Acharya Ramchandra Shukla   India : Historian of Hindi Literature Born : AD 1884                    Died : AD 1941   Acharya Ramchandra Shukla is considered the exponent of modem trend in Hindi literature. He was the first to write a sequential history of Hindi literature and to divide it into different periods. Mr Shukla’s Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas (History of Hindi Literature) is considered the most authentic document on the subject....

Venkatesh Iyyengar   India : Kannada’s Great Novelist Born : AD 1891                    Died : AD 1986   Srinivas Iyyengar, Kannada’s prolific novelist was popularly known as ‘Maasti’ . He is known as a revolutionary novelist. He was awarded the Gyanpeeth Award’ in 1983 for his famous work Chikkavir Rajendra. He wrote nearly 120 books, which contain 18 plays, 30 novels, 46 biographies, 17 poems and 17 collection of stories. His...

Franz Kafka   Czechoslovakia : German Author Born : AD 1883                    Died : AD 1924 Kafka is considered a very interesting writer of modern Germany. He was unfortunate in not getting attention during his lifetime. He could get only a couple of stories published during his lifetime, while a large biddy of his works was later edited and published by his friend Marx Brand. His was a lonely and anguished...

Subramaniyam Bharati   India : National Poet Born : AD 1882                    Died : AD 1921 Subramaniyam Bharati was a poet of modem Tamil. His compositions taste of patriotic fervour. The king of Ettimpur was so impressed by his writings that he conferred on him the title “Bharati” when Subramaniyam was just 11 years old, and also made him his court-poet, the poet laureate. In 1905, when Bengal was to be...

Martina Navaratilova   USA: World-Famous Tennis Player Born : AD 1956 Anyone with a little interest in sports is bound to be familiar with the name Martina Navaratilova. The name and fame she has earned in the Tennis World has no equal. She is rated at the third place in all-time Women Tennis Greats. She has lost on very few occasions. Martina was born in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia in...

Gama Pehalwan   India : World-Famous Wrestler Born : AD 1880                    Died : AD 1960  Rustam-e-Hind” Gama Pehalwan, who brought the Indian style of wrestling to international sports and lent it credentials, had tricks of trade running in his blood. Wrestlers all over the world avoided defeated Maurice Deriyaz and Ormond of international fame and achieved challenging him in the Indian-style wrestling. Ahmed Baksh Gama threw an open challenge to...

Bertrand Russell   Great Britain : Controversial Philosopher Born : AD 1872           Died : AD 1970 Bertrand Russell was one of most controversial philosopher of his time. He was original in his ideas and had tremendous intellectual capabilities. He was many years ahead of his fellow-beings in his thinking and for this he had to undergo imprisonment also. Bertrand Russell taught Mathematics at Cambridge after finishing his education. He criticized...

Sri Aurobindo   India : Philosopher and Revolutionary Born : AD 1872           Died : AD 1950 Aurobindo Ghose can be called a revolutionary-ascetic who pro-pounded direct political action than moderate reformism but ended being an ascetic, spreading the message of divine peace and love. As a revolutionary, he is honoured in India for his nationalistic fervour but as a philosopher, the world admires him for his divine vision. Vehement though...