wing of the archive
The Modern Era
The industrial and imperial centuries: inventors, statesmen, artists, and the makers of the modern world.
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
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
Vakkom Moulavi
January 1, 1850 – August 23, 1932
Indian social reformer (1850–1932)
Modern era
Sahodaran Ayyappan
August 21, 1889 – March 6, 1968
Indian politician and reformer (1889-1968)
Modern era
Iyothee Thass
May 20, 1845 – 1914
Indian activist
Modern era
Fatima Sheikh
January 9, 1831 – October 9, 1900
Indian educationalist
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
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
Sayajirao Gaekwad III
March 31, 1863 – February 6, 1939
Indian Maharaja (1863–1939)
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
Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
June 4, 1884 – August 3, 1940
King of Mysore (1884–1940)
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
Premchand Roychand
1831 – 1906
Indian Gujarati businessperson
Modern era
David Sassoon
October 5, 1932 – April 9, 2025
British fashion designer (1932–2025)
Modern era
Cowasji Jehangir
February 16, 1879 – October 17, 1962
British-Indian Baronet
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
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
Sarla Thakral
1914 – March 15, 2008
Indian aviator
Modern era
Mary Poonen Lukose
August 2, 1886 – October 2, 1976
Indian gynecologist, obstetrician and the first female Surgeon General in India.
Modern era
Bhaurao Patil
September 22, 1887 – May 9, 1959
Social activist and educator in Maharashtra, India (1887-1959)
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
Sadhu Vaswani
November 25, 1879 – January 16, 1966
Indian educationer, humanitarian and spiritual leader (1879-1966)
Modern era
C. F. Andrews
February 12, 1871 – April 5, 1940
Christian missionary in India, close friend of Mahatma Gandhi
Modern era
Verrier Elwin
August 29, 1902 – February 22, 1964
British anthropologist (1902-1964)
Modern era
Teja Singh Samundri
1882 – 1926
Indian Sikh leader (1882–1926)
Modern era
Kahn Singh Nabha
August 30, 1861 – November 24, 1938
Indian writer (1861-1938)
Modern era
U. V. Swaminatha Iyer
February 19, 1855 – April 28, 1942
Tamil scholar, researcher and publisher of classical Tamil literature
Modern era
Gopabandhu Das
October 9, 1877 – June 17, 1928
Indian writer (1877-1928)
Modern era
Upendranath Brahmachari
December 19, 1873 – February 6, 1946
Indian physician (1873–1946)
Modern era
Yellapragada Subbarow
January 12, 1895 – August 9, 1948
Indian-American scientist
Modern era
Kamala Sohonie
June 18, 1911 – June 28, 1998
Indian biochemist (1911–1998)
Modern era
Asima Chatterjee
September 23, 1917 – November 22, 2006
Indian chemist (1917–2006)
Modern era
Anna Mani
August 23, 1918 – August 16, 2001
Indian meteorologist
Modern era
Janaki Ammal
November 4, 1897 – February 7, 1984
Indian botanist (1897-1984)
Modern era
Birbal Sahni
November 14, 1891 – April 10, 1949
Indian botanist (1891-1949)
Modern era
Prafulla Chandra Ray
August 2, 1861 – June 16, 1944
Bengali chemist, educationist, poet, historian, industrialist and philanthropist (1861–1944)
Modern era
Mahendralal Sarkar
November 2, 1833 – February 23, 1904
The First Homeopathic Practitioner in India
Modern era
Radhanath Sikdar
1813 – May 17, 1870
Indian mathematician
Modern era
Ruchi Ram Sahni
April 5, 1863 – June 3, 1948
First Indian metrologist , freedom fighter and activist (1863-1948)
Modern era
Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar
February 21, 1894 – January 1, 1955
Indian chemist (1894–1955)