Kadambini Ganguli (1861-1923) was one of the first female graduates of the British Empire and the first female physician of South Asia to be trained in European medicine.The daughter of Brahmo reformer Braja Kishore Basu, she was born at Bhagalpur, Bihar in British India. The family was from Chandsi, in Barisal which is now in Bangladesh. Her father was headmaster of Bhagalpur School. He and Abhay Charan Mallick started the movement for women's emancipation at Bhagalpur, establishing the women's organisation, Bhagalpur Mahila Samiti in 1863, the first in India.

Kadambini started her education at Banga Mahila Vidyalaya and while at Bethune School in 1878 became the first woman to pass the University of Calcutta entrance examination. It was partly in recognition of her efforts that Bethune College first introduced F.A. (First Arts), and  then graduation courses in 1883. She and Chandramukhi Basu became the first graduates from Bethune College, and in the process became the first female graduates in the country and in the entire British Empire.Ganguli studied medicine at the Calcutta Medical College. In 1886, she was awarded a GBMC (Graduate of Bengal Medical College) degree, which gave her the right to practise. She thus became the first Indian woman doctor qualified to practice western medicine.

In 1883, she married the Brahmo reformer and leader of women's emancipation Dwarka Nath Ganguli. They were actively involved in female emancipation and social movements to improve work conditions of female coal miners in eastern India. She was one of the six female delegates to the fifth session of the Indian National Congress in 1889, and even organised the Women's Conference in Calcutta in 1906 in the aftermath of the partition of Bengal. In 1908, she had also organised and presided over a Calcutta meeting for expressing sympathy with Satyagraha - inspired Indian labourers in Transvaal, South Africa. She formed an association to collect money with the help of fundraisers to assist the workers. In 1914, she presided over the meeting of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, which was held in Calcutta to honour Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to Calcutta.

Praphullachandra Ray  (1861-1944), scientist, educationist and nationalist visionary was born on 2 August, 1861. After his childhood education in his village school, Praphullachandra moved to Calcutta and passed the Entrance Examination from the University of Calcutta  in 1878. He joined the Metropolitan Institution (now renamed Vidyasagar College), from where he passed the First Arts Examination in 1880. In 1882, he joined the University of Edinburgh where he obtained the B.Sc. degree in 1885 and D.Sc. degree in Chemistry in 1887. Praphullachandra then entered the Bengal Education Service and joined the Presidency College Calcutta, as a temporary Assistant Professor of Chemistry in 1889.

In 1902, Praphullachandra published his famed History of Hindu Chemistry, which came out in a revised and enlarged form in 1904. The immense popularity of the book led him to stretch it to a second volume, published in 1909. As a scientist Praphullachandra was particularly esteemed among his peers for his seminal contributions to mercurous nitrites preparation. In 1912, the University of Durham conferred on him the Honorary Degree of D.Sc. in recognition of his contributions to scientific investigations. The British Government first honoured him with the imperial title of CIE (Companion of the Indian Empire); and then with the Knighthood in 1919. In 1916 Praphullachandra left the Presidency College and joined the newly founded Calcutta University College of Science as a Professor of Chemistry. In 1920, he was elected General President of the Indian Science Congress. The Universities of Calcutta, Benaras and Dhaka successively conferred on him the Honorary D.Sc. Degrees in recognition of his contributions to the development of science. In 1932, the first volume of his autobiography, Life and Experiences of a Bengali Chemist, was published, and a second volume in 1935. Apart from being a path-breaking scientist he was an intense nationalist. He implored his countrymen to set up new enterprises. He himself set an example by establishing the Bengal Chemical & Pharmaceutical Works (1901), one of the pioneering ventures of its kind.  

Narendranath Dutta  (1863-1902) was born in Shimla Pally, Calcutta. In 1879, he entered the Presidency College, Calcutta for higher studies. After one year, he joined the Scottish Church College, Calcutta and studied philosophy. During the course, he studied western logic, western philosophy and history of European nations and was due to appear in his Law examination in 1886, but his father's sudden death brought an abrupt end to his academic career. In 1882, Narendranath came into contact with Sri Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar. The spiritual transformation of Narendranath at the hands of Sri Ramakrishna began in 1882 and was completed with his realisation of the oneness of all existence in 1886.

After Sri Ramakrishna's death in August 1886, he organised his brotherhood into a monastic order and went on a pilgrimage throughout India. At the conclusion of the pilgrimage he sat in meditation on the last rock of India (since known as 'Vivekananda Shila') at Kanyakumari. In September 1893, at the Conference of Religions at Chicago, he presented the supreme truth of Vedanta. He stayed on in the West from 1893 to 1896 to preach that the essence of religion lay in the divinity of man.

Narendranath’s spiritual conquest of the West won him several western disciples, including Margaret Noble, later known as Sister Nivedita. In May 1897, he founded the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1898, he founded Belur Math, a place that eventually became the headquarters of the worldwide Ramakrishna Movement.