Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a politician and a pioneer of modern education among the

Muslim community in India. The founder of the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College,

which later developed into the Aligarh Muslim University, his ideas were shaped by a
strong aversion to the emerging nationalist movement. Sir Syed Ahmed had sought to unite
the Muslims under a single banner for over all development. Ramakrishna Paramahansa
was a religious teacher preaching oneness of existence, love and devotion for God and
harmony of religions. His contributions were important for a traditional revival of
Hinduism comparable to Chaitanya`s. Ramakrishna was revered by the religious reformers
and assisted in bringing supra consciousness. Allama Iqbal is revered for his contributions
for the revival of Islamic civilisation all over the world. He had penned about politics,
religion and other topics envisaging the cause of the Muslims,
Baba Amte
Baba Amte: (December 26, 1914 February 9, 2008) was an Indian social worker and
social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of
poor people suffering from leprosy. He spent some time at Sevagram ashram of Mahatma
Gandhi, and became a follower of Gandhism for the rest of his life. He believed in Gandhi's
concept of a self-sufficient village industry that empowers seemingly helpless people, and
successfully brought his ideas into practice at Anandwan. He practiced various aspects of
Gandhism, including yarn spinning using a charkha and wearing khadi. Amte founded three
ashrams for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, disabled people, and people
from marginalized sections of the society in Maharashtra, India.
Savitribai Phule
''Savitribai Jyotirao Phule (January 3, 1831 March 10, 1897) was a social reformer, who,
along with her husband, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, played an important role in improving
women's rights in India during the British Rule.
Savitribai was the first female teacher of the first women's school in India and also
considered as the pioneer of modern Marathi poetry. In 1852 she opened a school for
Untouchable girls.
Women's education and social reform
Mahatma Jyotirao is regarded as one of the most important figures in the social reform
movement in Maharashtra and India. He is most known for his efforts to educate women

and the lower castes. Jyotirao was Savitribais mentor and supporter. Under his influence
Savitribai had taken womens education and their liberation from the cultural patterns of the
male-dominated society as mission of her life. She worked towards tackling some of the
then major social problems, including womens liberation, widow remarriages and removal
of untouchability.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje*, Macedonia, on August 26**,
1910. Her family was of Albanian descent. At the age of twelve, she felt strongly the call of
God. She knew she had to be a missionary to spread the love of Christ. At the age of
eighteen she left her parental home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish
community of nuns with missions in India. After a few months' training in Dublin she was
sent to India, where on May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to
1948 Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and
poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls made such a deep impression on her that in
1948 she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote
herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Although she had
no funds, she depended on Divine Providence, and started an open-air school for slum
children. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers, and financial support was also
forthcoming. This made it possible for her to extend the scope of her work.
Mother Teresa's work has been recognised and acclaimed throughout the world and she has
received a number of awards and distinctions, including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize
(1971) and the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding
(1972). She also received the Balzan Prize (1979) and the Templeton and Magsaysay
awards.
Gopal Hari Deshmukh
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, a new generation was moulded due to education
in English medium. The socialist Gopal Hari Deshmukh was among the few of the first
such batch. He learnt English while studying in a Marathi medium school. From 1848, he
started writing articles regularly under the pseudonym LokHitVadi, aimed at benefiting the
society, through the magazine Prabhakar. Child marriage was a tradition at that time. He
enlightened the society of the hardships that children undergo due to child marriages

through his articles in Prabhakar. With the backing of Henry Brown, the then mayor of
Mumbai, he established a library in Pune.
He was well known for his unattached and impartial conduct. The following famous event
highlights this trait: Sadar Amin, the principal of Satara University was made to resign for
unknown reasons. Gopalrao was appointed in his position. When a commission was
established to question Sadar Amin, Sadar Amin himself suggested the name of Gopalrao to
head the committee! Sadar Amin had full faith in Gopalraos impartiality.
Jyotiba Phule
Jyotiba Phule was one of the prominent social reformers of the nineteenth century India. He
led the movement against the prevailing caste-restrictions in India. He revolted against the
domination of the Brahmins and for the rights of peasants and other low-caste fellow.
Jyotiba Phule was believed to be the first Hindu to start an orphanage for the unfortunate
children.
Life: Jyotirao Phule was born in Satara district of Maharastra in 1827. His father,
Govindrao was a vegetable-vendor at Poona. Originally Jyotirao's family belonged to 'mali'
caste, considered as inferior by the Brahmins. Since, Jyotirao's father and uncles served as
florists, the family came to be known as `Phule'. Jyotirao's mother passed away when he
was nine months old.

Jyotirao was an intelligent boy but due to the poor financial

condition at home, he had to stop his studies at an early age. He started helping his father by
working on the family's farm. Recognising the talent of the child prodigy, few months later,
a neighbor persuaded his father to send him to school. In 1841, Jyotirao got admission in
the Scottish Mission's High School, Poona. There, he met Sadashiv Ballal Govande, a
Brahmin, who remained his close friend throughout his life. Jyotirao was married to
Savitribai, when he was thirteen years old.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati: Dayanand Saraswati was a reformer and believed in
pragmatism. He preached against many rituals of the Hindu religion such as idol-worship,
caste by birth, animal sacrifices and restrictions of women from reading Vedas. He was not
only a great scholar and philosopher but also a social reformer and a political thinker.
Dayanand Saraswati was responsible for the revival of the Indian educational system by
bringing together pupil from different strata of the society under one umbrella, that is,
classroom.

Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy worked as a Social Reformer. He rejected the barriers of caste
divisions and stood forth as the high priest of Universalism and Love. The best example of
his life-long crusade against social evils was the historic agitation he organized against the
inhuman custom of women becoming Sati. When the orthodox Hindus petitioned to
Parliament to withhold its approval of Bentinck`s action of banning the rite of Sati, he
organized a counter-petition of enlightened Hindus in favour of Bentinck`s action. He was a
champion of women`s rights. He attacked polygamy and the degraded state to which
widows were often reduced. To raise the status of women he demanded that they be given
the right of inheritance and property.

Ramakrishna Paramahansa

Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa epitomises the very core of spiritual realisations of the seers
and sages of India. Ramakrishna had in truth, interpreted Hindu religion in the true Vedantic
spirit. His entire life was literally an undisturbed reflection of God. His life was a testament
to truth, universality, love and purity. He was a Hindu religious teacher and an influential
figure in the Bengal Renaissance of the nineteenth century. His teachings emphasised Godrealisation as the highest goal of life, love and devotion for God, the oneness of existence,
and the harmony of religions. He wished to bring about a synthesis among divergent faiths.
Swami Vivekananda, most remarkable of the succeeding disciples of Ramakrishna and
saint, was his disciple who founded the "Ramakrishna Mission".
A remarkable man of saintly character, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa represented a tradition
of loving faith and service of humanity during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda, Indian Spiritual LeaderSwami Vivekananda formerly known as

Narendranath Dutta was one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies of
Vedanta and Yoga and a major figure in the history of Hinduism and India. He was well
respected in the west as well. He was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahansa and
the founder of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Vivekananda was the first
known Hindu Swami to visit the West, where he introduced Eastern thought at the World`s
Parliament of Religions, in connection with the World`s Fair in Chicago, in 1893.

Vivekananda in Chicago delivered a speech which put India at the world stage, and he was
well taken and appreciated not just in Chicago, but elsewhere in America as well.
Jamnalal Bajaj
Jamnalal Bajaj: (4 November 1884 11 February 1942) was an industrialist, a
philanthropist, and Indian independence fighter. Gandhi is known to have adopted him as
his son. He is known for this efforts of promoting Khadi and village Industries in India.
With the intent of eradicating untouchability, he fought the non admission of Harijans into
Hindu temples. He began a campaign by eating a meal with Harijans and opening public
wells to them. He opened several wells in his fields and gardens. Jamanalal dedicated much
of his wealth to the poor. He felt this inherited wealth was a sacred trust to be used for the
benefit of the people. In honour of his social initiatives a well known national and
international award called Jamnalal Bajaj Award has been instituted by the Bajaj
Foundation.
Vinoba Bhave
Vinoba Bhave: (September 11, 1895 - November 15 1982) was an Indian advocate of
Nonviolence and human rights. He is considered as the spiritual successor of Mahatma
Gandhi. Vinoba Bhave was a scholar, thinker, writer who produced numerous books,
translator who made Sanskrit texts accessible to common man, orator, linguist who had
excellent command of several languages (Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, English, Sanskrit), and a
social reformer. He wrote brief introductions to, and criticisms of, several religious and
philosophical works like the Bhagavad Gita,works of Adi Shankaracharya, the Bible and
Quran. His criticism of Dnyaneshwar's poetry as also the output by other Marathi saints is
quite brilliant and a testimony to the breadth of his intellect. A university named after him
Vinoba Bhave University is still there in the state of Jharkhand spreading knowledge even
after his death.