PATTABHI SITARAMAYYA

Born - 24 November 1880
Died - 1959
Achievements - He was a freedom fighter cum political person in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh during the pre-independence era. He was requested to stand for the presidency of the Indian National Congress as a candidate closest to the great Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1939. Further, he was Madhya Pradesh governor from 1952 to 1957 and also set up the Andhra Bank at Machilipatnam in November 1923.

Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya was a freedom fighter cum political person in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh during the pre-independence era. He was born on 24 November 1880 at the Gundugolanu village and later went on to acquire a BA degree from the Madras Christian College. Thereafter, he went on to realize his desire of becoming a medical practitioner by getting M.B.C.M. degree. Though he had started working as a doctor in the coastal town of Machilipatnam, he relinquished everything to lend support to the freedom struggle against the British in India.

Read on to know more about the biography of Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, who became so prominent that he was requested to stand for the presidency of the Indian National Congress as a candidate closest to the great Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi against the more radical Subhas Chandra Bose in the year 1939. He, however, lost primarily due to the huge popularity of Bose. When the Quit India Movement was launched in the year 1942, Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya who was a member of the Congress Working Committee then, was put behind bars for 3 years with other Committee members.

The life history or the account of the days spent in jail by Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya during this period can be availed from the book Feathers and Stones. Though he penned this book during his time in jail, it was published later. He even successfully ran for the presidency of the Congress in the year 1948 with full support of Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. Further, he was Madhya Pradesh governor from 1952 to 1957 and also set up the Andhra Bank at Machilipatnam in November 1923 that's currently one of the major commercial banks of India.

RANI GAIDNLIU

Born - 26 January 1915
Died - 17 February 1993
Achievements - Rani Gaidinliu from Manipur was a fearless Indian freedom fighter who joined the agitation at the age of 13 and headed the movement against the British in the Manipur and Naga belts. The Government of India honored her with the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 1993.

Rani Gaidinliu, who was born at the Nangkao village in Manipur, was an active freedom fighter of India who joined the agitation at the age of 13. She spearheaded an inspiring socio-political movement to cast the British out from the Manipur and Naga belts. It was in 1932 at the age of 16 that Rani Gaidinliu was arrested and put behind bars for life. She could be freed from the jail only after India's independence in 1947. Read this biography to know about the life history of the spunky Rani Gaidinliu.

That Rani Gaidinliu was a charismatic girl was apparent from a very early age. While she was just 13, she grew restive witnessing the prevailing social and political ambience in the hills of Manipur under the British influence. It was at this time that she met prominent local leader Haipou Jadonang at Puilon Village and swayed by his ideas and principles, she launched the revolutionary movement against the British in 1927. However, just when this agitation was beginning to assume enough height to strike, Haipou was arrested by the British and put to death in 1931.

It was from this moment onwards that the responsibility of directing the agitation in the Manipur and Naza hill regions fell on Rani's shoulders. Following this incident, Rani Gaidinliu immediately went underground. Though the British announced a reward of Rs 500 to anybody who would inform them about her whereabouts, the entire village stood together in support of Rani. But she was finally hunted own in October 1932. Rani Gaidinliu was put under life imprisonment for waging war against the British.

Rani Gaidinliu continued to work for the welfare of her people even after her release from jail in 1947. She even set up a resistance agitation against the Naga National Council (NNC)-led insurgents in 1966 and had to go underground due to this. Gaidinliu was respected by everybody for her role as a freedom fighter and was also honored with the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 1993. In her remembrance, the Government of India even issued a postal stamp.

SIR SURENDRANATH BANERJEE

Born - 10 November 1848 Died - 6 August 1925 Achievements - Being among the earliest of Indian politicians in the pre-independence era, Sir Surendranath Banerjee established the Indian National Association that he later merged with the Indian National Congress owing to their common agenda. At a very young age, he cleared the British instituted ICS examinations, but was dismissed due to racial discrimination. He whipped up a strong protest against this. Among the earliest Indian politicians during the British raj was Sir Surendranath Banerjee. He set up the Indian National Association that was among the earliest political organizations of that era. Later on, Banerjee became a senior member of the Indian National Congress. Born on 10 November 1848 at Calcutta in West Bengal, Surendranath Banerjee was intensely swayed by the liberal, progressive thinking of his father, Durga Charan Banerjee. Read on to know more about the biography of Sir Surendranath Banerjee. After graduating from the University of Calcutta, Surendranath traveled to England in 1868 along with Romesh Chunder Dutt and Behari Lal Gupta to appear for the Indian Civil Service exams. Though he passed the ICS in 1869, he was dismissed because of a dispute over his right age. After this matter was sorted out in a court of law, Banerjee reappeared for the exam and once again managed to clear it in 1871. He was appointed as the assistant magistrate in Sylhet, but was chucked out due to racial discrimination. Not one to leave challenges lying down his entire life history, Sir Surendranath Banerjee headed straight to England this time. Though he raised his voice against the injustice, his protest failed to deliver any positive result. However, during his stay in England from 1874 to 1875, Banerjee acquainted himself with the works of Edmund Burke and other liberal philosophers. Upon returning to India, Surendranath Banerjee instead started working as a professor of English at the Metropolitan Institution, the Free Church Institution and at the Ripon College. In the time to come, Banerjee went on to launch 'The Bengali' newspaper and the Indian National Association in 1876. He employed these forums to address political and social issues like the age-limit for Indian students appearing for ICS. He rebuked the racial discrimination practiced by the British officers through public speeches all over the country, which made him very popular. After the Congress was set up in 1885 at Bombay, Banerjee merged his Indian National Association with it owing to their common agenda. He served as Congress President in 1898 and 1904.