Literature1861–1941
Rabindranath Tagore
First non-European Nobel laureate (1913). Wrote the anthems of India and Bangladesh; founded Visva-Bharati.
বাংলার মনীষী
Great Bengalis
From the Bengal Renaissance to the Nobel stage — the minds and hearts that made history.
Spirituality1863–1902
Swami Vivekananda
Carried Vedanta to the world at Chicago, 1893. Founded the Ramakrishna Mission.
Freedom1897–1945
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
Led the Azad Hind Fauj. “Give me blood, and I will give you freedom.”
Cinema1921–1992
Satyajit Ray
Pather Panchali and the Apu Trilogy. Honorary Academy Award, 1992.
Reform1820–1891
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Championed widow remarriage and girls’ education; reshaped the Bengali alphabet.
Reform1772–1833
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Fought to abolish Sati; founded the Brahmo Samaj. Father of the Bengal Renaissance.
Science1858–1937
Jagadish Chandra Bose
Pioneer of radio waves and plant physiology; invented the crescograph.
Science1894–1974
Satyendra Nath Bose
Bose–Einstein statistics. The boson is named after him.
Literature1899–1976
Kazi Nazrul Islam
The Rebel Poet. National poet of Bangladesh; wrote thousands of songs.
Economicsb. 1933
Amartya Sen
Nobel Prize in Economics, 1998, for work on welfare and famine.
Service1910–1997
Mother Teresa
Not Bengali by birth, but Kolkata’s own. Nobel Peace Prize, 1979.
Reform1880–1932
Begum Rokeya
Writer of Sultana’s Dream and a pioneer of Muslim women’s education.