Education profiles of India’s top freedom fighters

Mahatama Gandhi: He is one of the most prominent freedom fighters whose popularity is unmatched. He was from a Gujarat and in 1888, left for London to attend law school. He attended the University College of London law school and was called to the English bar on June 10, 1891. Right after, he promptly left for India. He opened a law practice in Mumbai (Bombay) but it was not a great success. He took a job at a law firm in Durban, South Africa and faced racial discrimination. From here, he initiated fight against the Britishers.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: While his death remains a mystery, we still remember him for his strong will and tactis that made him form the Indian National Army. Bose studied at the Stewart School, Cuttack. When he was in the seventh standard, he shifted to Ravenshaw Collegiate School. Post matriculation, he went to the Presidency College. Not many know that he was expelled for assaulting Professor Oaten for his anti-India comments. Bose passed his BA in 1918 in philosophy from the Scottish Church College under University of Calcutta. Since he promised his father, he cleared the ICS (civil services) examination with a good record. But he gave up the service to join in the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: The iron man of India, Patel did his matriculation when he was 22-year-old. He so wanted to be a barrister that when he was 36, he went to England and joined Middle Temple Inn. He completed the 36-month course in just 30 months. After returning to India, he became one of the most successful barristers of Ahmedabad. Though initially, politics did not interest Patel, however he changed plans after meeting Gandhi.

Sarojini Naidu She was a bright student and at the age of 12, she topped the matriculation exam. Besides her role and struggle in the Indian nationalist movement, Sarojini Naidu is also known for her impressive poetry. It is her works that made Nizam of Hyderabad grant her a scholarship to study overseas. At 16, she got admission in the King's College of England. Naidu was the first governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. She was a powerful orator and has command over Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali and Persian.

Sardar Bhagat Singh: He was a revolutionary who still commands a strong following among the youth. He completed primary education at the village school in Banga. He was then sent to DAV College, Lahore where he met Bhai Parmanand and Jai Chand Vidyalankar - his teachers and veteran nationalists. Their thoughts influenced Bhagat Singh and he left the college and later joined the National College founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, from where he graduated in 1923. The same year, he joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). It is Bhagat Singh who gave the slogan of 'Inquilab Zindabad'. He was also a great writer and had edited the Urdu paper Kirti from Amritsar and Akali (Amritsar). A good journalist, he sometimes contributed to the Arjun (Delhi) and Pratap (Kanpur) under the pseudonym of 'Balwant Singh'.