Synopsis The present volume sketches the profiles of some 350 eminent personalities of modern India starting from the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and closing with the attainment of freedom in 1947. It is a period of about two centuries which witnessed the disintegration of the Mughal Empire and the rise of the British supremacy. The rivalries between the leading European trading companies, the infighting between the Indian rulers and the superior administrative and military skills of the British generals and policy-makers resulted in the subjugation of India. The period also saw the unfolding of administrative reforms and the far-reaching impact of the Western institutions and ideas on Indian people. The era is remarkable for a number of progressive trends including urbanization and growth of middle class, challenge of Christianity and new learning, recovery of the past, development of transport and communication, evolution of national consciousness and constitutional changes culminating in the partition and independence of the country. The men and women included in the volume have been drawn from various fields like administration, freedom movement, literature, art and social and religious crusades. Sections devoted to Basic Historical Perspectives, Chronology and Bibliography are likely to be helpful for understanding the era as well as its architects.