Annie Besant 1847-1933

• Founded the Theosophical Society in India and started the Home Rule League.
• Established Central Hindu School and College at Banaras (later Bill]).
• President of the Calcutta Session of INC, AD 1917.
• She did not attend the AD 1920 Session at Nagpur due to growing difference with Gandhiji as she
felt that Government of India Act, 1919 were a means to free India.
• Newspapers — New India and Commonweal.
• She prepared the Lotus Song, a translation of 'Gita' into English.

Acharya Narendra Dev 1889-1956

• He was a scholar, socialist, nationalist and a lawyer by profession. He gave up his practice and
joined Non Co-operation Movement.
• He became the President of Patna's Socialist Conference in 1934 and a member of UP Legislation
Assembly in 1937.
• He was appointed as the Principal of Kashi Vidyapeeth in 1925 and also became the Vice-
Chancellor of Lucknow and Banaras Universities.
• He founded the Socialist Party in 1948.

Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray 1861-1944

• He was a pioneer of chemical research in India. His book ‘History of Hindu Chemistry’ was
published in 1902.
• Research work in Ayurveda with French Chemist Berthelot.
• President of Indian Science Congress in 1920.

Achyut S Patwardhan 1905-1971

• Founder member of Congress Socialist Party and an active participant in Quit India Movement.
• He left politics after independence.

Ajit Singh

• He was a revolutionary nationalist arrested in 1907 and deported to Mandalay.

• He founded the Bharat Mata Society and launched a journal, Peshwa.
• An active member of Ghadar Party.

AK Fazlul Haq

• Founder member of All India Muslim League and its member from 1916 to 1921.
• Represented the league in the three Round Table Conferences.
• Founded the Krishak Praja Party in 1937 and worked as Chief Minister of Bengal from 1938-43.

Amir Chand 1869-1915

• He was a revolutionary activist and associate of Lala Hardayal and Ras Behari Bose.
• He was arrested in connection with Lahore Bomb and Delhi Conspiracy cases.
• He was accused of throwing a bomb on Lord Hardinge and was sentenced to death.

Amritlal Vithalal Thakkar 1869-1951

• A social activist, founder of Bhil Seva Mandal and member of Bharatiya Adamjati Sangh (tribal
welfare association).
• He also served as the Secretary of the Harijan Sevak Sangh.

Anand Mohan Bose 1847-1906

• Founder member of the Indian Association of Calcutta (1876), Indian National Conference (1883)
and Indian National Congress (1885).
• Presided over the Madras Session of INC (1898).

Aruna Asaf Ali 1909-1996

• Nicknamed as Aruna Ganguli, she married to Asaf Ali, Indian’s first Ambassador of the USA.
• She was imprisoned during the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930, 1932) and for participating in
Individual Satyagrah (1940).
• In 1942, she hoisted the Indian National Congress Flag tricolour at Mumbai’s Gowalia Tank
Grounds.
• Elected as first Mayor of Delhi, 1958.
• She was awarded the International Lenin Prize in 1964.
• Newspapers (alongwith Edanta Narayana and AV Baliga) — Link and Patriot.

Bal Gangadhar: Lokmanya Di

Freedom fighter and lawyer, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, was born on 23rd July 1856. He gave India the
slogan, “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it!” He coordinated the work of the Deccan
Education Society with his associate Gopal Ganesh Agarkar and others. He was keen on setting up
good educational institutes in the country since he believed that education must be imparted with
an emphasis on Indian culture. He was one of the founders of the Fergusson College in Pune through
the Deccan Education Society. Tilak was deeply involved in the political struggle for freedom in the
country. He was one of the earliest and the most vocal proponents of complete independence or
swarajya. He was considered a radical because of his views.

He emphasised the importance of a cultural and religious revival to go in tandem with the political
movements. Tilak became a part of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1890. He opposed the
moderates and led the extremist faction of the party.

He stressed on the need for self-rule and believed that without self-rule of swarajya, no progress
was possible. He also propagated swadeshi movements and encouraged people to boycott foreign
goods.

Tilak published two newspapers, Kesari in Marathi and Mahratta in English. In both these, he
severely criticised the government. In one of his articles, he said that those killing oppressors could
not be blamed for their actions. The Chapekar brothers case happened after this article. The
authorities charged him with incitement to murder and sentenced him to 18 months in prison.

Along with Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal, he was part of the Lal-Bal-Pal trio of leaders with
extremist outlooks.

Between 1908 and 1914, he spent 6 years in Mandalay Prison for authoring articles in which he
defended the actions of revolutionaries Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki. Several times, he was
tried for sedition.
In 1916, he returned to the INC having separated from it earlier. He founded the All India Home Rule
League in April 1916 at Belgaum. His League would work in Maharashtra (except Bombay), the
Central Provinces, Karnataka and Berar.

In September 1918, Tilak travelled to England to file a libel case against Sir Ignatius Valentine Chirol,
an English journalist who had written the book ‘Indian Unrest’. In this book, Chirol had dubbed Tilak
the ‘father of Indian unrest’. It also contained deprecatory comments. Tilak filed a suit against him
but ultimately lost the case. This absence of Tilak from India led to the Home Rule movement losing
steam.

Tilak was a devout Hindu and used Hindu scriptures to rouse people to fight oppression. He also
exhorted people to follow Karma Yoga or the Yoga of Action to fight for freedom. He also wrote his
own interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita called Shrimadh Bhagvad Gita Rahasya.

He also composed another book in which he wrote that the Aryans came to India from the Arctic
region. This book was titled ‘The Arctic Home in the Vedas’ and was published in 1903.

He popularised the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in the Maharashtra region and to this day, it is one of
the most important festivals in the state.

Tilak was also an admirer of Chhatrapati Shivaji. He propounded the celebration of Shiv Jayanti on
the birth anniversary of the monarch.

He was called ‘Lokamanya’ by the people.

Tilak was one of the first INC leaders to suggest that Hindi in the Devanagari script be India’s sole
language. He passed away on 1st August 1920 at the age of 64.

MOST IMP EVENTS:

 Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress in 1890.

 He soon started vocalizing his strong opposition to the moderate views of the party on self-
rule. He maintained that simple constitutional agitation in itself was futile against the British.

 Following the partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon, Tilak wholeheartedly supported the
Swadeshi (Indigenous) movement and Boycott of British goods. But his methods also raised
bitter controversies within the Indian National Congress (INC) and the movement itself.

 During 1908-1914, Bal Gangadhar Tilak spent had to undergo six years of rigorous
imprisonment in Mandalay Jail, Burma.

 Tilak returned to India in 1915 when the political situation was fast changing under the
shadow of the World War I. There was unprecedented celebration after Tilak was released.

 Deciding to reunite with his fellow nationalists, Tilak founded the All India Home Rule League
in 1916 with Joseph Baptista, Annie Besant and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

 Bal Gangadhar Tilak published two newspapers -‘Mahratta’ (English) and ‘Kesari’ (Marathi).
Both the newspapers stressed on making the Indians aware of the glorious past and
encouraged the masses to be self reliant etc.
Bhagat Singh 1907-1931

• Member of Hindustan Socialist Republican Army.

• He started the Militant Naujawan Bharat Sabha in Punjab.
• He killed British Official Saunders in 1928 and was involved in Lahore Conspiracy and bombed the
Central Legislative Assembly.
• He was executed on March 23, 1931.

Badruddin Tyabji 1844-1906

• He was the first Barrister in Bombay.

• Appointed to the Bombay Bench in 1895 and in 1902 and also became the second Indian Chief
Justice.
• He advocated Tilak’s case on seditious writings in new laters journal, Kesari.
• Founder member of Bombay Legislative Council (1882) and INC (1885).
• Presided over the third INC Session in Madras.
• He stressed upon modernization of Muslims and also served as President of the Bombay based
Anjuman-i-Islam.

Baliram Keshav Rao Hedgewar 1899-1940

• He was a medical graduate and an active member of the Congress. He also participated in Tilak’s
Home Rule Movement.
• He established the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on September 27, 1925.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay 1833- 1894

• He was a great scholar best known for the composition or the hymn Bande Mataram.
• His first novel was Durgesnandini, published in 1864. and he started the journal Bangadarsan.

Barindra Kumar Ghosh 1880-1959

• He was a revolutionary activist and founder member of the secret organization. Anushilan Samiti,
started in Calcutta in 1902.
• He also helped in launching the weekly, Yugantar.
• He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 190b but w released in 1919, and then he associated
himself with The Statesman and Basumati.

Behramji M Malabari 1853-1912

• He was an eminent scholar and social reformer.

• He worked for the cause or women and by his efforts the Age of Consent Act (1891) was passed.
• He condemned child marriage and forced widowhood in his Notes on Infant Marnage and Enforced
Widowhood (1884).
• He founded a social service organization known as Seva Sadan.
• His works include Nitivinod (1875), the Indian Muse in English Garb (1876), and Gujarat and
Gujarati’s.

Bhulabhai Desai 1877-1946

• He participated in the Home Rule Movement (1916) and was imprisoned during Civil Disobedience
Movement.
• He represented INC in the Central Legislative Assembly for nine years.
• He formulated the Desai-Liaqat formula in 1944 for negotiations with the League.
• He advocated from the prisoners sides during the INA trials

Chandra Shekhar Azad 1906-1931

• He was a famous revolutionary activist, member of the Hindustan Republican Association and
leader of the Hindustan Social Republican Army.
• He gained his title “Azad” during the Non Co-operation Movement when he was arrested and the
court asked his name, he repeatedly answered “Azad”.
• He was involved in Kakori Conspiracy of 1925, Second Lahore Conspiracy, the Delhi Conspiracy, the
killing of Saunders in Lahore and Central Assembly bomb episode.
• He shot himself while fighting with the police at Alfred Park in Allahabad.

Chhakravarti Rajagopalachari 1879-1972

• He was a politician and lawyer from Tamil Nadu.

• He gave up his practice during NCM.
• He held the post of the General-Secretary of the INC in 1921-1922 and was a member of Congress
Working Committee from 1922 to 1924.
• He hoisted the CDM in Tamil Nadu and was arrested for leading a Salt March from Trichinapoly to
Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast.
• He was elected as the Chief Minister of Madras in 1937 Elections.
• He resigned from INC in 1942 for not accepting the Cripp’s Proposal.
• He prepared the CR Formula for Congress-League Co-operation.
• He served as the Governor of Bengal (August-November 1947) and was the first and last Indian
Governor-General of India (1948-50).
• He became the Minister Home Affairs in the country’s first Cabinet.
• He founded the Swatantra Party in 1959.
• His rational ideas are reflected in the collection Satyameva Jayate.
• He was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna' in 1954.

CR Das 1870-1925

• A lawyer by profession, he defended Aurobindo in the Alipur Bomb Conspiracy case.

• He was the member of the Congress Enquiry Committee set up to look into Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre.
• He founded the All India Swaraj Party in 1923.
• He was elected as the first Mayor of the Calcutta Co-operation in 1924.
• He prepared the Das Formula for Hindu-Muslim Co-operation.
• He was nicknamed as Deshbandhu Chittaranjan.
• His works include Malancha in 1895 (poems), Mala in 1904, Antaryami in 1915, Kishore-
Kishoree and Sagar-Sangit in 1913.
• Newspapers/Journal-Narayana (Bengali monthly) and Forward.

Dadabhai Naoroji 1825-1917

• First to demand ‘Swaraj” in the Calcutta Session of INC, 1906.

• Title — “Indian Gladstone”, “Grand Old Man of lndia’.
• First Indian to be selected to the “House of Commons” on Liberal Party ticket.
• He highlighted the draining of wealth from India by the British and its effect in his book “Poverty
and un-British Rule in India “(1901).
Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar 1891-1956

• Leader of the depressed class and an eminent jurist.

• He founded the Depressed Classes Institute (1924) and Samaj Samata Sangh (1927).
• He set up a network colleges in the name of Peoples Education Society.
• Participated in all the Three Round Table Conferences and signed the Poona Pact with Gandhiji in
1932.
• He was in the Governor General's Executive Council from 1942 to 1946 and organized the Indian
Labour Party and Scheduled Caste Federation.
• Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Indian Constitution.
• As the first Law Minister of the Independent India, he introduced the Hindu Code Bill.
• He started ‘The Republican Party’ in 1956.
• Towards the end of his life, he embraced Buddhism.

Dr Rajendra Prasad 1884-1963

• Participated in Swadeshi Movement (established Bihari Students, Conference), Champaran

Satyagrah, NCM, CDM and Quit India Movement.
• Founded the National College at Patna.
• Minister incharge or Food and Agriculture in the Interim Government (1946).
• President of the Constituent Assembly.
• First President of the Indian Republic.
• Honoured with ‘Bharat Ratna' in 1962.
• Newspaper — Desh (Hindi weekly).

Dr Zakir Hussain 1897-1969

• An educationist and nationalist from Hyderabad, Hussain was the student of Mohammedan Anglo-
Oriented College at Aligarh.
• He was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia University at the age of 29 year.
• In 1937, he participated in the National Conference on Education in Wardha.
• He was elected to the post of vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University in 1948 and was
selected to the executive board of the UNESCO.
• He served as the 3rd President of Indian Union and was honoured with Bharat Ratna in 1963.
• He translated Plato’s Republic and Edwin Cannan’s Elementary Political Economy, also wrote a
book titled Die Botschaft des Mahatma Gandhi in German. The Dynamic Universitycontains his
addresses during the convocation ceremonies. He also wrote a book on short stories for children,
named Ruquayya Rehana.

Dhondo Keshav Karve 1858-1962

• A social reformer and educationalist who worked for the upliftment of women.
• He founded the Vidhva Vivahottejak Mandali (society for the promotion of widow remarriage) in
1893 which was named as Vidhwa Vivaha Pratibandh Nivarak Mandali in 1895.
• Other institutions include-Mahisasuramardini (home for widows) in 1898, Mahila Vidyalaya,
Nishkam Karma Math Monastery of Disinterested Work in 1908, Indian Women’s University in 1916
and Samata Sangh in 1944.
• He was awarded Padma Vibhushan' in 1955 and ‘Bharat Ratna in 1958.

Dinbandhu Mitra 1830-1873

• He was a Bengali writer who highlighted the cause of Indigo planters through his play ‘Neel Darpan
Natakam’, published in 1860.
• The play was translated in English by Madhu Sudan Dutt.

Durgabai Deshmukh 1909-1981

• She was popularly known as “Iron Lady.”

• She organized Salt Satyagrah during CDM in Madras and was inprisoned.
• She was a member of the Constituent Assembly.
• She was awarded the Tamrapatra and Paul Hoffman Award after independence in recognition to
her service to the society.
• Her social works include establishment of Andhra Mahila Sabha (1941), Andhra Education Society,
Sri Venkateswar College in the Delhi University, Central Society welfare Board and she also edited
the journal Andhra Mahila.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale 1886-1915

• Gandhiji regarded him as his political guru.

• President or the Banaras Session of INC, 1905, supported the Swadeshi Movement.
• Founded the Servants of Indian Society in 1905, to train people who would work as national
missionaries.

Gopal Hari Deshmukh ‘Lokahitwadi’ 1823-1892

• He was a social reformer from Maharashtra.

• He founded the Punar Vivah Mandal at Ahmedabad to incourage widow remarriage.
• He wrote articles in the Maharashtra weekly, Praphakar, under the pen name, Lokhitwadi.
• He helped in the launch of periodicals like Jhan Prakash, Indu Prakash and Lokhitwadi and also
started a weekly ‘Hitechchhu’ in both Gujarati and English.

Govind Ballabh Pant 1889-1961

• He participated in the agitation against the Simon Commission, CDM and Quit India Movement.
• He was the first Chief Minister of UP and prepared the “Pant Report” on agrarian reforms in UP.
• He abolished Zamindari System in UP.
• He was elected as the Home Minister in 1955 and is a recipient of ’Bharat Ratna'.

Indulal Yagnik 1892-1972

• He was a social reformer freedom fighter and journalist from Gujarat.

• He participated in Home Rule Movement and Kaira Satyagrah.
• He was n member of Antyaj Seva Mandal and set up schools for tribal children.
• He presided over the Akhil Hindu Kisan Sabha in 1942.
• He founded the Gujarat Vidyapeeth and established Maha Gujarat Janta Parishad after
independence.
• Newspapers/Journals—Navjivan Ane Satya (monthly), Nutan Gujarat (daily)

Jawaharlal Nehru 1889-1964

• General Secretary of INC in 1928 and its President in 1929.

• The Independence resolution was passed under his Presidentship at the Lahore Session.
• First Prime Minister of Republic India (from 1947 to 1964), also known as architect of Modern
India.
• He authored the Doctrine of Panchseel and believed in the policy of non-Alignment.
• Books — ‘The Discovery or India', 'Glimpses of world, History’, 'A Bunch or old Letters', ‘The Unity
of India’, ‘Independence and After', ‘India and the world’ etc.
• His autobiography was entitled as “Auto- biography".

Jamnalal Bajaj 1889-1942

• An industrialist and freedom fighter from Rajasthan, he was given the title of Rai Bahadur in 1921.
• He founded Gandhi Seva Sangha, Gau Seva Sangha, Sasta Sahitya Mandal and assisted in the
establishment of Satyagrah Ashram at Wardha.
• He gave Seagon village to Gandhiji who renamed it as Sevagram.
• He remained as the treasures or INC throughout his life.

Jayaprakash Narayana 1902-1979

• A freedom fighter from Bihar, he is popularly known as Loknayak.

• He was a follower of Marxist philosophy and advocated for nationalization of heavy industries and
abolition of Zamindari.
• He joined INC on Nehru’s offer and was jailed during CDM.
• He formed the All India Socialist Party in 1934.
• He actively participated in Quit India Movement and was imprisoned.
• He Joined the Bhoodan Movement of Vinoba Bhave.
• In 1975, he protested against the National Emergency and founded the Janata Party.

Jatindra Nath Das 1904-1929

• A revolutionary activist and freedom fighter from Bengal, he was arrested for his involvement in
the Lahore Conspiracy Case.
• He died in imprisonment after observing 63 days fast, demanding better conditions of living for
Indian prisoners.

Jyotiba Phule 1827-1890

• A social reformer from Maharashtra, he worked for the upliftment of the low castes.
• He was against the Brahmins’ organization like Prathana Samaj and Sarvajanik Sabha as they were
concerned about the upper Varna only Phule wanted to replace Hindu religion with the “Sarvajanik
Ishwar Pranit Satya".
• He founded the Satyasadhak Samaj in 1873 for educating low caste people and authored the
Sarvajanik Satyadharma Pustak.

Kalpana Dull 1913-1978

• A woman revolutionary from Bengal, she was influenced by Surya Sen, hence joined the Chittagong
Republican Army.
• She was sentenced to transportation for life for participating in Chittagong Armoury Raids.
• After her release in 1936, she joined the Communist Party of India.

Kanahiyalal Manaklal Munshi 1887-1971

• A freedom fighter and lawyer from Gujarat, he participated in the Salt Satyagrah and CDM as
Congress member.
• He was appointed as Home Minister Bombay in 1937 elections.
• He was also arrested during individual Satyagrah (1940).
• He was a member of Constituent Assembly.
• He played a significant role in merging Hyderabad with the Indian Union.
• He served as Union Food Minister in 1952 Cabinet, and Governor of UP (1953-58).
• In 1960, he joined the Swatantra Party.
• Magazines/journals- Bhargava, Gujarat, Social Welfare, Journal.
• Books—’I Follow the Mahatma', ‘The Creative Art or Life', ‘Akhand Hindustan, and Pilgrimage to
Freedom’.

Kasturba Gandhi 1869-1944

• A freedom fighter and wife of M K Gandhi, popularly known as “Ba”.

• She supported Gandhi in all his political programmes and was the first woman to be imprisoned by
the British in Transvaal.
• She was arrested during Quit India Movement in 1942 and died in Poona jail two years later.

Khudiram Bose 1889-1908

• A revolutionary from Midnapore, he participated in the Swadeshi Movement and later joined the
Revolutionary Party of Bengal.
• He was arrested for organizing a bomb attack on the carriage of Kingsford, the Session Judge at
Muzaffarpur (Bihar) and was sentenced to death.

Khan Ahdul Ghaffar Khan 1890-1988

• Title — Frontier Gandhi, Badshah Khan or Sarhadi Gandhi, Fakhar-e-Afghan.

• Founded an organization of non violent revolutionaries known as ‘Red Shirts” or “Khudai
Khidmatgars”. He opposed partition.
• Participated in NCM, CDM and Quit India.
• Newspaper — Pakhtoon (In Pushto), later published as Das Roza.
• Honoured with ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1987.

Lakshminath Bezbarua 1868-1938

• A writer from Assam, he started his journal Janaki in 1889 and also wrote the Assamese state
anthem.

Lala Hardayal 1884-1939

• A revolutionary from Delhi, he took up the cause of India's freedom to foreign land in order to win
international support for the freedom movement
• He was the first President of the Ghadar Party founded in San Francisco in 1913.
• He founded the Indian Independence Committee in Germany and an Oriental Bureau to translate
the writings in local language.
• Books – Wealth of Nations, and Hints for Self Culture.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad 1890-1958

• Joined INC during Swadeshi Movement.

• President of Khilafat Committee. Presided over the Congress Special Session at Delhi in 1923, to
become the youngest President. Also the longest serving President of INC.
• He headed the Jamiat-ul-Ulema (1924), Nationalist Muslim Conference, Shimla Conference (1945)
and negotiated with Cabinet Mission, 1946.
• Elected as the member of Constituent Assembly in 1946 and became Minister of Education and
Arts in the Interim Government.
• First Education Minister of Independent India. Also given the portfolios of natural resources and
scientific research.
• Contributed in the foundation of UGC, AICTE and IIT Kharangpur.
• Book – ‘India Wins Freedom’.

Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari 1880-1936

• A freedom fighter and surgeon from UP, he help in organizing the All-India Medical Mission to
Turkey in 1912-13.
• He participated in Home Rule Movement, NCM and Khilafat Movement.
• He was elected as the General Secretary of Congress in 1927 and President over the All Parties
Conference and convention in 1928.
• He also helped in the establishment of Jamia Millia Islamia in 1920.

Madam Bhikaji Cama 1861-1936

• She was a freedom fighter from Mumbai.

• She participated in the Socialist Congress at Stuttgart in 1907.
• She founded the Free India Society and the Bande Mataram.

Madan Lal Dhingra 1887-1909

• A revolutionary from Punjab, he was the member of Indian Home Rule Society, the Abhinav
Bharata and the India Houses.
• He was sentenced to death for assassinating Sir William Curzon Wyllie, an Advisor to the Secretary
of State of India during a public function in the Imperial Institute, London.

Madan Mohan Malaviya 1861-1946

• A moderate leader and a lawyer by profession, he served the provincial and central legislature for
many terms.
• Through his efforts a memorial was built at the Jallianwala Bagh site.
• He founded the Nationalist Party in 1926.
• He was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.
• He served as the editor of Hindustan, Abyudaya and the Indian Union.

Margaret Elizabeth Noble (Sister Nivedita 1867-1911)

• An Irish lady, Elizabeth met Vivekananda in 1890 and inspired by him, she joined the Ramakrishna
Mission and became a nun. She worked as a social-it reformer for the upliftment of women. She
organized relief works during the plague epidemic in 1899 and during the Bengal famine of 1905.
She wrote the articles—The Master as I Saw Himand The Web of Indian Life.

Motilal Nehru 1861-1931

• A lawyer by profession, Motilal became an active supporter of the Home Rule Movement in 1916
and started the journal ‘The Independent'.
• He headed the Congress Commission looking into the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
• He gave up his practice during NCM and was arrested while following the visit of Prince Wales.
• He founded the Swarajya Party alongwith CR Das.
• He had renamed Anand Bhawan as the Swaraj Bhawan and gifted it to the Congress.

Muhammad Iqbal 1873-1938

• He was a renowned poet and a lawyer by profession.

• He joined Muslim League and presided over its Allahabad Session in 1930.
• He was the first person to give the idea of a separate Muslim State.
• He composed the song, “Share Jahan Se Achha.”

Mohammad All Jinnah 1876-1948

• He was inspired by the ideas or Gopal Krishna Gokhale.

• In 1906, he signed a memorandum against separate electorates for Muslims.
• Joined the All-India Muslim League in 1913 and played a major role in signing or Lucknow Pact.
• In 1917, joined the Home Rule Movement of Annie Besant.
• His differences with Congress began after the entry of Gandhiji in Congress. He opposed the NCM
of Gandhiji.
• In 1929, he proposed his Fourteen Point Demands.
• Lahore Session of Muslim League (194o) passed the “Pakistan Resolution” demanding for separate
state for Muslims. Jinnah stuck to League's demand in all the negotiations with Britain, and finally
Pakistan was formed.
• He became the first Governor-General of Pakistan.

Pherozeshah Mehta 1845-1915

• He was a moderate leader from Bombay.

• He had denounced the Ilbert Bill in 1883.
• He was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of the Bombay University in 1915.
• He presided over the Lahore Session of Congress (1907) after the Surat Split.
• He was given the title of “The uncrowned king of Bombay”.
• He started a newspaper, ‘The Bombay Chronicle’ and founded the Central Bank of India.

Rabindranath Tagore 1861-1941

• He was a poet, philosopher, educationist, internationalist and a patriot.

• He has his elder brother, Satyendranath Tagore, the first Indian to become an ICS.
• His first poem was published in the 'Amrit Bazar Patrika' and then he wrote 'Banaphul' (story and
‘Bhanusinher Padavali’ (series of lyrics).
• He founded Shantiniketan near Bolpore on December 22, 1901.
• He wrote 'Gitanjali', which fetched him the Nobel Prize in 1913.
• He innaugrated Raksha Bandhan festival to oppose the Partition of Bengal (1905).
• He founded the Vishva Bharati University.
• In 1915, British Crown granted him a ‘knighthood’ which he renounced after the Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre.
• His compositions were chosen as National Anthem by two nations

(i) India — Jana Gana Mana

(ii) Bangladesh — Amar Shonar Bangla

Raikumari Amrit Kaur 1889-1964

• A freedom fighter from Punjab, she participated as a Congress activist in the Satyagrah of 1930.
She was arrested during the Quit India Movement.
• She was appointed as the first Health Minister of India, after independence.
• She founded the Indian Council of Child Welfare and was the founder member of the All India
women's Conference.

Ram Manohar Lohia 1910-1968

• He was the founder member or the Congress Socialist Party (1934) and edited the journal, The
Congress Socialist’.
• He played a major role in building the foreign relations of the Congress Party.
• He founded the Socialist Party of India after Independence and worked for the development of
Hindi as the National Language.

Ram Prasad Bismil 1897-1927

• A revolutionary from Uttar Pradesh, he was a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican
Association
• He was sentenced to death in the Kakori Mail Dacoity Case (August 9, 1925).
• His most famous composition is “Sarforoshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai”.

Rani Gaidinliu 1915-1981

• She was a nationalist leader from Nagaland.

• She organised tribal revolts against the Britishers in Manipur. She was arrested in 1932 and was
released only after independence.
• JL Nehru gave her the title of “Rani of the Nagas”.

Ras Behari Bose 1886-1945

• A revolutionary from Bengal, Bose organized several clandestine activities in UP, Delhi and Punjab
at an early age.
• He was associated with Hardinge Bomb Case and Lahore Conspiracy Case after which he managed
to escape to Japan.
• He founded the Indian Muslim League and organized its first session at Bangkok in 1942.
• He also served as the President of the Council of Action for the formation of INA, and later handed
it over to Subbash Chandra Bose.
• Bose died in Tokyo on January 21, 1945.

Sachindra Nath Sanyal 1895-1945

• An associate of Ras Behari Bose, Sanyal organized a revolt by the soldiers of 7th Rajput Regiment in
the United Provinces.
• He was the founder member of Hindustan Republican Association and was sentenced to life
imprisonment in the Kakori Conspiracy Case in 1925.

Sachidananda Sinha 1871-1950

• A lawyer and educationist from Bihar, Sinha joined Congress in 1899 as a moderate leader.
• He participated in the Home Rule League Movement and served as member of Executive Council of
Government of Bihar and Orissa in 1921.
• He held the post of Vice-Chancellor of Patna University from 1936 to 1944.
• He was the Interim President of the Indian Constituent Assembly.
• He published the journal, ‘Indian Nation’ and edited ‘Hindustan Review’.

Subhash Chandra Bose 1897-1945

• He passed the Indian Civil Services Examination in 1920 in England but left it on Gandhji's call of
NCM.
• Founded the Independence for India League with JL Nehru.
• Elected as the President of INC at its Haripura Session (1938) and Tripuri Session (1939) hut
resigned from Tripuri due to differences with Gandhiji.
• He founded the Forward Block (1939) and Kisan Sahha.
• He escaped to Berlin in 1941 and met Hitler. He took the charge of Indian Army (Azad Hind Fauz) in
1943 in Singapore and set up Indian Provisional Government there.
• He addressed Mahatma Gandhi as the “Father of the Nation.”
• He supposedly died in a plane crash in 1945.
• Slogans — “Dilli Chalo” and “Jai Hind”.
• Autobiography — ‘The Indian Struggle’.

Sarojini Naidu 1879-1949

• Popularly known as the “Nightangale of India”, she was a nationalist and poetess from Uttar
Pradesh.
• She was married to Dr Govindarajulu Naidu in 1893.
• Under the guidance of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, she became the first woman to participate in the
India's struggle for independence.
• She participated in the Dandi March with Gandhiji and presided over the Kanpur Session of
Congress in 1925.
• She was the first woman to become the Governor of Uttar Pradesh State.
• Her famous poetries include - The Golden Threshold (1905), The Feather of the Dawn; The Bird of
Time (1912) and The Broken Wing (1917).

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 1888-1975

• An educationalist from Tamil Nadu. Radhakrishnan was associated with many educational
institutions in India.
• He served as the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University (1931) and Banaras Hindu University (1942).
• He gave lectures on theology and philosophy in the universities of Chicago, Manchester, London
and Oxford, among others.
• He was the leader of Indian delegation to UNESCO from 1946-50, its chairman in 1948 and
President of UNESCOs University Education Commission in 1952.
• He was also appointed as the Vice-President of international PEN.
• In 1962, he represented the Calcutta University at the Congress of Philosophy in Harvard
University.
• He was twice elected as the Vice-President of India (1952-56 and 1957-62) and served as the
President of the nation from 1962 to 1967.
• His birthday (5th September), is celebrated as ‘Teacher’s Day'.
• His works include — The Ethics of the Vedanta and its Material Presupposition (1908); The
Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore (1918): Idealistic view of Life (1932); Eastern Religion and
western Thought: Indian Philosophy and Kalki on the Future of Civilization.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 1883-1966

• He was a poet, scholar, social worker, historian, and one of the earliest revolutionaries from
Maharashtra.
• He founded the Mitra Mela (Assembly of friends) in 1889 and renamed it as the Abhinav Bharat,
Society (New India Society) in 1904.
• He founded the Free India Society in London in 1906.
• He described the Revolt of 1857 as the first war or independence in his book, ‘Indian war of
Independence’.
• He was arrested for his involvement in Nasik Conspiracy Case.
• He was elected as the President of the Hindu Mahasabha in 1937.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel 1875-1950

• A freedom fighter and social reformer from Gujarat, he is popularly known as Sardar Pater and
honoured with the title of “The Iron Man of India”.
• His father, Jhaverbhai Pate), is supposed to have fought in the army of Rani of Jhansi in the Revolt
of 1857.
• He started the Kheda or Kaira Satyagrah in 1918 and fought for the rights of the peasants in Bardoli
Satyagrah. Here, he was honoured with the title “Sardar”.
• He was the first national leader to be arrested during the Civil Disobedience Movement.
• He participated in Gandhi’s Individual Satyagrah and Quit India Movement.
• In post independence period, he was appointed as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India along
with the portfolios of the Information and Broadcasting and Home Ministry.
• He played a major role in integrating the 562 states in the Indian Union.

Vithalbhai Patel 1871-1933

• A freedom fighter from Gujarat and elder brother of Vallabhbhai Patel, Vithalbhai rebelled against
the leadership or Gandhiji over the abortion of the NCM and formed the Swarajya Party.
• He was elected for the Central Legislative Assembly in 1923.
• He rejoined Congress upon the declaration of Poorna Swaraj but after the end of Salt Satyagrah, he
became a fierce critie of Gandhi and a strong ally of Subhas Chandra Bose.

Sant Kabir

Kabir was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings influenced Hinduism’s Bhakti
movement and his verses are found in Sikhism’s scripture Guru Granth Sahib.His early life was in a
Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher, the Hindu bhakti leader Ramananda.
Kabir is known for being critical of both Hinduism and Islam, stating that the former was misguided
by the Vedas, and questioning their meaningless rites of initiation such as the sacred thread and
circumcision respectively.

Kabir suggested that True God is with the person who is on the path of righteousness, considered all
creatures on earth as his own self, and who is passively detached from the affairs of the world.

Kabir’s legacy survives and continues through the Kabir Panth (“Path of Kabir”), a religious
community that recognizes him as its founder and its members are known as Kabir panthis. Kabir’s
poetry is very famous in popular culture as ‘Dohas’

Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902)

Background
  Born as Narendranath Dutta in Calcutta in January 1863.

 Was influenced by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who became his Guru.

 Became a monk and travelled all over India and the West.

 His writings and speeches did a lot to spread Hindu philosophy in the West especially
Advaita Vedanta and Yoga philosophies.

 In 1886, he formally accepted monastic vows.

 He established many Mathas in India the most important being the Belur Math in Belur,
Howrah district.

 He founded the Ramakrishna Mission in May 1897.

 He died in 1902 in Belur Math in West Bengal.

Contributions

 Swami Vivekananda is credited with introducing the West to the Indian philosophies of
Vedanta and Yoga.

 He worked in the field of social service.

 He spoke to people in India and urged them to eliminate the caste system and promote
science and industrialisation.

 He also inspired many people to join the national independence movement.

 He urged the youth of the country to fight colonial oppression, do social service and work for
the people in unity.

 His teachings opened up interfaith debates and interfaith awareness.

 He also worked against superstitions and advocated the upliftment of women’s position in
society.

 He wanted the people to embrace the spirit of equality and free thinking.

 His interpretation of Vedanta is called neo-Vedanta.

 He worked towards a better understanding of Hinduism and also towards nationalism.

 According to him, the best form of worship was the service of the people.

 He laid stress on physical and moral strength. One of his many quotes say, “You Will Be
Nearer To Heaven through Football than through the Study of the Gita.”

 The four pillars of nationalism according to Swami Vivekananda are:

i. Consciousness and pride in the ancient glory of India.

ii. Development of moral and physical strength.

iii. Awakening of the masses.

 iv. Unity based on common spiritual ideas.

M.G. Ranade

On 16 January 1901, Mahadev Govind Ranade, social reformer and one of the founding members of
the Indian National Congress passed away in Pune.

Biography

 Mahadev Govind Ranade was born in Niphad, Nashik in a middle-class Maharashtrian family
on 18 January 1842.

 He started his career in 1871 as the Presidency Magistrate in the Bombay Small Causes
Court. He moved up the ranks as a judge and in 1885, he was also a member of the Bombay
Legislative Council.

 In 1893, he became a member of the Bombay High Court.

 Not only was Ranade a scholar, he was also a keen social reformer and thinker. He
advocated against child marriages, ill-treatment of widows, and promoted education for
women and widow remarriage.

 Even though a conservative person, he fought against the caste system. He was also a
supporter of small-scale indigenous industry for the development of a stable economy.

 He was one of the founding members of the Congress Party. He believed in complete
constitutional means to achieve the various goals of the reformers and activists.

 He encouraged English works to be translated into the vernacular and also tried to introduce
regional languages as part of the university curriculum.

 He was instrumental in establishing and promoting the Prarthana Samaj, the Poona
Sarvajanik Sabha and the Vaktruttvottejak Sabha.

 He also edited and contributed to English and Marathi journals.

 Along with Vaman Abaji Modak and Dr. R. G. Bhandarkar, Justice Ranade established the
Maharashtra Girls Education Society and Huzurpaga, which is the oldest girls’ high school in
Maharashtra in 1885.

 He published many books on Indian economy. His famous work is ‘Rise of the Maratha
Power’.

 In 1897, he was appointed as a member of a committee that was entrusted with tallying
national and local expenditure along with necessary recommendations to stabilize the
financial condition. For his contribution to the committee, he was awarded the decoration of
the ‘Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire’ (CIE) by the British government.

 He was one of the founding members of the Prarthana Samaj and propounded against
prevalent social evils.
  He would also edit a Bombay Anglo-Marathi daily paper, the Induprakash,founded on his
ideology of social and religious reform.

 He educated his wife Ramabai who later became a doctor and also was one of the founders
of Seva Sadan which pioneered women’s rights movements.

 He was also a great educationist and found a number of schools.

 Ranade was a founder of the Social Conference movement, which he supported till his
death, directing his social reform efforts against child marriage, the shaving of widows’
heads, the heavy cost of marriages and other social functions, and the caste restrictions on
traveling abroad, and he strenuously advocated widow remarriage and female education.

 He was one of the founders of the Widow Marriage Association in 1861.

 He founded the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha which was a socio political body and later was one
of the originators of the Indian National Congress.

 He published books on Indian economics and on Maratha history. He saw the need for heavy
industry for economic progress and believed in Western education as a vital element to the
foundation of an Indian nation.

 He inspired several Congress leaders the most prominent among them being Gokhale.

MK Gandhi

Rise of Gandhi

The emergence of Gandhi played a pivotal role in the history of Indian Nationalism. In the year 1915,
Gandhi returned to India. During his initial days, he spent his time at the Sabarmati Ashram in
Ahmadabad, quite unknown to the masses. He sought guidance from Gopal Krishna Gokhle in
assuming his political stance. It was Gokhle's advice to Gandhi that he should first study in details the
socio-political scenario prevalent in the country and then act accordingly. However, Gandhi soon
emerged on to the political scenario through his able leadership in certain local conflicts.

Champaran Satyagraha

Gandhi gave voice to the cause of the oppressed cultivators in Champaran district of Bihar who were
suffering under tyranny of the European indigo-planters. Threatened by the outbreak of large scale
Satyagraha struggle, the government finally succumbed to the pressure by passing a law allowing
concessions to the peasants in 1917.

Agitation at Kheda district in Gujarat

1918 Gandhi resumed leadership to fight for the cause of plague and famine affected peasants of
Kheda district in Gujarat. Some concessions were also granted to these cultivators by the government.

Industrial dispute in Ahmadabad

The weapon of Satyagraha was employed by Gandhi, yet another time in an industrial dispute
between the workers and owners of a cotton mill in Ahmadabad. The consequence was a wage hike
for the workers.
Character of Gandhian nationalism

At a time when the fabric of the Indian society was tearing apart, Gandhi accomplished the Herculian
task of unifying the nation. Confronted with diverse political ideologies like hard line extremism, the
moderate approach and the newly emerging communist forces the confused Indians found solace in
the simple philosophies of Gandhi. Gandhi's leadership infused coherence in the isolated mass
movements, which so far was the characteristic feature of the Indian freedom movement. In all his
struggles, the weapon of passive resistance reigned supreme and the political consciousness of Indians
across class boundaries received an impetus.

He worked assiduously for the upliftment of the downtrodden like the Dalits and gave them a new
identity. Women, under his aegis, found back their long lost confidence and actively participated in
the tasks of national cause.

As a visionary, he realized right at the onset that the real strength of India lies in communal harmony
and brotherhood. Gandhian nationalism was rooted in its historical past and at the same time
welcoming the progressive trends of modernity.

Gandhi's popular appeal

In the year following 1919, the Indian National Movement celebrated the emergence of Gandhi as a
national leader, steering the anti-British movements. The Rowlatt Act of 1919, which catapulted
Jallianwallah Bagh massacre and the Khilafat Movement that triggered the Non-co operation
movement, brought Gandhi to the center stage of Indian politics.

Rowlatt Act 1919

The Sedition Committee headed by Justice Sydney Rowlatt led to the passing of Rowtatt Act which
empowered the government with powers to use arms to suppress all unlawful and dangerous
activities. It was called the Black Act and it was widely opposed. The Rowlatt Act was ruthlessly applied
leading to Jallianwallah Bagh massacre at Amritsar on 13th April 1919.

A country wide campaign was already launched by Gandhi on 6th April, 1919 against the Rowlatt act.
The Jallianwallah Bagh massacre added fuel to the fire. Gandhi used Satyagraha for the very first time
in this agitation that assumed a national character. The people responded with great enthusiasm and
a remarkable political awakening was witnessed in India.

The Khilafat Movement

The main object of the Khilafat movement was to force the British government to change its attitude
towards Turkey and restore the Turkish Sultan (Khalifa) to his former position. The Khilafat committee
that was spearheading the movement unanimously asked Gandhi to lead the movement. A
programme of non-violent non-cooperation to protest the government behavior was initiated under
Gandhi’s leadership. In the Khilafat issue too, the British government failed to keep their promise.
These incidents triggered an anti British feeling in Gandhi and he emerged as a non co-operator.

The Non-co operation Movement

The people were asked to boycott government educational institutions, law courts and legislatures,
to give up foreign cloth, to surrender officially conferred titles and honours. Through these negative
programmes, the Indians sought to refuse to cooperate with the British government.

The adoption of the Non-cooperation movement by the Congress gave it a new energy and from
January 1921, it began to register considerable success all over the country. The general mood of the
people became quite rebellious. The Chauri-Chaura incident that took place in Gorakhpur district of
U.P on 5th February 1922 that resulted in the death of 22 policemen, made Gandhiji to abruptly call
off the non cooperation movement.

The significance of Non-cooperation movement is that with this the Indian Nationalist movement
acquired real mass base for the first time with the participation of peasants, workers, students’
lawyers, teachers, etc. The Congress became the organizer and leader of the masses in their freedom
struggle. It marked the height of Hindu-Muslim unity. It also marked the emergence of Gandhi as the
undisputed leader of India.

With the rise of Gandhi a whole new philosophy permeated into every sphere of the Indian psyche.
Gandhi's political ideals were merely an extension of his spiritual tenets, which were rooted in deep
human values. Gandhi's greatness lies not only within pioneering a unique fervor in Indian politics and
the rise of the masses, but in the way he revolutionized the entire way of looking at politics as an
extension of mankind's inherent greatness, enriched with an innate belief in and commitment to truth.

First phase 1930-31

The Civil Disobedience Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, in the year 1930 was an important
milestone in the history of Indian Nationalism. The prevalent political and social circumstances played
a vital role in the launching of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

The Simon Commission was formed by the British Government that included
solely the members of the British Parliament, in November 1927, to draft and formalize a constitution
for India. The chairmanship of the commission rested with Sir John Simon was accused of bringing an
'All-White Commission.' The Simon Commission was rejected by all political and social segments of
the country.

At the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress held in December, 1928, the British
government was warned that if India was not granted the status of a dominion, a Civil Disobedience
Movement would be initiated in the entire country.

None of the efforts made by the Congress received any favorable response from the British
government. The 11 points ultimatum of Gandhiji to Lord Irwin was ignored by the British
Government.

The Lahore Congress of 1929 authorized the Working Committee to launch a programme of civil
disobedience including non-payment of taxes. The committee also invested Gandhiji with full powers
to launch the movement.

On the historic day of 12th March 1930, Gandhi inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement by
conducting the historic Dandi Salt March, where he broke the Salt Laws imposed by the British
Government.

Followed by an entourage of seventy nine Ashramites, Gandhi embarked on his march from his
Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi that is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea. Dandi Salt March had an
immense impact on the entire nation. Each and every corner of the country was gripped in a unique
fervor of nationalism. Soon this act of violation of the Salt Laws assumed an all India character. There
were reports of Satyagrahas and instances of law violation from Bombay, Central and United
Provinces, Bengal and Gujarat.

The program of the Civil Disobedience Movement incorporated besides the breaking of the Salt Laws,
picketing of shops selling foreign goods and liquor, bonfire of cloth, refusal to pay taxes and avoidance
of offices by the public officers and schools by the students. Even the women joined forces against the
British. Those from orthodox families did not hesitate to respond to the call of the Mahatma. In North-
East Rani Gaidilieu raised the banner of rebellion against foreign rule. In North-western provinces,
under the leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as 'Frontier Gandhi' the

Pathans organized the society of Khudai Khidmatgars (or Servants of God) known popularly as Red
Shirts.

The people joined hartals, demonstrations and the campaign to boycott foreign goods and to refuse
to pay-taxes. In many parts of the country, the peasants refused to pay land revenue and rent and had
their lands confiscated.

In a bid to thwart the movement, the British government resorted to ruthless repression, lathi changes
and firing. Over 90,000 Satyagrahis, including Gandhiji and other congress leaders were imprisoned
and Congress declared illegal.

Gandhi-lrwin Pact

The civil disobedience movement led to Gandhi-lrwin Pact that was signed in March 1931. This was to
bring about a compromise between the government and the Congress. The Government agreed to
withdraw all ordinances and end prosecutions, release all political prisoners, restore the confiscated
property of the Satyagrahis and permitted the free collection or manufacture of salt. The Congress in
turn agreed to suspend the civil disobedience movement and to participate in the Second Round-Table
conference.

Second phase from 1932-34:

Gandhi attended The Second Round Table Conference in London. At this Conference, it was claimed
by Mahatma Gandhi that the Congress represented more than eighty five percent of the Indian
population. Gandhi's claim was not endorsed by the British and also the Muslim representative.

The Second Round Table Conference proved to be futile for the Indians and Gandhi returned to the
country without any positive result. The political scene in India thereafter assumed an acute
dimension.

The Viceroy, Lord Willingdon, in the absence of Gandhi, adopted the policy of repression. The Gandhi-
Irwin Pact was violated and the Viceroy took to the suppression of the Congress. The Congress was
declared illegal by the government and it arrested most of the leading Congress leaders.

The Congress was held responsible by the government to have instigated the 'Red Shirts' to participate
in the civil disobedience movement, led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar and provoking the cultivators of U.P
to refuse to pay land revenue. Adding to this was the serious economic crisis that took hold of the
country.

Under such circumstances, the resumption of the civil disobedience movement was inevitable. The
Congress Working Committee took the decision to restart the civil disobedience movement, as the
British government was not prepared to relent.
Gandhi resumed the movement in January 1932 and appealed to the entire nation to join in. The
Viceroy was also informed of the stance assumed by the Congress. Four ordinances were promulgated
by the government to deal with the situation. The police was given the power to arrest any person,
even on the basis of mere suspicion. The movement was gaining strength when it was suddenly side
tracked with the announcement of Communal Award (1932) by the British Prime-minister Ramsay
Mac Donald. Gandhi commenced his twenty one days of fast on May 8th, 1933, to make amends for
the sins committed against the untouchables by the caste Hindus. The second phase of the civil
disobedience movement lacked the organization that marked its first phase. Nonetheless the entire
nation put up a tough fight and the movement continued for six months.

The Civil Disobedience Movement was suspended, when Mahatma Gandhi withdrew mass Satyagraha
on July 14th 1933. The Congress officially withdrew it in May 1934.

Significance of Civil disobedience movement

It had the objective of achieving complete independence. It involved deliberate violation of law and
was evidently more militant. There was wide participation of women. Although The Civil Disobedience
Movement failed to achieve any positive outcome, it was an important juncture in the history of Indian
independence. The leadership of Mahatma Gandhi had a beneficial impact. The warring factions
within the Congress united under the aegis of the civil disobedience movement. Satyagraha was put
on a firm footing through its large scale usage in the movement. Last but not the least India
rediscovered its inherent strength and confidence to crusade against the British for its freedom.

The Nehru Report; the Round Table Conferences

The Nehru Report

The Secretary of State, Lord Birkenhead asked Indian leaders to draft a constitution to which all parties
would agree. This led to an all parties’ conference that was held in May, 1928 which appointed a
committee to draft a constitutional scheme. The committee was headed by Moti Lal Nehru and its
report came to be known as the Nehru Report. Its other members were Subhash Chander Bose, Sir Ali
Iman, Sir Tej Bhadur Sapru, G.R. Pradhan, M.S. Aney, Shuab Qureshi and Sardar Mangal Singh.

The following were the recommendations advanced by the Nehru Report:

1. The report favoured dominion status in which India would be a federation of linguistic
provinces.

2. There should be federal form of government with residuary powers vested in the center.

3. India should have a parliamentary form of government headed by a Prime Minister and six
ministers appointed by the Governor General.

4. There should be bi-cameral legislature.

5. There should be no separate electorate for any community.

6. It opposed the system of weightage for minorities and the idea of separate electorates.

7. It agreed to reservation of Muslim seats only in the provinces where Muslim population was
at least ten percent, but this was to be in strict proportion to the size of the community.

8. Muslims should enjoy one-fourth representation in the Central Legislature.

 9. Sindh should be separated from Bombay only if the Committee certified that it was financially
self-sufficient.

10. The N. W. F. P. should be given full provincial status.

11. A new Kanarese-speaking province Karnatic should be established in South India.

12. Hindi should be made the official language of India.

The Nehru report was placed in the annual session of the Congress held at Lucknow on 10th August,
1928 where it was adopted unanimously. The report was rejected by the Muslim League. Muhammad
Ali Jinnah put forth his fourteen point demands.

The Round Table Conferences

The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–32 were a series of conferences organized by the British
Government to discuss constitutional reforms in India. The conference was held in London. The
conference resulted from a review of the Government of India Act of 1919, undertaken in 1927 by the
Simon Commission. They were conducted as per the recommendation by the report submitted by the
Simon Commission in May 1930.

Demands for swaraj, or self-rule, in India had been growing increasingly strong. By the 1930s, many
British politicians believed that India needed to move towards dominion status. However, there were
significant disagreements between the Indian and the British political parties that the Conferences
would not resolve.

First Round Table Conference (November 1930 – January 1931)

The Round Table Conference was opened officially by Lord Irwin on

November 12, 1930 at London and chaired by the British Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald. The
three British political parties were represented by sixteen delegates. There were fifty-seven political
leaders from British India and sixteen delegates from the princely states. In total 89 delegates from
India attended the Conference. However, the Indian National Congress, along with Indian business
leaders, kept away from the conference. Many of them were in jail for their participation in Civil
Disobedience Movement.

The conference started with 6 plenary meetings where delegates put forward their issues. These were
followed by discussions on the reports of the sub-committees on Federal Structure, Provincial
Constitution, Minorities, Burma, North West Frontier Province, Franchise, Defence, Services and
Sindh. These were followed by 2 more plenary meetings and a final concluding session.

The idea of an All-India Federation was moved to the centre of discussion. All the groups attending
the conference supported this concept. The responsibility of the executive to the legislature was
discussed, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar demanded a separate electorate for the so-called Untouchables.

The first round table conference had 73 representatives, from all Indian states and all parties except
the Indian National Congress, which was waging a civil disobedience campaign against the
government. Its principal campaign was an insistence on Parliamentary form of government based on
an the federal principle and on dominion status as the goal of constitutional development.

It was difficult for progress to be made in the absence of Congress (Indian National Congress) but some
advances were made. The princes declared they would join future federation of India as long as their
rights were recognized and the British agreed that representative government should be introduced
on provincial level.

The Second Round Table Conference (September 7, 1931)

The second session (September–December 1931) was attended by Mahatma Gandhi as the Congress
representative; it failed to reach agreement, either constitutionally or on communal representation.

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact opened the way for Congress participation in second Round Table Conference
that began on September 7, 1931. Mahatma Gandhi was invited from India and attended as the sole
official Congress representative accompanied by Sarojini Naidu and also Madan Mohan Malaviya,
Ghanshyam Das Birla, Muhammad Iqbal, Sir Mirza Ismail (Diwan of Mysore), S.K. Dutta and Sir Syed
Ali Imam.

Gandhi claimed that the Congress alone represented political India; that the Untouchables were
Hindus and should not be treated as a “minority”; and that there should be no separate electorates
or special safeguards for Muslims or other minorities. These claims were rejected by the other Indian
participants. According to this pact, Gandhi was asked to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement
(CDM) and if he did so the prisoners of the British government would be freed excepting the criminal
prisoners. During the Conference, Gandhi could not reach agreement with the Muslims on Muslim
representation and safeguards. At the end of the conference Ramsay MacDonald undertook to
produce a Communal Award for minority representation, with the provision that any free agreement
between the parties could be substituted for his award.

Gandhi took particular exception to the treatment of untouchables as a minority separate from the
rest of the Hindu community. He clashed with the leader of depressed classes, Dr.B. R. Ambedkar,
over this issue: the two eventually resolved the situation with the Poona Pact of 1932.

Third Round Table Conference (November – December 1932)

The third and last session assembled on November 17, 1932 to December 24, 1932). Only forty-six
delegates attended since most of the main political figures of India were not present. The third session
was shorter and less important, with neither the Congress nor the British Labour Party attending. The
result of these deliberations was the Government of India Act, 1935, establishing provincial autonomy
and also a federal system that was never implemented.

A Short Chronological Sketch of Gandhi

2 October, Birth at Porbunder in Gujarat (Sudamapuri, Kathiawad)

1869

1876 Beginning of Education at Rajkot

1883 Married with Kasturba at Porbunder

4th Left for London to study Law
September,
1888

12 January, Passed the Law examination

1891

10-11 June, Called to the British Bar and enrolled in the High Court
1891

12 June, 1891 Set sail for home

6 July, 1891 In India, introduced to Raychandbhai (Whom Gandhiji regarded as his Guru)

16 Applied for enrollment in the Bombay High Court

November,
1891

24 May, 1892 Came to Bombay to start practice in the High Court as Barrister

April, 1893 Representing a Porbunder firm set sail for South Africa

June, 1893 At Pietermaritzberg station Gandhiji was ordered to go into the van
compartment of the train although he held a first class ticket. On his refusal, a
constable was brought and he was forcibly ejected, his bundles pitched out
after him. He was left to shiver in the waiting room all night.

22 May, 1894 Proposed an Organisation to watch the interest of Indians and to oppose colour
bar against them in South Africa.

22 August, Founded Natal Indian Congress to fight colour prejudice

1894

3 September, Admitted to Natal Supreme Court despite opposition by Natal Law Society
1894

17 October, Out break of Boer War and Gandhiji joined Ambulance Corps
1899

18 October, Started for India assuring to return to South Africa in his service were to be
1899 needed

27 Moved a resolution on South Africa at Calcutta Congress session.

December,
1901

20 At the growing pressure from Indians in South Africa, returned to South Africa
November,
1902
1903 Founded Transvaal British India Association

1 October, Took over entire management responsibility of ‘Indian Opinion’

1904

Nov.-Dec., Founded Phoenix settlement

1904

September, Started Passive Resistance Movement

1906

13- Wrote ‘Hind Swaraj’ in Gujarati on board S.S.Kildonan Castle on the way to
22November, South Africa from London
1909

9 January, Returned to India

1915

25 May, 1915 Founded Satyagraha Ashram at Kochrab, Ahemadabad

April, 1917 Champaran Satyagraha

1918 Ahemadabad mill workers & Kheda Peasant Satyagraha

13 April, 1919 Massacre at mass meeting at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Gandhiji implored
people to be calm

8 October, First issue of ‘Young India’ under Gandhiji’s Editorship

1919

1920-21 Khilafat and non-Co-operation Movement

5 February, Chauri Chaura incident and withdrawal of Non Co-operation Movement

1922

10 March, Arrested. On 21 March sent to Yervada Jail. Remained in jail till March 1924.
1922

17 Started 21 days fast for Hindu-Muslim unity

September,
1924

December, Presided over the Belgaum Congress

1924

December, Attended Calcutta Congress where a draft Constitution of India was adopted
1928 on 31 December, 1928

December, Gandhiji’s resolution on Complete Independence was adopted at open session

1929 of Lahore Congress along with immediate boycott of legislatures.
26 January, Pledge of Independence day taken all over India
1930

19 February, All India Congress Committee adopted Civil Disobedience programme

1930

12 March, At 6.30 a.m. with 78 Ashramaties Gandhiji started his famous Dandi March to
1930 break the Salt Law

4 May, 1930 Arrested and taken to Yervada jail

26 January, Released from Jail

1931

5 March, Gandhi-Irwin Pact was announced

1931

29 March, Left for London to attend Round Table Conference

1931

5 December, Decided to restart Non Co-operation Movement

1931

4 January, Started fast against separate electorate for the Harijans

1932

8 May, 1933 Started 21 days fast for the improvement of Harijan’s condition and was
released at 6 p.m. from jail

31 July, 1933 Individual Civil Disobedience started

1 August, Arrested and remained in Jail till 23 Aug.1933

1933

17 Stated “I am going to resign from the Congress”

September,
1934

28 October, Declared his intention to retire from Congress

1934

1936 Founded Sevagram Ashram at Wardha

1937 Wardha Scheme of Education

May & Oct- North West Frontier tours

Nov, 1938

3 March, Started fast unto death at Rajkot and on settlement of the issue ended fast on
1939 7 March, 1939
15 October, Started Anti-war individual Satyagraha with Vinoba as the first Satyagrahi
1940

15 January, ‘My political successor is Jawaharlal’ Gandhiji said.

1942

5 March, Cripps arrives

1942

30 March, The idea of ‘Quit India’ burst upon Gandhiji

1942

8 March, Addressed All India Congress Committee of Bombay and Quit India resolution
1942 was passed.

9 August, Arrested and taken to Agakhan Palace-Jail

1942

15 August, Lighted the pyre of Mahadev Desai, his secretary who died in Jail
1942

10 February, Started fast in Agakhan Palace-Jail

1943

3 March, Ended fast-in-Jail

1943

22 February, At 7.35 p.m. Kasturba died. The saree woven from yarn spun by Gandhiji was
1944 wrapped round her body

6 May, 1944 Released from Jail

March, 1945 Cabinet Mission

Jan-July, Simla Conference

1945

1946 Cabinet plan accepted

10 October, In Naokhali and other districts in East Bengal inhuman atrocities started
1946

6 November, Left Calcutta for Naokhali by a special train

1946

Jan-Dec., Toured troubled areas of Bengal, Bihar & Delhi

1947

15 August, At Calcutta, fasted as country was cut into two pieces

1947
13 January, Started fast in Delhi against communal riots
1948

16 January, ‘I do not with to live if peace is not established in India and Pakistan’
1948

18 January, Broke fast by taking orange juice from Maulana Azad

1948

20 January, A bomb exploded in the midst of his prayer meeting at Birla House, Delhi.
1948

27 January, Wrote ‘Congress Position’; suggesting that Congress should cease as political
1948 body and should devote to people’s service. Also attended annual celebration
at Bakhtiar Chisti’s Dargah.

30 January, The day of martyrdom, was shot dead while on his way to evening prayer
1948 ground at Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) by Nathuram Vinayak Godse.