Indian Independence Movement

Rani Lakshmi Bai died on 17 June 1858 while fighting British forces in Gwalior during the 1857 rebellion. She was surrounded by British troops and chose to fight rather than surrender, becoming one of the most iconic figures of India's first war of independence. Her death marked the end of major resistance in that region.

Nathuram Vinayak Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948 during a prayer meeting in Delhi. Godse was a Hindu nationalist who opposed Gandhi's partition policies and what he perceived as Muslim appeasement. He was executed in November 1949. Gopal Godse was Nathuram's brother and co-conspirator, not the assassin.

Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) in 1942 with Japanese support after escaping house arrest in India. He aimed to liberate India militarily from British rule with the slogan 'Give me blood, and I will give you freedom!' Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh were earlier revolutionaries from HSRA.

Lakshmi Swaminathan (later Captain Lakshmi Sahgal) led the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women's wing of the Azad Hind Fauj formed in 1943. She was a doctor trained in Singapore and recruited Indian women to serve as nurses and combatants. Rani Lakshmi Bai died in 1857, long before the INA was formed.

Chandra Shekhar Azad was born as Chandrashekhar Sitaram Tiwari in Bhavra village. He adopted the pseudonym 'Azad' (meaning free) during India's freedom struggle and famously declared that he would never be captured alive by the British.

Sheikh Abdullah (1905-1982) founded the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference in 1932 (originally called All Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference). He was the dominant political figure in Kashmir politics for decades.

Roald Amundsen (Norwegian explorer) reached the South Pole first on December 14, 1911, beating Robert Falcon Scott's British expedition by about a month. Amundsen was experienced in polar conditions having navigated the Northwest Passage earlier.

H. J. Kania (Harilal Jekisundas Kania) served as the first Chief Justice of independent India from 1950-1951. The Supreme Court of India was established on January 28, 1950, and Justice Kania was its inaugural chief.