Lal Bahadur Shastri : The Prime Minister of India who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964. His courageous decision to meet Pakistani invasion to Kashmir by Indian Armed forces put an end to Pakistani aggression and taught them a lesson. He concluded the Tashkent Agreement and after signing the declaration, he died in Tashkent itself on January 10, 1966. He is associated with the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”. He is called “Man of Peace”. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1966.
Lala Lajpatrai : He was the Congress leader of the United Punjab. He is well known for his contribution to freedom movement and social reforms. He died of injuries caused by lathi-charge by the police while he was leading a demonstration against the Simon Commission in the year 1928. He was called “Lion of Punjap” (Punjap Kesari). He is the author of “Unhappy India”.
Lara Dutta : The 21 year old Miss. India Universe was crowned Miss. Universe 2000 beating 78 other contestants at the Beauty Pageant in Nicosia (Cyprus) on May 13, 2000.
Leonardo da Vinci : He was a great Italian painter, architect, sculptor, scientist, engineer and musician rolled into one. Last Supper and Mona Lisa are two of his most important paintings.
Leo Tolstoy : The great novelist and dramatist of Russia. His famous novels are War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Resurrection. Mahatma Gandhi had great admiration for him and drew inspiration from his writings.
Lord Chelmsford : The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919. Under this Act of Government armed itself with unlimited rights, even to detain a person and arrest him without producing him before a court. To oppose the Rowlatt Act, Mahatma Gandhi introduced the unique weapon of Satyagraha, but he was imprisoned on April 6, 1919. The Jalianwala Bagh tragedy took place on April 13, 1919. The Khilafat Movement, Non cooperation Movement and the Third Afghan War took place.
Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856) : He introduced Doctrine of Lapse and Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur and Jaipur were annexed. Cudh was taken on grounds of misgovernment. He opened the first Indian Railway in 1853 between Bombay and Thane. Telegraph offices, post offices were opened.
Lord Mayo (1869-1872) : A college was set up at Ajmer to impart suitable education to the sons of the Indian princes. Subsequently, this college was called as the “Mayo College”. Lord Mayo went to Andaman islands to inspect the conditions of the convicts, Sher Ali stabbed him to death at Port Blair.
Lord Mountbatten : On February 20, 1947 Mr.Attlee, British Prime Minister declared that the British Government had decided to withdraw from India by June 1948. To prepare plans for the transfer of power, Lord Louis Mountbatten was sent to India in the place of Lord Wavell. Lord Mountbatten was able to persuade the Congress to agree to the partition of India into two parts - India and Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act of 1947 was passed in British Parliament. India attained independence on 15th August 1947. Lord Mountbatten was the first British Governor General of free India and last Viceroy of India. C.Rajagopalachari was the first and last Indian Governor-General of free India. Mountbatten was Britain’s supreme Allied Commander in South-East Asia in World War II. He was killed in an explosion on a boat while holidaying in the Irish Republic.
Lord Ripon : The only British Viceroy who became immensely popular with the Indian people. The Vernacular Press Act was repealed in 1882. The most important measure of Lord Ripon was to encourage the institution of Local Self Government in India. He is therefore called the Father of Local Self Government. The Hunter Commission recommended that the primary and secondary education be transferred in the hands of local bodies subject to the supervision of Educational Officer of the government. The government accepted most of the recommendations. The Punjab University was established in 1882. The first Factory Act was passed. The first census of the Indian people in 1881 was taken and it was resolved that it would be repeated after every 10 years. The Ilbert Bill Indian Judges to hear cases against Europeans could not be passed.
Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835) : He is known for many reforms viz., suppression of thuggee (Plunderers of North India), prohibition of “Sati, the evil system followed by Rajputs, female infanticide and human sacrifices. Lord William Bentinck received the hearty support of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He introduced English Education in India. The first Indian Medical College was opened at Calcutta and the Elphinstone College was founded at Bombay. He was the first Governor General to act on the principle that the first duty of British Government was to govern India for the benefit of Indians and not simply to extend the territory.
Louis Braille : He was the inventor of embossed dot system of reading and writing for the blind.
