Artists & Writers
Painters, poets, and storytellers of the human soul.
records written
Modern era
Dhondo Keshav Karve
April 18, 1858 – November 9, 1962
Indian social reformer (1858–1962)
Modern era
Gopal Ganesh Agarkar
July 14, 1856 – June 17, 1895
Social reformer, educationist, thinker from Maharashtra, India during the British rule (1856-1895)
Modern era
Mahadev Govind Ranade
January 18, 1842 – January 16, 1901
Indian scholar, social reformer and author (1842-1901)
Modern era
Behramji Malabari
May 18, 1853 – July 12, 1912
Indian poet and social reformer (1853–1912)
Modern era
Kandukuri Veeresalingam
April 16, 1848 – May 27, 1919
Social reformer and father of modern Telugu literature
Modern era
Gurajada Apparao
September 21, 1862 – November 30, 1915
Telugu writer and Poet (1862-1915)
Modern era
Chattampi Swamikal
August 25, 1853 – May 5, 1924
Indian spiritual leader and social reformer
Modern era
Vakkom Moulavi
January 1, 1850 – August 23, 1932
Indian social reformer (1850–1932)
Modern era
Iyothee Thass
May 20, 1845 – 1914
Indian activist
Modern era
Tarabai Shinde
1850 – 1910
Feminist activist who protested patriarchy and caste in 19th century India
Modern era
Ramabai Ranade
January 25, 1862 – 1924
Indian active social worker and one of the first women's rights activists in the 19th century
Modern era
Sister Nivedita
October 28, 1867 – October 13, 1911
Scots-Irish social worker, author, teacher and disciple of Swami Vivekananda
Modern era
Baba Amte
December 26, 1914 – February 9, 2008
Indian freedom fighter, social worker (1914–2008)
Modern era
Vinoba Bhave
September 11, 1895 – November 15, 1982
Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights (1895-1982)
Modern era
Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
June 4, 1884 – August 3, 1940
King of Mysore (1884–1940)
Modern era
Cornelia Sorabji
November 15, 1866 – July 6, 1954
Indian barrister, writer, and social reformer; first female graduate from Bombay University, first woman to study law at Oxford University; first Indian national to study at a British university (1866-1954)
Modern era
Durgabai Deshmukh
July 15, 1909 – May 9, 1981
Indian freedom fighter, politician, and social worker
Modern era
Sarla Thakral
1914 – March 15, 2008
Indian aviator
Modern era
Gijubhai Badheka
November 15, 1885 – June 23, 1939
Indian Gujarati-language children's writer and educator (1885-1939)
Modern era
Bhagat Puran Singh
June 4, 1904 – August 5, 1992
Environmentalist (1904-1992)
Modern era
Kahn Singh Nabha
August 30, 1861 – November 24, 1938
Indian writer (1861-1938)
Modern era
Gopabandhu Das
October 9, 1877 – June 17, 1928
Indian writer (1877-1928)
Modern era
Asima Chatterjee
September 23, 1917 – November 22, 2006
Indian chemist (1917–2006)
Modern era
Prafulla Chandra Ray
August 2, 1861 – June 16, 1944
Bengali chemist, educationist, poet, historian, industrialist and philanthropist (1861–1944)
Modern era
Verghese Kurien
November 26, 1921 – September 9, 2012
Indian entrepreneur
Modern era
Ahmad Hassan Dani
June 20, 1920 – January 26, 2009
Pakistani intellectual, archaeologist, historian, and linguist (1920–2009)
Modern era
Umar bin Muhammad Daudpota
June 1, 1897 – November 22, 1958
Pakistsani scholar (1897–1958)
Modern era
Deputy Nazir Ahmad
1831 – 1912
Indian writer
Modern era
Abdul Halim Sharar
September 4, 1860 – December 1, 1926
Indian author, playwright, essayist and historian
Modern era
Mirza Hadi Ruswa
1857 – October 21, 1931
Indian Urdu poet and writer of fiction, plays, and treatises
Modern era
Ratan Nath Sarshar
1846 – January 21, 1903
Indian writer and magazine editor (1846–1903)
Modern era
Mir Anis
1800 – 1874
Urdu Poet
Modern era
Akhtar Sheerani
May 4, 1905 – September 9, 1948
Pakistani poet (1905–1948)
Modern era
Saghar Siddiqui
1928 – July 19, 1974
Poet
Modern era
Mustafa Zaidi
October 16, 1930 – October 12, 1970
Urdu poet from Pakistan
Modern era
Shakeb Jalali
October 1, 1934 – November 12, 1966
Pakistani poet
Contemporary era
Sara Shagufta
October 31, 1954 – June 4, 1984
Urdu poet from Pakistan
Modern era
Syed Zamir Jafri
January 1, 1916 – May 16, 1999
Blogger (1916–1999)
Modern era
Dilawar Figar
July 8, 1929 – January 25, 1998
Pakistani writer (1929-1998)
Modern era
Shaukat Thanvi
1904 – 1963
Pakistani writer
Modern era
Mumtaz Shirin
1924 – 1973
Pakistani writer (1924-1973)
Modern era
Hajra Masroor
January 17, 1930 – September 15, 2012
Pakistani writer
Modern era
Khadija Mastoor
December 11, 1927 – July 25, 1982
Pakistani writer (1927-1982)
Modern era
Altaf Fatima
June 10, 1927 – November 29, 2018
Pakistani writer
Modern era
Razia Butt
May 19, 1924 – October 4, 2012
Writer (1924-2012)
Modern era
Ustad Bukhari
January 16, 1930 – October 9, 1996
Pakistani poet (1930-1992)
Modern era
Nanak Singh
July 4, 1897 – December 28, 1971
Indian writer (1897–1971)
Modern era
Bhai Vir Singh
December 5, 1872 – June 10, 1957
Indian poet, scholar and theologian (1872–1957)
Modern era
Dhani Ram Chatrik
October 4, 1876 – December 18, 1954
Punjabi poet and typographer (1876–1954)
Modern era
Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari
1895 – August 20, 1971
Punjabi writer
Modern era
Bhartendu Harishchandra
September 9, 1850 – January 6, 1885
Indian Hindi writer, poet and dramatist (1850–1885); father of modern Hindi literature
Modern era
Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi
May 15, 1864 – December 21, 1938
Indian writer (1864-1938)
Modern era
Jaishankar Prasad
January 30, 1889 – January 14, 1937
Indian poet, dramatist, and novelist of modern Hindi literature (1889–1937)
Modern era
Suryakant Tripathi Nirala
February 21, 1896 – October 15, 1961
Indian Hindi poet and novelist (1896–1961); pioneer of free verse in Hindi; Chhayavaad pillar
Modern era
Sumitranandan Pant
May 20, 1900 – December 28, 1977
Indian writer
Modern era
Makhanlal Chaturvedi
April 4, 1889 – January 30, 1968
Indian writer (1889-1968)
Modern era
Maithili Sharan Gupt
August 3, 1886 – December 12, 1964
Indian poet and one of the pioneers of modern Hindi literature(1886-1964)
Modern era
Phanishwar Nath Renu
March 4, 1921 – April 11, 1977
Indian writer and activist (1921-1977)
Modern era
Mir Mosharraf Hossain
November 13, 1847 – 1912
Bengali novelist, essayist and playwright
Modern era
Dinabandhu Mitra
1830 – November 1, 1873
Bengali dramatist (1830–1873)