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Understanding historical figures who continue to shape national and global narratives is crucial for UPSC aspirants.
News coverage often revisits these personalities' legacies or policies, making them relevant for current affairs and informing future governance strategies.
Here are a few who were in news, and you shouldn't miss.
Sree Narayana Guru
WHY IMPORTANT?
The Prime Minister of India paid tributes to Sree Narayana Guru on his Jayanti.
- He was a saint and social reformer from Kerala and propagated the idea of ‘One Caste, One Religion, One God’.
- He founded the 'Sree Narayana Dharma ParipalanaYogam' (SNDP) for upliftment and education of Ezhava community with the help of Padmanabhan Palpu.
- His famous literary works are DaivaDasakam and Anukampadasakam.
- He launched the Aruvippuram movement for equal rights to temple entry and supported the Vaikkom Satyagraha in Travancore.
Ahilyabai Holkar
WHY IMPORTANT?
Recently, the Maharashtra government renamed the Ahmednagar district as Ahilyanagar.
- It is renamed after Ahilyabai Holkar who was an 18th century Malwa queen.
- After her husband Khande Rao’s death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur, she took control of Malwa.
- Under her, Maheshwar city became a musical, literary, artistic and industrial center with a textile industry.
- It gave birth to famous Maheshwari sarees.
- Many temples like Kashi Vishwanath, Dwarka, Badrinath and Omkareshwar we restored were revamped under her.
Sachchidananda Sinha
WHY IMPORTANT?
The Bihar government inaugurated the statue of Sachchidananda Sinha on his birth anniversary.
- He was a member of the British Committee on INC in London and later a member of the Imperial Legislative Council from 1910-1930.
- He was the interim President of the Constituent Assembly before Rajendra Prasad was formally appointed as President.
- He believed in constitutional means to attain freedom as he was a constitutional nationalist.
- His important works include ‘Iqbal: The Poet and His Message’ and ‘Kashmir the Playground of Asia’.
Srimanta Sankaradeva
WHY IMPORTANT?
He was a Vaisnav-saint who propagated a form of Vaishnavism called Ek-Sarana-Hari-Naam-Dharma.
- His religious system was monotheistic and it considered Lord Krishna to be one, eternal and absolute.
- The poetic works include Harischandra-upakhyana, Kirtana-ghosha and Kurukshetra-yatra.
- He was the source of Borgeets, Bhaonas, Sattriya dance and Ankiya-Naat (traditional Assamese one-act plays).
- He also began the practice of setting up Namghars or houses of recitation and prayers.
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Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
WHY IMPORTANT?
The All India Kisan Sabha was formed and he was elected as its 1st President in the Lucknow Congress session 1936.
- Born in Ghazipur, he organized Bakasht movement in Bihar against zamindars who evicted tenants from Bakasht lands.
- His efforts led to the Bihar Tenancy Act and Bakasht Land Tax to protect farmers' rights.
- He also spearheaded the struggle in the Dalmia sugar mill at Bihta.
Ramalinga Swamigal
WHY IMPORTANT?
Recently, the 200th birth anniversary of Shri Ramalinga Swamy was celebrated.
- He was part of a line of Tamil saints known as ‘gnana siddhars’, and was also known as Vallalar or Ramalinga Adigal.
- His main aim was elimination of the caste system through Suddha Sanmarga Sangam (pure path of absolute truth).
- He established 'The Sathya Dharma Salai,' a free food facility in Vadalur, Tamil Nadu.
- According to this path, the main aspects of human life should be love, charity and divine practice.
Rukmini Lakshmipathi
WHY IMPORTANT?
She was the first female prisoner in the Salt Satyagraha movement in Vedaranyam
- She was also a social reformer from West Godavari district.
- She was influenced by the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu and C Rajagopalachari.
- She also took part in the Civil disobedience movement.
- She became the first woman member of the Legislative Assembly and was also elected to the Madras Legislative Council.
Ashfaqullah Khan
WHY IMPORTANT?
The Uttar Pradesh government named a zoological garden in Gorakhpur after him.
- He was a part of the team that formed the Hindustan Republican Association.
- He was a revolutionary poet and wrote under the pen names of Warsi and Hasrat.
- After being arrested for his involvement in the Kakori Train Robbery, he was sentenced to death.
- He was passively involved in the NCM when Chauri Chaura incident took place in Gorakhpur.