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Michael phelps

Michael Fred Phelps is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals Olympic gold medals in individual events and Olympic medals in individual events When Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, he broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Phelps already tied the record of eight medals of any color at a single Games by winning six gold and two bronze medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps won four gold and two silver medals, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won five gold medals and one silver. This made him the most successful athlete of the Games for the fourth Olympics in a row. Phelps is the long course world record holder in the men's 400-meter individual medley as well as the former long course world record holder in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, and 200-meter individual medley. He has won 82 medals in major international long course competitions, of which 65 were gold, 14 silver, and three bronze, spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Championships. Phelps's international titles and record-breaking performances have earned him the World Swimmer of the Year Award eight times and American Swimmer of the Year Award eleven times, as well as the FINA Swimmer of the Year Award in 2012 and 2016. Phelps earned Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award due to his unprecedented Olympic success in the 2008 Games. After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Phelps started the Michael Phelps Foundation, which focuses on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthier lifestyles. Phelps retired following the 2012 Olympics, but he made a comeback in April 2014.[13] At the 2016 Summer O

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Agostinho Neto

António Agostinho Neto was an Angolan politician and poet. He served as the 1st President of Angola, having led the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the war for independence. Until his death, he led the MPLA in the civil war. Neto was born at Ícolo e Bengo, in Bengo Province, Angola in 1922. Neto attended high school in the capital city, Luanda; his parents were both school teachers and Methodists; his father, also called Agostinho Neto, was a Methodist pastor. After secondary school he worked in the colonial health services before going on to university. The younger Neto left Angola for Portugal, and studied medicine at the universities of Coimbra and Lisbon. He combined his academic life with covert political activity of a revolutionary sort; and PIDE, the security police force of the Estado Novo regime headed by Portuguese Prime Minister Salazar, arrested him in 1951 for three months for his separatist activism. He was arrested again in 1952 for joining the Portuguese Movement for Democratic Youth Unity. He was arrested again in 1955 and held until 1957. He finished his studies, marrying a 23-year-old Portuguese woman who was born in Trás-os-Montes, Maria Eugénia da Silva, the same day he graduated. He returned to Angola in 1959, was arrested again in 1960, and escaped to assume leadership of the armed struggle against colonial rule. When Angola gained independence in 1975 he became President and held the position until his death in 1979.

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Bipin Rawat

Bipin Rawat was born in Pauri, modern-day Uttarakhand, on 16 March 1958, into a Hindu family. His family had been serving in the Indian Army for multiple generations. His father Laxman Singh Rawat was from Sainj village of the Pauri Garhwal district and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General. His mother was from the Uttarkashi district and was the daughter of Kishan Singh Parmar, the ex-Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Uttarkashi. Rawat attended Cambrian Hall School in Dehradun and the St. Edward's School, Shimla. He then joined the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the 'Sword of Honour'. He was also a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, and the Higher Command Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. From his tenure at the DSSC, he obtained an MPhil degree in Defence Studies as well as a diploma in Management and Computer Studies from the University of Madras. In 2011, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by CCS University, Meerut for his research on military media strategic studies.

Personal life

In 1985, Rawat married Madhulika Rawat. A descendant of an erstwhile princely family, she was the daughter of Kunwar Mrigendra Singh, sometime Riyasatdar of the pargana of Sohagpur Riyasat in Shahdol district, and an Indian National Congress MLA from the district in 1967 and 1972. The couple had two daughters, Kritika and Tarini.

Death

On 8 December 2021, Rawat, his wife, and other senior army officers were amongst 10 passengers and 4 crew members aboard an Indian Air Force Mil Mi-17 helicopter that was on its way from the Sulur Airforce base to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, where Rawat was to deliver a lecture.[60] The helicopter crashed in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) from its destination.

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Sindhutai Sapkal

Sindhutai Sapkal also called 'Mother of Orphans' or 'Mai' was an Indian social activist better known for her work of raising destitute children and rehabilitating women. Sapkal was born in Pimpri, Wardha to a poor family on 14 November 1948 and was called 'chindi' as in 'torn piece of cloth' for being an unwanted girl child. She completed her education up to the fourth standard with success but due to her early marriage to a man 20 years her elder she had to discontinue her education. At the age of 12, she moved with her husband to Seloo, Wardha, and not long after was abandoned by said husband with a girl child to raise. She was only 20 then. The turning point in Sindhutai's life came when she fought for the rehabilitation of Adivasis at Chikhaldara and her efforts were acknowledged by the Minister of Forest and the tribals were relocated and taken care of. She helped 84 villages with their relocation. 

 

Meanwhile, she also adopted orphans as she noticed many abandoned children while begging for food even if meant begging more vigorously. Her dedication to providing a home to orphans and being a mother to them earned her the moniker of 'Anathanchi Mai'. During her social working years, she received many awards and used all the money for her social organization and helping the less fortunate. She donated her biological daughter to the trust Shrimant Dagdu Sheth Halwai, Pune to be impartial in her affections. Mai received the Padma Shri in 2021 for all her efforts and dedication to the social cause.

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Dorothy Height

Dorothy Height was an American civil and women's rights activist. She was an influential leader in the black community and the president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years. Widely respected Dorothy Irene Height focused on issues of African American women, unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness. Height was also the first leader of the civil rights movement in 1954. Born in Richmond, Virginia on March 24, 1912, Height later moved to Rankin, Pennsylvania, and attended racially integrated schools. Because of her long association with YWCA Height learned that her race barred her from swimming in the pool at the central YWCA branch. Appalled and inspired Height became socially and politically active in high school, participating in anti-lynching campaigns. Later she was denied entrance in Bernard college due to their unwritten policy of two black students per year so she enrolled in New York University and graduated with a degree in educational psychology. Height began her career as casework with New York City Welfare Department but later became a civil rights activist. Her contribution to racial minorities and women is exceptional. Moreover, her passion earned her Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-President Bill Clinton in 1994. She also attended the 'National Black Family Reunion' every year until her death in 2010. Height was not married and did not have children but she was referred by many as the Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Pandit Birju Maharaj.

Kathak Maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj also known as Birjmohan Nath Mishra was a legendary kathak dancer. Born on 4 February 1937, he was the leading exponent of the 'Kalka-Bindadin' Gharana of Lucknow. Birju Maharaj was a descendant of well-known Kathak dance masters. His father Achhan Maharaj was also his Guru and he started performing alongside Achhan Maharaj as a child. Achhan Maharaj was popular and served in the court in the princely state of Raigarh. After his father's death both his uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhan Maharaj took him under their wing and started teaching him in earnest. He was nine years old then. At the age of 13, he started teaching dance at Sangeet Bharti in New Delhi. He also taught in other notable institutions such as Bhartiya Kala Kendra and Kathak Kendra. Opening his own dance school Kalahram in Delhi Birju Maharaj brought a new Kathak wave. He is especially known for his brilliant choreography and has done many dance choreographies for Bollywood. Some of the most popular among them are Kahe Chode Mohe from Devdas and recently Mohe Rang do Laal in Bajirao Mastani. He was renowned for his precise footwork, gesture language, and abhinaya. His thumris and dadaras were exceptionally famous. Rather than performing the quintessential Radha-Krishna legends, he performed on non-mythological and social issues. Being the versatile person that he is he also played tabla and violin and won numerous awards highest among them was Padma Vibhushan in 1986. Sadly Pandit Maharaj passed away at the age of 83 on 17th January 2022 surrounded by friends, family, and his disciples. His legacy prevails from the thousands of people he touched through his artwork and warm personality. His disciples carry on his style of dance and celebrate his life by dedicating their life to their dance.

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Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, also known as Shivaji Bhosale was born on February 19, 1630, and was the founder of the Maratha kingdom. Originally from the Bhosale clan, the great ruler was born in Junnar at the Shivneri fort. He was named after the local deity goddess Shivai. Early in his childhood, Shivaji was inspired by his mother Jijabai for the freedom of his motherland. Her teachings and values instilled in him a zeal to attain 'Swaraj' for his lands which were then under the oppressive rule of Adilshahi and Mughal empire. He took a pledge to do the same and at 16-year-old in 1646 Shivaji in his first conquest captured the Torna fort and found a treasure there which he then used to build a fort in Raigad that served as his capital for over a decade. In the following two years, he continued to capture many other forts like Purandar, Kondhana, Chakan, etc. Many of Shivaji's exploits are famous like the combat with Afzal Khan in 1659, the siege of Panhala, the attack on Shaista Khan in 1663, the Sack of Surat incident in 1664, and arrest and escape at Agra in 1666. Finally, after continuous battle and conflicts with the Muslim leaders, peace reigned on the Maratha land from 1666 to 1670. Shivaji was crowned as the King of Maratha Kingdom on 6 June 1674 with great aplomb and celebration at Raigad fort. Shivaji was a tolerant and progressive ruler for his time. He encouraged secularism in his kingdom and allowed Muslims and any other religion to properly practice without fear of retribution. He also heavily criticized the oppressive Jizya Tax of Aurangzeb. Moreover, he was a great supporter of women's empowerment and rights. His military experience and brain for architecture gave India majestic forts that were strategically very important during his time. His expansion into the navy brought a new era in both warfare and secular civil rule as most of the soldiers and general for his navy were men of low caste Hindus, Muslim mercenaries, Portuguese sailors, and Goa Christians who were familiar with naval operations. His navy general was Rui Lietao Viegas. Sadly, the king passed away on 3-5 April 1780 at the age of 50. Shivaji Maharaj was a proto-nationalist and continued to be an inspiration to many. 

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Dr. Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh was an Indian economist and politician who was the country's prime minister from 2004 to 2014. He was born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, West Punjab, India (now in Pakistan). He was the first non-Hindu to hold the position and a Sikh.

A vivacious Sikh man quickly ascended the platform stairs in 1992 during a law conference held in the Ashok Hotel in New Delhi's main hall. He patiently discussed the nuances of India's liberalisation process for an hour without using a shred of paper. He painstakingly told the ecstatic audience that it was required "to establish an environment facilitating growth" in order to continue growth and increase investments, particularly from international investors. Dr. Manmohan Singh, then-Finance India's Minister, who was quickly steering the country out of its worst financial crisis, was the learned speaker who had a firm grasp of the subject.

Under Sonia Gandhi's leadership, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regained power in 2004, and Singh suggested Dr. Manmohan Singh as India's prime minister—the most reputable economist in the eastern hemisphere. He assembled the top administrators and economists of the day onto his team. The intelligent Mr. P.C. Chidambaram, a Harvard MBA, was appointed as his finance minister, which was crucial. The 10 prosperous years of the Indian economy lasted from 2004 to 2014. During this extraordinary decade, India's GDP expanded on average by 8.1%. In the history of independent India, the real GDP growth reached a record 10.08% in 2006–07, trailing only the unequalled 10.2% attained during Rajiv Gandhi's administration in 1988–89.

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