Gopal Ganesh Agarkar

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar (14 July 1856 17 June 1895) was a social reformer, educationist,
thinker from Maharashtra, India during the British rule. A close associate of Lokamanya
Tilak, he was a co-founder of the renowned educational institutes like New English
School, the Deccan Education Society and Fergusson College along with Lokamanya
Tilak, Vishnushastree Chiplunkar and others. He was the first editor of the weekly Kesari
and founder and editor of periodical Sudhaarak. He was the second Principal of
Fergusson College and served that post from August-1892 till his death.
Throughout his short life of just about 39 years, he exemplified impeccably high moral
character, utter determination to attain one's goals, sacrifice, great courage and a total
lack of greediness. He is considered as a model for any one who wants to be in public
service with unflinching devotion to his/her principles and a complete dedication to the
work undertaken.
Early life
Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was born in a Deshastha Brahman family on 14 July 1856 in
Tembhu, a Thembu village in Satara district now in Sangli district of Maharashtra.he was
friend of nilkant tidke Agarkar had his primary education from Karad (till 3rd Standard,
English medium). After doing some clerical work in a court at Karad, he went to
Ratnagiri but could not get education there. In 1878, he got his B. A. degree followed by
later M. A. in 1880.
Achievements and philosophy
Agarkar was a founding member of the Deccan Education Society in 1884, a pioneering
educational institution of theDeccan. He also founded new English school 1880 in Pune,
Maharashtra and famous Fergusson college during last years of his life in 1885.He was
the first editor of Kesari, a prominent Marathi weekly in those days which was started
by Lokmanya Tilak in 1880-81. He subsequently left Kesari out of ideological differences
with Tilak concerning the primacy of political reform versus social reform; with Agarkar
believing that the need for social reform was more immediate. He started his own
periodical Sudharakin which he campaigned against the injustices of untouchability and
the caste system.

Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 4 July 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta was an
Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a
key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the
western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the
status of a major world religion in the late 19th century. He was a major force in the
revival of Hinduism in India and contributed to the notion of nationalism in colonial
India. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is
perhaps best known for his inspiring speech beginning with "Sisters and Brothers of
America," through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's
Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Born into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta, Vivekananda showed an inclination
towards spirituality. He was influenced by his guru Ramakrishna from whom he learnt
that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self and, hence, service to God
could be rendered by service to mankind. After the death of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda
toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and acquired a first-hand knowledge of the
conditions that prevailed in British India. He later travelled to the United States to
represent India as a delegate in the 1893 Parliament of World Religions. He conducted
hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating tenets of Hindu
philosophy in the United States, England and Europe. In India, Vivekananda is regarded
as a patriotic saint and his birthday is celebrated as the National Youth Day.
Early life (18631888)
Birth and childhood
Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta (in short, Narendra) in Calcutta, the capital
of British India, on 12 January 1863 during the Makar Sankranti festival. He belonged to
a traditional Bengali Kayastha (a caste of Hindus) family and was one of nine siblings.
His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney of Calcutta High Court. Durgacharan
Datta, Narendra's grandfather, was a Sankrit and Persian scholar who left his family and
became a monk at the age of twenty five. Narendra's mother Bhuvaneswari Devi was a
religious housewife. The progressive rational approach of Narendra's father and the
religious temperament of his mother helped shape his thinking and personality.

Narenda was interested in spirituality from a young age, and used to play by meditating
before the images of deities such as Shiva, Rama, and Sita. He was fascinated by the
wandering ascetics and monks. Narendra was naughty and restless as a child, and his
parents often faced trouble controlling him. His mother told "I prayed to Shiva for a
son and he has sent me one of his demons."