ICONIC

FIGURES
- By group A

1. Anshika
2. Chhayaa 7. Nikita Jain
3. Kashish 8. Palak Sharma
4. Shruti Gaur 9. Tanya Suri
5. Khushbu
6. Mehak Garg
•Kabir Das
 LIFE
• Poet-Saint, Kabir Das was born
sometime in mid 15th century
• In Kashi, now Varanasi, UP
• Uncertainity around his life
• Many legends associated with him.
• One such is regarding his birth
• It is said he had a Virgin Birth.
• He was blessed to a brahmin widow
who left him for the fear of dishonour.
• He was then taken up by a woman
named Nima, wife of a muslim weaver
 SCHOOLING
• He did not take any formal
education
• He calls himself ‘julaha’ and ‘kori’ ,
meaning weaver belonging to a
lower caste
• He was not even trained as a weaver
• Disciple of Saint Ramananda
 WORKS OF KABIR DAS
• The books written by the Kabir
Das are generally collections of •
dohas and songs. The total works
are seventy-two including some of
the important and well-known
works are Rekhtas, Kabir Bijak,
the Suknidhan, Mangal, Vasant,
Sabdas, Sakhis, and Holy Agams.
The writing style and language of
the Kabir Das is very simple and
beautiful. He had written his dohas
very boldly and naturally which are
full of meanings and significance.
He wrote from the depth of his
heart. He has compressed the sense
of the whole world in his simple
dohas and couplet. His sayings are
beyond compare and inspiring.
CONTRIBUTION OF KABIR DAS TO
THE COUNTRY
• In the fifteenth century, people in Varanasi were strongly influenced
by the Brahmin orthodoxy as well as learning centers.
• Kabir Das worked hard to preach his ideology as he belonged to the
low caste, Julaha, and made people realize that we all are human. He
never felt difference among the people whether they are prostitutes,
low caste, or of high caste.
• He preached to everyone by gathering his followers. He started
reforming the mind of common people towards the real truth through
his couplets.
• He always objected to the ritualistic and ascetic methods as a means of
salvation. He said that goodness’s ruby has more value than the ruby
mines.
• According to him, one’s heart with goodness includes all the
prosperity of the whole world. A person with mercy has strength,
forgiveness has real existence of him, and an individual with
righteousness can easily attain the never-ending life.
• He opened the deep eyes of the people and taught them genuine to
lessen of humanity, morality, and spirituality. He was a follower and
promoter of the ahimsa.
DOHE
 Guru Govind dou khade,kake lagu paaye
Balhari guru aapno , Govind diyo bataye

 Kaal kare so aaj kar , aaj kare so ab

Pal mein pralaya hoyegi, bahuri karoge kab

 Bura jo dekhan main chala , bura na milya koi

Jo mann khoja apnaa , to mujhse bura na koye
 Aisee vani boliye , Mann ka aapa khoye
Aurun ko sheetal kare , aap ho sheetal hoye

 Bada hua toh kya hua jaise ped khajur ,

Panthi ko chaya nhi , phal lage ati door

 Dukh mein Simran sab kare , sukh mein kare na koi

Jo sukh mein sumiran kare , to dukh kaye hoye
PRESENT
INFLUENCES
1. IDEAS ABOUT ONE, FORMLESS GOD AND
COMPLETE SURRENDER TO HIM
• Kabir was a devotee of Ram
• But for him, Ram is one absolute God
beyond any form,time and space and
causation
• Also guided by the Bhakti tradition, which
stressed on complete surrender on God
2.CONCEPT OF SECULARISM
AND TOLERANCE
• He was an epitome of
secularism
• He neither associated himself
with Hindus nor Muslim
• Deeply influenced by
upanishadic non-dualism
and Islamic monoism
?

3. He believed in a casteless society

A story goes that one day while some Brahmin men

were taking a dip in the holy water of Ganga to expiate
their sins, Kabir filled his wooden cup with its water
and offered it to the men to drink. The men were quite
offended at being offered water from a lower caste
man to which he replied, “If the Ganges water cannot
purify my cup, how can I believe that it can wash away
my sins.”
4. He criticised Idol worship and
customs and rituals
5. These ideas were then taken
forward by personalities like
Swami Vivekananda, Guru
Nanak ji, B.R. Ambedkar to
give India the present shape.
KABIR DAS JAYANTI
• It is considered that the great poet, Saint Kabir Das, was born in the
month of Jyestha on Purnima in the year 1440.
• That’s why Saint Kabir Das Jayanti or birthday anniversary is
celebrated every year with great enthusiasm by his followers and
loved ones on the Purnima of Jyestha that lies in the month of May
and June.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
( 1861 – 1941 )
 LIFE SKETCH
• Rabindranath Tagore was born on May 6, 1861, at Kolkata, in most cultured and
creative family of Brahma Samajists.
• He was 14th and youngest son of Maharishi Debendranath .
• His father Debendranath Tagore was a great leader of Brahma Samajist
Organisation.
• He received his early education at home.
• He gained higher education from Bengal Academy but he left the academy
before the completion of his course because of his dull & rigid nature of
education.
• He was a gifted child & at the age of 8 , he composed verses in Bengali.
• He was a great lover of nature & became a painter.
• He was awarded the Nobel prize for literature in November 1913 for the English
version of his famous book Gitanjali.
• He was also conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by Calcutta
University in December 1913.
• He established a school known as Shantiniketan Ashram at Bolpur, 93 miles away
from Kolkata, in 1901.
• This school became the famous Vishwa Bharathi, an International University , on
September 22, 1921.
• The aim of this university was to bring about a synthesis between the Eastern and
the Western cultures.
• Rabindranath Tagore was a great poet, philosopher, dramatist, novelist, painter ,
actor , rishi , guru, patriot , social reformer
 ACADEMIC
QUALIFICATION
• Rabindranath Tagore's education didn’t seem too impressive. 
• R.N Tagore did not enjoy schooling, and he was mostly found
procrastinating and pondering for hours.
• He went to one of the most prestigious St. Xavier’s School.
• In 1878, Rabindra Nath Tagore enrolled himself at a public
school in England because his father wanted him to be a
Young Tagore in London
barrister. , 1879
• Tagore read law at University College, London, but opted out
again to study independently. He returned home after 2 years
without the degree.
• In 1880, Tagore returned to Bengal without any degree and
started publishing poems, stories and novels.
 MAJOR WORKS
• Known mostly for his poetry , Tagore wrote novels, essays , short stories, dramas
and thousands of songs . He had started to write in his early age of 8. His works
are frequently noted for their rhythmic, optimistic, and lyrical nature.
• FAMOUS POETRIES

Manasi (1890) [ The Ideal One]

Sonar Tari (1894) [ The Golden Boat]
Gitanjali (1910) [ Song Offerings]
Gitimalya ( 1914) [ Wreath Of Songs]
Balaka (1916) [ A Flight of Swans]

Gora (1910)
• TAGORE’S MAJOR NOVELS Yogayog (1926) [Crosscurrents]
Ghare-Baire (1916) [The Home and the
World]
 PHILOSOPHY

• AS A VEDANTIST : HE HAD A FIRM BELIEF IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF “VEDA” .

• HE BELIEVED IN “ I AM BRAHMA “ THERE IS A SPIRITUAL BOND BETWEEN MAN AND MAN .
• AS AN INDIVIDUALIST : HE BELIEVED IN GIVING RIGHT TYPE OF FREEDOM TO INDIVIDUAL . EVERY
INDIVIDUAL IS UNIQUE .
• AS AN IDEALIST : HE BELIEVED THAT THE MAN SHOULD LIVE FOR THE ULTIMATE TRUTH WHICH
LIBERATES US FROM CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DEATH HAD FAITH IN ABSOLUTE VALUES
• AS A SPIRITUALIST : HE BELIEVED THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL SHOULD TRY TO ATTAIN SPIRITUAL
PERFECTION .
• AS A HUMANIST : HE PREACHED HUMAN BROTHERHOOD , HAVING FAITH IN FUNDAMENTAL UNITY
OF MANKIND .
• HE REMARKED THAT “EVEN GOD DEPENDS UPON MAN FOR PERFECTING HIS UNIVERSE “.
• AS A NATURALIST : HE CONSIDERED NATURE AS A GREAT TEACHER . GOD REVEALED HIMSELF
THROUGH VARIOUS FORMS , COLORS AND RHYTHM OF NATURE .
• TAGORE’S INTERNATIONALISM : HE WAS AN ARDENT PROPHET OF WORLD UNITY . HE BELILIEVED IN
 CONTRIBUTIO
N
• He wrote the National Anthems of India and Bangladesh.
• He left his imprint on art and played a role in transforming its practices
and ushering into modernism.
• Between 1928 and 1940, Rabindranath painted more than 2000 images.
He never gave any title to his paintings.
• Expressionism in European art and the primitive art of ancient cultures
inspired him.
• He denounced British imperialism, yet he did not fully support or agree
with Gandhi and his Noncooperation Movement.
• He viewed British rule as a symptom of the overall "sickness" of the
• social "disease" of the public.
• In his writings, he also voiced his support of Indian nationalists.
• Rabindranath Tagore wrote the song Banglar Mati Banglar Jol (Soil of
• Bengal, Water of Bengal)
 Awards and
achievements
• Rabindranath Tagore won the NOBEL PRIZE in Literature in 1913, and he was
the first Indian as well as Asian to win Nobel Prize. He wrote eight novels, four
novellas and a wide collection of poetry.

• National Anthem of India was written by Rabindranath. The first time, the
poem was sung on the second day of the annual session of the Indian
National Congress in Calcutta on 27 December 1911. After independence, the
first stanza of the poem was adopted as the National anthem. And, it became
known as Jana Gana Mana

• Apart from India's national anthem, Rabindranath also panned the national
anthem of Bangladesh. In 1905, he wrote the song Amar Shonar
Bangla during the British partitioning of Bengal, a time of national unrest. In
1971, when Bangladesh won its liberation war, the first ten lines of Amar
Shonar Bangla were adopted as the National anthem in Bangladesh.
• Tagore introduced the short story genre to Bengali Literature. In 1877, he wrote a
short story tilted Bhikharini. It was the first short story written in the Bengali
language. The best known short story of Rabindranath was Kabuliwala.

• In 1915, British crowned Tagore with Knight Title. But after the Jallianwala Bagh
incident, he refused to keep the title at 1919 to protest the terror.

• Deeply inspired to restructure the education system in India, Rabindranath took

the foundation of an experimental school in Santiniketan. Here, he introduced a
unique curriculum, which revolved around nature with classes. Later, the
institution was expanded into a university named Visva Bharti University, today it
is one of the most famous institutions of higher learning in the country.

• In 1940, he was awarded by Oxford University with a Doctorate of Literature in a

special ceremony arranged at Shantiniketan.

• He painted over 3,000 paintings in the last 13 years of his life. It shows his creative
power even his old age.

• Tagore was also a prolific songwriter. He wrote approx. 2,230 songs in his whole Tagore’s Art – famous
life. And, Tagore is considered a major force in transforming the style of Bengali bird painting
music by incorporating influences from different musical traditions.
• “ CLOUDS COME FLOATING INTO MY LIFE, NO LONGER TO CARRY RAIN OR USHER
STORM, BUT TO ADD COLOR TO MY SUNSET SKY.”
• “IF YOU CRY BECAUSE THE SUN HAS GONE OUT OF YOUR LIFE, YOUR TEARS WILL
PREVENT YOU FROM SEEING THE STARS.”

• “YOU CAN’T CROSS THE SEA MERELY BY STANDING AND STARING AT THE WATER.”
• “FAITH IS THE BIRD THAT FEELS THE LIGHT AND SINGS WHEN THE DAWN IS STILL
DARK.”
• “THE BUTTERFLY COUNTS NOT MONTHS BUT MOMENTS, AND HAS TIME
ENOUGH.”
 VEER SAVARKAR
(1883 – 1966)
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Born: May 28, 1883
Died: Feburary 26, 1966
Hindu and Indian Nationalist
Leading Figure in the Hindu
Mahasabha (“Great Society of
Hindus” ) , a Hindu nationalist
organization and political party.
 LIFE SKETCH

• Veer Savarkar was a great revolutionary in the history of India’s struggle of independence. He
was a great orator, scholar, prolific writer, historian, poet, philosopher and social worker.
• His actual name was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He was born on May 28, 1883, in the
village of Bhagpur near Nasik. Ganesh (Babarao), his elder brother was a strong source of
influence in his life. At a very early age he lost his father Damodarpant Savarkar and mother
Radhabai.
• Veer Savarkar established an organization by the name of ‘Mitra Mela’ which influenced the
members to fight for “absolute political independence” of India. The Mitra Mela members
served the victims of plague in Nasik. He later called the “Mitra Mela” as “Abhinav Bharat”
and declared “India must be independent”.
• The British Government withdrew Veer Savarkar’s graduation degree for his
involvement in the Indian freedom movement . In June 1906 he went to London to
become Barrister.

• He wrote a book “The Indian War of Independence 1857” on India’s struggle of

independence, which was banned by Britishers. When he was in London, he
encouraged the Indian students in England against the British colonial masters. He
supported the use of arms in India’s struggle of independence.

• He was arrested in London on 13 March 1910 sent to India for trial. However when the
ship carrying him reached Marseilles in France, Savarkar escaped but was arrested by
the French Police.
• On 24 December 1910, he was sentenced to jail in the Andamans. With his efforts a
library was established in the jail. He even tried to impart education to the illiterate
convicts in the jail. By the demand of great leaders like Vithalbhai Patel, Tilak and
Gandhi Savarkar was released and brought back to India on May 2, 1921.
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
• Savarkar studied at Pune's 'Fergusson College' and received his bachelor's degree.

• Shyamji Krishna Varma assisted him in getting a scholarship to study in England.

• He enrolled in the 'Gray's Inn Law College' and sought refuge at the 'India House.' It was a
North London student residence. Veer Savarkar inspired his fellow Indian students in
London to form the 'Free India Society' to fight for independence from the British.

• As a high school student, Savarkar became involved in politics and continued to do so at

Fergusson College in Pune. He and his brother founded the Abhinav Bharat Society, a secret
society. He became involved with organizations such as the India House and the Free India
Society while studying law in the United Kingdom. 

• Savarkar created the Aryan Weekly, a handwritten weekly in which he published

illuminating articles on patriotism, literature, history, and science.
CONTRIBUTION: As a Social Reformer
• Savarkar built Patit Pavan Mandir in the Ratnagiri district to allow entry to all Hindus,
including Dalits.
• According to Savarkar, the rigid caste system “deserves to be thrown into the dustbins of
history”.
• Savarkar wanted to break away from caste-based vocational rigidity and encourage persons
to pursue any vocation of their choice based on aptitude and ability.
• In the absence of motivation of competition, or lack of aptitude, Savarkar believed, “merely
following what one’s father did, will make one both complacent and unproductive.”
• Veer Savarkar wanted to popularize Vedic literature to everyone, not only to a particular
caste. He called Vedic literature civilizational knowledge for the entire human race and
India’s unique gift to mankind.
• Savarkar believed in global mobility and the need for Indians to venture out into foreign
lands so as to “bring back the best of the world and carry the fragrance of India and her
culture to every corner of the globe.”
• Veer Savarkar underscored was the need to develop a scientific temper. “We are 200 years
behind Europe”, he had remarked adding, “It is through science, modern thoughts and
industrialization that we can ensure that every man woman in India will have a job to do,
food to eat, clothes to wear and a happy life to lead.”
LEGACY OF VEER SAVARKAR
• Savarkar was the first political leader to set independence as India’s goal in the 1900. Almost
immediately after joining college, he had started organizing and spreading his anti-British
and revolutionary ideas through his efficient oratory and writing skills.
• He was also known as Swantantryaveer or Veer Savarkar which was earned due to his
courageous behaviour.
• He was a proponent of a united India, which was inclusive and diverse — an India that was
an organic result of all its diverse cultures. He believed in the idea of inclusivity for
mobilizing the Indian masses.
• Savarkar also openly embraced the “Era of Machines” and warned the Indian leaders to
learn from Europe’s mistakes.
• His futuristic approach to Indian cinema, too, was commendable. He believed in the
innovative spirit of the human mind.
• Even though his ideology on Hindu Rashtra and Hindutva is controversial, Savarkar’s ideas
of modernity, social and religious reforms, cultivation of scientific temper, and embracing
technological tools continue to be relevant for building a new India.
Some of his other literary works include:
•Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History
•My Transportation for Life
•Kale Pani
•1857 che Svatantrya Samar
•Maazi Janmathep
•Moplyanche Banda (about Moplah rebellion of 1921)
•Hindu Rashtra Darshan
CELEBRATORY DAY
• 28th of May is celebrated as Veer Savarkar Jayanti every year in India to commemorate the
legacy of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a great leader, visionary, revolutionary and nationalist.