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Wednesday, December 3, 2025
HomeForgotten Founders

Forgotten Founders

Deshbandhu Gupta, a freedom fighter who believed in free press

A member of the Constituent Assembly, Deshbandhu Gupta also advocated the cause of an assembly status for the national capital of Delhi.

Balkrishna Sharma: A freedom fighter & poet admired by Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Balkrishna Sharma campaigned vigorously for Hindi to be declared a national language of India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1960.

Lokanath Misra: Politician who opposed freedom to propagate religion as fundamental right

Lokanath Misra served as governor of three 3 northeastern states. As member of the Constituent Assembly, he highlighted need to protect Hindu culture & religion.

VT Krishnamachari: India’s master planner who laid the foundation of panchayati raj system

A civil servant, Krishnamachari donned many hats in pre- and post-Independent India, with the most notable being his stint at the Planning Commission.

Algu Rai Shastri: The socialist who vociferously denounced English as a foreign language

Algu Rai Shastri, a member of the Constituent Assembly, was against forced religious conversions and known for denouncing views of religious minorities.

Durgabai Deshmukh: The brave woman from Andhra who ended her own child marriage

Durgabai Deshmukh, one of 15 women in the 299-member Constituent Assembly, was a feisty individual who studied law to help the wrongfully convicted.

Sardar Hukam Singh, a minority rights champion in Constituent Assembly

Sardar Hukam Singh, who served in first three Lok Sabhas, refused to sign draft of the constitution as he felt it failed to secure...

The Kerala governor who openly pushed Indira’s case for PM

Ajith Prasad Jain also served in a Nehru Cabinet and backed the abolition of the zamindari system.

Gokulbhai Bhatt, the Constituent Assembly member who called the Constitution ‘un-Indian’

Gokulbhai Bhatt, who quit college to join the non-cooperation movement, was a staunch proponent of the Gandhian Panchayati Raj.

Muhammad Ismail, Indian Muslim League pioneer who wanted Hindustani as official language

During Constituent Assembly debates, Ismail pushed for Hindustani because it was the most spoken and understood language in India.

On Camera

The missing piece in India’s reform story—a strong tribunal system

The Supreme Court’s judgment pushes the conversation in the right direction, but it does not resolve the full range of structural issues that determine how tribunals work on the ground.

India’s Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code is struggling to deliver. It’ll take a decade to clear backlog

The Centre is considering an increase in the National Company Law Tribunal's bench capacity, while the Standing Committee of Finance suggests fast-track courts. 

India to commission new squadron of submarine-hunting Romeo choppers in Goa later this month

The helicopters produced by Lockheed Martin are known as ‘submarine hunters’. India ordered 24 of these aircraft in 2020 to replace the Sea King helicopters. 15 have been delivered till date.

Gaali cricket: Bavuma stands tall, India’s Test ego cut to size

The India-South Africa series-defining fact is the catastrophic decline of Indian red ball cricket where a visiting team can mock us with the 'grovel' word.