Indira Gandhi (1917-1952)
“To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and her personality.”
ReadIndira Gandhi (1917-1952)
Born in Allahabad, India; Indian “To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and her personality.”
- She was the first woman Prime Minister of the Republic of India for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977 and a fourth term from 1980 until her assassination in 1984 - a grand total of fifteen years.
- In 1999 she was voted the greatest woman of the past thousand years in a poll carried by BBC news.
- She took popular economic measures as Prime Minister and led India to victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan.
- She is also remembered for imposing a state of emergency in the country in 1975.
- She was assassinated by her own bodyguards in 1984 for her role in storming the sacred Golden Temple.
Stephen Hawking (1942)
“My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is and why it exists at all.”
ReadStephen Hawking (1942)
Born in England; British “My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is and why it exists at all.”
- An English theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author. He is best known for his attempts to explain the origins of the universe and complicated aspects of the cosmos and physics.
- He suffers from a motor neuron disease which has affected his physical movements and his speech. He was initially given a life span of three years but he managed to overcome his severe disability.
- His principle fields of research are theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity, he developed a mathematical model for Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and undertook work on the nature of the Universe.
- He has translated difficult physics models into a general understanding for the general public in his books - A Brief History of Time and The Universe in A Nutshell.
- He is the best physicist of his generation and a living example of courage.
[line]
Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope.”
ReadMichael Jackson (1958-2009)
Born in Gary, Indiana (US); American “In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope.”
- American singer, dancer, entertainer and recording artist, he epitomised the era of pop and earned the title of King of Pop.
- He began his music career at the age of six alongside his brothers and father.
- He produced great albums like Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous and Invincible.
- His life was full of controversies ranging from the several number of plastic surgeries to his changing skin colour. Despite all this, he supported a lot of charity work till the end of his life.
- Famous for his moonwalk, Michael Jackson was an icon of all times. Towards the end of his life he was plagued by money troubles and ill health. He died prematurely in 2009 at the mere age of fifty one.
Bill Gates (1955)
“Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point.”
ReadBill Gates (1955)
Born in Seattle, Washington; American “Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point.”
- The founder of Microsoft, he is one of the most influential and richest people on the planet with a recent estimate of his wealth put at US$ 84.2 billion.
- Besides being the richest man, he runs Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with his wife. He focusses on global issues ignored by the government.
- The couple have approximately given away $ 28 billion via their charitable foundation.
- He has also contributed to improving health and reducing diseases such as polio.
- His contribution to a clean energy project to help deal with global warming is about $1 billion.
[line]
Hellen Keller (1880-1968)
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
ReadHellen Keller (1880-1968)
Born in Alabama; American “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
- An American author, political activist and campaigner for deaf and blind charities, Helen Keller became deaf and blind as a young child.
- She became the first deaf blind person to attain a bachelor’s degree and was able to get a fruitful education. She even learnt to write with a Braille*
- She learnt and practiced lip reading and later became a proficient writer and speaker and even published an autobiography, The Story of My Life.
- She supported socialism* and wrote several essays on it. She devoted time to raise funds for blind charities.
- She was given numerous awards during her life including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She died in her sleep after suffering a stroke.
Dr B R Ambedkar (1891-1956)
“It was not enough that India should get Swaraj. It was more important in whose hands the Swaraj would be.”
ReadDr B R Ambedkar (1891-1956)
Born in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh; Indian “It was not enough that India should get Swaraj. It was more important in whose hands the Swaraj would be.”
- An Indian political reformer who campaigned for the rights of the untouchable caste of India, he was popularly known as Babasaheb.
- He strongly criticised orthodox Hinduism and caste system in particular.
- He was appointed Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee and prepared a Constitution which protected a wide range of civil liberties for both the poor and women.
- He was also the first law minister of independent India.
- He later converted to Buddhism and died in his sleep in 1956 leaving a powerful legacy for Indian culture, politics and society.
[line]
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
ReadPablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Born in Malaga, Spain; Spanish “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
- A painter, sculptor, ceramicist* and poet, Pablo Picasso was the founder of Cubism* and one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.
- He started painting and displaying his work at the young age of fourteen.
- He had an instinctive and natural compassion for those who suffered and joined the French Communist party with a desire for equality.
- His famous paintings include the mural of the Guernica Bombing*(1937), The Dove of Peace which he donated to the Soviet backed World Peace Congress of 1949. His total artistic work numbered close to 50,000 with 1,885 paintings, 1,228 sculptures, and 2,880 ceramics.
- Picasso died at the age of 91 after touching various aspects of life including the horrors of war.
Oprah Winfrey (1954)
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
ReadOprah Winfrey (1954)
Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi; American “The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
- Oprah Winfrey is a talk show host, author, philanthropist, actress and media personality.
- She has been an important role model for black American women and has broken down many barriers through her talk shows and books.
- She spent her childhood in poverty and dressed in potato sacks.
- Her show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, has proved to be one of the most successful and highly watched TV shows of all time. She is one of the richest self made women and was listed as the first black woman billionaire in world history.
- The Oprah Winfrey Book Club is one of the most influential book clubs in the world and a recommendation from her sends books to the top of the best-seller lists.
[line]
Dalai Lama (1938)
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
ReadDalai Lama (1938)
Born in Qinghai, China “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
- The 14th Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Döndrub and was picked out as the rebirth of the thirteenth Dalai Lama. He was sent for formal monastic training and became the spiritual head of the Tibetan people in 1950.
- After the Chinese invasion of Tibet he became the spiritual and political leader of a country under invasion and occupation, and escaped to India, where he set up a government in exile in Dharamshala.
- He has followed a long campaign of non-violent resistance to Chinese occupation of Tibet and called on the Chinese to end the migration of the ethnic Han Chinese into Tibet.
- He has taught extensively on Buddhist philosophy and believes in the unity of different religions.
- He was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1989.
Joseph Stalin (1879-1953)
“Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?”
ReadJoseph Stalin (1879-1953)
Born in Gori, Georgia; Russian “Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?”
- Born as Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili, Stalin (Man of Steel), was the absolute ruler of the Soviet Union from 1924 to his death in 1953. He presided over the industrialisation of the economy and was the supreme war leader during the Second World War.
- He was instrumental in the formation of the Cold War* and annexation of Eastern European countries after WWII.
- He played a key role in the Russian Revolution* of 1917.
- He unleashed a great wave of purges* in which nearly 700,000 people died. He was ruthless as the Supreme military commander. He was said to be power hungry.
- He died in 1953 after suffering a stroke and despite his ruthlessness was seen as a champion of communism and hero of the Second World War.
[line]
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“School failed me, and I failed the school. I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam.”
ReadAlbert Einstein (1879-1955)
Born in Germany; German “School failed me, and I failed the school. I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam.”
- Albert Einstein is one of the most celebrated scientists of the twentieth century. His theories on relativity laid the framework for a new branch of physics.
- He was found to be slow in school and expressed no interest in learning languages and learning by rote was popular at the time. Einstein later took to teaching himself.
- He was an original free-thinker and contributed to the theoretical development of nuclear physics. However, he later spoke against the use of nuclear weapons.
- In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to theoretical physics and the evolution of Quantum Theory.
- He died in 1955 and at his request his brain and vital organs were removed for scientific study.
Steve Jobs (1955-2012)
“I was worth $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over$10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.”
ReadSteve Jobs (1955-2012)
Born in San Francisco; American “I was worth $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over$10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn't that important because I never did it for the money.”
- Steve Jobs was an American businessman and inventor who played a key role in the success of Apple computers and the revolutionary technology such as iPod, iPad and MacBook.
- He designed the first Macintosh* in 1984 which was an important milestone in home computing.
- In 1985 he was fired from Apple and found a job at NeXT computers which was bought by Apple in 1996.
- He took Apple to America’s most admired company status. He was considered a hard task master.
- He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003 and died in 2011 as a result of complications of the same.
[line]