India’s story has been shaped by visionaries who dared to think differently. Here are 10 such legends whose courage and ideas left a lasting mark on the nation’s growth.
India’s first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, set up India’s first IIT (Indian Institute of Technology).
He also founded Sahitya Academy, Sangeet Natak Academy, and Lalita Kala Academy to provide a common platform for India’s diverse literary and cultural heritage.
When Surendranath Banerjee cleared the British-instituted civil service exam, he was dismissed due to his race. And later in 1869, he was dismissed once again due to a dispute about his age.
In 1876, he launched the newspaper ‘The Bengal’ to address the topic of racial discrimination. That same year, he went on to start the ‘Indian National Association’ where he propagated the same values.
Known as the man behind India’s first university for women, Dhondo Keshav Karve pioneered path-breaking work in the social field.
When his wife Radhabai passed away at the age of 14, Karve established the Widow Remarriage Association in 1893.
In 1896, he set up India’s first school for widows in Hingane village, Pune, and later a residential school for girls that trained them for jobs.
Since society did not see it fit for the girls to learn Kathak, Sukhdev taught his daughters the dance form himself.
Sitara Devi, one of the daughters, went on to excel in the art and is known today as the ‘Empress of Dance’. But her father, Sukhdev, was shunned from the community for this bold move.
The legendary musician began his career at the age of 10. It was his mother’s lullabies that introduced him to Assam folk music.
He managed to impress Assamese filmmaker Jyotiprasad Agarwala, and even sang two songs in Agarwala’s film Indramalati – ‘Kaxote Kolosi Loi’ and ‘Biswo Bijoyi Naujawan’ – at the age of 12.
Under Munda’s leadership, the Indian hockey team performed stupendously in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, where they won the gold medal.
A firm believer in tribal rights, he began a campaign in 1938 for the rights of indigenous communities. He also played a role in framing the Indian Constitution.
When their ‘Thandi Hawayeni’ song was released in 1951, it was a hit that put the duo on the charts.
Lata ji has often described Burman ji as a ‘father figure’ and recounted how he shaped much of her musical career.
An Indian actor and one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema, Prithviraj Kapoor, attempted to throw light on communal harmony through his play Deewar in 1945.
Though it was met with staunch opposition from the Muslim League, Kapoor found a way to meet the prerequisite conditions, and the play was eventually staged.
In the iconic picture, JRD Tata, Homi Bhabha, and Niels Bohr can be seen. This was clicked during an International Colloquium on Function Theory in 1960.
Bhabha defied his father’s expectation that he would become an engineer and chose to study physics, significantly shaping India’s scientific journey.
The ‘Culture Queen of India’ worked to revive the languishing arts and crafts of the people. She even travelled to the remotest parts of the country for the purpose.
Following the Partition, she worked on creating a safe space for refugees from the North-West Frontier Province, which led to the establishment of the city of Faridabad.