๐ Chapter 07 ยท Topic 03 ยท Books & Authors
Autobiographies of Indian Leaders
Key autobiographies by Indian political leaders, scientists, sportspersons, and social reformers.
๐ Important Indian Autobiographies
| Autobiography | Author | Key Fact |
|---|---|---|
| My Experiments with Truth | Mahatma Gandhi | Gandhi’s life from childhood to 1921; philosophy of truth and non-violence; originally in Gujarati |
| An Autobiography | Jawaharlal Nehru | Written in Almora Prison (1935); covers his life and the independence movement |
| An Indian Pilgrim | Subhas Chandra Bose | Bose’s early life and political journey; incomplete autobiography |
| Wings of Fire | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | From Rameswaram to Rashtrapati Bhavan; missile programme; written with Arun Tiwari |
| Turning Points | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | Sequel to Wings of Fire; his years as President |
| India Divided | Rajendra Prasad | Against partition; also wrote a full autobiography |
| India Wins Freedom | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | Partition account; 30 pages kept sealed for 30 years after his death |
| Playing It My Way | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket legend’s autobiography; co-written with Boria Majumdar |
| The Test of My Life | Yuvraj Singh | Battle with cancer and comeback to cricket |
| Unbreakable | Mary Kom | Boxing champion’s life story; from Manipur to Olympic medal |
| A Shot at History | Abhinav Bindra | Journey to Olympic gold in shooting; co-written with Rohit Brijnath |
| The Dramatic Decade | Pranab Mukherjee | Political memoir covering 1970s India |
| My Country My Life | L.K. Advani | BJP leader’s political autobiography |
| Courage and Conviction | General V.K. Singh | Former Army Chief’s autobiography |
| Half Lion | Vinay Sitapati (about P.V. Narasimha Rao) | Biography of PM Narasimha Rao; 1991 economic reforms |
โ Revision Checklist
โ
My Experiments with Truth = Gandhi = autobiography = originally in Gujarati
โ An Autobiography = Nehru = written in Almora Prison (1935)
โ An Indian Pilgrim = Subhas Chandra Bose = incomplete autobiography
โ Wings of Fire = A.P.J. Abdul Kalam = with Arun Tiwari = Rameswaram to Rashtrapati Bhavan
โ India Wins Freedom = Maulana Azad = 30 pages sealed for 30 years
โ Playing It My Way = Sachin Tendulkar = cricket autobiography
โ Unbreakable = Mary Kom = boxing champion from Manipur
โ A Shot at History = Abhinav Bindra = Olympic gold in shooting
โ An Autobiography = Nehru = written in Almora Prison (1935)
โ An Indian Pilgrim = Subhas Chandra Bose = incomplete autobiography
โ Wings of Fire = A.P.J. Abdul Kalam = with Arun Tiwari = Rameswaram to Rashtrapati Bhavan
โ India Wins Freedom = Maulana Azad = 30 pages sealed for 30 years
โ Playing It My Way = Sachin Tendulkar = cricket autobiography
โ Unbreakable = Mary Kom = boxing champion from Manipur
โ A Shot at History = Abhinav Bindra = Olympic gold in shooting