Great Achievers Of India

Chapter Overview:

Great achievers of
India

Kings : Leader: Social reformers:

Akbar, Ashoka, Gandhiji, APJ Abdul Kalam, Raja Ram Mohan Roy,
Krishnadevaraya S. Radhakrishnan Kabir, Ramabai

Get Set:
Read this short story about Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
Young Abdul Kalam lived in a small town by the sea. Though his family didn't have much money, he had
big dreams. Every day, he would study hard and help his father sell newspapers. At night, he'd look at the
stars, wondering about space. Despite many challenges, Kalam never stopped learning and working hard.
His curiosity and determination led him to become a great scientist and later, the President of India. Kalam
showed that no dream is too big if you believe in yourself and work towards it.

A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Link

Great achievers of India:

India is a land of many incredible people who have done amazing things. These great achievers have made
our country proud in different fields like science, sports, arts, and more. They worked hard, never gave up,
and followed their dreams to become successful.
Some of these great people lived long ago, while others are still making India shine today. Their stories
teach us that with dedication and effort, we can all do wonderful things.
H1 Kings:
In the Ancient and middle eras of Indian history, Kings and Queens used to rule over the people living in
their kingdoms. The rulers used to spend a lot of money collected through taxes for the betterment of society
and for the welfare of people as many of the kings and queens were kind-hearted. One of the Kings who was
famous for his good work was,
Ashoka:
Ashoka had always dreamed of becoming a great conqueror and acquiring many territories. He fought and
won many battles but the great War of Kalinga which killed thousands of soldiers and left many injured, this
violence changed his heart and made him a follower of Buddha and Buddhism. After the War of Kalinga,
Ashoka stopped fighting wars and started working for the people by building roads and rest houses for the
tourists and pilgrims. He ordered his son and daughter to spread the message of Buddhism in different parts
of India, Sri Lanka, and many other places. He inscribed his messages on the pillars and rocks in different
parts of the country.
Did you know?
The Ashoka Chakra, which appears on India's national flag, comes from one of Ashoka's pillars.
Akbar:
Emperor Akbar was the grandson of Babur, who was the founder of the Mughal dynasty on Indian soil.
Akbar ruled India for 49 years. This was the longest period ruled by a single ruler of the Mughal dynasty.
Akbar had so much respect for the learned men. His respect for artists, writers, and poets was very well
known. There were nine gems in his court, the most famous of them were Tansen, Birbal, and Todarmal. He
had respect for every religion and he built roads and resthouses for the travellers and pilgrims. His work
towards the welfare of people made him a great king.

Did you know?

Akbar was only 13 years old when he started to
rule India as a Mughal Emperor.

Krishnadevaraya:
Emperor Akbar. Link
He was a brave ruler from the southern part of India. He
was a famous poet and his love for literature was well known, he also encouraged artists in his kingdom and
his court. He allowed people in his kingdom to follow any religion they wished to. The tanks were built for
the irrigation of lands and international trade was also taking place in his time.

Keywords:
Despite: Without being affected by. Curiosity: A strong feeling to learn something. Determination: fixed
motive to achieve something. Incredible: something very good or big. Proud: Very happy because you
have done something. Dedication: To give your time and energy into something. Effort: energy you need
to do something. Eras: A long time in history. Welfare: the help and care given to people in need.
Conqueror: A person who has won something. Acquiring: To own something. Territories: An area of land.
Violence: Behaviour that harms or damages someone. Buddhism: A religion that was started by Buddha.
Pilgrims: A person who travels a long way to visit a religious place. Inscribed: To write or cut words on
something. Dynasty: A series of rulers from the same family. Period: A length of time. Irrigation:
watering of lands by artificial means. Trade: Buying and selling of goods. Taxes: Money that has to be paid
to the government.
Pause and answer:
Tick the correct answer.
1. Ashoka became a follower of Buddhism/Jainism after the War of Kalinga.
 2. Akbar belonged to the Mughal/Gupta dynasty.
3. Krishnadevaraya was a brave ruler from the southern/northern part of India.

Leader:
A leader is someone who guides and inspires others to work together towards a common goal. They make
important decisions, set a good example, and help others succeed. Out of so many people in the world, there
are only a few who have the qualities to become a leader. These leaders inspire people's lives with the help
of their teachings.
Gandhiji:
Also known as Mahatma Gandhi, his full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Born in Porbandar,
Gujarat. As a young man, he went to South Africa to work as a lawyer. When he returned to India, Gandhi
led peaceful protests to help free India from British rule. He taught people to be brave and stand up for what
is right without hurting others. His famous movements like the Quit India Movement, Non-cooperation
Movement, and many others helped India achieve its freedom. He is also known as the father of the nation
or Bapu because he dedicated his life to India’s struggle for freedom and to make Indian society a better
place to live in. Gandhiji's way of peaceful protests inspired many people around the world. Because of his
kindness and wisdom, people called him "Mahatma," which means "Great Soul.

Did you know?

The title of mahatma was given by Rabindranath Tagore to Gandhiji.

Mahatma Gandhi
link Dr.
A.P.J Abdul Kalam. link

A.P.J Abdul kalam:

Dr. Abdul Kalam was born in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu. Dr. Kalam was born into a poor family but had
big dreams, every day he used to sell newspapers with his father and study hard. Later, he graduated from
the Madras Institute of Technology and played an important role in the development of India’s missile and
nuclear weapons program. His successful plans launched several missiles and got him a name as the “missile
man of India”. His important role in India’s nuclear weapons testing of 1998 made him a national hero. Later
in 2002, he became the president of India. He aimed to use science and technology to transform India into a
developed nation.
Keywords:
Inspire: to make somebody want to do or create something Succeed: to manage to achieve what you want;
to do well. Protests: an action that shows that you do not like or approve of something.
Dedicated: giving a lot of your efforts to something that you believe to be important.
Struggle: to try very hard to do something, especially when it is difficult.
Nuclear weapons: a bomb that uses nuclear energy to cause an explosion.
Missile: a powerful weapon that can be sent long distances through the air.

S. Radhakrishnan:
S. Radhakrishnan was born in Tamil Nadu, India. He was a scholar and a politician. He served as a professor
in several universities like the University of Calcutta, Mysore, Oxford University, England, etc. He was also
elected as the chairman of the UNESCO’s executive board. He was elected as the vice president in 1962 and
was the second President of independent India.
Did you know?
Every year on September 5th, Teacher's
Day is celebrated to honour S.
Radhakrishnan's service to Indian society.

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan link

Pause and learn:
Mark T or F against the correct and incorrect sentences.
1. Gandhi Ji went to America to work as a Lawyer. _______
2. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam was known as the “missile man of India”. ________
3. S. Radhakrishnan was the second President of the Independent India. __________
Social reformers:
Social reformers in India were brave people who worked to make society better. They fought against unfair
practices like child marriage and the caste system. These reformers believed in equality and education for
all. Their efforts helped change many old rules and improved the lives of many Indians. some of the famous
social reformers are:
Raja Rammohun Roy:
Raja Rammohun Roy was born in Bengal, he belonged to a rich family and was well-educated. He was
against child marriages which were common practice in 19th-century India, he protested against these evil
practices and succeeded in getting the legal age for girls to marry. He was strongly against the Sati practice
in which a widow had to burn herself alive in the pyre of her husband. He abolished the Sati practice and
worked on the upliftment of females.
Discuss:
Why was it important to uplift the women in
society in 19th century India? Discuss the
necessary reasons with your partners.

Raja Rammohun Roy

link
Keywords:
Scholar: A person who has lot of knowledge about a subject. Practices: Use of an idea, belief,etc.
Equality: A state of being equal. Widow: A woman whose husband has died.
 Upliftment: To raise someone socially, morally, etc. 19th century: years from 1801 to 1899 Legal:
Something permitted by the law.
Saint Kabir:
The harsh practices of Hindu and Muslim religions were strongly protested by Kabir. Kabir was well praised
by the poor people as he worked for their upliftment and was against the practices like caste systems. He
used to spread his messages to society through his short poems also known as dohas.

Saint Kabir. link

Content: Add NEP tag Cross-curicular/Integrated.
Read this one of the dohas of Saint Kabir and try to understand its
meaning.

दुःख में सुमिरन सब करे सुख में करै न कोय। जो सुख

में सुमिरन करे दुःख काहे को होय

Meaning: Everyone remembers God in times of suffering, but no

one does so in times of joy. If one does remember in times of joy
then why any suffering would occur.
What can you learn from this doha.

Ramabai Ranade:
Ramabai Ranade was born in Maharashtra and was a social worker. Her work consists mainly of uplifting
women and children to improve their condition in society by building schools and training centers where
they could learn modern education and skills.
Think and tell:
How did Mahatma Gandhi’s use
of peaceful protest help India
achieve its freedom?

Ramabai Ranade
link

Pause and learn:

Circle the correct word:
 1. Raja Rammohun Roy/Kabir helped in getting the legal age for girls to marry.
2. Kabir/Ramabai was against the harsh practices of Hindu and Muslim religions.
3. Raja Rammohun Roy/Ramabai built schools and training centers for women to learn modern
education and new skills.

Keywords:
Harsh: Very strict. Praised: To say that somebody or something is good. Religion: The belief in the god.
Consists: To be made up of something.
Word splash:
Quit India Movement: It was a protest against the British to throw them out of India.
Non-cooperation Movement: Protest against the British for their unkind behaviour towards Indians.
President: Head of the Country.
Sati: A practice in which a widow has to sit in the live pyre of her husband.
Dohas: A short poem.
UNESCO: An organization of the UN.
Chapter Overview:
 Leaders are the people who inspire the lives of people. These leaders might include Kings, Social
Reformers, etc.
 Great works for people done by Ashoka the Great, spreading messages of nonviolence and teachings
of Buddhism.
 Emperors like Akbar and Krishnadevaraya are remembered as great kings for the work the works
they did for the welfare of the people.
 Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, A.P.J Abdul Kalam, and S. Radhakrishnan were born with many
challenges but made their way and led the country to achieve its greatness.
 Social reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy, Saint Kabir, and Ramabai Ranade fought bravely against
social evil practices like sati, child marriage, etc, and worked for the upliftment of females and the
poor.
Wonders Of Bharat:
The Teachings of Buddhism that influenced a fierce warrior like Ashoka the Great started in Bodhgaya,
Bihar.

Statue of Buddha in Bodhgaya.

Link

Explore More:
Watch this short video footage of Mahatma Gandhi. link

Chapter Checkup:
Fill in the blanks:
a) Babur b) Irrigation c) Buddhism d) Gems

1. Ashok ordered his children to spread the message of ___________ in different parts of the country.
2. Akbar was the grandson of _________ who was the founder of the Mughal Dynasty on the Indian
soil.
3. There were nine ______ in the court of Akbar.
4. Krishnadevaraya built tanks for the __________ of lands.
Mark True and False:
1. Ashoka had a change of heart and started following Buddhism after the Great War of Kalinga.
_______
2. Dr Abdul Kalam was known as the Ironman of India. _______
3. S. Radhakrishnan was the second president of Independent India. _________
4. Saint Kabir used stories to spread his messages to people. _________
5. Ramabai Ranade’s works were mainly focused on uplifting women and children. ______

Match the following:

1. Ashoka the Great a) used nonviolent methods to protest.
2. Gandhi ji b) used pillars to inscribe messages
3. Social reformers c) Chairman of UNESCO
4. S. Radhakrishnan d) Fought against the evil practices

Short answer questions:

1. Who were the famous gems from the court of Akbar?
2. Who allowed people in his kingdom to follow any religion they wished to?
3. What did Dr. Kalam aim to use to transform India into a developed nation?
4. What were the practices that Kabir was against?
Long answer questions:
1. Why did Ashoka stop fighting wars and start following Buddhism? What were the methods used by
him to spread the messages of Buddhism?
2. What made Krishnadevaraya a great king?
3. What are the main qualities of a leader? Which quality is almost common in every leader?
4. How did social reformers fight against the evil practices and what were their works for uplifting
women, the poor, and children?
Picture based study:
Identify the famous person in the picture and write their about the works they have done for making society
a better place.

1. 2. 3.
link link link

Name: Name: Name:

Works: works: Works:

HOTs:
Identify what teachings these leaders mentioned below followed.
a) Mahatma Gandhi b) Ashoka c) Raja Rammohun Roy d) Kabir
Write how are they similar and how are their ideas different.

Community connect:
Gather 4 to 5 children from your neighbourhood, siblings, and friends. Try to teach them about the qualities
of one of your favourite achievers. Now write down which achievers and their qualities you taught to them
and why you chose this achiever and his/her quality.