Naman-Sachindra Nath Sanyal (1893 Benaras,-7 February, 1942 Gorakhpur Jail)was an revolutionary and the founder of Hindustan Republican Association (HRA, which after 1928 became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association or HSRA) that was created to carry out armed resistance against the British Empire in India. Under this association he set up Hindustan Republic Army in 1924. He was the mentor for revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh. Several of his brothers and cousins were also active participants in the country’s freedom struggle.
–Manmath Nath Gupta (7 Feb 1908 – 26 Oct 2000) was an revolutionary writer and author of autobiographical, historical and fictional books in Hindi, English and Bengali. He joined the Indian independence movement at the age of 13, and was an active member of the Hindustan Republican Association. He participated in the famous Kakori train robbery in 1925 and was imprisoned for 14 years. On release from jail in 1937, he started writing against the British Government. He was sentenced again in 1939 and was released in 1946 just a year before the India’s independence in 1947. He has written several books on the history of the Indian struggle for independence from a revolutionary’s point of view, including They Lived Dangerously – Reminiscences of a Revolutionary. He was also the editor of the Hindi literary magazine Aajkal.
Sujit Kumar (7 February 1934 – 5 February 2010)(born Shamsher Singh), born near a village in Varanasi, was an film actor and producer. He appeared in over 150 Hindi films in the 1960s,1970s and 1980s and 25 films in Bhojpuri. From the late 90s, he latterly concentrated more on production. Sujit Kumar was the first superstar of Bhojpuri cinema.He played pivotal roles either as a villain or as a character actor regularly in the most of films with Rajesh Khanna as the hero and in the films directed by Shakti Samanta. His indelible screen image remains of the guy playing the mouth organ while driving a jeep as Rajesh Khanna serenades Sharmila Tagore in the 1969 superhit, Aradhana.Sujit was the leading man in the suspense flicks in Hindi in early sixties like Lal Bangla (1966) and Ek Saal Pehle (1965). He was always part of the films with Rajesh Khanna as the lead hero like in ‘Aradhana’, Ittefaq, Aan Milo Sajna, Haathi Mere Saathi, Amar Prem, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Roti, Mehbooba, Avtaar, Aakhir Kyon?, Amrit.
His other notable roles include that of a spy in Ramanand Sagar’s Aankein (1968), Naya Raasta (1970), Jugnu (1973), Hamrahi (1974), Charas (1976), Dharamveer (1977), Dev Anand’s Des Pardes, Burning Train, Kaamchor, Krantiveer, Tiranga and many more. He produced big budget movies like Asmaan Se Ooncha (1989), Daraar (1996) Champion (2000), Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam (2009).His best friends from the film industry were Rajesh Khanna,Jeetendra, Rakesh Roshan, the two with whom Sujit used to hit the gym regularly and other close friends included producer Saawan Kumar Tak and Randhir Kapoor as all of them practically grew up together in the Hindi Film industry since the early sixties.He appeared in such films as Bidesiya, Loha Singh, Dangal, Pan Khaye Saiyya Hamar, Champa Chameli, Patoh Bitiya, Sajanwa Bairi Bhouji, Nag Panchami, Saiyya Se Bhaile Milanawa, Aaeel Basant Bahar, Bhaile Hamar, Bidhana Nach Nachawe, Mai Ke Lal, Sampurna Teerth Yatra, Sajai Da Maang Hamar, Saiyya Magan Pahalwani Me, Ganga Kahe Pukar Ke, Ganga Jaisan Bhauji Hamar and Ganga Hamar Mai. He died due to cancer on Feb 5, 2010.
