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Showing posts from August, 2009

Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin : Founder of modern Communist Russia who was responsible for the successful Soviet revolution of October- November 1917. He wrote “Not a single problem of a class struggle has ever been solved in history except by violence”. Lenin’s mausoleum is in Red Square, Moscow.

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee :(W. C. Bonnerjee) He was the first President of the Indian National Congress, and a notable part in the setting up of the League of Nations.

Yukta Mookhey

Yukta Mookhey : The 20 year old Miss India was crowned Miss. World at the last Miss World Beauty Pageant of the Millinneum (1999) held in London. She is the third Indian beauty to bag the title in a decade, after Aishwarya Raj (1994) and Diana Hayden (1997).

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee :(W. C. Bonnerjee) He was the first President of the Indian National Congress, and a notable part in the setting up of the League of Nations.

Veerasalingam Pantulu

Veerasalingam Pantulu :Kandekeeri Veerasalingam Pantulu was a great social reformer of Andhra Pradesh. He started a monthy journal in Telugu, Vivekavardhani and expressed his enlightened views on widow remarriage. The Widow’s Home in Rajamundry was founded by him.

Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit

Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit :She was born on August 18, 1900. She was younger to Jawaharlal Nehru. Mrs. Pandit had several firsts to her credit. She was the first Indian woman to become a Cabinet Minister, when appointed as the Minister of Local Government & Health in the Congress Ministry of U.P. from 1937-1939. She was the first woman Ambassador, the first woman to lead a delegation to the U.N. General Assembly (1946-51) as well as first President (1953-54). Also led the first Indian delegation to China after the Communist regime was established. Also the first woman to head a London diplomatic mission in 1954 when she became the High Commissioner for India in London.She served as the Governor of Maharashtra for two years from 1962. The first woman to be accorded the unique honour in international diplomacy, she treated her election as President of the U.N. General Assembly more as an honour to India.Her autobiography “The Scope of Happiness” and “Selection of Speeches” are two of

Visvesvarayya, M.

Visvesvarayya, M. :A great engineer of Mysore who distinguished himself by building the dam across Cauvery in Mysore. He was also a recipient of the Bharat Ratna Award.

Viswanathan Anand

Viswanathan Anand :The Grandmaster became the First Indian as also Asian Chess Player to clinch the world chess title winning the FIDE World Chess Championship in Teheran on December 24, 2000 by defeating Alexei Shirov of Spain (3.5-0.5). He was formally crowned 15th World Chess Champion.

Varahmihira

Varahmihira :A distinguished astronomer, mathematician and philosopher of early India. He was one of the nine gems who adorned the Court of King Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II).

Tulsidas

Tulsidas : He was a great Hindu religious preacher and wrote famous Ramacharitamanas in which he has described life story of Lord Rama.

Uday Shankar

Uday Shankar :He was the famous artist and exponent of Indian dance. He was the elder brother of the famed sitarist Ravi Shankar.

Usha P.T.

Usha P.T. : The Sprint Queen and Golden Girl, who is also known as Payyoli Express of Indian athletics with a long span of 23 years as a sports career, was named as female sports person of the Century by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on December 28, 1999. She was conferred Arjuna Award in 1983 and Padma Shri in 1985.

Valmiki

Valmiki : A celebrated Sanskrit poet of Ancient India. He wrote the Famous “Ramayana”.

Todar Mal

Todar Mal : He was Akbar’s Revenue Minister and one of the nine gems of Akbar’s courts. He was famous for his land revenue reforms.

Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison :A great American inventor. He began life as a newsboy and then served as a telegraph operator. He has more than 1,000 inventions to his credit including motion pictures, gramophone, electric bulb, etc.

Thyagaraja

Thyagaraja : He was saint of South India and a great composer of South Indian Music and devotional songs.

Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan : He was an able ruler of Mysore. He was not only a valiant soldier but also a General. He got the title “Tiger of Mysore”. He waged three wars against the rulers of East India Company.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda :A great Hindu saint and religious leader, born in Calcutta on January 12, 1863 and his original name was Narendranath Datta. A disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, he championed the greatness of Vedantic philosophy. He founded the Ramakrishna Mission to carry on his humanitarian and social work. He represented Hinduism in the Parliament of Religions in Chicago (U.S.A.).

Tata, Jamshedji

Tata, Jamshedji: The Indian industrialist founded the Tata Iron & Steel Co. in Bihar and thus started the industrial progress of India. Tenzing Norgay : Nicknamed the “Tiger of Snows”, the ace mountaineer, who with Edmund Hillary was the first to climb Mount Everest (8,848 metre-high) was awarded Padma Bushan.

Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen : The founder and first President of Chinese Republic played a prominent part in the 1911 Revolution of China.'

Surendranath Banerjee

Surendranath Banerjee : A great Indian Patriot of Bengal who held the Presidentship of the Indian National Congress twice. The pioneer of the Nationalist agitation in India. He founded the “Indian Association” aiming to make it the centre of the Indian National Congress. Eminent leader in the agitation against the partition of Bengal.

Stalin Joseph

Stalin Joseph : He was a leader of 1917 Russian Revolution. He helped to make Russia a great power.

Subash Chandra Bose

Subash Chandra Bose : Called “Nethaji”, was a true patriot of India. The British Government interned him in his own house at Calcutta.On 26th January, 1941, it was found that he had mysteriously disappeared. During the World War II, he organised a regular army and called in the Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauz in Singapore. They gave good fight to the British forces in Assam Hill. Their war song was - “Advance step by step, sing the song of joy, your life belongs to the nation, sacrifice it for the sake of the nation”. After the surrender of Japanese, he is said to have been killed in an air crash accident. He was the founder of Forward Bloc Party. His slogans “Jai Hind” and “Dilli Chalo” are inspirations of our nationalism.

Subramania Bharati

Subramania Bharati : Subramania Bharati born in Ettayapuram is a poet, journalist, patriot and philosopher. His birth centenary year was observed in 1981. He had a dramatic impact in Tamil literature. He had spotlighted the unbroken evolution of Indian culture from the ancient times to the 20th century.

Subramaniam. C

Subramaniam. C : The father of India's Green Revolution and elder statesman died in Chennai on November 7, 2000 at the age of 90. A recipient of Bharat Ratna, C. Subramaniam was one of the members of Constitutent Assembly. He played a significant role as Minister in the erstwhile cabinets of C.Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj in Tamil Nadu. He later served as Union Minister handling various portpolios under four Prime Ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Charan Singh, besides being a Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was appointed Governor of Maharashtra in 1992.

Shivaji

Shivaji :Shivaji organised the Marathas into a nation. His contact with Guru Ramdas, a renowned religious preacher inspired Shivaji with boundless zeal for Hindu religion and love for motherland. He levied Mughlai the surrounding territory from which he collected Chauth and Sardeshmukhi taxes. The guerilla warfare was introduced by him. He assumed the title of “Chatrapathi” at Raigarh coronation.

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud :He is considered to be father of modern psychological school. The interpretation of Dreams, Psychopathology of Everyday Life, The Ego and the Id are some of his famous works.
Sister Subbalakshmi :Sister Subbalakshmi of Chennai was one of the social reformers of the present century. She worked for the progress of woman. She advocated equality of sex, widow remarriage, higher education for women and employment opportunities for women. She started a Widow’s Home and gave craft training to the widows so that they could earn their livelihood.

Sister Subbalakshmi

Sister Subbalakshmi :Sister Subbalakshmi of Chennai was one of the social reformers of the present century. She worked for the progress of woman. She advocated equality of sex, widow remarriage, higher education for women and employment opportunities for women. She started a Widow’s Home and gave craft training to the widows so that they could earn their livelihood.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sirimavo Bandaranaike : Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister (three times) and mother of President Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga died of heart attack in Colombo on October 10, 2000, soon after casting her vote in October Parliamentary elections. Earlier, Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike resigned from the Prime Ministership in August 2000 on health grounds. She entered politics after her husband, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated by a Buddhist monk in 1959. In July 1960 Parliamentary elections, she led the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to a landslide victory to become the world's first elected woman Prime Minister on 22-7-1960.

Shakespeare

Shakespeare : The greatest English poet and dramatist. He was born at Stratford-on-Avon. He first appeared before the public as a poet in 1593 with his Venus and Adonis. His famous plays are Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, Julious Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra etc. He died at the age of 52.

Sher Shah Suri

Sher Shah Suri :Sher Shah’s original name was Farid Khan. He defeated Humayun at Kanauj. During the brief period of his rule he attempted to set up a national state and initiated those reforms which brought him the title of the “Forenunner of Akbar”. He introduced postal system and constructed the Grand Trunk Road from Peshawar to Calcutta. Sher Shah killed a tiger and came to be called “Sher Khan”. His famous tomb at Sasaram (Bihar) is one of the finest monuments in India.

Savarkar, V.D

Savarkar, V.D. :He was the founder of Abinava Bharatha, secret society of revolutionaries. It preached the gospel of freedom. His book “India’n War of Independence” in 1906 at London about the great uprising of 1857 helped both to put the record straight and infuse a spirit of nationalism and rebellion among the youth of the country.

Sawai Jai Singh II

Sawai Jai Singh II :Founder of Jaipur City (called Rose Pink City) was a astronomer King. The king had got constructed huge stone observatories (Janter Mantars) for astronomical observations in various parts of Northern India including Delhi and Jaipur. His 500th Birth Anniversary was celebrated on November 3, 1989.

Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan :He was the most magnificent of the Mughal emperors. His reign was the golden age of Mughal architecture. He built Taj Mahal, a magnificent marble tomb in memory of his wife Mumtaz. Taj Mahal is at Agra. The pearl mosque, Red Fort, Jama- Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Jehangir’s Tomb etc., are beautiful work constructed by him. He is therefore called the “Engineer King”. The Peacock Throne built by him was taken away by Nadir Shah to Iran.

Mrs. Sarojini Naidu

Mrs. Sarojini Naidu : Gifted Indian poetess of English language who came to be known as “Nightingale of India” and also “Indian Torudatt”. She took part in India’s freedom struggle and was the second woman President of Indian National Congress (Mrs.Annie Besant was the First woman President of Indian National Congress). In free India she became the first woman Governor of an Indian State (Uttar Pradesh). Her outstanding works are “The Golden Threshold”, “The Broken Wing”, “The Bird of Time”, “The Sceptered Flute”, “The Song of India” etc.

Satyamurti

Satyamurti : He was an eminent freedom fighter and an important leader of the Indian National Congress. He took a leading part in the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) and in the Quit India Movement (1942). He was arrested and imprisoned four times and died on March 28, 1943 in captivity.

Samudragupta

Samudragupta :Samudragupta one of the oldest and most powerful of Hindu Kings. He was a great general and had passion for war. He is called the Indian Napolean by historians. He conquered a very large part of India. He was also an accomplished scholar, poet and musician. He got that title of “Kaviraja”. In commomeration of his brilliant conquests, Samudragupta celebrated the Ashwamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice) and assumed the title of Maharajadhiraj. He was a skilled musician and an expert player of Veena. He also patronised poets and chief among them was Harisena, his court poet. Harisena’s poem in Sanskrit inscribed on a pillar of Asoka which stands at Allahabad is the chief source of information of his reign.

Sankaracharya

Sankaracharya : Sankara was born at Kaladi in Kerala in 1788. He learnt the four Vedas. He preached the basic ideas of the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagvat Gita. He preached the philosophy of Advaita. He calls God “The Paramathma”. The soul in our body is called “Jeevathma”. The body is the temple where jeevathma lives. Hence the body should be kept pure. He taught `Mukti’, a stage when Jeevathma (man) realises the Paramathma (God) within himself. He founded mutts to propagate the philosophy of Advaita.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel :Sardar Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister of India. He is called the “Iron man of India”, “Bismarc of India” who played a unique part in the unification of India. He was responsible for the annexation of Princely States to Indian Union. The two enclaves Dadra and Nagar Haveli which were under the Portuguese domination were merged in the Indian Union on 17, August 1961.In Gujarat a conflict developed between the peasantry and the British Government when the latter attempted to increase Revenue. Vallabhbhai Patel took up the cause of the peasants and the struggle was known as the Bardoli Satyagraha. The struggle met with a considerable success. It was because of this successful agitation that Vallabhbhai Patel came to be called “Sardar”.

Robert Clive (1725-1774)

Robert Clive (1725-1774) :He came to India as a clerk in the East India Company. He showed such remarkable military genius that he became Commander-in-Chief. He defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah supported by the French in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Returned to England in 1760; his later years were marked by mental disturbance and ultimately he committed suicide.

Robert Walpole

Robert Walpole : He was opposed to war and his policy of peace gave England a much needed rest from war and led the country to economic prosperity during his 21 years of office as first Prime Minister of England.

Roosevelt, F.D.

Roosevelt, F.D. :The only American to be elected four times to the highest office in the United States. During his presidentship, America entered World War II and title the scales in favour of the allies. His name is also remembered for his New Deala Reform in America. President Roosevelt defined the “four essential human freedoms”as (1) Freedom of speech and expression, (2) Freedom to worship God in one’s own way, (3) Freedom from want, (4) Freedom from fear.

Salim Ali

Salim Ali : The eminent Ornithologist known as “the Birdman of India” watched birds for most of his life, is a winner of several international and national honours including Padma Vibhushan in 1976.

Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh : His title Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab). He united all the Sikhs to form into a powerful Sikh State in 1783 AD. He was a successful administrator and organised the central and provincial administration. He reformed the revenue and provincial systems.

Rana Pratap

Rana Pratap : The most illustrious figure in the history of Rajasthan. He was a great patriot. He refused to submit to Akbar, the greatest monarch of his time, and make marriage alliance with him. He also made a vow that as long as he did not recover Chitor he would sleep on the ground, would eat out leaves instead of dishes, and would not twist his moustaches. Akbar sent Raja Mansingh against him. Rana Pratap was defeated. He was in fact, a true son of the motherland and a noble patriot.

Ramaswami, E. V.

Ramaswami, E. V. : E. V. Ramaswami popularly known as “Periyar” was born in Erode. He fought against irrational beliefs, outmoded customs and superstitious practices of all kinds. He also fought for the progress of the backward classes. He participated in the struggle for securing for the Harijans the right to go into the temple and earned for himself the title of “the hero of Vaikam Satyagraha”. (Vaikam is a temple at Kerala).

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa : A great Saint of India and guru of Swami Vivekananda. He hailed from Bengal and the Ramakrishna Mission has been founded after his name.

Ramanuja

Ramanuja : Ramanuja preached Vaishnavism in the south and declared Bhakti to be the sole of Salvation. His doctrine is called Visishtadvaita. He is considered to be the first great exponent of Bhakti movement.

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi : son of Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former Prime Minister of India was assassinated on May 21, 1991. He is also a recipient of Bharat Ratna award for the year 1991 posthumous.

Ramabai Ranade

Ramabai Ranade :Born in Satara district of Maharashtra. She wrote several books of which Reminiscences and Recollections written in Marathi, are considered classics. She established Poona Seva Sadan for education of women to make them economically independent. She also established Seva Sadan Nursing and Medical Associations.

Ramachandran,Dr. M.G.

Ramachandran,Dr. M.G. : The late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was on Jan.25,1988 posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna the highest civilian honour by the nation. He was the founder leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Ramachandran,Dr. M.G.

Ramachandran,Dr. M.G. : The late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was on Jan.25,1988 posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna the highest civilian honour by the nation. He was the founder leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Raja Rammohan Roy

Raja Rammohan Roy : A well known social reformer of India who dedicated his life for eradication of evils like Sati, Child marriage and Purdah. Founder of Brahmo Samaj. He is called “Father of Modern India”.

Rajendra Prasad,Dr.

Rajendra Prasad,Dr. : He is the first unanimously elected President of the Republic of India. He was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Indian Constitution Drafting Committee. He was the true apostle of Gandhism and a symbol of “Simple living and high thinking. He was the author of “India Divided”.

Rajagopalachari, C.

Rajagopalachari, C. :Popularly known as “Rajaji” and “CR” was the first and last Governor General of free India. C. Rajagopalachari is one of the ablest statesmen of India. In July 1948, the Kashmir Commission arrived in India and at once set about its business in right earnest. The Razakars in Hyderabad were committing inhuman atrocities and the Nizam was asked to disband the Razakars. But he refused. So the police action was taken against him. Major General J.N.Chaudhuri was appointed Military Governor who restored law and order in the State. Rajagopalachari was the founder of Swatantra Party. As a Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu he introduced prohibition. He was also responsible for the Nuclear Test Ban. He also led the historical salt march from Tiruchi to Vedaranyam, a distance of 241 km. He was awarded the first Bharat Ratna Award in 1954.

Pythagoras

Pythagoras : He was a Greek philosopher and astronomer. Took keen interest in geometry.

Quab-ud-din Aibak

Quab-ud-din Aibak : Qutab-ud-din was very brave, best and generous and proved a good ruler of Slave dynasty . On account of his generosity he was called Lakh Bakhsh or Lakh Data. He was a great builder. He began the construction of Qutub Minar and Qutub-Mosque after the name of Khwaja Qutab-ud-din, a Muslim saint. Both of these buildings were completed by Altamash. Qutab-ud-din while playing Chaugan (polo) at Lahore, he fell off his horse and died of injuries.

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore : The famous Indian poet, patriot, novelist and philosopher, in Bengal. He was awarded Nobel Prize for his work Gitanjali in 1913. He is the first Asian to receive this honour. He founded Vishwabharati which is a world university Shantiniketan in Bengal. He is also called “Gurudev”. The National Anthem “Jana Gana Mana” was composed by him. Rabindranath renounced his knighthood in protest against Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

Dr.S.Radhakrishnan

Dr.S.Radhakrishnan : A great Indian Scholar, thinker and second President of the Indian Republic. He was also the first Vice- President of India. His great works include Bhagwat Gita., The Hindu View of Life, Indian Philosophy. He was awarded Templeton Award for 1975 for special contribution to Hinduism. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously.

Pandita Ramabai

Pandita Ramabai:She started the Sarada Sadan, a school for widows. She also started Krupa Sadan. It was a rescue home for girls who were forced into prostitute homes under dire circumstances. She also founded Mukti Mission which bacame a shelter for the downtrodden women and girls. In the complex of Mukti Mission at Poona there are schools for the blind and for the mentally retarded.

Pottekkatt S.K.

Pottekkatt S.K. : The renowned writer was the second Malayalam writer to get the 1981 Jnanapith Award, the first being the late Mahakavi G.Sankara Kurup. Prithvi Raj Chauhan : Prithvi Raj Chauhan also known as Rai Pithora was the last Hindu ruler of Delhi and Ajmer. He waged many wars. It is said that he carried off Samyukta, the beautiful daughter of Jai Chand, ruler of Kanauj from her Swayamvar. This caused bad blood between Prithvi Raj and Jai Chand. In 1191, he defeated Muhammed Ghori, but in 1192, he was defeated by the latter and put to death. This court poet Chand Bardai, wrote an account of Prithvi Raj in Prithvi Raj Rasau.

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra : The Femina Miss. India (World) from Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) was crowned Miss. World 2000 at the 50th Miss World beauty Pageant in London on November 30, 2000. The 18 year old Priyanka Chopra is the Fifth Indian to win the Miss. World title after Rita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997) and Yukta Mookhey (1999).

Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli :An Italian statesman, diplomat and historian who advocated that the ends justified the means. The Prince and Discourses are two of his political treatises.

Nicolas Copernicus

Nicolas Copernicus :He was a Polish priest and astronomer. He made the great discovery that the earth is a planet moving round the Sun, with other planets and that the earth was not the centre of the Universe. Nightingale : A famous English Nurse who organised the nursing service in aid of soldiers who were wounded in the Crimean War. She came to be called “The Lady with the Lamp”

Sri Narayana Guru

Sri Narayana Guru : He was a great social reformer, saint and philosopher of Kerala who had a place next to Adi Sankara. He flourished in the first half of the twentieth century and worked for eradication of untouchability and social equality based on caste. He was the first to propagate “One caste, one religion and one God” for man.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela :The Former South African President and Nobel Prize Laureate (1993) was on November 29, 2000, selected to share the Gandhi Peace Prize with the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh for his "exemplary work resulting in social economic and political transformation through non-violence and Gandhian means". The award which carries an amount of Rs.1 crore and a citation has for the first time been jointly awarded to two persons or institutions. Dr. Nelson Mandela, who dedicated his life to fight against apartheid in South Africa and spent 27 years in prison to bring down an unjust political order, is also the second foreign recipient of Bharat Ratna (1990).

Muthulakshmi

Muthulakshmi : Dr. Muthulakshmi was a pearl among women and a champion among social reformers. She was the first Indian woman to take MB & C.M. Degree in Medicine. She campaigned against the evil custom of the Devadasi system. By this, young girls were dedicated to the temple and subjected to moral indignities in the name of God. She is the founder of Adyar Cancer Institute.

Nagarjuna

Nagarjuna : He was the famous scholar during the period of Kanishka. His works have been found in China and Tibet. Nand Lal Bose : A famous Indian Artist, was the Director of Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan. He died in the year 1966.

Napolean Bonaparte

Napolean Bonaparte :French military leader nicknamed “Little corporal” became emperor of France from 1804 to 1815. He was victorious in various battles against England, Russia and Austria but was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815 and was exiled to St.Helena where he died.

Munshi, K.M.

Munshi, K.M. :A great writer, educationalist and expert on constitutional law. He played an active role for India’s freedom. He is associated with `Vanamahotsava’.

Motilal Nehru

Motilal Nehru : A great patriot, famous lawyer and leader of Swaraj Party, was father of Jawaharlal Nehru.

Masti Venkatesh Iyengar

Masti Venkatesh Iyengar : The grand old man of Kannada literature, popularly known as `Masti’ and also `Srinivasa’, he won the Jnanpith Award in 1983 for his novel `Chikkaveera Rajendra’.

Megasthanese

Megasthanese : Megasthanese was a Greek scholar who was sent by Seleucus as an ambassador to the court of Chandra Gupta Maurya. He lived in Pataliputra, the capital of Chandragupta for about a period of 5 years. During his stay whatever he heard and saw with his own eyes he jotted down in a book called "Indica". Indica throws a flood of light on the personality of the king, his capital and also his system of administration. Michael Faraday : He was an English Scientist who made important discoveries in electricity and magnetism which laid the foundation of the modern electrical industry. At first, he was assistant to Sri Humphrey Davy at the Royal Institution.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa :The angel of mercy who conquered the world by serving the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholic nun born to Albanian parents in Yugoslavia, and baptized Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhin. Came to India and was a teacher at Kolkata. Founded "Missionaries of Charity", devoted to working for destitutes. Became a citizen of India in 1962. Set up about 570 homes for the poor, spread in about 125 countries. Nobel Peace Prize 1979, Magsaysay Award 1962, Bharat Ratna 1980, and many other awards. Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 due to cardiac arrest. She was conferred with Saint hood on October 19, 2003 at St.Peter's Square in Vatican by Pope John Paul II.

Major Yuri Gagarin

Major Yuri Gagarin : This Russian cosmonaut was the first spaceman of the world at the age of 27. He launched into space on April 12, 1961 in Vostok I and returned to earth safely. He died in an aircrash. Manu : Famous Hindu Law giver and author of Manu Smiriti.

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood : One of Canada's most prolific and well known authors bagged the prestigious Booker Prize for 2000 in London on November 7, 2000 for her novel "The Blind Assassin". The 60 year old author has written some 10 novels and various critical works and poetry collections.

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori : Founder of the Montessory system of child education, who hailed from Italy. Her system enables the child to learn naturally and easily. Martin Luther : A celebrated German reformer who fought against the dogmas of the Catholic Church and got himself excommunicated on that account. His movement of reformation eventually led to the emergence of Protestantism.

Mahmud of Ghazani

Mahmud of Ghazani : A brilliant General and a mighty conqueror. He led as many as 17 expeditions into India. He attacked the most celebrated temple of Somnath. He entered the temple, broke the idol and took vast booty. He would rather like to be known as Mahmud the idol-breaker than Mahmud the idolseller. The frequent invasions and conquest of India. He was a patron of art and letters. Alberuni, Firdausi and Ansari adorned his court. He also erected mosques and one of the mosques was called the “Celestial bride”.

Mahavira

Mahavira :Vardhaman Mahavira is considered to be the founder of Jainism. He was born as Kundagram near Vaisali. He was called Mahavira or the Great Hero and Jina or the Conqueror. He first preached in Maghada. His teachings were Karma and Transmigration and Nirvana. The object of life is to attain Nirvana, which can be achieved by following the three fold path namely (1) Right Faith, (2) Right Knowledge and (3) Right Conduct. These three principles are called “Three Jewels” or “Tri Ratna”. The Jains worship Tirthankaras. Mahavira died at the age of 72 at Pawa. (Patna district).

Mahavira

Mahavira :Vardhaman Mahavira is considered to be the founder of Jainism. He was born as Kundagram near Vaisali. He was called Mahavira or the Great Hero and Jina or the Conqueror. He first preached in Maghada. His teachings were Karma and Transmigration and Nirvana. The object of life is to attain Nirvana, which can be achieved by following the three fold path namely (1) Right Faith, (2) Right Knowledge and (3) Right Conduct. These three principles are called “Three Jewels” or “Tri Ratna”. The Jains worship Tirthankaras. Mahavira died at the age of 72 at Pawa. (Patna district).

Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)

Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835) : He is known for many reforms viz., suppression of thuggee (Plunderers of North India), prohibition of “Sati, the evil system followed by Rajputs, female infanticide and human sacrifices. Lord William Bentinck received the hearty support of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He introduced English Education in India. The first Indian Medical College was opened at Calcutta and the Elphinstone College was founded at Bombay. He was the first Governor General to act on the principle that the first duty of British Government was to govern India for the benefit of Indians and not simply to extend the territory. Louis Braille : He was the inventor of embossed dot system of reading and writing for the blind.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi : Indian leader who fought against the British rule. He believed in nonviolence and led India to achieve independence. He is called the `Father of Indian Nation’. Gandhiji founded the Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad. Gandhiji made his first experiment of Satyagraha in Champaran. In 1919 Gandhiji led an agitation against the Rowlatt Act and made Satyagraha his instrument of struggle. Gandhiji gave to the country the slogan, “Do or Die”. On January 30, 1948 he was assassinated at the prayer meeting. Jawaharlal Nehru declared “The light has gone out of our lives”. The world dignitaries visit his Samadhi at Rajghat whenever they visit India.

Lord Mayo (1869-1872)

Lord Mayo (1869-1872) : A college was set up at Ajmer to impart suitable education to the sons of the Indian princes. Subsequently, this college was called as the “Mayo College”. Lord Mayo went to Andaman islands to inspect the conditions of the convicts, Sher Ali stabbed him to death at Port Blair.

Lord Mountbatten

Lord Mountbatten : On February 20, 1947 Mr.Attlee, British Prime Minister declared that the British Government had decided to withdraw from India by June 1948. To prepare plans for the transfer of power, Lord Louis Mountbatten was sent to India in the place of Lord Wavell.Lord Mountbatten was able to persuade the Congress to agree to the partition of India into two parts - India and Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act of 1947 was passed in British Parliament. India attained independence on 15th August 1947. Lord Mountbatten was the first British Governor General of free India and last Viceroy of India. C.Rajagopalachari was the first and last Indian Governor-General of free India. Mountbatten was Britain’s supreme Allied Commander in South-East Asia in World War II. He was killed in an explosion on a boat while holidaying in the Irish Republic.

Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856)

Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856) : He introduced Doctrine of Lapse and Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur and Jaipur were annexed. Cudh was taken on grounds of misgovernment. He opened the first Indian Railway in 1853 between Bombay and Thane. Telegraph offices, post offices were opened.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci : He was a great Italian painter, architect, sculptor, scientist, engineer and musician rolled into one. Last Supper and Mona Lisa are two of his most important paintings.

Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy : The great novelist and dramatist of Russia. His famous novels are War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Resurrection. Mahatma Gandhi had great admiration for him and drew inspiration from his writings.

Lord Chelmsford

Lord Chelmsford : The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919. Under this Act of Government armed itself with unlimited rights, even to detain a person and arrest him without producing him before a court. To oppose the Rowlatt Act, Mahatma Gandhi introduced the unique weapon of Satyagraha, but he was imprisoned on April 6, 1919. The Jalianwala Bagh tragedy took place on April 13, 1919. The Khilafat Movement, Non cooperation Movement and the Third Afghan War took place.

Lara Dutta

Lara Dutta :The 21 year old Miss. India Universe was crowned Miss. Universe 2000 beating 78 other contestants at the Beauty Pageant in Nicosia (Cyprus) on May 13, 2000.

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri :The Prime Minister of India who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964. His courageous decision to meet Pakistani invasion to Kashmir by Indian Armed forces put an end to Pakistani aggression and taught them a lesson. He concluded the Tashkent Agreement and after signing the declaration, he died in Tashkent itself on January 10, 1966. He is associated with the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”. He is called “Man of Peace”. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1966.

Lala Lajpatrai

Lala Lajpatrai : He was the Congress leader of the United Punjab. He is well known for his contribution to freedom movement and social reforms. He died of injuries caused by lathi-charge by the police while he was leading a demonstration against the Simon Commission in the year 1928. He was called “Lion of Punjap” (Punjap Kesari). He is the author of “Unhappy India”.

Krishna Deva Raya

Krishna Deva Raya :The Vijayanagar Kingdom founded by Harihara and Bukka rose to prominence by Krishna Deva Raya, the last great Hindu ruler of Southern India belonging to Tuluva dynasty. His reign was remarkable for the encouragement and development of art and culture. Tradition mentions that “Ashtadiggajas” flourished in his court. The Telugu poet “Allasali Peddanna” was a famous poet. His reign constitutes a golden age in South Indian History. He opined “A crowned king should always rule with an eye towards Dharma”.

Krishnamurthy, Jiddu

Krishnamurthy, Jiddu : A renowned philosopher of India. His patrons, Annie Besant and C.W.Leadbeather wanted to make him the world teacher after Christ and Krishna and created the order of the star in the East in 1911. In 1929, he dissolved the order of the Star of the East as he felt that spiritual organisations were a hindrance to the discovery of the truth.

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan : The seventh UN Secretary General who is credited with the achievement of averting a possible military strike by Anglo-American forces on Iraq over weapons inspection issue. Recipient of the Seoul Peace Prize 1998 for his contribution to world peace.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan : A stalwart of India’s freedom struggle who personified Gandhiji’s ideals and ideas, died in Peshawar on January 20, 1988 at the age of 98 after battling for life for more than 6 months. He was buried as per his will in Jalalabad in Afghanistan, 86 k.m. from the Pakistan border on January 22, 1988. A recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for 1967, he was honoured with India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in the year 1987. He was also associated with Red Shirt Movement. He is also called “Frontier Gandhi”.

Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar :The King of melody, who held sway over the music world for the past three decades died on 13.10.1987 at the age of 58.

Kamban

Kamban : A great Tamil poet and author of great Kambaramayanam lived in the 9th Century A.D. He was a native of Tiruvalandur in Tamil Nadu. He was hailed as “Kavi Chakravarthi”. Kamban has given full- fledged artistic expression to the grandeur and vigour of this cultural upsurge in the greatest literary epic of India.

Kanishka

Kanishka : He was the third and greatest King of the Kushan dynasty. He was a great conqueror. He was a Buddhist, and his reign witnessed the division of Buddhism into two sects namely Hinayana and Mahayana. Kanishka was a follower of the Mahayana sect. Kanishka was a great patron of art and literature. The well known Ayurvedic physician Charaka was his court physician. He was the author of Charaka Shastra, Nagarjuna, Ashvagosha, and Vasumitra. Buddhist scholar flourished in his reign. Ashvagosha wrote “Buddha Charita”. The Gandhara school of architecture flourished during his reign. He founded a town Kanishkapura.

Karnam Malleswari

Karnam Malleswari : Indian weightlifter from Andhra Pradesh, became First Indian woman ever to win an Olympic medal. Kennedy, John : He was the youngest and the first Catholic President of United States. He was assassinated in Dallas on 22.11.1963.

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla : Dr. Kalpana Chawla was the first (Indo-American) woman to go into space. Her first mission was on 19.11.97. Her second mission 0n 16.1.03 ended with a tragic explosion minutes before landing on 1.2.03. In a way to honour her, India's first meterological research statellite has been named as Kalpana-I.

Kamaraj Nadar, K

Kamaraj Nadar, K :One of the leading freedom fighters and Congress Party leaders. He was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and introduced several measures for the welfare of downtrodden in Tamil Nadu. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1976.

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla : Dr. Kalpana Chawla was the first (Indo-American) woman to go into space. Her first mission was on 19.11.97. Her second mission 0n 16.1.03 ended with a tragic explosion minutes before landing on 1.2.03. In a way to honour her, India's first meterological research statellite has been named as Kalpana-I.

John Milton

John Milton : A well known epic poet of English. His poetical works are Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Joseph Stalin : He was a leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution. He became head of the government in 1924 after the death of Lenin. He helped to make Russia a great power.

Jyoti Basu

Jyoti Basu : The 87 year old longest serving Chief Minister of a state (24 years) since the first Left Front Government swept to power in 1977 in West Bengal announced his retirement from active politics and resigned as Chief Minister on October 27, 2000 on health grounds. He has been in the Communist party since 1940.

Kabir

Kabir :Indian saint and poet of Nirguna Bhakti Movement. He believed in the unity of God and equality of all religions.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Jean Jacques Rousseau :A great political philosopher and thinker of France, who became famous for his social contract theory. His teachings and writings led to the French Revolution and the establishment of republics in different parts of the world. He uttered “Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains”.

Jehangir (Salim)

Jehangir (Salim) :He came into power after the death of Akbar. He took keen interest in art and painting and laying out gardens and was a lover of nature. The great painter Goverdhana was in his court. He laid out the Shalimar and Nishat gardens near Srinagar. Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandar was built by him. He was an accomplished scholar too and wrote his autobiography called Tuzh- i-Jehagiri. But he was addicted to drink and opium. He is therefore called a “talented drunkard”. During his reign Captain William Hawkins was sent to India to obtain some trade concession for the English East India Company. Sir Thomas Roe came to the court of Jehangir and obtained permission to construct a factory at Surat.

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc : The girl whose heroism inspired the French to drive the English out of Orleans. She was burnt as a heretic at Rouen. She is called “Maid of Orleans”.

Jehangir (Salim)

Jehangir (Salim) :He came into power after the death of Akbar. He took keen interest in art and painting and laying out gardens and was a lover of nature. The great painter Goverdhana was in his court. He laid out the Shalimar and Nishat gardens near Srinagar. Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandar was built by him. He was an accomplished scholar too and wrote his autobiography called Tuzh- i-Jehagiri. But he was addicted to drink and opium. He is therefore called a “talented drunkard”. During his reign Captain William Hawkins was sent to India to obtain some trade concession for the English East India Company. Sir Thomas Roe came to the court of Jehangir and obtained permission to construct a factory at Surat.

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi :The daughter of Jawarharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister for 15 years. She was shot dead by her own security man on Oct. 31, 1984. She was the recipient of Bharat Ratna in 1971. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar : A great social and religious reformer, a great Sanskrit scholar with a heartful of sympathy for the poor, fought for the upliftment of Indian women and helped in the passing of 'Widow Remarriage Act,1856'belonged to Bengal. His great work is “Git Govind”. Krishna and Radha are subject of his Sanskrit work .

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru : The great Indian leader and maker of modern India. He was the first Prime Minister of free India from 1947 and remained in the office till his death. He pronounced the doctrine of Pancha sheel which advocated peaceful co-existence, non-alignment and non-interference in international relations. The Discovery of India, Autobiography and Glimpses of World History are some among his famous literary works.

Jayaprakash Narayan

Jayaprakash Narayan : The Sarvodaya leader was instrumental in the formation of Janata Party which defeated the Congress Party in 1977 general elections to Lok Sabha. Popularly known as Loknayak, he was conferred the Rashtra Bhushan Award in April 1977.

Harsha Vardhana

Harsha Vardhana:Harsha Vardhana was the last great Hindu King of Northern India. One of the noblest and most accomplished kings known to history. He combined in himself the qualities of both Ashoka and Samudragupta. Harsha was a great poet and dramatist. He wrote three drama’s in Sanskrit namely Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyadershika. Banabhatta wrote Harshacharita which is a valuable source of information about his reign. Hieun Tsang has given vivid description about Harsha’s reign. Nalanda University founded by Kumara Gupta I was at the height of its fame.

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton : The wife of former US President, Mr. Bill Clinton, scored a historic victory in the American history by winning the US Senate seat from New York on November 7, 2000 becoming the first wife of a President ever elected as a Senator. She defeated Republican Congressman, Mr. Rick Lazio.

Humayun

Humayun :He was the ill-fated king among the Mughal rulers of India. In the battle of Kanauj he was defeated by Sher Shah Suri. While he was coming down the stairs of his storey at Delhi, he fell down and died shortly. The word `Humayun’ means `fortunate’ but it is an irony of fate that Humayun proved a most unfortunate king. “He tumbled through life and tumbled out of it”

Guru Tegh Bahadur

Guru Tegh Bahadur : The nineth Guru of the Sikhs, lived in Anandpur Sahib. He protested against the anti-Hindi policy of Aurangzeb. He was summoned to Delhi and asked to embrace Islam, which he refused. So he had to suffer martyrdom in 1675. His son Guru Gobind Singh therefore organised Sikhs into a military organisation and fought against Mughals all through his life.

Gunnar Myrdal

Gunnar Myrdal : The renowned economist who used his background in Sweden’s welfare state to unite classic works about the poor in America and in developing countries. The author of “An American Dilemma” he shared in 1974 Nobel Prize in Economics. He was a widower of Alvar Myrdal, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Author of “Asian Drama”.

Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Gobind Singh : He was the real founder of the Sikh power. He is the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs. He was a great warrior and writer. He re-organised the sect at Anandpur Sahib and called as “the Khaslas”. This Guru Gobind Singh transformed the religious sect of the Sikhs into an army of warrior-saints. For this reason the day of Baisakhi is very important in Sikh history.

Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak : Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Talwandi now called Nankana Sahib in the West Pakistan. He was opposed to caste system, idol worship and untouchability. He founded the Sikh religion.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Gopal Krishna Gokhale : An able Indian statesman whom Gandhi regarded as his politician Guru. He served as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1907. Servants of India Society was founded by him.

Guglielmo Marconi

Guglielmo Marconi : Italian Electrical Engineer who invented wireless telegraphy and radio. He received Nobel Prize for physics for 1909 jointly with Ferdinand Braun of Germany for development wireless.

George Washington

George Washington : An American General who led the revolt against the British and declared American’s Independence. He became the first President of the United States.

Giri, V.V.

Giri, V.V. : The fourth President of India died in Madras on June 23, 1980. He was Vice-President from 1967 to 1969. A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, he had distinguished himself as a pioneer in the field of organised labour, legislator, parliamentarian, diplomat and statesman. He is the author of “Job for Our Millions”. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna for the year 1975.

Eva Morris

Eva Morris : The World's oldest woman died in London on November 3, 2000 six days short of her 115th birthday. She was officially recognised in March 2000 as the oldest woman in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. Ms. Morris took the title because her date of birth could be fully authenticated.

Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan: A Portuguese Sailor who commanded the first expedition to sail round the world. He discovered the Magellan Strait and gave the Pacific Ocean his name. He died before the completion of the first voyage round the world.Florence

Gallileo

Gallileo : He was an Italian Scientist and professor of Mathematics. He invented the telescope and devoted his life to the study of astronomy.

Epicurus

Epicurus : (342-270 BC) A Greek Philosopher who founded the Epicurus philosophy. He advised self negation, subdued life and the practice of virtues.

Elizabeth I, Queen

Elizabeth I, Queen : Daughter of Henry VIII, she was queen of England, under whose rule England became a great power. Shakespeare lived during her time.

Dupleix

Dupleix : French statesman; appointed Governor of French East Indian possessions in 1742.

Dorjee Phu

Dorjee Phu :The first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, a seasoned mountaineer and instructor at the Sonamgyastso Mountaineiring institute of Gangtok was, along with two of his team mates, overtaken by a fierce blizzard in May 1987. He scaled Kanchenjunga, world’s third highest peak. He scaled Mount Everest twice. He is a Padma Shri and Arjuna award winner.

Eisenhower

Eisenhower:He became the President of theUnited States. Commander of Allied Forces in Europe. The first President of the U.S.A. to visit India.

Diya Mirza

Diya Mirza :The 18 year old Femina Miss India Asia Pacific created history on December 2, 2000 becoming the first ever Indian to be crowned as Miss Asia Pacific at the beauty Pageant in Manila (Philippines).

Dorjee Phu

Dorjee Phu :The first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, a seasoned mountaineer and instructor at the Sonamgyastso Mountaineiring institute of Gangtok was, along with two of his team mates, overtaken by a fierce blizzard in May 1987. He scaled Kanchenjunga, world’s third highest peak. He scaled Mount Everest twice. He is a Padma Shri and Arjuna award winner.

Diana

Diana : Britain's Princess Diana, who had been struggling to build a new life after her turbulent divorce with Prince Charles, died on August 31, 1997 in a car crash in Paris after being pursued at high speed by paparazzi on motorcycles. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffer also died when thier Mercedes crashed in a tunnel along the Seine river at Pond de L'Alma bridge in Paris.

Dhanvantari

Dhanvantari :Dhanvantari is a famous Indian Physician who adorned the Court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya.

Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama : (Tenzing Gyatso) Spiritual Leader of Tibet. Fled to India after Tibetan uprising and established Govt. in-exile at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, India (1959). Nobel Laureate (1989).

Dr.David Livingstone

Dr.David Livingstone :A Scottish missionary who is remembered for spreading Christianity and carrying out exploration in the contingent of Africa. He explored the Zambesi river and discovered Lake Nyasa (now Lake Malawi) and the Victoria Falls.

Dayanand Saraswathi

Dayanand Saraswathi : A great Hindu social reformer and founder of the Arya Samaj School. He fought for removal of untouchability, widow remarriage and for the abolition of other evils of the Hindu society. His motto was “Go back to the Vedas”.

Dadabhai Naoroji

Dadabhai Naoroji : Was the First President of the Indian National Congress. He served as President for three times. He presided over the Indian National Congress of 1906 at Surat. He was the first Indian to be elected as a member of the British House of Commons from London. He is known as the “Grand Old Man of India”. Dadabhai Naoroji presented his Drain of Wealth Theory in his book Poverty and Un British Rule in India.

Chola, Rajaraja

Chola, Rajaraja : The great Siva temple of Thanjavur (Tanjore) was built by him. Suryankoil or Surya’s temple built by him is at Thanjavur. Here Surya is shown on a par with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Columbus, Christopher

Columbus, Christopher : Famous Italian Navigator who discovered America in 1498.

Chittaranjan Singh Ranawat

Chittaranjan Singh Ranawat : The World renowned Orthopaedic Surgeon who flew into Mumbai from New York, successfully operated upon Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee replacing his left knee-joint by an artificial one at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on October 10, 2000. The surgery lasted for 65 minutes. Dr. Ranawat has performed close to 3000 such operations. He also replaced the right knee-joint of Mr. Soli.J.Sorabjee, India's Attorney General at the same Hospital the same day.

Chidambaram Pillai

Chidambaram Pillai : (VOC) Chidambaram Pillai, immortalised under the famous initials VOC (Va Oo Si) was a lawyer in Tuticorin. He was the first to float a corporate enterprise “The Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company Limited”. The native company attracted a good deal of the sea traffic between Tuticorin and Colombo, which was dominated by the British Indian Steam Navigation Company and naturally VOC came to be seen as an opponent of English business interests in India in general.

Chittaranjan Dass

Chittaranjan Dass :A famous Indian Patriot and freedom fighter who founded the Swarajist party in 1923.

Chittaranjan Dass

Chittaranjan Dass :A famous Indian Patriot and freedom fighter who founded the Swarajist party in 1923.

Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta Maurya :He was the founder of the Maurya dynasty. He was the first historical emperor of India. Magasthenes, the Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus, visited the court of Chandragupta and wrote a very interesting book “Indica” giving a most valuable account of the reign of Chandragupta.

Chandragupta Vikramaditya

Chandragupta Vikramaditya :Chandragupta Vikramaditya was the son of Samudragupta was as brave and powerful as his father. In some of his coins he was shown a live lion which shows that he possessed great physical strength. Vikramaditya means “Sun of Valour”. His court was adorned by `Nine gems’. Kalidas, the Shakespeare of India flourished during his reign. The famous iron pillar standing near Qutab Minar was erected in his reign as a kind of victory Pillar. His reign was the Golden age of art and literature. Fahien was the first Chinese Pilgrim to visit India during his reign.

Chavan Y.B.

Chavan Y.B. :The former Deputy Prime Minister died on Nov. 25, 1985.

Chaplin, Charlie

Chaplin, Charlie :The British born comedian, whose silent films gave delight to millions. Charlemagne : Also known as Charles the great Roman emperor and Frankish King. He founded the Holy Roman Empire in the year 800 and was the rest of his life the champion of the Christian faith and the most powerful figure in Europe.

Chandragupta-I

Chandragupta-I : Chandragupta-I was the founder of the Gupta Dynasty. The Gupta era is called the Golden age of Hinduism. Chandragupta assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja.

Buddha

Buddha : Gautam Buddha was a Kshatriya prince and was the son of Shudhodana. He was born in 623 B.C. at Lumbini a few miles from Kapilavastu on the Nepal Border. At the age of 28 he left his home and retired to the forests. This event is known as the Great Renunciation. He sat down in meditation under a pipal tree near Gaya. He gave his first Sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath, near Banaras. This event is known as Dharma Chakra Pravartan. He founded a powerful Sangha or order of Bhikshus. His chief teachings were four Noble truths. The Eightfold Path of Middle Path, Karma, Ahimsa, Good Morals, No caste system and silence about God. Buddha died at Dushinaar (U.P.) He was indeed the “Light of Asia”.

Chaitanya

Chaitanya :Chaitanya was born in Nadia (Bengal). His original name was Bishaber. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and preached the doctrine of love and devotion to Krishna. He sang songs in praise of God and held Kirtana. He laid the foundation of Vaishnavism in Bengal.

Chanakya or Kautilya

Chanakya or Kautilya :Chanakya was Chandragupta’s minister and wrote a book “Arthashastra” in Sanskrit which tells us about the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. Chanakya was also known as Vishnu Gupta. Kautilya has fully discussed the duties and responsibilities of an ideal King. He says: “Whatever pleases himself, he (king) shall not consider as good but whatever pleases his subjects he shall consider as good”. Arthashastra is regarded to be the greatest treatise in politics. Some writers compare Arthashastra with Machiavelli’s Prince, because Kautilya like Machiavelli tried to separate ethics from politics. He is also called “Aristotle of the East”.

Bipin Chandra Pal

Bipin Chandra Pal :He is called “Bengal Danton”. He started the Journals “New India”, “Swarajya”, “Indian Student” and assistant editor of Bengal Public Opinion and Tribune.

Birla, G.D.

Birla, G.D. :The doyen of Indian Industry died on July 11, 1983 at the age of 86.

Bhaskaracharya

Bhaskaracharya : Bhaskaracharya, is a great Indian Mathematician and astronomer of the 12th century AD. His famous Sidhanta Shironmani consists of two mathematical and two astronomical volumes. His name is associated with India’s second satellite.

Bhave, Acharya Vinoba

Bhave, Acharya Vinoba :The Sarvodaya and Bhoodan Movements leader. He was awarded Bharat Ratna for 1983.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates :World's richest private individual for the sixth consecutive year with a $90b, fortune. President and CEO of Microsoft Corp., He revolutionised the computer industry. Philanthropist who has made record donations.

Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh : Bhagat Singh is known as Shabid-e- Azam. His name is synonymous with patriotism and revolution. He along with two other revolutionaries Sukh Dev and Raj Guru was hanged on March 23, 1931 for participation in the Lahore Conspiracy.

Bhaskara

Bhaskara : Bhaskara was the astronomer of the 7th Century and was a contemporary of Brahmagupta, another famous astronomer. India’s second satellite for earth observation, Bhaskara is associated with his name.

Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini : He was a dictator and leader of the Italian Fascists. He seized Abyssinia and helped the Spanish Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He fought with Germany in the Second World War from June 1940. Italy was invaded by an Anglo-American army and he surrendered in 1943. Mussolini was shot by his own countrymen.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin :He was an American Politician who helped to write the American Declaration of Independence. As a scientist he made discoveries of electricity and invented the lightning conductor.

Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell : A distinguished English Philosopher and mathematician,who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. He advocated world peace and human approach to international problems. His books cover diverse subjects and some among them are “Marriage of Mathematics and Problems of Philosophy”.

Besant, Annie

Besant, Annie :An Irish woman by birth, she became a staunch supporter of India’s freedom movement. She founded the Theosophical Society of India. She is associated with the Home Rule League. She is the first woman President of the Indian National Congress.

Babar

Babar: He was the first of the great Mughal Emperors of Hindustan. His full name was Zahir-ud-din Muhammed Babar. Babar was descended from Timur on his father’s side and from Changhis Khan on his mother’s side. The first Battle of Panipat 1526 fought between Babar and Ibrahim Lodi made Babar the master of the Empire of Delhi. The Battle of Kanwaha (1527), the Battle of Gogra (1529) made the master of nearly the whole of North India. Babar wrote his own autobiography entitled “Tuzk-i- Babri”. He laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire.

Baba Amte

Baba Amte : Indian social worker known for his work among leprosy patients. Established Anand Van, acolony for leprosy patients, near Nagpur. Founder of Knit India Movement. Receipient of first G.D. Birla International Award for outstanding contributions to humanity. Also winner of Templeton, Ramon Magsaysay and UN Right Livelihood Awards. Awarded 1999 Gandhi Peace Prize for his exemplary work for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients and his concept of the "Shramik Vidyapeeth".

Bairam Khan

Bairam Khan : He was Akbar’s uncle, also served as his tutor and guardian. He also won the Delhi throne for Akbar.

Balasaraswathi T.

Balasaraswathi T. : The noted exponent of Bharatanatyam and Choreographer, she was the first recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademy Award for Bharatanatyam in 1955.

Aurobindo Ghosh

Aurobindo Ghosh :He was a brilliant scholar and a revolutionary member of the Congress. He spread the spirit of Nationalism through his forceful writings and speeches. He was the editor of “Vande Mataram”. He took active part in the agitations held against the partition of Bengal in 1905 introduced by Lord Curzon. The British Government involved him in the famous Alipore Conspiracy Case. Later, he gave up Politics and came away to Pondicherry to lead a spiritual life. He established Ashram in Pondicherry. He wrote essays on Gita and Savitiri, Life Divine, etc.

Atal Behari Vajpayee

Atal Behari Vajpayee : The first Indian Prime Minister to reach Wagah border by bus in a bold initiative of peace with Pakistan. The bus ride to Wagah and his historic visit to Lahore was hailed all over the world as a new chapter in the relations between India and Pakistan.

Attlee, Clement Richard

Attlee, Clement Richard :He was the Labour Prime Minister of England between 1945-51. His works include an autobiography. During his period, he deputed Lord Louis Mountbatten to India for the settlement of Indian Independence.

Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb :Aurangzeb was the last of the great Mughal emperors. He ascended the throne with the title of Alamgir, conqueror of the world. The French Physician Bernier visited the court of Aurangzeb. During his reign, the Marathas became strong in the Deccan. Shivaji the Maratha Chief defeated Shaista Khan sent by Aurangzeb. Jats proved a menace to the Mughal Empire. The Sikhs under the Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru protested against the anti- Hindu policy of Aurangzeb, so Guru Tegh Bahadur had to suffer martyrdom. Aurangzeb imposed Jaziya tax on Hindus. The Rajputs also became enemies to Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb’s private life was ideally simple. He thought it a sin to use a pie for his own use out of the Government Treasury, and earned his living by making caps and copies of the Quaran. He simply hated music and banished it from his court. Aurangzeb could not crush the supremacy of the Marathas, Tarabai, a very intelligent and gallant lady took the leadership and continued the struggl

Asvagosha

Asvagosha : He was a great Buddhist scholar. He adorned the court of Kanishka. A great council was convened about 102 A.D. by Kanishka for codifying the new doctrines of Mahayanism. Asvagosha was the President of the Council. The commentary known as “Mahavibasha” was inscribed in copper plates and enclosed in stone boxes.

Asoka the Great

Asoka the Great :Asoka, the most famous king of the Maurya Dynasty, was one of the greatest kings of the world. He was generally known as “Devanampriya” which means Beloved of the Gods and “Priyadasi” which means of pleasing appearance. The most important event of his reign was the war with Kalinga. The horrors of Kalinga War moved him deeply. He gave up military conquests. Thereafter, he evolved a policy of Dharmavijaya, conquest by pity. Asoka was a Buddhist by faith and wanted to make Buddhism a world religion. He got the principles of Buddhism inscribed on rocks and pillars, these pillars, one at Sarnath was the most magnificient. The National Emblem of our Government is taken from this design. The late historian, H.G.Wells regards Asoka as the greatest Monarch in history.

Antony

Antony :He was supporter of Julius Caesar and fought Brutus after the death of Caesar. He also fell in love with Cleopatra.

Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy :This Indian writer has bagged the prestigious Booker Prize (1997) for her very first novel "The God of Small Things". Arundhati Roy is the first resident Indian recipient of the literary honour.

Aryabhatta

Aryabhatta : Aryabhatta is a celebrated Indian astronomer and mathematician who adorned the court of Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya. India’s first satellite was christened after him. He laid the foundation of Algebra and was responsible for pointing out the importance of “zero”.

Annadurai C.N.

Annadurai C.N. :Born in Kancheepuram, founded DMK party. He was the first Chief Minister of DMK party in Tamil Nadu. A great writer and orator in Tamil and English, he is affectionately called “Anna”.

Alfonso Albuquerque

Alfonso Albuquerque : Alfonso Albuquerque considered to be the ablest Portuguese Viceroy in India. His policy was to destroy the Muslim traders and to establish a Portuguese Empire in the East. He conquered Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur and made it his Capital.He founded many Portuguese settlements all along the West Coast of India e.g. Diu, Daman, Bassein, Bombay, etc. He was the founder of the Portuguese Empire in the East. The Portuguese power lasted a century and a half and then it began to decline. Goa, Daman and Diu have been taken over by the Indian Government.

Alan Octavian Hume (A.O.Hume)

Alan Octavian Hume (A.O.Hume) : A retired English civilian founded the Indian National Congress in 1885 with the help of educated Indians and a few Englishmen. In the beginning, it was an association to discuss matters concerning the welfare of the Indians. Gradually it became a political body in opposition to the British Government.

Ambedkar B.R.

Ambedkar B.R. :Dr.Ambedkar is a well known Indian Jurist Statesman, soical reformer and scheduled castes leader. He was the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Body and played a significant role in drafting the Indian Constitution after India attained independence. He was posthumously awarded 1990 Bharat Ratna.

Amir Khusro

Amir Khusro : Amir Khusro called the “Parrot of India” patronised by Alaudin Khilji. His literary works are Laila Majnu, Tuglaq Nama etc. Amir Khusro flourished during the reign of Alaudin Khilji.

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan : The film star, who is making waves with Star Plus "Kaun Banega Crorepati" unveiled his life like wax figure in Madame Tussaud's wax Museum in London on December 20, 2000.

Alexander Fleming

Alexander Fleming :He is the discoverer of penicillin. He received in 1945 Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Alexander, the Great

Alexander, the Great : Alexander, son of Philip, King of Macedonia, North of Greece. He was one of the greatest conquerors of the world. He was born in 356 B. C. The famous philosopher, Aristotle was his tutor, Alexander made his object to conquer the world. In 326 B. C. he invaded India. He was the first European invader on the Indian soil. In the Battle with Porus, Alexander was victorious. Alexander lost his famous horse, Bucephalecus in the Battle. His army felt homesick and insisted to return. Alexander died in 323 B.C. in Babylonia. The result of Alexander invasion promoted the political unification of India.

Almeida

Almeida : Almeida was the first Portuguese Governor. He strengthened the Portuguese sea power.

Alexander Cunningham

Alexander Cunningham : (1814-1893 A.D.) He was the father of Indian Archaeology and first Director-General of the Indian Archaeology Survey 1879-1885. Through his efforts a beginning was made in translating and dating ancient inscriptions and in describing archaeological sites.

Akbar Nama

Akbar Nama : In which the chief events of Akbar’s reign are recorded.

Ala-ud-dinKhilji

Ala-ud-dinKhilji : Ala-ud-dinKhilji was the founder of Khilji dynasty. Brought almost the whole of India under his rule. He was a great administrator. He strictly forbade drinking. He introduced a system of price control and rationing.

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein: A world famous scientist of German Swiss origin who settled down in the U.S.A. after he was driven out by the Nazis from Germany in 1933. He is the author of the Theory of Relativity.

Akbar

Akbar : Akbar succeeded his father Humayun at the age of 14. Bairam Khan, a distinguished General, became his regent. Bairam Khan defeated Hemu at the Second Battle of Panipat (1556) and secured the throne of Akbar. He followed a policy of conciliation with the Rajputs and the Hindus. He constructed “Ibadat Khana”, or the House of Worship at Fatehpur Sikri. With the help of Abul Fazal, Akbar founded a religion called the Din-i-Ilahi or the Divine Faith. He built the beautiful city of Fatehpur Sikri in red sandstone near Agra. He abolished the hated Jazia and pilgrim tax and allowed full religious freedom to all his subjects. He is therefore called a National Monarch. The Mansabdari System was the main essence of his Government. Akbar’s tomb is at Sikandra near Agra. Historians say that it was Akbar the real founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Abraham Lincoln

He was the son of a woodcutter, rose to be the 16th President of the United States who wanted to abolish slavery and on account of this there was a civil war between the southern and northern States of America. He won the civil war and abolished slavery.

Abdul Kalam A.P.J.

Dr. Aavul Pakkiri Jainulabidin Abdul Kalam was born in 1931 at Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram, Tamilnadu. He was familiarly known as the "Missile Man of India". He became the eleventh President of India on July 25, 2002. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1998. He wrote books like "Wings of Fire"' "India 2020", and "Ignited Mind".

Adolf Hitler

: Adolf Hitler is a German Dictator who was born in Austria. He led the Nazi party and became German Chancellor in the year 1933. He ordered the invasion of Austria and Czechoslovakia. His invasion of Poland in 1939 started the Second World War. He committed suicide in Berlin in 1945. He was the author of Mein Kampf. He is also called “Fuehrer”.

Ahalyabai

Ahalyabai : Born in 1735 and daughter of Manakoji Shinde of Chante, Ahalyabai did her elementary education and married Khanduji, the son of Malharrao Holkar in 1744. Her husband was killed in siege of Khanduji in 1754. Malharrao appointed her for the administration of his territories. Her son Malerao succeeded after the death of Holkar but actual reigns of office were in the hands of Ahalyabai. She administered the territory astutely and renovated many temples. She died on August 13, 1795.

Abul Fazal

Abul Fazal was the oldest of Akbar’s 'Nine Jewels'. He as the brother of Faizi.He was a profound scholar of his time and rose to Akbar’s Prime Minister. He wrote Ain-i-Akbari.