freedom struggle

10 photos that cover the trajectory of India’s evolution and culture, and mark its milestone moments -- from Homi Bhaba’s scientific discovery to independent India’s first woman pilot.

R Sivabhogam was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s ideologies. It is believed that she led a simple life, wearing only khadi. This is her story of becoming India’s first Chartered Accountant.

n the last year of his life, Leo Tolstoy, the Russian literary giant, exchanged letters with a young MK Gandhi. This correspondence would not only strengthen Gandhi's conviction in the practice of Ahimsa but also influence his ideas of Satyagraha and Swadeshi.

Founded in 1891, the Cambridge Majlis offered students from the Indian subcontinent a forum for debates, dialogue and cultural events, even though the British Raj had hoped otherwise.

A royal physician and freedom fighter, Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari inspired Lokmanya Tilak to turn Ganeshotsav into a festival that instilled nationalistic fervour among Indians to fight the British.

Bela Mitra, also known as Bela Bose, was born in Kodalia in British-ruled India and grew up with a singular goal of freeing her country.

Nanak Singh, the 'Father of Punjabi Novel', survived the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and wrote a searing poem titled 'Khooni Vaisakhi' which paints a vivid picture of the horrors of 13 April 1919.

Mithan Lam, the first woman to practice law at the Bombay High Court, also played a role in shaping gender-sensitive laws for marriage, divorce and inheritance, besides helping resettle thousands of Partition refugees in Mumbai.

Besides lending a major hand in nationalist movements of Kenya and India, Makhan Singh, a revolutionary trade unionist, believed that the pursuit of freedom and justice is not restricted by your country of birth.

Often referred to as the Father of Indian Journalism, Ramananda Chatterjee founded and edited two journals. Having worked with contributors like Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose, it was his unflinching journalistic skills that helped drive epochal freedom struggle movements.