Kumaraswami Kamaraj (1903-1975) A true democrat and a socialist, a product of the national movement, one who participated in it, from the age of eighteen, with his rich and valuable experience, huge popularity and tremendous influence, Kumaraswami Kamaraj played a leading role in shaping India’s destiny from the passing away of the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to the Indian National Congress-split in 1969. When the question, ‘After...

Varahagiri Venkata Giri (1894-1980)   Politician, an experienced Parliamentarian and veteran Trade Unionist Varahagiri Venkata Giri was born at Berhampore in Ganjam District in the then Madras Presidency and now in Orissa, on August 10, 1894, as the second son of a prominent and prosperous lawyer and the leader of the local bar, V.V. Jogaiah Pantulu. V.V. Giri started taking keen interest in public life when he was merely 12. He...

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) Being the beloved leader of the Indian people and the faithful and outstanding successor of the cause of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi made great contribution to the cause for safeguarding independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, developing the national economy, raising the people’s livelihood and making India an important factor of peace in Asia and the rest of the world. I do not regard myself as...

Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904-1966) Lal Bahadur Shastri was one of those few Indian personalities who, born in an ordinary family, gained national recognition by their talents and sacrifice. Shastriji gave of his best to the service of his nation. Rising from the rank of an unknown worker, churning out cyclostyled copies of political leaflets at Anand Bhavan, Allahabad, to the position of highest rank as Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur...

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...