s, and in the years following World War I became the leading figure in India’s struggle to gain independence from Great Britain. Known for his ascetic lifestyle–he often dressed only in a loincloth and shawl–and devout Hindu faith, Gandhi was imprisoned several times during his pursuit of non-cooperation, and undertook a number of hunger strikes to protest the oppression of India’s poorest classes, among other injustices. After Partition in 1947, he continued to work toward peace between Hindus and Muslims. Gandhi was shot to death in Delhi in January 1948 by a Hindu fundamentalist.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar, in the present-day Indian state of Gujarat. His father was the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar; his deeply religious mother was a devoted practitioner of Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindu god Vishnu), influenced by Jainism, an ascetic religion governed by tenets of self-discipline and nonviolence. At the age of 19, Mohandas left home to study law in London at the Inner Temple, one of the city’s four law colleges. Upon returning to India in mid-1891, he set up a law practice in Bombay, but met with little success. He soon accepted a position with an Indian firm that sent him to its office in South Africa. Along with his wife, Kasturbai, and their children, Gandhi remained in South Africa for nearly 20 years.

Did you know? In the famous Salt March of April-May 1930, thousands of Indians followed Gandhi from Ahmadabad to the Arabian Sea. The march resulted in the arrest of nearly 60,000 people, including Gandhi himself.

Gandhi was appalled by the discrimination he experienced as an Indian immigrant in South Africa. When a European magistrate in Durban asked him to take off his turban, he refused and left the courtroom. On a train voyage to Pretoria, he was thrown out of a first-class railway compartment and beaten up by a white stagecoach driver after refusing to give up his seat for a European passenger. That train journey served as a turning point for Gandhi, and he soon began developing and teaching the concept of satyagraha (“truth and firmness”), or passive resistance, as a way of non-cooperation with authorities.

The Birth of Passive Resistance

In 1906, after the Transvaal government passed an ordinance regarding the registration of its Indian population, Gandhi led a campaign of civil disobedience that would last for the next eight years. During its final phase in 1913, hundreds of Indians living in South Africa, including women, went to jail, and thousands of striking Indian miners were imprisoned, flogged and even shot. Finally, under pressure from the British and Indian governments, the government of South Africa accepted a compromise negotiated by Gandhi and General Jan Christian Smuts, which included important concessions such as the recognition of Indian marriages and the abolition of the existing poll tax for Indians.

In July 1914, Gandhi left South Africa to return to India. He supported the British war effort in World War I but remained critical of colonial authorities for measures he felt were unjust. In 1919, Gandhi launched an organized campaign of passive resistance in response to Parliament’s passage of the Rowlatt Acts, which gave colonial authorities emergency powers to suppress subversive activities. He backed off after violence broke out–including the massacre by British-led soldiers of some 400 Indians attending a meeting at Amritsar–but only temporarily, and by 1920 he was the most visible figure in the movement for Indian independence.

Leader of a Movement

As part of his nonviolent non-cooperation campaign for home rule, Gandhi stressed the importance of economic independence for India. He particularly advocated the manufacture of khaddar, or homespun cloth, in order to replace imported textiles from Britain. Gandhi’s eloquence and embrace of an ascetic lifestyle based on prayer, fasting and meditation earned him the reverence of his followers, who called him Mahatma (Sanskrit for “the great-souled one”). Invested with all the authority of the Indian National Congress (INC or Congress Party), Gandhi turned the independence movement into a massive organization, leading boycotts of British manufacturers and institutions representing British influence in India, including legislatures and schools.

After sporadic violence broke out, Gandhi announced the end of the resistance movement, to the dismay of his followers. British authorities arrested Gandhi in March 1922 and tried him for sedition; he was sentenced to six years in prison but was released in 1924 after undergoing an operation for appendicitis. He refrained from active participation in politics for the next several years, but in 1930 launched a new civil disobedience campaign against the colonial government’s tax on salt, which greatly affected Indian’s poorest citizens.

A Divided Movement

In 1931, after British authorities made some concessions, Gandhi again called off the resistance movement and agreed to represent the Congress Party at the Round Table Conference in London. Meanwhile, some of his party colleagues–particularly Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a leading voice for India’s Muslim minority–grew frustrated with Gandhi’s methods, and what they saw as a lack of concrete gains. Arrested upon his return by a newly aggressive colonial government, Gandhi began a series of hunger strikes in protest of the treatment of India’s so-called “untouchables” (the poorer classes), whom he renamed Harijans, or “children of God.” The fasting caused an uproar among his followers and resulted in swift reforms by the Hindu community and the government.

In 1934, Gandhi announced his retirement from politics in, as well as his resignation from the Congress Party, in order to concentrate his efforts on working within rural communities. Drawn back into the political fray by the outbreak of World War II , Gandhi again took control of the INC, demanding a British withdrawal from India in return for Indian cooperation with the war effort. Instead, British forces imprisoned the entire Congress leadership, bringing Anglo-Indian relations to a new low point.

Partition and Death of Gandhi

After the Labor Party took power in Britain in 1947, negotiations over Indian home rule began between the British, the Congress Party and the Muslim League (now led by Jinnah). Later that year, Britain granted India its independence but split the country into two dominions: India and Pakistan. Gandhi strongly opposed Partition, but he agreed to it in hopes that after independence Hindus and Muslims could achieve peace internally. Amid the massive riots that followed Partition, Gandhi urged Hindus and Muslims to live peacefully together, and undertook a hunger strike until riots in Calcutta ceased.

In January 1948, Gandhi carried out yet another fast, this time to bring about peace in the city of Delhi. On January 30, 12 days after that fast ended, Gandhi was on his way to an evening prayer meeting in Delhi when he was shot to death by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic enraged by Mahatma’s efforts to negotiate with Jinnah and other Muslims. The next day, roughly 1 million people followed the procession as Gandhi’s body was carried in state through the streets of the city and cremated on the banks of the holy Jumna River.

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National Leaders Of India

National Leaders of India are those great Indian freedom fighters who spent their lives fighting for the Independence of India. The word “freedom fighters” refers to all of the great heroes who made important contributions to the Indian independence struggle from British Rule. Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak are a few of them.

Read this article ahead to know more about them and learn about other national leaders of India.

The National Leaders of India

Mahatma gandhi, jawaharlal nehru, subhas chandra bose, sardar vallabhbhai patel, lal bahadur shastri, bhagat singh, bipin chandra pal, lala lajpat rai, chandra shekhar azad, bal gangadhar tilak, abul kalam azad, rabindranath tagore, gopal krishna gokhale, dadabhai naoroji, womesh chandra bonnerjee.

Throughout its glorious history, India has produced some of the most effective leaders, who have inspired and led the rest of us.

Listed below are some well-known influential individuals of the twentieth century. Read on to discover the stories behind these leaders, and learn about how they shaped the modern India we know today.

• One of the greatest national leaders of all time was Mahatma Gandhi actual name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who led the Indian civil rights movement against British rule. Although he was a political figure, his nonviolent protest methods and persistence earned him worldwide acclaim. The honorific Mahatma, which was initially ascribed to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used all over the world.
• He was born in coastal Gujarat in a Hindu Family. He was a politician, social activist, Indian lawyer, and writer who rose to prominence as the leader of the statewide uprising against British rule in India.
• In 1915, at the age of 45, he arrived in India and immediately began organizing peasants, farmers, and urban laborers to oppose exorbitant land taxation and discrimination.
• In 1921 he assumed the leadership of the Indian National Congress. Mahatma Gandhi spearheaded countrywide initiatives to alleviate poverty, promote women’s rights, foster religious and ethnic harmony, abolish untouchability, and, most importantly, achieve swaraj, or self-rule.
• Mahatma Gandhi protested the British-imposed salt tariff with the Dandi Salt March in 1930 and called for the British to Quit India in 1942.
• On 30 January 1948, while doing a prayer he was shot dead by Nathuram Godse a militant Hindu Nationalist.
• On November 14, 1889, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was born at Allabahad. He moved to England at the age of 15, spent two years at Harrow, and then enrolled in Cambridge University to complete his Tripos in Natural Sciences.
• Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian anti-colonial patriot, secular humanist, social democrat, and novelist who served as India’s first prime minister for 16 years after the country gained independence in 1947.
• He was a delegate to the Bankipore Congress Party in 1912, and in 1919 he was named Secretary of the Allahabad Home Rule League. He met Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in 1916, and he was deeply moved by him. In 1920, he led the first Kisan March in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh District. In connection with the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920–1922, he was twice put behind bars.
• In the 1930s and 1940s, Nehru was a key figure in the Indian nationalist movement. During the 1950s, he vigorously advocated parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology, profoundly impacting India’s development as a modern nation.
• In September 1923, Pt. Nehru was appointed General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee. Nehru was influential in committing the Madras Congress to the idea of independence in 1926. In Lucknow in 1928, he was lathi-charged while organizing a protest against the Simon commission.
• Pt. Nehru was chosen President of the Indian National Congress’s Lahore Session in 1929, where ultimate independence for the country was adopted as the aim. During 1930-35, he was imprisoned multiple times in connection with the Salt Satyagraha and other activities undertaken by Congress.
• On 15 August 1947, he was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Dominion of India and hoisted the Indian flag at the Red Fort in Delhi.
• During the British Raj, Subhas Chandra Bose was born into wealth and privilege into a big Bengali family in Orissa. He had an Anglocentric education and was transferred to England after college to attempt the Indian Civil Service test.
• When he returned to India in 1921, he became a member of the nationalist movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. He succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru as leader of a faction within the Congress that was less interested in constitutional reform and more receptive to socialism.
• During the Guwahati Session of the Congress in 1928, a division developed between the existing and new members of the Congress. The split between moderate Gandhi and aggressive Subhash Chandra Bose grew to unbridgeable dimensions, and Bose resigned from the party in 1939. The next year, he founded the Forward Bloc.
• With Japanese assistance, Bose reformed the Indian National Army (INA), which included Indian Army prisoners of war seized by the Japanese during the Battle of Singapore.
• He was a dynamic young influencer who acquired the moniker ‘Netaji’ by organizing and directing the Indian National Army (INA) during India’s independence fight.
• Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, often known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, political leader, barrister, and politician who served as India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister from 1947 to 1950.
• The Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is also known as the unifier of India. Following independence, he was instrumental in bringing more than 500 royal states into the Indian Union.
• Patel was born in Nadiad, Kheda district, and nurtured in Gujarat’s rural. He was a successful attorney. One of Mahatma Gandhi’s first political lieutenants, he led peasants from Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in nonviolent civil disobedience against the British Raj, becoming one of Gujarat’s most powerful leaders.
• He was elected as the 49th President of the Indian National Congress, where he organized the party for elections in 1934 and 1937 while also pushing the Quit India Movement.
• Patel was the principal representative from India’s Constituent Assembly, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was nominated on his recommendation. He was instrumental in establishing the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service. He is also known as the “patron saint of India’s Civil Servants” for establishing the present All India Services system.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the country’s second Prime Minister from 1964 to 1966 and its sixth Home Minister from 1961 to 1963.
• On October 2, 1904, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in Mughalsarai, a little railway town seven miles from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Lal Bahadur Shastri grew up becoming increasingly engaged in the country’s quest for independence from foreign domination. In the 1920s, he joined the Indian independence movement after being deeply inspired and motivated by Gandhi.
• He supported the Amul milk co-operative of Anand, Gujarat, and established the Nationwide Dairy Development Board to promote the White Revolution, a national drive to expand milk production and supply. In 1965, Shastri also encouraged the Green Revolution in India. This resulted in an upsurge in food grain output, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
• He was the president of the Lok Sevak Mandal, which Lala Lajpat Rai started, and held key roles in the Indian National Congress.
• During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, he headed the country. During the conflict, his slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” became immensely famous. He died in Tashkent on January 10, 1966. He received the Bharat Ratna posthumously.
• Bhagat Singh was a 23-year-old Indian revolutionary freedom fighter who was executed by British invaders. He is remembered fondly as ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh,’ and is regarded as a national hero of India’s liberation struggle against colonial authority.
• In Lahore, Bhagat Singh attended the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School. In 1923, he enrolled in the National College in Lahore, which had been established two years before by Lala Lajpat Rai in reaction to Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement, which pushed Indian students to avoid schools and colleges supported by the British Indian government.
• In December 1928, Bhagat Singh and an associate, Shivaram Rajguru, both members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, shot dead a 21-year-old British police officer, John Saunders, in Lahore, Punjab, in what is now Pakistan, mistaking Saunders for the British senior police superintendent, James Scott, whom they had intended to assassinate.
• Later, he took part in a mostly symbolic bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi, as well as a hunger strike in jail seeking better prison conditions for Indian inmates, which ended in Jatin Das’s death from malnutrition in September 1929.
• In the 1930s, he energised India’s emerging militancy and spurred serious introspection inside the Indian National Congress’s nonviolent but ultimately victorious struggle for India’s independence. Bhagat Singh was sentenced to death in March 1931 for the murders of John Saunders and Channan Singh. After his death, he became a folk hero.
• Bipin Chandra Pal was an Indian patriot, author, orator, social reformer, and freedom fighter in the Indian independence struggle. He was one of the three members of the “Lal Bal Pal” group.
• Bipin Chandra Pal was born into a Hindu Bengali Kayastha family in the hamlet of Poil, Habiganj, Sylhet District, Bengal Presidency of British India.
• Pal is regarded as the Father of Revolutionary Thoughts in India. Pal rose to prominence in the Indian National Congress. Bipin Chandra Pal presented a strong appeal for the repeal of the discriminatory Arms Act during the Madras session of the Indian National Congress in 1887.
• Sri Aurobindo Ghosh and Pal were acknowledged as the leading proponents of a new national movement centred on the values of Purna Swaraj, Swadeshi, boycott, and national education.
• To remove poverty and unemployment, Pal advocated and supported the adoption of Swadeshi and the boycott of imported goods. Through national critique, he hoped to eradicate social problems and generate emotions of nationalism.
• Sri Aurobindo called him “one of the mightiest prophets of nationalism.” Bipin Chandra Pal worked hard to eliminate social and economic evils. He was an outspoken opponent of the caste system and a supporter of widow remarriage.
• Lala Lajpat Rai was an author, freedom fighter, and politician from India. He was an important figure in the Indian independence struggle. “Punjab Kesari” or “Lion of Punjab” was his popular name. He was one of the Lal Bal Pal Trimurti’s three members.
• He was also involved in the early phases of the Punjab National Bank and the Lakshmi Insurance Company in 1894.
• In 1886, he traveled to Hisar, where his father was posted, and began practising law, becoming a founding member of the Hisar Bar Council alongside Babu Churamani. In the same year, he, Babu Churamani, and others co-founded the Hisar district section of the Indian National Congress and the reformist Arya Samaj.
• He left his law practise in 1914 to devote himself to the Indian independence struggle, first to Britain and then to the United States in 1917. He established the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York in October 1917. From 1917 until 1920, he lived in the United States. Arya Samaj and community representation influenced his early liberation struggle.
• In addition, he was chosen President of the All India Trade Union Congress. At the Nagpur session of the Congress in 1920, he backed Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement. He was a vocal opponent of the Rowlatt Act and the subsequent Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In 1926, he was chosen deputy leader of the Central Legislative Assembly. In 1928, he introduced a motion in the parliament refusing to cooperate with the Simon Commission since it had no Indian members.
• Chandra Shekhar Tiwari, also known as Chandra Shekhar Azad, was an Indian revolutionary who reorganized the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under the new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) following the deaths of its founder, Ram Prasad Bismil, and three other prominent party leaders.
• On 26th July 1906 Chandra Sekhar was born in a Bhabra Village, Alirajpur present-day Madhya Pradesh in a Brahmin family. Chandrasekhar Azad was interested in revolutionary movements at an early age. In 1921, he joined Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement in response to the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy.
• He was imprisoned for the first time at the age of 15 when he was seized by Britishers and sentenced to 15 lashes. As a result of this episode, he adopted the surname Azad and became known as Chandrashekhar Azad.
• He was engaged in the 1925 Kakori Train Robbery. In 1928, he shot J.P. Saunders in retaliation for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai in Lahore. In 1929, he again attempted to blow up India’s Viceroy’s train.
• On September 9, 1928, Azad and Bhagat Singh covertly changed the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in order to fulfil their principal aim of establishing a socialist-based sovereign India.
• When being encircled by police and seeing no way out after the ammo ran out, Chandra Shekhar Azad shot himself and died on February 27, 1931, at Alfred Park in Allahabad, which is today known as Azad Park.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak and known as Lokmanya, was an Indian patriot, teacher, and independence social reformer. He was one-third of the Lal Bal Pal trio.
• Tilak was the first leader of the Indian freedom struggle. The British colonial rulers dubbed him “the founder of Indian unrest.” He was also given the title “Lokmanya,” which means “recognized by the people as their leader.” Mahatma Gandhi addressed him as “The Maker of Modern India “
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a freedom fighter and social reformer from India. He was a key figure in the development of contemporary India and was undoubtedly one of the most ardent supporters of Swaraj or Indian self-rule.
• During India’s campaign for independence, his well-known proclamation that “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it” served as an example for upcoming revolutionaries.
• Tilak was elected to the Indian National Congress in 1890. He rejected its moderate position, particularly in the fight for self-government. He was one of the most visible radicals of the time.
• Tilak took up the cause by writing controversial pieces in his daily Kesari, invoking the Hindu text Bhagavad Gita to argue that no one should be held accountable for killing an oppressor without anticipating a recompense.
• Tilak supported the Swadeshi and Boycott campaigns following Bengal’s partition, a tactic intended by Lord Curzon to undercut the nationalist cause. The campaign included a boycott of foreign items as well as a social boycott of any Indian who utilized foreign goods.
• In 1916-18, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, G. S. Khaparde, and Annie Besant helped create the All India Home Rule League.
• Abdul kalam Azad, commonly known as Maulana Abdul kalam Azad or simply Maulana Azad, was an Indian scholar, Islamic theologian, Senior leader of the Indian National Congress during the Indian Independence struggle, and independent activist. His full name is Abdul kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad, and he was born in Mecca on November 11, 1888.
• Despite being Muslim, Azad frequently opposed the extremist ideologies of other well-known Muslim leaders, such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
• Maulana Abdul Azad was a man of great integrity and was widely regarded throughout his life. Azad wrote several poems in Urdu throughout his adolescence and also wrote extensively on religion and philosophy.
• Maulana Azad was chosen to the foundation committee for the Jamia Millia Islamia in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, in October 1920. Maulana Azad was the primary organizer of the Dharasana Satyagraha in 1931. He was also the most prominent national leader of the independence struggle, and he contributed to the establishment of secularism and socialism in India.
• Maulana Azad got close to Mahatma Gandhi and participated in several civil disobedience initiatives led by Gandhi, including the Salt Satyagraha movement. He was imprisoned in 1920 for his involvement in the salt satyagraha campaign, and he was later imprisoned again for his involvement in the Quit India movement. In 1923, Maulana Azad was elected president of the Indian Congress Party.
• Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, novelist, dramatist, musician, philosopher, social reformer, and painter.
• Rabindranath Tagore was a multifaceted personality. He wrote the Indian National Anthem and won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
• He was a Brahmo Samaj philosopher, in addition, he was a cultural reformer who freed Bengali art from restrictions that kept it within the purview of classical Indian forms.
• People from many different nations respected and admired his writings, and he ultimately became the first non-European to earn the Nobel Prize.
• As a humanist, universalist, internationalist, and outspoken critic of nationalism, he condemned the British Raj and pushed for independence from Britain.
• In addition to Jana Gana Mana (the National Anthem of India), ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’, another of his compositions, was chosen as the National Anthem of Bangladesh, and the National Anthem of Sri Lanka was influenced by one of his works.
• In the 1915 Birthday Honours, King George V awarded a knighthood to Tagore, but he renounced it following the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• During the Indian independence struggle, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was a ‘moderate’ political leader and social reformer. Gokhale was a senior Indian National Congress official and the founder of the Servants of India Society.
• Gokhale joined the Congress in 1889 and battled for more political power in the administration alongside Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dadabhai Naoroji, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Annie Besant.
• Both Gokhale and Tilak were prominent political leaders in the early twentieth century. Their views, however, were vastly different. Gokhale was seen as a well-meaning moderate, but Tilak was regarded as a radical who would not hesitate to use force to achieve independence.
• He was elected to the Bombay Legislative Council in 1899 and to the Imperial Council of the Governor-General of India as a non-officiating member for Bombay Province in 1901 and 1903.
• Gokhale committed his life to improve the welfare of the country. Gokhale was dispatched by Congress on a special mission to England in 1905 to inform the British authorities about India’s constitutional demands. He discussed the British government’s prejudice and harsh treatment of Indians.
• Gopal Krishna Gokhale thought that working inside existing British government institutions would be the best way to achieve social changes, which earned him the ire of more militant nationalists like Tilak.
• Gandhi referred to Gokhale as his mentor and adviser, as well as an amazing leader and great politician. He also published a Gujarati book about the Gokhale called ‘Dharmatma Gokhale.’
• On February 19, 1915, Gopal Krishna Gokhale died. Tilak paid respect to Gokhale in a Kesari column after his death.
• Dadabhai Naoroji was an Indian political leader, trader, academic, and writer who served as the 2nd, 9th, and 22nd President of the Indian National Congress from 1886 to 1887, 1893 to 1894, and 1906 to 1907.
• Between 1892 to 1895, he was the Liberal Party’s Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom House of Commons, and he was the country’s second MP of Asian heritage.
• Naoroji was also an active politician and was active in academic exercises, political campaigns, and journalism. Also referred to as the “Grand Old Man of India,” and “unofficial ambassador of India” he rose to prominence as a public figure and won the backing of suffragists and Florence Nightingale.
• During the time of British control in India, Naoroji’s work concentrated on the drain of wealth from India to Britain. At the start of the 20th century, Naoroji openly called for self-government, believing that this was the only way to stop the drain of wealth.
• In 1865, he played a key role in the foundation of the ‘London Indian Society.’ The society’s goal was to debate Indian social, political, and academic issues. In 1867, he also assisted in the formation of the East India Association, one of the forerunner organizations of the Indian National Congress, with the goal of presenting the Indian point of view to the British audience.

Related – Indian nationalism

• Womesh Chandra Bannerjee was a lawyer from India. He co-founded and served as the first president of the Indian National Congress.
• Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was born on December 29, 1844, in Calcutta, to a prominent upper-middle-class Brahmin family.
• He was a Calcutta University fellow and the president of the law faculty and he frequently represented it in the legislative council. In 1901, he resigned from the Calcutta bar.
• He presided over the inaugural session of the Indian National Congress, which was held in Bombay from December 28 to December 31, 1885, and was attended by 72 members.
• In the 1886 session, held in Calcutta under the presidency of Dadabhai Naoroji, he proposed the formation of standing committees of the Congress in each province for better coordination of its work, and it was on this occasion that he advocated that the Congress limit its activities to political matters only, leaving the issue of social reforms to other organizations.
• He also spent some time in England practising law. While he was a resident there, the Liberal Party granted him a seat in the House of Commons elections from Barrow-in-Furness. Despite his failure, he was the first Indian to run for election to the British Parliament.

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The British Raj was a terrible period in Indian civilization. The independence India has today is the result of the sacrifices and struggles of India’s freedom fighters and Nationalist leaders. This is the result of a concerted effort by many unknown freedom activists. Some national leaders received attention, while others remained in the shadows and worked for what we deserved. These are the leaders who made a stance and committed their lives to India’s independence.

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History has given us a plethora of powerful leaders who have devoted their lives to the advancement of their countries and their people. Part of what defines a good leader is their ability to make sensible decisions during catastrophes and trying times. Brilliant leaders of both ancient and modern times have left behind everlasting legacies. A common thread that ties together many great leaders is that they emerged during tough times and led their countrymen into a brighter future. This is a list of 10 books about such leaders, covering the life they led, their political stances and their contributions to society.

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National Leaders of India

India has produced some of the most effective leaders during its proud past, who have inspired the rest of us and directed our nation’s citizens. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Dr. B R Ambedkar, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel are a few of them. Let’s check out the national leaders of India in more detail:

1.     Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru

From the time India achieved its independence in 1947 until his death in 1964, the first prime minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru successfully led the turbulent development of the young nation. As a very liberal, social democrat, and secular statesman who learned from Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru is remembered for having firmly set India on the path it is currently traveling. In addition to being a man of letters, Nehru is recognized for founding the Indian Planning Commission. 

2.     B. R. Ambedkar

B. R Ambedkar was the most influential person in India who held various and performed various roles throughout his entire life in the form of a governmental figurehead, writer, lawyer, philosopher, linguist, historian, revolutionary, and many more. Despite the fact that his opinions were disliked, he continued to speak up as a revolutionary leader.  He also brought back Buddhism to the nation, leaving an impact that is still visible in Dalit communities, a goal that Ambedkar fought for all of his life. Ambedkar is regarded as the creator of the Indian Constitution, in whose honor the country commemorated Republic Day.

3.     Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee who came from the Bharatiya Janata Party was one of the great leaders of India. He held the position of Prime Minister of India from 1999 to 2004, the only Prime Minister to hold the office of PM for the entirety of a 5 years term outside of Congress Party at that time. He was a poet also and famed for his outstanding speeches. He was honored with Padam Vibhushan, the second highest citizenship award in India. He entered into politics by joining the Bhartiya Jana Sangh in 1951 and quit all political activity in 2005. He took his last breath on 16th August 2018 at AIIMS in New Delhi. Under the leadership of Vajpayee, India successfully conducted a nuclear test. 

4.     Lal Bahadur Shastri

One of the most prominent and fearless leaders whom India can never have back in is Lal Bahadur Shastri. Although it was never going to be simple, Lal Bahadur Shastri succeeded admirably in matching the footsteps of Jawaharlal Nehru. In keeping with Nehru’s socialist values, he provided the motto “Jai Jawan Jai Kisaan ” and functioned zealously for the agricultural sector in India. Under the leadership of Lal Bahadur Shastri, India defeated Pakistan in the war of 1965 which made him a legend to be remembered eternally. After achieving the victory over Pakistan, Shastri went to Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, the Soviet Union for a meeting where he died because of a heart attack. 

5.     Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Born on 31 October 1875 in Nadiad, Bombay Presidency (present-day Gujarat), Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a great leader who handled the situation remarkably at the time of partition after independence. At the time of independence, India was not received as an entire territory. It was split up into nations at the time, whose rulers pushed for unrestrained rights or attempted to maintain their neutral status. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel gained the moniker “India’s Iron Man” by dealing with each of them forcefully and harshly. 

6.     Subhash Chandra Bose

Despite having only a brief tenure as an Indian National Congress member, he had a significant influence on the nation’s military forces. As one of the few political figures who encouraged military rebellion to overturn British rule in India, Bose even created an army under his command called the Indian National Army and enlisted Japan’s assistance to drive the British out of the nation. British Prime Minister Clement Atlee acknowledged that Bose’s actions had a significant influence in the British Empire’s exit from India, despite the fact that his Military was unable to physically push the British out.

7.     Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi was one of the most successful leaders and the first woman Prime Minister of India served India for 11 years. Indira, Jawaharlal Nehru’s sole daughter, had a powerful impact on both the Congress Party and the populace’s opinions. During her tenure as prime minister, she was renowned for her ruthlessness, which helped India escape a policy impasse and firmly put its growth on the correct path. Indira was called India’s biggest prime minister despite the Emergency and tragic killing in the wake of Operation Blue Star. Indira Gandhi introduced the Green Revolution in India 

8.     Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Born on 3rd December 1884 in Ziradei, Siwan Bihar, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India. He is regarded as a key author of the Indian Republic and presided over the Constituent Assembly of India. Prasad is praised for being honest and communicating effectively. He continues to be the only President to have won the presidency twice. In 1962, he retired from all political activities and traveled to Sadaqat Ashram in Patna in order to live the rest of his life and he left the world on February 28, 1963.

9.     APJ Abdul Kalam

Born on 15 October 1931 in Rameswaram, Madras Presidency, APJ Abdul Kalam with wild hair was one of the most dynamic presidents in living memory. Due to his advancement of India’s missile system capabilities, he is often referred to as the People’s President and the Missile Man. Kalam, who heavily supported young issues, also started the What Can I Give initiative in 2011 to root out corruption and achieve his personal aim of making India a developed nation by 2020. Sadly, at the age of 83, Abdul Kalam left the world on 27 July 2015 in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. 

10.  Dadabhai Naoroji

Dadabhai Naoroji served India as the first politician and also engaged in commercial activities like fabric selling. He was also a pioneer in the Indian education system, working to dispel misconceptions about Monotheistic among the people of Bombay. Between 1892 to 1895, Naoroji served as an MP in the UK’s House of Commons, making him the first Asian to hold the position of MP in the British Parliament.  

11.  Mahatma Gandhi

The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, led the pre-independence age, and no other individual falls near matching Mahatma Gandhi in terms of policy, influence, and effort. He was born on October 2nd, 1869 in Gujarat’s coastline region and there is a national holiday on the birthday of Gandhiji. . At the age of 24, he traveled to South Africa, wherein he encountered prejudice towards Indians and launched a civil rights initiative. His emblem, the rotating pulley, which stood for liberation, gained prominence during the Indian Independence Movement. Gandhi Ji promoted interfaith unity and was crucial in calming the populace and preventing Hindu-Muslim rioting before and after the country’s split.

12.  Lala Lajpat Rai

Born on 28 January 1865 in Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai was one of the famous leaders of India who is also known by the name Punjab Kesari. Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement was started under his leadership during a special session of Congress. Under the command of Lala Lajpat Rai, the Swadeshi movement was initiated whose main objective was to avoid foreign products and make use of those created in India. Sadly, Lala Lajpat Rai was injured by a British constable on October 30, 1928, as he was opposing the Simon Commission’s arrival by yelling “Simon Go Back” and left the world on 17th November 1928.

13.  Jyoti Basu

Born on 8 July 1914 in Kolkata, Jyoti Basu held the position of chief minister for the longest stretch of time in any Indian state from 1977 to 2000. In addition to starting Panchayati raj for farmers in West Bengal, Basu created the Indian land development initiative. Never one to strictly adhere to communism, Basu made it his duty to uphold racial peace and provide the underclass of society what they rightfully deserved.

14.  P. V. Narasimha Rao

When Manmohan Singh pushed up the country’s economy in 1991 under the leadership of Narasimha Rao, it earned him the title of “Father of Indian Economic Reforms.” Additionally, he promoted Foreign investment in the nation to boost its fragile economy. Despite leading a minority administration, he was a skilled politician who used a combination of cleverness and deceit to enact a number of significant laws.

15.  Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai was India’s first prime minister to be chosen from a party other than the Congress. Morarji Desai was elected as the PM of India after the demolition of the Emergency and he held the PMO from 24 March 1977 – 28 July 1979.  Desai, a staunch supporter of Gandhi’s nonviolent campaign, earned Pakistan’s highest civilian honor, the Nishan-e-Pakistan, from President Ghulam Ishaq Khan as the first politician to do so. Morarji Desai is also recognized for improving bureaucratic, socioeconomic, and healthcare transformations in the nation and he was also responsible for India’s nuclear initiative. 

16.  Jayaprakash Narayan

Born on 11 October 1902 in Saran, a significant figure in history, Jayaprakash Narayan initially gained notoriety by challenging Indira Gandhi while she was at the height of her influence. Narayan was the first politician to draw sizable people for his ideological stances, albeit he hardly rose to the status of a governmental powerhouse. 

17.  Zakir Hussain

Born on 8 February 1897 in Hyderabad, Zakir Hussain held the position of Indian President from 13 May 1967 to 3 May 1969, moreover he was the first President of India who came from a minority community, Muslim. Under the leadership of Zakir Hussain, Jamia Millia Islamia was established which is one of the most prestigious universities in India. He received acclaim from various internal and external sources, especially his hated opponent Mohammed Ali Jinnah, for his commitment to literacy and attempts to maintain Jamia Millia Islamia operating despite extreme situations. 

18.  Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi, one of the nation’s youngest presidents ever, was responsible for reducing the License  Raj and promoting technological advancements while also initiating India’s telecommunications industry. He came into the power of Indian Politics as the youngest PM after the death of his mother Indira Gandhi. Rajiv, who is well known for supporting the arts, also established INTACH in 1984 to safeguard India’s rich cultural history. Unfortunately, he was also assassinated on  21 May 1991 during his rally in Sriperumbudur. 

19.  Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi has served as the Indian National Congress Party’s president for more than 20 years. maintained control over the oldest party of India and regularly expressed her thoughts on the status of events in the nation. Until someone discloses the extent of Sonia Gandhi’s power over voting issues, her impact cannot be completely understood. She is credited with helping enact crucial legislation, including the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

20.  Manmohan Singh

Born on 26 September 1932 in Gah, presently located in Pakistan, Man Mohan Singh holds the record of holding the PMO for the longest duration (10 years) after Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Despite his current reputation for being despised, Manmohan Singh is credited with helping to save the nation’s economy in 1991 by liberalizing trade. It took a while for socialism and capitalism to be replaced, and Manmohan made sure that the changeover proceeded without a hitch. India reached the US $ 1 trillion economic milestone while he was prime minister. 

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25 Popular Freedom Fighters of India

Friday November 8, 2019

Behind the celebration of Independence on 15th August, 1947, there is a much violent and chaotic history of fierce rebellions, wars and movements done by thousands of spirited Indian freedom fighters.All these freedom fighters of India fought, struggled and even sacrificed their lives in an effort to free India from British rule.

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To end the reign of foreign imperialists and their Colonialism in India, a great number of revolutionaries and activists from diverse family backgrounds came together and embarked on a mission. Many of us might have heard of some of them, but there are so many prominent heroes whose contributions have not been celebrated. To respect their efforts and devotion, we have made a list of 25 top freedom fighters of India, without them we wouldn’t be breathing in Independent India.

1. SardarVallabhbhai Patel

• Born:  31 October 1875, Nadia
• Died:  15 December 1950, Mumbai
• Full name:  Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel
• Nicknames: Bismarck of India, Strong (Iron) Man, Sardar, Iron Man Of India
• Awards: Bharat Ratna

2. Jawaharlal Nehru

• Born:  14 November 1889, Prayagraj
• Died:  27 May 1964, New Delhi
• Spouse:  Kamala Nehru (m. 1916–1936)
• Parents:  Motilal Nehru
• Grandparents:  Gangadhar Nehru ,  Jeevarani Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was the only son of Motilal Nehru and Swarup Rani and was born in 1889. Nehru was originally a barrister and became popular as both freedom fighter of india and a politician. His passion for India’s freedom was the influence of Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts to relieve India from Britishers. He joined the freedom struggle, became the President of Indian National Congress and was eventually made the First Prime Minister of India post the independence. Since he adored children, he was called Chacha Nehru and his birthday is celebrated as Children’s day.

3. Mahatma Gandhi

• Born:  2 October 1869,  Porbandar
• Full name:  Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
• Assassinated:  30 January 1948, New Delhi
• Spouse:  Kasturba Gandhi  (m. 1883–1944)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 2 nd October, 1869 and was entitled “Father of Nation” and Mahatma Gandhi because of his great deeds. Married to Kasturba at 13, he studied law in London and went to South Africa for practice where racial discrimination towards some Indians inspired him to fight for human rights. Later, after watching the status of India ruled by Englishmen, Gandhi fiercely joined the freedom fight. He took “DandiKuch” on his bare foot to relieve tax on salt and led several non-violence movements against Britishers in efforts for freedom.

4. Tantia Tope

• Born:  1814, Yeola
• Died:  18 April 1859,  Shivpuri
• Full name:  Ramachandra Pandurang Tope
• Nationality :  Indian
• Other name:  Ramachandra Panduranga
• Parents:  Pandurang Rao Tope ,  Rukhmabai

Tantia Tope was born in 1814 and became one of the great classic Indian rebellions in 1857. He led a group of soldier and to fight and end the dominance of the British. A firm follower of Nana Sahib, he served as General and continued his fight despite extreme circumstances. Tantia made General Windham to leave Kanpur and was involved in reinstating Rani Lakshmi to Gwalior.

5. Nana Sahib

• Born:  19 May 1824,  Bithoor
• Died:  1859,  Naimisha Forest
• Full name:  Dhondu Pant,
• Disappeared:  July 1857 (aged 33);  Cawnpore (now Kanpur), British India
• Parents:  Baji Rao II ,  Ganga Bai ,  Narayan Bhatt
• Children:  Baya Bai

Nana Sahib was a significant contributor in 1857 uprising in which he led a group of ardent rebellions.He overwhelmed the British forces in Kanpur and threatened British camp by killing the survivors of the force. Audacious and fearless, Nana Sahib was a skilled administrator as well who prepared and ledthousands of Indian soldiers.

6. Lal Bahadur Shastri

• Born:  2 October 1904,  Mughalsarai
• Died:  11 January 1966, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
• Party:  Indian National Congress
• Children:  Anil Shastri, Sunil Shastri, Hari Krishna Shastri, Ashok Shastri, Suman Shastri, Kusum Shastri, Hari Shastri
• Books:  Selected Speeches of Lal Bahadur Shastri, June 11, 1964 to January 10, 1966
• Education:  Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith  (1925),  Banaras Hindu University ,  Harish Chandra Postgraduate College

Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in 1904 in UP. He received the title “Shastri” Scholar after he completed his study at Kashi Vidyapeeth. As a silent yet active freedom fighter, he participated in Quit India movement, Civil Disobedience movement and Salt Satyagrah movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. He also spent many years in Jail. After the independence, he graced the position of Home Minister and later became Prime Minister of India in 1964.

7. Subhash Chandra Bose

• Born:  23 January 1897, Cuttack
• Died :  18 August 1945, Taipei, Taiwan
• Spouse:  Emilie Schenkl (m. 1937–1945)
• Education:  Scottish Church College (1918), Presidency University
• Parents:  Janakinath Bose ,  Prabhabati Bose

Famous with the title Netaji, Subhas Chandra Bose was born in 1897 in Orissa. The Jallianwala bagh Massacre potentially shook him and made him return to India from England in 1921. He joined Indian National Congress and was a part of Civil Disobedience Movement. Since he wasn’t content with Non-Violence method of freedom as promoted by Gandhi Ji, he went to Germany for help and eventually formed Indian National Army (INA) and Azad Hind Government.

• Born:  15 May 1907, Ludhiana
• Died:  23 March 1931, Lahore, Pakistan
• Siblings:  Jagdish Chand Thapar, Prakash Chand Thapar, Mathuradass Thapar, Krishna Thapar, Jaidev Thapar
• Parents:  Ralli Devi ,  Ramlal Thapar
• Education:  National College of Arts, National College, Lahore
• Children:  Madhu Sehgal

Born in 1907, Sukhdev was a valiant revolutionary and an integral member of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. He worked close with his associates Bhagat Singh and Shivram Rajguru. He was said to be involved in killing a British officer John Saunders.Unfortunately, he was arrested and martyred along with Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru at the age of 24.

9. Kunwar Singh

• Born:  November 1777, Jagdishpur
• Died:  26 April 1858, Jagdishpur
• Full name:  Babu Veer Kunwar Singh
• Nickname:  Veer Kunwar Singh
• Nationality:  Indian

Born in November 1777, Kunwar Singh led a force of soldiers against the British in Bihar at the age of 80. Clever and deceptive, Kunwar Singh was fondly called Veer Kunwar Singh due to his intimidating bravery. He targeted British Troops with guerrilla warfare tactics and defeated British forces heavily. Kunwar Singh is always remembered for his young audacity, passion and respectable bravery.

10. Rani Lakshmi Bai

• Born:  19 November 1828, Varanasi
• Died:  18 June 1858, Gwalior
• Full name:  Manikarnika Tambe
• Spouse:  Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar (m. 1842–1853)
• Parents:  Moropant Tambe, Bhagirathi Sapre
• Children:  Damodar Rao of Jhansi, Anand Rao

Rani Lakhsmi Bai, the Queen of Jhansi, was born in 1828. She was a key member of India’s fierce uprising of independence in 1857. Despite being a woman, she embodied bravery and fearless attitude, inspiring thousands of women to participate the freedom battle. She bravely defended her palaceof Jhansi in 1858 when it was to be invaded by British force led by Sir Hugh Rose.

11. Bal Gangadhar Tilak

• Born:  23 July 1856, Chikhali
• Died:  1 August 1920, Mumbai
• Nickname:  Lokmanya Tilak
• Full name:  Keshav Gangadhar Tilak

Bal GangadharTilak was born in 1856 and was a remarkable freedom fighters of India. In a raging protest against British, he created burning flame across the nation with the slogan – “Swaraj is my birthright”. He was more popular as one of the triumvirate: Lal, Bal and Pal. To defy English rulers, Tilakbuilt schools and published rebellious newspapers. Since people loved and respected him as one of the greatest leaders, he was called Lokmanya Tilak.

12. LalaLajpat Rai

• Born:  28 January 1865, Dhudike
• Died:  17 November 1928, Lahore, Pakistan
• Nickname:  Punjab Kesari
• Education:  Government College University, Government Higher Secondary School, Rewari
• Parents:  Gulab Devi, Radha Krishan

LalaLajpat Rai was born in 1865 in Punjab and was informally called Punjab Kesari. A part of Lal-Bal-Pal trio, he was one of the extremist members of Indian National Congress. In 1920, he became a popular leader as he led the Non-Cooperation Movement and Punjab Protest against the Jalliawala Bagh incident. In a Simon Commission protest in 1928, he died from brutal Lathi charge by the Britishers.

13. Mangal Pandey

• Born:  19 July 1827, Nagwa
• Died:  8 April 1857, Barrackpore
• Known for:  Indian independence fighter
• Parents:  Abhairani Pandey, Divakar Pandey

Born in 1827, Mangal Pandey was one the early freedom fighter. He was among the first rebels to inspire young Indian soldiers to instigate the great rebellion of 1857. Serving as a soldier for the British East India Company, Pandey launched a first attack by firing at English officials, which was the beginning of the Indian rebellion in 1857.

14. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

• Born:  28 May 1883, Bhagur
• Died:  26 February 1966, Mumbai
• Party:  Hindu Mahasabha
• Education:  City Law School (1909), Fergusson College (1902–1905), Wilson College, Mumbai, Mumbai University (MU)
• Children:  Vishwas Savarkar, Prabhat Chiplunkar, Prabhakar Savarkar

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born in 1883 and spent his life being a passionate activist and Indian revolutionary. He founded Abhinav Bharat Society and Free India Society. He was known as Swatantryaveer Savarkar. As a writer, he also wrote a piece titled ‘The Indian War of Independence’ that included glorious details about the struggles of the Indian uprising of 1857.

Also Read: 9 Union Territories of India and their Capitals

15. C. Rajagopalachari

• Born:  10 December 1878, Thorapalli
• Died:  25 December 1972, Chennai
• Nicknames:  CR, Mango of Krishnagiri, Rajaji
• Education:  Presidency college(autonomous), Bangalore central University (1894), Bangalore University
• Awards:  Bharat Ratna

Born in 1878, C Rajagopalachari was a lawyer by profession but later joined the Indian National Congress in 1906 to become a respected Congress representative. He was a devoted follower of Mahatma Gandhi and defended a revolutionary P. Varadarajulu Naidu. He also actively participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Lajpat Rai.

16. Bhagat Singh

• Born:  28 September 1907, Banga, Pakistan
• Died:  23 March 1931, Lahore Central Jail, Lahore, Pakistan
• Education:  National College, Lahore, National College of Arts, Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System
• Siblings:  Bibi Amar Kaur, Bibi Shakuntla, Kultar Singh, Rajinder Singh, Kulbir Singh, Bibi Parkash Kaur, Jagat Singh, Ranbir Singh
• Parents:  Vidyavati, Sardar Kishan Singh Sandhu

Bhagat Singh was quite a famous revolutionary and also controversial Freedom Fighters of India as he became proud martyr for his country. He was born to a Sikh family of freedom fighters in 1907 in Punjab. He was therefore a born patriot and joined non-Cooperation movement in 1921. He formed the “Naujawan Bharat Sabha”, to instill patriotism in youth of Punjab. Chauri-Chaura Massacre changed him and made him extreme in his fight for freedom.

17. Dadabhai Naoroji

• Born:  4 September 1825, Navsari
• Died:  30 June 1917, Mumbai
• Organizations founded:  Indian National Congress, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe, National Congress, London Indian Society
• Parents:  Naoroji Palanji Dordi, Manekbai Naoroji Dordi
• Education:  Mumbai University (MU), Elphinstone College

DadabhaiNaoroji was born in 1825 and is accountable for establishing the Indian National Congress. He is also one of the prominent activists to have joined the non-violence independent movement. He criticized in one of his books about British colonialism in India being equivalent to stealing wealth from the country.

18. Ram Prasad Bismil

• Born:  11 June 1897, Shahjahanpur
• Died:  19 December 1927, Gorakhpur Jail, Gorakhpur
• Nationality:  British Raj
• Organization:  Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
• Books:  Musings from the Gallows: Autobiography of Ram Prasad Bismil, Kranti Geetanjali, Nij Jeevan Ki Ek Chhata, Atmakatha
• Parents:  Moolmati, Murlidhar

Like Shahid Bhagat Singh, Ram Prasad Bismil was also a memorable young revolutionary who martyred for his country. Born in 1897, Bismil was one of the respectable members of the Hindustan Republican Association with Sukhdev. He was also involved in the notorious Kakori train robbery because of which British government sentenced him to death.

19. K. M. Munshi

• Born:  30 December 1887, Bharuch
• Died:  8 February 1971, Mumbai
• Education:  The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
• Books:  Lomaharshini, Prithivivallabh, Lopamudra,  MORE
• Children:  Girish Munshi, Jagadish Munshi, Usha Raghupathi, Lata Munshi, Sarla Sheth
• Organizations founded:  Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Born in 1887, K.M. Munshi established Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and emerged as a strong freedom fighter as he participated in Salt Satyagraha and Quit India movement with Mahatma Gandhi. He also joined Swaraj Party and Indian National Congress. He was a strong follower of Sardar Patel, Gandhi and Sayajirao Gaekwad and was also arrested many a time for his freedom protests.

20. Bipin Chandra Pal 

• Born:  7 November 1858, Habiganj District, Bangladesh
• Died:  20 May 1932, Kolkata
• Books:  The Soul of India: A Constructive Study of Indian Thoughts & Ideals,  MORE
• Parents:  Ramchandra Pal, Narayani Devi
• Education:  St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College, Presidency University
• Spouse:  Birajmohini Devi (m. 1891), Nrityakali Devi (m. 1881)

Bipin Chandra Pal, born in 1858 was a substantial part of the Indian National Congress. He is an unforgettable revolutionary. He encouraged the the abandonment of foreign goods. He formed an association with LalaLajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a Lal-Pal-Bal trio, and together he executed many revolutionary activities for the country.

21. Chandra Shekhar Azad 

• Born:  23 July 1906, Bhavra
• Died:  27 February 1931, Chandrashekhar Azad Park
• Full name:  Chandrashekhar Tiwari
• Nickname:  Azad
• Education:  Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith
• Parents:  Sitaram Tiwari, Jagrani Devi

Chandra Shekhar Azad was born in 1906 and was a close associate of Bhagat Singh in the struggle for freedom. He was also a part of Hindustan Republican Association and the most fearless and challenging freedom fighter against British rulers. During a skirmish with British soldiers, after killing many enemies he shot himself with his Colt pistol. He swore he would never be captured alive by those Britishers.

22. Chittaranjan Das

• Born:  5 November 1870, Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Died:  16 June 1925, Darjeeling
• Nickname:  Deshbandhu
• Title:  “Deshbandhu” (Friend of the Nation)
• Parents:  Nistarini Devi, Bhuban Mohan Das

Born in 1870, Chittaranjan Das was a lawyer by profession and the real founder of the Swaraj Party. Famous as Deshbandhu, he also took part in the Indian National Movement. As a law practitioner, he successfully defended Aurobindo Ghosh who was charged with a said crime by the British. Subhash Chandra Bose was mentored by Chittaranjan.

23. Abdul Hafiz Mohamed Barakatullah

• Born:  7 July 1854, Bhopal
• Died:  20 September 1927, San Francisco, California, United States
• President:  Mahendra Pratap

Abdul Hafiz Mohamed Barakatullah was born in 1854 and has uniquely fought for the nation’s freedom. He was a co-founder of Ghadar Party that was operated overseas from San Francisco. Being an overseas revolutionary, he took pen as a fighting weapon and published blazing articles in England’s leading daily to incite the fire of Independence.

24.Ashfaqulla Khan

• Born:  22 October 1900, Shahjahanpur
• Died:  19 December 1927, Faizabad
• Other name:  Ashfaq Ulla Khan.
• Parents:  Mazhoor-Un-Nisa, Shafiq Ullah Khan
• Siblings:  Riyasat Ullah Khan

Born in 1900, Ashfaqulla Khan wa s another young fountain of revolutionary fire who also sacrificed his life for his mother India like many other martyrs in the list. Like Bismil and Chandrashekha, he, too, was a prominent member of the Hindustan Republican Association. He carried out the popular train robbery at Kakori Khan with the help of his associates, which led him to being executed by the British.

25. Begum Hazrat Mahal

• Born:  1820, Faizabad
• Died:  7 April 1879, Kathmandu, Nepal
• Spouse:  Wajid Ali Shah (m. ?–1879)
• Children:  Birjis Qadr

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Born in 1820, Hazrat Mahal participated in the 1857 mutiny to insurrect against British rulers. She worked along with the leaders like NanaSaheb and Maulavi of Faizabad. She single-handedly defended Lucknow, leading the troops when her husband was away. She also fought to stop the demolition of temples and mosques after which she retreated to Nepal.

These brave Indian freedom fighters fought for our motherland and many among them sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our country. Let us remember all of these freedom fighters of India and be proud for them.

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