Vasudev Balwant Phadke (1845 – 1883)

Vasudev Balwant Phadke was regarded as the "father of the armed struggle" for India's freedom and it was he who inspired Bankim Chandra to write the patriotic novel Anand Math. When he was not granted leave from work to see his dying mother, his anger and grief gave vent to his resentment towards the British. He was greatly disturbed by their callous attitude towards the Indians after they suffered during a severe famine in Maharashtra in 1875. Preaching that ‘Swaraj’ was the only remedy for their ills, he organised a revolt among the Ramosi, Koli, Bhil and Dhangar tribes. He founded a secret organisation that raided the rich English businessmen to obtain funds for the liberation of the country.

Ram Prasad 'Bismil' (the last being his pen name)

Ram Prasad was sentenced to death for his revolutionary writing to influence people to rebel and for robbing a train carriage carrying the money of the British Government. On 18th December 1927, his old mother came to meet him on his way to the gallows. Seeing tears in his eyes, she said in a firm voice, “What is this, my son? I thought my son was a brave hero, the very mention of whose name made the British government shiver. I never thought my son would be afraid of death. If you feel like weeping over your death, why did you take up this cause?” The freedom fighter replied, “Mother dear, these are not tears of fear of death. These are teas of joy – at beholding so brave a mother.”

Mangal Pandey

Mangal Pandey was a Bengali soldier of the 34th Native Infantry. The Doctrine of Lapse, issue of cartridges greased with animal fat to Indian soldiers – most of whom were vegetarians (cartridge wicks had to be plucked out with the teeth before hurling them), introduction of British system of education and a number of social reforms had infuriated a wide section of the Indian population who rose in revolt all over the country. To avoid arrest, Pandey tried to kill himself, but failed. He was captured and hanged secretly, 10 days prior to the fixed date of execution as they feared the wrath of the general public. Mangal Pandey was thus the first freedom fighter and martyr of the 1 st War of Independence.

Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902)

Swami Vivekananda  was a patriot saint, a social reformer and a wandering monk. Narendranath, as he was named, was a great disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He took it upon himself to spread Indian culture and philosophy in the West and change the image they had of our country.
Rabindra Nath Tagore once said, “If you want to know India, read Vivekananda”. He was the first to set in motion the forces of national revival and put in progress the rebuilding of the country which was scattered and demoralised at the impact of the British rule. He worked towards the upliftment of the people, encouraging the youth to show fortitude. 

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 – 1920)

Tilak  started the concept of ‘Swaraj’ or self rule which was later strengthened by Gandhiji. His contribution to modern India stands on par with that of Gandhi’s. A great Sanskrit scholar and astronomer, he was popularly known as ‘Lokmanya Tilak’. His role in advocating Home Rule for India was enormous. His newspapers— ‘Kesari’ and ‘Maratha’— founded in 1881 are going strong even today. He was punished with 6 years rigorous punishment at the Andaman and Nicobar islands for some articles he published against the British. Tilak tried to breathe life into the declining nation through 4 mantras – i) Boycott of foreign goods, ii) National Education, iii) Self Government and iv) ‘Swadeshi’ or self reliance.

Lala Lajpat Rai (1865 – 1928)

Lala Rajpat Rai curtailed his legal practice and vowed to devote all his energy to the nation. He was an ardent social reformer. He founded the Home Rule League of America in 1917 in New York and a year later also set up, with himself as Director, the Indian Information Bureau in New York as a publicity organisation for Punjab. He returned to India in 1920 as a great hero. He plunged into Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement which he propagated successfully in Punjab and he soon came to be known as ‘The Lion of Punjab’ or Punjab Kesri. He travelled throughout the country to fearlessly motivate people to fight for their rights. His inspirational writings and passionate speeches were both hard-hitting and effective. 

Chandra Shekhar Azad (1906 – 1931)

Azad was fascinated by and drawn to the great national upsurge of the non-violent, non-cooperation movement of 1920 – 1921, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. When arrested and produced before the magistrate, he gave his surname as ‘Azad’ (instead of Sharma) and his father’s name as ‘Swatantra’, both of which mean ‘freedom’. The provoked judge sentenced him to 15 lashes of flogging. The title Azad stuck on thereafter. After the withdrawal of the non-cooperation movement, Azad was attracted towards revolutionary activities.  In February 1931, when an associate betrayed him, well armed policemen circled Azad. Left with only one bullet, he aimed the gun at his own temple and fired, preferring death to being arrested.

Sardar Bhagat Singh(1907 – 1931)

Bhagat Singh  was brought up in a politically charged state of Punjab which witnessed the heinous act of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, where more than 400 innocent people were killed and thousands injured in 1919. As a lad of 14, he went to that spot and collected a handful of soil and kept it in his lunch box as a memento and reminder.   Later he met other revolutionaries like Azad and Bismil. They protested against the British oppressions. He opposed discrimination of Indian prisoners. He and his associates went on a hunger strike for 55 days. He proudly marched to the gallows, happily singing with 2 other freedom fighters Shivram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883 –1966)

Savarkar had a unique place in the history of the struggle for Indian independence. He was a born rebel. He organised a gang of kids, the ‘Vanar Sena’ (monkey brigade), when he was just 11. Believing that only a strong, armed revolt by Indians would liberate India from the British, he was the main inspiration for the Indian students to rise against the British rule. He uncovered the truth of the Sepoy Mutiny. In 1910, he was arrested in London for some fabricated offenses and was deported to India. Midway he escaped from the ship and swam to the Paris port, where he was unfortunately caught by the French police. He was sentenced to 50 years rigorous imprisonment in 1910 but was released in 1924.

Subhash Chandra Bose (1897 - ___ )


Bose  was known for his patriotic zeal even as a student. He was the leader of the youth wing of the Congress and was president of Indian National Congress in 1937 and 1939. He was the first one to advocate Poorna Swaraj. Netaji had struck an alliance with Germany and Japan. He formed the Indian National Congress and also framed a government by the name ‘Azad Hind Government’. The INA freed Andaman and Nicobar Islands from the British, marched through Burma and occupied Coxtown on the Indian Border. While Bose’s approach to Indian freedom continues to generate a heated debate even today, there is no denial of his passionate patriotism and his tireless efforts to free India . His disappearance at the age of 48 is still a mystery.