Pandurang Vaman Kane (1880-1972) Litterateur, Orientalist and Indologist, a rationalist and social reformer, Pandurang Vaman Kane, was popularly known as Annasaheb Kane. Best known for his History of Dharmashastra, Kane, was born in a lower middle-class Chitpavan (Konkanastha) Brahman family at Pedhem (Pa rashuram) near Chiplun in Ra tnagiri district (Maharashtra) on 7 May 1880. His father, Vaman Shankar, was a Taluka Vakil. Kane was married to Subhadra in 1896. He...

Dr. Zakir Husain Khan (1897-1969) Dr. Zakir Husain, a man of deep learning and profound thought, stood as a true symbol of composite Indian culture, epitomising in himself what has been proved to be good and noble in Indian traditions. As President of Republic of India, with his faith in selfless service, humanism and democracy, besides dignity and charm of person, he brought to the office of President a rare lustre...

Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963) A prominent intellectual, a great educationist, an able lawyer, an outstanding leader and free India’s first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was born on 3 December 1884, in an obscure village, Zeradei, in the Saran district of North Bihar. Rajendra Prasad’s life was an embodiment of the Gandhian principles. He was to Mahatma Gandhi, to quote Sarojini Naidu, what John was to Christ. Jawaharlal called him the symbol...

Purushottam Das Tandon (1882-1962) Rajarshi—fondly called by Mahatma Gandhi—Purushottam Das Tandon, appeared on the Indian horizon during the Gandhian era, and occupied a significant position in the national history of India. He can be regarded as the lineal successor of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and Lala Lajpat Rai, without their social conservatism, which, perhaps, was a product of their times. Tandon was born at Allahabad (U.P.) on 1 August 1882,’in the...

Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882-1962) Politician and Physician—the Architect of modern West Bengal—Dr. B.C. Roy was born on 1 July 1882 in Patna. He belonged to the family of the rebel Maharaja Pratapaditya of Jessore, in its Ash-Guha branch, hailing from Sripur in Khulna district, now in Bangladesh. Father, Prakash Chandra, joined the progressive, monotheistic Brahrno sect, rose to be a Deputy Magistrate and Collector, and commanded respect for his position...

Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve (1858-1962) One of the greatest emancipators of women in India, Dhondo Keshav Karve (alias Annasaheb) was born on 18 April 1858 at Sherwali village in Khed taluka of Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra, in a lower middle-class Chi tpavan Brahmin family. His father, Keshav Bapunna Karve, was a Manager of the Estate of Barve of Koregaon in Ratnagiri district on a meagre salary. Karve got his primary education at...

Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant (1887-1961) A considerable figure in Indian public life for nearly fifty years and one of the top Congress leaders for over thirty years, Govind Ballabh Pant was born in Almora on 10 September 1887 in the family of the Pants, who originally belonged to Maharashtra and had migrated to the Kumaon regions of U.P. under the patronage of the then rulers in the 10th century. Pant was...

Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) Jawaharlal Nehru belonged to the whole of mankind, as he belonged to the people of India. A valiant fighter for the people of India all his life, Jawaharlal Nehru was the chief architect of modern India. His entire life was dedicated not only to the ideals of national freedom, unity and solidarity but equally to those of world peace and progress. As one of the great Indians of...