Dayananda Saraswati

Dayanand Saraswati, was a Hindu philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of Hinduism. His book Satyarth Prakash has remained one of the influential text on the philosophy of the Vedas and clarifications of various ideas and duties of human beings. He was the first to give the call for Swaraj as "India for Indians" in 1876, a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak. Denouncing the idolatry and ritualistic worship, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. Subsequently, the philosopher and President of India, S. Radhakrishnan, called him one of the "makers of Modern India", as did Sri Aurobindo.

12 February 1824

Born on the same birth day (12 February): Abraham Lincoln • Alexander Petrov (chess player) • Bill Laswell • Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué • Gene McDaniels • George Meredith • George Preca • John Doyle (Tipperary hurler) • Kim Ji-min (actress) • Leon Kass • Mike Posner • Peter Vanderkaay • Sarah Lancaster • William Collier Jr. • Zach Grenier

Born in the same month (February 1824): Peter Kosler • Pierre Janssen • Ranald MacDonald • Samuel Plimsoll • Winfield Scott Hancock