C. Subramaniya Bharathiyar was a poet, freedom fighter and social reformer. He was known as Mahakavi Bharathiyar and the laudatory epithet Mahakavi means a great poet. He is considered as one of India’s greatest poets. His songs on nationalism and freedom of India helped to rally the masses to support the Indian Independence Movement in Tamil Nadu. (Read in Hindi)

It is a little known fact that most of the revolts against British began in South India. Puli Thevar and Veerapandi Kattaboman, Palayakkarars (Poligars) of the mid- and late eighteenth centuries in Madras Presidency; the Marudu Pandyan brothers who revolted between 1799 and 1801; the Vellore Sepoy mutiny of 1806; and the revolt of Pazassi Raja of Kottayam in Kerala (1792 to 1805), are but a few examples of pre-1857 revolts. 

Jayaprakash Narayan has a unique position in the history of modern India as he has this inimitable distinction of actively participating in three popular movements of the country. He not only fought against the British colonial rulers through all his might and especially during Quit India Movement risking his life, but also led the movement against corruption, and authoritarianism in the Seventies while before that forays in the Bhudan Movement for almost one decade in the Fifties and Sixties to bring about massive social change through change of hearts. (Read in Hindi)

The role played by Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai, popularly known as Kappalottiya Tamilan [The Tamil Helmsman] and Sekkizuththa Semmal [scholarly gentry who suffered at the oil press], was an exceptionally talented organiser and an individual who believed in utilising all available avenues to rouse the people for nationalistic cause. It was not until the arrival of Pillai at Tuticorin (Present day Thoothukudi) that the Swadeshi movement in Tirunelveli district began to gather force and momentum.

India’s fight against colonial rule was a long and difficult one. Apart from the need to overcome the brutality of an alien regime, the national leaders of the time had the daunting challenge of preparing the poor and disorganized people of our sub-continent for this fight. The most significant aspect of our struggle against foreign domination was the ability of our leaders to lift the people out of their ignorance and the resultant resurgence of the idea of an Indian nation. (Read in Hindi)

The Indian struggle for Independence has continually thrown up, over the course of nearly two-centuries starting from 1847, several exciting heroes, unflinching in their cause, fighting with the weapons of ideology, people’s participation and selfless fervour. They are an inspiration not only to their countrymen, but are globally celebrated figures. (Read in Hindi)