On the account of 68th Independence Day, we thought we would revise a little from your history classes. We bring you out the 10 inspiring independence heroes who changed the face of India. This article is a small collection and a summary of these heroes and a snippet about their contribution. Please leave a comment below with your favourite hero and your most admired thing about them.
Mahatma Gandhi
Our independence day cannot be complete without remembering the father of our nation – Mahatma Gandhi. His messages on nonviolence and satyagraha continue to resonate around the world in different forms. The most beautiful contribution has been in terms of kindness, his strength and conviction in beliefs. And to imagine that he galvanised so many people to adhere to the idea of non-violence is simply astounding.
This independence day, like any other, we ought to pay our respects to Mahatma Gandhi. While doing so, let’s go one step further and say that we will read more learn about his principles and find ways to incorporate them in our lives. When these heroes dedicated their lives to give us independence, our job is to carry this further. Our role to make the world a better place is a continuous one and the best respect we can give to these heroes is by sharing, living and enhancing their values. Some of Gandhi’s inspirational words that inspire the sense of freedom, independence and strength are:
- Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you were to live forever
- Be the change that you wish to see in the world – Mahatma Gandhi
- To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest – Mahatma Gandhi
- First, they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win
- A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history
Sardar Vallabhai Patel
The Iron Man of India contributed heavily to freedom through contributions to the Quit India and Non-cooperation movements. He was responsible for the integration of over 500 princely states into the Indian Union and it’s because of him Hyderabad remained as a part of India. The values he strove were for independence, galvanising people to the singular vision of a unified country. Most of the leadership around independence was around unifying for a common goal.
These values become significant to this day – we can always find reasons to separate ourselves and find differences with people. The hard part is about being unified finding these similarities, and celebrating them. Some of the inspiring quotes from Vallabhai Patel to inspire unity are:
- Little pools of water tend to become stagnant and useless, but if they are joined together to form a big lake the atmosphere is cooled and there is universal benefit.
- Caste and community will rapidly disappear. We have to speedily forget all these things. Such boundaries hamper our growth
- Every human being is worthy of respect, and as much as it should have respect above should not be afraid of him falling down
- Complain is the work of cowards! Braves took over the task of preparing the way
- Faith is of no avail in the absence of strength, both are essential to accomplish any great work
Ambedkar
Independence is beyond the restrictions and limitations of social ladders. The most prominent contribution from Ambedkar was about social justice and equality for all classes. One may argue that his contributions were more towards India being a republic than independence. Although I can see the truth in that, we must encourage the thought that independence is about humanity and freedom for all. In a philosophical sense, the contributions to this independence for human dignity play an equally significant role.
On this Independence Day, let’s draw some inspiration from some of these powerful words from Ambedkar
- Life should be great rather than long
- So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you
- I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity
- Religion must mainly be a matter of principles only. It cannot be a matter of rules
- Cultivation of the mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence – Quotes by Ambedkar
Mangal Pandey
One of the earliest freedom fighters of the Indian struggle for independence they fought the first Indian rebellion of 1857. He was a soldier under the British East India Company. He was a devout Hindu and once he discovered that the rifles that the soldiers used were greased with fat of pig and cow fat which was against religious beliefs and hence he revolted back against the British and later became a prominent leader in the First Indian War of Independence.
Bhagat singh
He is one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. His slogan “Inqualab Zindabad” meaning Long Live the Revolution! became very popular with the activists. As a young boy, he dreamed of seeing India as a free nation. He involved himself in many revolutionary protests. He was convicted and hanged at the age of 23. His legacy inspired many young Indians to be a part of the freedom struggle.
Shubhas Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose was a dynamic personality. His ideas and strategies didn’t match with his contemporary freedom fighters but his fighting spirit led him to build an organisation called Azad Hind Fauj to overthrow the British from India. He died at an early age but he is still remembered as one of the greatest heroes India has ever seen.
Annie Besant
A British Activist who believed in Indian Self-rule. She campaigned for India’s freedom and was also a woman’s rights activist. She fought against her own country for the establishment of democracy in India. Standing for the rights that too against her country’s people must have been very tough but the courage she showed is highly inspiring and remarkable.
Sarojini Naidu
The Nightingale of India. She was the first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress and also became the first woman to become the governor of an Indian state. She travelled to many states and delivered speeches on social welfare and spread the message of independence through her poetry. She involved herself in various activities such as women’s education and Hindu Muslim equality and also took part in movements like Montagu Chelmsford Reform through, the Khilafat movement, the Satyagraha Movement.
Jawaharlal Nehru
The first prime minister of India. He was raised in a rich family, studied law in England, quit practice and became an important part of the freedom struggle. Once while travelling on a train, Nehru overheard British General gloating over the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, an incident in which 79 people were killed and at least 1,200 wounded. Upon hearing the general’s words, Nehru vowed to fight against the British. And this incident changed the course of his life.
Message from Independence Day Heroes
There are many such personalities which involve freedom fighters from various religions, social activists and millions of soldiers who sacrificed their lives. We owe our sincere respect to them.
They sacrificed their lives to see a free India, If you see what’s common in them, the first thing you notice is the DESIRE, the desire to see a free nation. The power of their desire was so intense that the differences of caste, nationality, poverty, difficulties, physical abuse, verbal abuse, time, energy and not even their life could stand.
We are grateful to such inspiring personalities who showed us that patience, perseverance and persistence can help us reach our goal one day. When we hear their struggle I have to admit that the world we live in is much easy. It offers us plenty of opportunities to accomplish our desires.
I feel proud to be born in a country that has seen such great heroes. Wishing you all a happy Independence Day. I am sorry I could fit only 10 personalities here. Do let us know who inspires you, we would love to hear from you
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Very Inspiring Site I have Visit. Stories are really very nice.
good to know too brave and good
very very nie
First all of congratulation.this site is very inspiring the youth.we are all enjoy the site.
First all of congratulation.this site is very inspiring the youth.this site is
Thank you Sam. Thank you for noticing and letting us know, those two were indeed great people, the Iron Man of India :). I think we have missed out on a lot of people. It is a fantastic country and some amazing people have certainly made it so :)
First of all congratulations ! When I opened your site I was amazed by the design.So real great work.
And your posts are now much better organized than before. Keep it up Vinay :)
Thank you Amit :). It took quite a bit of effort for us go through the change in design and appearance. I am really happy to hear such good words about the change. It really feels nice when someone who has seen the site develop from the initial stages to now says such nice words of appreciation :). We shall definitely keep bringing more varieties :)
Thank you Anita,, Happy independece day :). True indeed, there are so many sung and unsung heroes that has made our nation the exemplary place it is. We owe it all to them and of course the unsung ones too. Such great names which enthuse us with so much of passion and reverence :)
Good you brought it here. India needs this reminder. Of course, there were many more. Good to start with this.
Thank you Matheikal.
The list goes on and on and we respect every person responsible for India’s Freedom. I am sure each person has an inspiring story, many untold and many hidden.
Very soon, I see our Honorable PM Narendra Modi’s inclusion to the list. Though it would be totally different kind of independence fight by him.
I hope so Darshan. The country’s youth has tremendous hopes on him. We badly need a change and hope it happens soon.
It’s fascinating how a tea seller became the P.M of India. One of the most respectable one. It would be great to write about him.
Yes, we’re certainly counting on him. He has already boosted our IT sector. The journey of his life is totally inspirational.
I very much agree Darshan. His ID speech was amazing, I was really spell bound listening to it :)
Truly inspirational article Vidyashree. For me these are truly the noted leaders but every Indian of those times who fought for our freedom is mentionable and inspirational. This is one of the few posts on Independence Day that i truly liked. Thank you for this post.
Thank you Shweta. Happy to know you liked it .What better could I write on Independence Day :)
True Shweta there are many to mention and many who inspire us. How great it would be if people realise their efforts and respect them by making the country a much better place to live.
Nice one sis.. u know Indian history.. wow great.. sis.. Good knowledge..
An excellent article on real heros of Indian History. Frankly speaking my opinion about Mahatma Gandhi is not good. It is just my opinion and I beg excuse from all the readers those don;t agree with me. The efforts of Shri Vinayaji are really appreciable.
Sampat Kumari
Thank you Sampat Kumari. I agree Sampat Kumari Ji, I think we all are very well placed to have our opinions and reservations about certain of these heroes and most of them can be valid too. But on the other hand, they did do some extraordinary things which make us remember them and feel the greatness of patriotism within :)
PS: Sampat Kumari Ji, for some reason, the comment is showing a photograph, I tried editing it but it is not responding to my edits. Not sure what is causing the link though. Thought I would let you know :)
yes right…
First of all happy independence day..
Although I believe from all ,my heart that we should never ever forget those who fought for our independence and gave their life for such beautiful cause .. BUT some of the people in the list you have given are not to be in that list ..
as Politics is a very dirty game in our nation and some in the list are nothing but just politicians..
the great son’s and daughters of our nation, Jhansi ki rani, Bagat singh, Chandershekhar azaad, Subash , Rajguru, Sarabha, Udham singh, Managl pandey and many many moreeeeeee… I salute them and thank them that we can breath the fresh air …
Bikram’s
Happy Independence day to you too Bikram.
I agree. Jhansi Rani, Bhagat singh, Chandershekhar azaad, Subash , Rajguru… are the true spirits who fought selflessly for the country. I respect them all.
Of all Jhansi Rani inspires me a lot. It’s such a proud feeling to know that she commanded the largest women’s army till date.
My heart was filled with patriotism while writing this article and I even had goosebumps while reading about Jhansi Rani. Such an inspiring woman.
There are many names I wanted to add but had to restrict for few.
Bikram, although I agree not all of the heroes in the list or any list as that matter are perfect and I also agree that each one of them have their limitations. But they did something extraordinary which has made us what we are today and how we are as a nation.
Politics aside, I would really love to focus on what they mean to us and how much of a value add those thoughts have been in our lives. I do agree that some of these names can be controversial based on the lens we look at them with, but for me and for us they are really some great people.. And far more great people who we could not add in this list.. :)
Cool Vinay, they are the real heroes of India who gave us their contribution towards making India independent. Honestly when I read about them, I really feel proud of them and in fact I feel proud of myself too that I got a chance to born in India….
Thank you Alok :). There is a great sense of patriotism in the air today, thought we should pay a homage to such a wonderful feeling which gave birth to such a wonderful post by Vidya :)..
Indeed, I too am a very proud Indian and the sense of energy today is exhilarating :)
Yes Vidyashree; patience, perseverance and persistence can help us reach our goal one day. An inspiring post which infuses a sense of national pride on this auspicious occasion :)
Thank you Ravish. A very happy independence day. Millions of individuals efforts and sacrifice has brought us to this day. We have plenty of heroes to look up to.
Very Nice blog Vidyashree :-) Good wishes for Independence day
Thank you Ruchi, wish you the same :) Hope this Independence day adds much more glory to the nation.
Thank you. Keep writing Keep inspiring.
I am very much inspired by Sardar Patel, the iron man and Dr Ambedkar, the real fighter. Their never die spirit gives me immense strength to fight against all the odds.
Happy to know you liked it.
very true Sardar patel is truly the iron man. I was going through this life struggle and was very much impressed by his spirit and determination. And Ambedkar needless to say is one of the most respectable and an inspiring man.
Gandhi inspires me a lot. His belief in be the change you want to see always helps me in coming out from difficult situation.
Same here Bhavana. Gandhi inspires me. Never ever could I believe non-violence and simplicity has so much power if Gandhi wasn’t born.He is a legend.
I have tried implementing a few principles of Gandhi and I am happy with the results. I love Gandhigiri :)
Happy Independence Day Bhavana :)
He remains th legend fr th generations to crop