100 Unsung Heroes of India: Celebrating the Silent Trailblazers Across History

Here’s a list of 100 unsung heroes of India, people whose contributions have significantly impacted the country but who may not have received widespread recognition:

Freedom Fighters

1. Matangini Hazra – Participated in Quit India Movement.
2. Begum Hazrat Mahal – Rebelled against the British during 1857.
3. Alluri Sitarama Raju – Led tribal revolt against British in Andhra Pradesh.
4. Velu Nachiyar – Queen who fought against British rule.
5. Tirot Singh – Freedom fighter from Meghalaya.
6. Birsa Munda – Tribal freedom fighter, led Munda rebellion.
7. Bhikaiji Cama – Played a crucial role in revolutionary activities.
8. Sardar Udham Singh – Avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
9. Kanaklata Barua – Martyred during the Quit India Movement.
10. Aruna Asaf Ali – Leading figure in Quit India Movement.
11. Bina Das – Attempted assassination of the British Governor of Bengal.
12. Rani Gaidinliu – Naga spiritual leader and freedom fighter.
13. Potti Sreeramulu – Fought for Andhra Pradesh’s statehood.
14. Rajkumari Gupta – Involved in Kakori conspiracy.
15. Durgabai Deshmukh – Freedom fighter and social activist.
16. Mangal Pandey – Sparked the First War of Independence, 1857.
17. Senapati Bapat – Revolutionary during the independence struggle.
18. Kittur Rani Chennamma – Queen of Kittur who led an armed rebellion against British.
19. Veerapandiya Kattabomman – South Indian freedom fighter.
20. Surya Sen – Led the Chittagong Armoury Raid.
21. Tantia Tope – Leader of 1857 rebellion, close associate of Rani Laxmi Bai.
22. Ashfaqulla Khan – Kakori Conspiracy case revolutionary.
23. Khudiram Bose – One of the youngest martyrs of the freedom movement.
24. Tara Rani Srivastava – Participated in the Quit India Movement.
25. Jatindra Nath Das – Died after hunger strike in jail for rights of political prisoners.
26. Prafulla Chaki – Revolutionary who participated in Muzaffarpur bombing.
27. Udham Singh – Avenged Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
28. Subramania Bharati – Tamil poet and freedom fighter.
29. Babu Genu Said – Martyred during the freedom movement.
30. Vanchinathan – Assassinated British official Robert Ashe.

Social Reformers and Leaders

31. Savitribai Phule – Pioneer of women’s education in India.
32. Jyotirao Phule – Social reformer for lower castes.
33. Fatima Sheikh – India’s first Muslim woman educator.
34. Narayana Guru – Social reformer from Kerala.
35. Murlidhar Devidas Amte (Baba Amte) – Worked for leprosy patients and social reform.
36. Periyar E.V. Ramasamy – Social reformer for equality and rationalism.
37. Swami Dayananda Saraswati – Founder of Arya Samaj.
38. Pandita Ramabai – Social reformer for women’s rights.
39. Ayyankali – Social reformer for Dalits in Kerala.
40. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar – Educator and advocate of widow remarriage.
41. Dhondo Keshav Karve – Education and social reform for widows.
42. Harbilas Sarda – Championed child marriage prohibition.
43. Ram Manohar Lohia – Political leader and socialist.
44. Raja Rammohan Roy – Abolished Sati and campaigned for modern education.
45. Sister Nivedita – Social worker and disciple of Swami Vivekananda.
46. Nawab Abdul Latif – Social reformer from Bengal.
47. Tarabai Shinde – Early feminist writer.
48. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur – Sikh warrior against Mughal oppression.
49. Veer Surendra Sai – Fought against British in Odisha.
50. Mahavir Singh Phogat – Popularized women’s wrestling in Haryana.

Scientists and Innovators

51. Vikram Sarabhai – Father of India’s space program.
52. Satyendra Nath Bose – Quantum mechanics pioneer.
53. Meghnad Saha – Astrophysicist known for Saha Equation.
54. G.N. Ramachandran – Developed triple helical model of collagen.
55. Homi J. Bhabha – Father of India’s nuclear program.
56. J.C. Bose – Pioneering work in wireless telegraphy and plant physiology.
57. Prafulla Chandra Ray – Father of Indian Chemistry.
58. Shivkar Bapuji Talpade – Claimed to have invented an unmanned plane.
59. Raja Ramanna – Played key role in India’s first nuclear test.
60. Srinivasa Ramanujan – Mathematical genius.
61. M. Visvesvaraya – Indian civil engineer and statesman.
62. Sushruta – Ancient Indian surgeon, author of the Sushruta Samhita.
63. Dr. Indira Hinduja – Pioneer in India's first test-tube baby.
64. Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar – Chemist and scientific administrator.
65. Gopal Chandra Bhattacharya – Indian entomologist and science communicator.

Cultural and Literary Figures

66. Mahasweta Devi – Bengali writer and social activist.
67. Bhavabhuti – Sanskrit scholar and dramatist.
68. Dinanath Mangeshkar – Father of Lata Mangeshkar, contributed to classical music.
69. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar – Hindi poet and freedom fighter.
70. Kabir Das – Mystic poet and saint.
71. Mirabai – Poet-saint devoted to Lord Krishna.
72. Gulzarilal Nanda – Writer and freedom fighter, twice acting PM.
73. Raja Ravi Varma – Indian painter, known for popularizing Indian gods and goddesses.
74. Bhupen Hazarika – Musician and filmmaker from Assam.
75. Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (R.K. Narayan) – Notable Indian English-language writer.

Sportspersons and Athletes

76. Major Dhyan Chand – Hockey legend.
77. Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav – First Indian Olympic medalist in wrestling.
78. P.T. Usha – Iconic Indian athlete.
79. Mithali Raj – Women’s cricket captain and batting legend.
80. Mary Kom – Boxing champion and Olympic medalist.
81. Milkha Singh – Legendary sprinter.
82. Abhinav Bindra – Olympic gold medalist in shooting.
83. Karnam Malleswari – First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.
84. Arati Saha – First Asian woman to swim across the English Channel.

Other Unsung Heroes

85. Dashrath Manjhi – Carved a path through a mountain over 22 years.
86. Sindhutai Sapkal – Known as the “Mother of Orphans.”
87. Malati Choudhury – Social worker and Gandhian.
88. Tessy Thomas – Missile woman of India.
89. Jadav Payeng – Forest man of India, created a man-made forest.
90. Baba Farid – Sufi saint and poet.
91. K.R. Narayanan – First Dalit President of India.
92. Rani Abbakka Chowta – Queen who resisted Portuguese rule in Karnataka.
93. Bhanwari Devi – Social worker, symbol of women's rights.
94. Nellie Sengupta – British woman who fought for Indian freedom.
95. Tulsi Gowda – Environmentalist known as the "Encyclopedia of Forest."
96. Bishnu Shrestha – Soldier who fought off train robbers in India.
97. Shankar Guha Niyogi – Leader of labor movements in Chhattisgarh.
98. Chandrashekhar Azad – Indian revolutionary freedom fighter.
99. Rukmini Devi Arundale – Bharatanatyam dancer and revivalist.
100. Sudha Varghese – Educator for marginalized communities in Bihar.

These individuals have contributed to India's progress and legacy across various domains, but their stories remain lesser-known compared to more widely celebrated figures.