Leaders & Statesmen
Rulers, presidents, and reformers who steered nations.
records written
Early Modern era
Rani Abbakka
b. 1525
Queen of Ullal who fought the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th century
Early Modern era
Banda Singh Bahadur
October 27, 1670 – June 9, 1716
Great military commander (1670-1716)
Early Modern era
Velu Thampi Dalawa
1765 – 1809
Dalawa of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809
Mohammad Usman
Indian politician from Uttar Pradesh
Modern era
Abdul Hamid (soldier)
b. January 1, 1944
President of Bangladesh in 2013-2023
Shaitan Singh
Indian politician
Contemporary era
Noor Mohammad Sheikh
b. 1966
Indian politician
Contemporary era
Taramon Bibi
c. 1956 – December 1, 2018
Bangladeshi freedom fighter
Early Modern era
Amar Singh Thapa
1751 – 1816
Supreme Commander of the Western Front of Nepal
Modern era
Umra Khan
1860 – 1903
Pashtun chief
Modern era
Haji Sahib of Turangzai
1858 – December 14, 1937
Haji Fazal Wahid, a prominent freedom fighter against the British rule in India
Modern era
Wazir Akbar Khan
October 15, 1816 – 1845
Emir of Afghanistan (1842-1845)
Modern era
Aspy Engineer
December 15, 1912 – May 1, 2002
Indian Air Marshal and diplomat
Modern era
Kadambini Ganguly
July 18, 1862 – October 3, 1923
Indian physician (1862–1923)
Modern era
Muthulakshmi Reddy
July 30, 1886 – July 22, 1968
Indian physician, surgeon, women's rights activist, social reformer and legislator (1886–1968)
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
Ayyankali
August 28, 1863 – 1914
Indian Social reformer
Modern era
Chattampi Swamikal
August 25, 1853 – May 5, 1924
Indian spiritual leader and social reformer
Modern era
Tarabai Shinde
1850 – 1910
Feminist activist who protested patriarchy and caste in 19th century India
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
Thakkar Bapa
November 29, 1869 – January 20, 1951
Indian social worker (1869-1951)
Modern era
Jamnalal Bajaj
November 4, 1884 – February 11, 1942
Indian activist (1884-1942)
Modern era
Shahu of Kolhapur
June 26, 1874 – May 6, 1922
Raja and first Maharaja of the Indian princely state of Kolhapur (1874-1922)
Modern era
Mirza Ismail
October 24, 1883 – January 8, 1959
Diwan of Mysore (1883-1959)
Modern era
Salar Jung I
1829 – February 8, 1883
Prime Minister of Hyderabad (1829-1883)
Modern era
Akbar Hydari
November 8, 1869 – 1941
Indian politician (1869-1941)
Modern era
T. Madhava Rao
November 20, 1828 – April 4, 1891
Politician
Modern era
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
September 15, 1860 – April 14, 1962
Indian engineer, scholar, statesman and the Diwan of Mysore (1861-1962)
Modern era
Cowasji Jehangir
February 16, 1879 – October 17, 1962
British-Indian Baronet
Modern era
Hansa Mehta
July 3, 1897 – April 4, 1995
Reformist, social activist, freedom-fighter and educator and writer of India
Modern era
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
February 2, 1889 – February 6, 1964
Indian politician (1889–1964)
Modern era
Durgabai Deshmukh
July 15, 1909 – May 9, 1981
Indian freedom fighter, politician, and social worker
Modern era
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
April 3, 1903 – October 29, 1988
Indian freedom fighter and social reformer (1903-1988)
Modern era
Sucheta Kripalani
June 25, 1908 – December 1, 1974
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and India's first woman Chief Minister (1908–1974)
Modern era
Mridula Sarabhai
1911 – October 26, 1974
Indian independence activist and politician
Modern era
Accamma Cherian
February 14, 1909 – May 5, 1982
Indian independence activist (1909-1989)
Modern era
Bhagat Puran Singh
June 4, 1904 – August 5, 1992
Environmentalist (1904-1992)
Modern era
C. F. Andrews
February 12, 1871 – April 5, 1940
Christian missionary in India, close friend of Mahatma Gandhi
Early Modern era
Rani Rashmoni
September 28, 1793 – February 19, 1861
19th century Indian philanthropist
Modern era
Ruchi Ram Sahni
April 5, 1863 – June 3, 1948
First Indian metrologist , freedom fighter and activist (1863-1948)
Modern era
Salim Ali
November 12, 1896 – July 27, 1987
Indian ornithologist (1896-1987)
Modern era
M. S. Swaminathan
August 7, 1925 – September 28, 2023
Indian agronomist (1925–2023)
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
Dhirendranath Datta
November 2, 1886 – March 21, 1971
Bengali activist (1886-1971)
Modern era
Bharathidasan
April 29, 1891 – April 21, 1964
Tamil poet, rationalist writer and Dravidian movement activist
Modern era
Makhdoom Mohiuddin
February 4, 1908 – February 15, 1969
Indian activist and writer (1908–1969)
Modern era
Prithviraj Kapoor
November 3, 1906 – May 29, 1972
Indian actor (1906-1972)
Modern era
Rukmini Devi Arundale
February 29, 1904 – February 24, 1986
Indian dancer and choreographer (1904–1986)
Modern era
Mirza Ibrahim
October 15, 1911 – December 17, 1993
Azerbaijani writer (1911-1993)
Modern era
Afzal Bangash
1924 – 1986
Pakistani politician (1924–1986)
Modern era
Hyder Bux Jatoi
October 7, 1901 – May 21, 1970
Pakistani politician and peasant leader
Modern era
Jam Saqi
October 31, 1944 – March 5, 2018
Pakistani politician (1944-2018)
Modern era
Rasool Bux Palijo
February 21, 1930 – June 7, 2018
Pakistani revolutionary (1930–2018)
Modern era
Sobho Gianchandani
May 3, 1920 – December 8, 2014
Pakistani social scientist
Modern era
Nazeer Abbasi
July 13, 1940 – August 9, 1980
Communist Leader