WOMEN PERSONALITIES

• AMRAPALI
  Dancer of Vaishali; Loved Ajatshatru; Invited Budhha for Lunch

• PRABHAVATI DEVI
  Married to JP; Daughter of Gandhian Lawyer Brajkishore Prasad (Siwan);
  Established Mahila Charkha Samiti to continue Gandhi’s spinning wheel movement;
  Spent most of the early life in Gandhi Ashram; Kasturba Gandhi considered her as daughter;
  Arrested & sent to Bhagalpur Jail in 1932 for breaking Salt law; Active in QIM;
  Donated jewellery for Deshbandhu Kosh.

• RAJVANSHI DEVI
  Arrested in Patna (1947) alongwith Chandravati Devi for celebrating Independence;
  Former first lady of India (Wife of Rajendra Prasad); Donated jewellery for Sino-India war 1962.

• BHAGWATI DEVI
  Lead a procession of women in August 1942; Sister of Rajendra Prasad.

• TARA RANI
  From Saran; Organised women against Colonialism;
  QIM- Husband Phulena Babu planned to hoist flag at Siwan Police Station-
  A bullet hit him & she used her saree to carry him…

• SAVITRI DEVI
  Prince of Wales boycott (1921).

• SARASWATI DEVI
  Led women at Hazaribagh; Students freed her while she was being transferred from Hazaribagh to Bhagalpur;
  CDM & QIM.

• MEIRA KUMAR
  First Woman Lok Sabha Speaker (2009-14); Daughter of Jagjivan Ram & Indrani Devi.

• RAM DULARI SINHA
  First woman from Bihar to serve as Governor (Kerala); First woman of Bihar to have Master’s Degree;
  From Gopalganj; Congress Party. (Sharda Sinha - Covered in Current).

• SUNITI DEVI & RADHIKA DEVI
  Dressed like men, awareness using bicycle. (IAS PCS factory).

• TARKESHWARI SINHA
  President of Bihar Student Congress; Received Gandhi in Nalanda to quell communal riots.

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MUSLIM PERSONALITIES

• SHER SHAH
  Born Punjab (1472); Fareed; Father Hassan (Jagirdar of Sasaram); Studied Persian at Jaunpur;
  Joined Mughal army at Agra; Served with Bahar Khan Lohani in 1522 (Nawab of Bihar- Gave title ‘Sher Khan’);
  Defeated Jalal Khan of Bihar; Became Sher Shah after defeating Humayun (Chausa & Kannauj);
  Postal services, GT Road; Death due to mine blast at Kalinjar (1545).

• MAKHDUM SARFUDDIN YAHYA MANERI
  Sufi saint (14th Century); Propagated Phirdausi sect.

• PIR ALI
  Book-seller in Patna; Initiated 1857 Revolt; Hanged.

• KHUDABAKSH KHAN
  Established Khudabaksh Library at Patna.

• MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD
  Born at Mecca(1888)- Came to Calcutta in 1902; Published ‘Lisanusisdia’; Book “Tarjuman al Quran”;
  Al-Azhar University (Egypt); Construction of Islamia Madrassa;
  Chaired INC Special Session (Delhi, 1923) & Ramgarh (JH, 1940);
  First Education Minister; Buried in Delhi Jama Masjid.

• MAZHARUL HAQUE
  Born at Maner (Patna) but settled at Faridpur (Siwan); Father Sheikh Ahmedullah;
  Studied Law in England but Practiced at Patna & Chapra;
  ‘Ashiana’ House visited by Motilal, Sarojini, Malviya etc;
  BPCC Vice Chairman (1906) Journal Motherland;
  Active in Champaran movement & HRM; Founder of Sadaqat Ashram (1920) & Bihar Vidyapeeth; “Deshbhushan”.

• SULTAN AHMED
  First VC of PU; Member of Executive Council (1937); Law member to GoI.

• BISMILLAH KHAN
  Wind instruments Shehnai; Ustad title; Born at Dumraon (Buxar) as Amirudin Khan;
  Practice at Varanasi; Shehnai from Red Fort on 15 August 1947; Bharat Ratna (2001).

• HASAN IMAM
  Patna; Barrister; Khilafat, CDM; Opposed Simon.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• VATSAYAYAN
  Kamsutra (4th Century AD); Gupta Empire.

• ASHVAGHOSHA
  Mahayana Buddhism; Buddhacharit; Kanishka.

• ARYABHATT
  Born at Kusumpur (Pataliputra) in 473 AD; Laid foundation of algebra;
  Wrote Arya Bhattiya, Desh Deshika Sutra, Aryashatah;
  1st to separate maths from astrology; Knew geometry and trigonometry;
  Earth round and rotate on its axis; Discovered Decimal & Zero.

• VASHISHTH NARAYAN SINGH
  Basantpur Village (Bhojpur); studied at Patna science College;
  PhD from California; Died 2019 PMCH; Padmashree 2020

• BINDESHWAR PATHAK
  Sulabh International (1970); Sociologist; Books- Road to Freedom, The Making of a Legend;
  Sulabh Jal is clean drinking water project in Darbhanga; Passed away in 2023.

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LITERARY FIGURES

• VIDYAPATI
  Bisfi village (Madhubani); Father Ganpati Thakur (State Councillor of Mithila King Ganeshwar Singh);
  learned person of Sanskrit; Wrote ‘Kirti Lata’ in praise of Kirti Singh (son of Ganeshwar);
  Shiv Singh donated Bisfi village to him; Poet of Shringar Rasa (romantic love); Maithili Kokil;
  Books in Sanskrit- Puran Sangrah, Bhoo Parikarma, Ganga-Vakyawali, Dan-Vakyawali.

• RAMBRIKSH BENIPURI
  Born at Benipur (Muzaffarpur); Edited newspaper “Yuvak”;
  Hindi literature- Amar Jyoti, Vijeta, Sita ki maa, Kaidiki patni, Tathagat, Amrapali,
  Sanghamitra, Maati ki Moorate, Patiton ke Desh me, Lal Tara, Chita ke Phool.

• PHANISHWAR NATH RENU
  Aurahi Hingana (Araria); Books- Maila Anchal, Paltu Babu Road, Kitne Chaurahe, Parti, Juloos,
  Reenjal Dhanjal, Deerghtapa, Dophari ki Dhoop, Tale of wasteland, Panchlight, Third vow.

• SHIVPUJAN SAHAI
  Buxar; Childhood name Bholanath; Edited “Atmakatha” of Rajendra Prasad.

• RAMDHARI SINGH DINKAR
  Simaria village (Begusarai); studied at Patna University; Vice Chancellor of Bhagalpur University;
  Rajya Sabha member; Vidrohi Kavi; Books- Renuka (Rashtra Kavi), Rashmi Rathi, Urwasi (Jnanpith),
  Dhoop Chhaon, Hunkar, Ardh Narishwar, Ujli Aag, Raswanti, Pranbhag.

• KEDARNATH MISHRA ‘PRABHAT’
  Jwala, Rituvansh, Kaikeyi.

• DEEPANKAR SHRIJNAN
  Acharya of Vikramshila University; Visited Tibet; Buddhism Knowledge.

• NAGARJUN (Baba, Yatri ji, Vaidyanath Mishra, Deccan Misir)
  Madhubani; Adopted Buddhism & migrated to SL; Active in Sampoorna Kranti and Umbari farmers movement of Chapra;
  Books- Yugdhara, Talab ki Machhaliyan etc.

• MANDAN MISHRA
  Mithila; Debated with Shankracharya.

• JANAKI BALLABH SHASTRI
  Gaya; Books- Kalki, Radha, Meghgeet, Gatha, Roop-Kuroop, Shyam Sangeet.

• RAHUL SANKRITYAYAN (Kedarnath Pandey)
  Azamgarh; Mahapandit tag; Farmers movement (Ambari Satyagraha); Hindi Literature.

• BHIKHARI THAKUR
  Saran; Wrote ‘Bidesia’; Shakespeare of Bhojpuri.