BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

It looks similar to paragraph profile of an individual. Biographical sketch gives an account of the life and activities of an individual or family. It would include information about the person's name, place of residence, education, occupation, life and activities and other important details. A biographical sketch is always written by someone else except the person on whom it is written. It provides the pen picture of that person. A bio-sketch presents the facts about the person's life including what the person did and how he/she influenced the world. It should describe the person's personality and provide an explanation for why he or she acted in certain ways.

A biography is a description of a real person’s life, including factual details as well as stories from the person’s life. Biographies usually include information about the subject’s personality and motivations, and other kinds of intimate details excluded in a general overview or profile of a person’s life. The vast majority of biography examples are written about people who are or were famous, such as politicians, actors, athletes, and so on. However, some biographies can be written about people who lived incredible lives, but were not necessarily well-known.

For examinations purpose; you will be provided a table of contents like a tabular profile. Use them to write organized paragraphs, like organizing a paragraph using birth, parents and other details. Organize another paragraph using education and career details from the table. One more paragraph to illustrate his/her achievements or awards or reward. Thus, take the help of the table of contents given in the question make them into sentences of your own and connect them using cohesive devices, sometimes called linking words, linkers, connectors, discourse markers or transitional words to organize paragraphs. Finally, don’t forget to give it a title with a caption.

The word biography comes from the Greek word bios, meaning “life” and – graphia, meaning “writing.”

A biography is a description of a life that is not the author’s own, while an autobiography is the description of a writer’s own life.

Points to remember:

1. It’s written in third person illustration.

2. A title and caption are written.

Q1: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table.

Nick Name Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Also Known As Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Famous as Founder of Missionaries of Charity

Religion Roman Catholic

Born on 26 August 1910 AD

Birthday 26th August

Born in Skopje (Albania)

Died on 05 September 1997 AD (87 years)

Place of death Kolkata

Personality Grouping of People, Humanitarian

Father Nicolle

Mother Dranafile Bojaxhiu

Siblings Lazar Bojaxhiu, Aga Bojaxhiu

Married No

Awards 1962 - Padma Shri
1969 - Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding
1962 - Ramon Magsaysay Award 1979 - the Nobel Peace Prize
and Bharatha Rathna.

Possible Answer: Saint Teresa of Calcutta

(The poorest of the poor)

Born to Nikolle and Dranafile Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Mother Teresa was the youngest child of the Albanian couple. She was born on August 26, 1919. Lazar Bojaxhiu, Aga Bojaxhiu were her siblings. She found her true calling as a nun and left home for good to enroll herself as she was a Roman Catholic. After a year of training, Sister Mary Teresa came to Calcutta, India.

Mother Teresa was known for her love, kindness, compassion and generosity. Her persistent commitment to serving the society and mankind was greatly recognized by students and teachers. However, just as much Mother Teresa enjoyed teaching young girls, she was greatly disturbed by the poverty and misery that was common in Calcutta. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta with the objective of serving the poorest of the poor. She aimed to make life beautiful for the unwanted, unloved and uncared lot.

For her commitment and constant love and compassion that she devoutly shared, the Government of India honoured her with Padma Shri in 1962, Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1969, and Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. She was also awarded The Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The greatly compassionate soul left for the heavenly abode on September 5, 1997 when she was 87 years old in Calcutta, India. Her death was mourned by the world over. She is the real humanitarian ever born on the earth.

Q2: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table.

Known As Mahathma Gandhi

Name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Famous as Leader of Indian Independence Movement

Born on 02 October 1869 AD (78 years)

Born in Porbandar, Gujarat, India

Died on 30 January 1948

Place of death New Delhi, India

Cause of Death Assassinated by Nathuram Gadsey

Final words Hey Ram

Father Karamchand Gandhi

Mother Putlibai Gandhi

Spouse/Partner Kasturba Gandhi

Education University College London, Alfred High School

Awards 1930 - Man of the Year by Time magazine

Movements led 1. Nonviolent means of civil disobedience

2. The Dandi Salt March to protest against the British-imposed salt tax

3. The Quit India Movement

Possible Answer: The Mahathma

(The father of Nation)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer who became the primary leader of India's independence movement. He is well known as Mahatma Gandhi. He not only led India to independence from British rule but also inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world in several other countries such as South Africa etc.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 to a Hindu family in Porbandar, Gujarat, India. His father was Karamchand Gandhi and mother was Putlibai Gandhi, who was an extremely religious lady. He was married to Kasturba Gandhi. He completed his studies successfully from University College London, and became a lawyer.

He believed that non-violent civil disobedience measures were the best means to protest against the British rule. Once the British’s Salt Laws which prohibited Indians from collecting and selling salt. Then he launched the Salt March, a non-violent protest against the British-imposed tax on salt in March 1930. He led a march of many kilometers from Ahmadabad to Dandi, Gujarat to make salt himself. The Quit India Movement became the most forceful movement in the history of the Indian independence struggle and is believed to have played a major role in securing the independence of India in 1947.

‘Time’ magazine named Gandhi the Man of the Year in 1930. But he was assassinated by Nathuram Gadsay on 30 January 1948 in Delhi. “Hey Ram” are the words believed to be the last spoken words by him.

Q3: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table.

Name : P T Usha

Parents : Paithal, Laxmi

DOB : born on June 27, 1964 at Payyoli in Kerala

1973 : discovered by a dedicated physical education teacher

1975 : badly injured while practicing for sub- junior district-level athletics, participated in 100 meters , 200 meters , long jump, high jump-first in all four events

1982 : two silver medals in New Delhi Asian Games

1984 : fourth place in 400 m at Los Angeles Olympics

1985 : best female Athlete in Jakarta Asian Meet 30

1986 : Four gold and one silver medal at Seoul Asian games

Awards : 1984 Arjuna award, 1984 Padma Shri award.

Possible Answer: P.T USHA

(The queen of Indian track and field athlete)

P T Usha, who is the queen of Indian track and field athlete, was born on 27^th June 1964 in Payyoli, Kerala, India in a poor peasant family. Her parents are Paithal and Laxmi. Her full name is Pilavullakandi Thakkevarambil Usha.

In 1973 she was discovered by a dedicated Physical Education Teacher. In 1975, she was badly injured while practicing for sub- junior district athletics. She participated in 100m, 200m, long jump and high jump. She bagged the first position in all the four events.

In 1982, she got two silver medals in New Delhi Asian Games. In 1984, she came forth in 400m at the Los Angeles Olympics. In 1985, she won the award for best female athlete in Jakarta Asian Meet. In 1986, she was awarded with four gold and one silver medal at Seoul Asian Games.

She runs the Usha School of Athletics in Kerala. She was honoured by the Government of India in 1984 with Arjuna award, which is conferred to the best Indian player, and Padma Shri. She is one of the most inspirational women around the globe.

Q4: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table.

Name Avul PakirJainulabdeen Abdul Kalam

Well Known as Missile Man (Scientist)

Work as scientist civilian space programme and military missile development

Famous as Former President of India 2002 to 2007

Nationality Indian

Religion Islam

Born on 15 October 1931

Born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

Died on 27 July 2015 AD (83 years)

Place of death Shillong, Meghalaya, India

Father Jainulabudeen

Mother Ashiamma

Married No

Awards Bharat Ratna (1997)
Padma Vibhushan (1990)
Padma Bhushan (1981)

Possible Answer: The Missile Man

He was born as Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam on 15 October 1931 into a Muslim family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu in India. His father Jainulabudeen was a boat owner while his mother Ashiamma was a housewife. He was not married since to dedicated life to the nation. He was a good student and always curious to learn more about how things happened. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam earned his degree in Science and Technology.

His brilliancy made him the famous scientist in India. He worked in the area of civilian space programme and military missile development and became ‘the missile man of India.’

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam joined the office as the President of India in 2002, becoming the first scientist and the first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan. In 2007, he decided not to contest the Presidential election again.

Kalam was the recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna awards from the Government of India. He received the same in the years 1981, 1990 and 1997, respectively. Till the last breath he remained the teacher and left us on 27 July 2015 at the age of 83.

Practice Questions:

Qn1: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table. (Do it yourself – practice)

Name Jawaharlal Nehru

Well known as Cha-cha Nehru, First PM of India & Freedom Fighter

Religion Hindu

Political ideology Indian National Congress

Born on 14 November 1889 (Children’s Day as he loved children)

Born in Allahabad

Died on 27 May 1964 (74 years) New Delhi

Father Motilal Nehru

Mother Swaruprani Thussu (1868–1938)

Spouse/Partner Kamala Nehru

Children Indira Gandhi

Education Trinity College, Cambridge (1907 – 1910), Harrow

School, Inns of Court School of Law

Awards 1955 - Bharat Ratna

Qn2: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table. (Do it yourself – practice)

Name Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar

Famous as Indian Mathematician

Born on 22 December 1887

Born in Erode

Died on 26 April 1920 (32 years) at Chetput

Father K. Srinivasa Iyengar

Mother Komalat Ammal

Wife Janaki Ammal (Married in July 1909)

Education Town Higher Secondary School, 1906 - Government Arts College, Kumbakonam, Pachaiyappa's College, 1920 - Trinity College, Cambridge, 1919 - University of Cambridge, 1916 - University of Cambridge, University of Madras

Health Problems tuberculosis and severe vitamin deficiency

Hardy-Ramanujan number 1729

Achievements Fellow of the Royal Society in 1918 for his investigation in Elliptic functions and the Theory of Numbers

Qn3: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table. (Do it yourself – practice)

Name Lal Bahadur Shastri

Known as 2^nd Prime Minister of India

Religion Hinduism

Slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan

Political ideology Socialist

Born on 02 October 1904

Born in Ramnagar, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Died on 11 January 1966 (61 years)

Place of death Tashkent, Soviet Union (now in Uzbekistan)

Father Sharada Prasad Srivastava

Mother Ramdulari Devi

Life Partner Lalita Devi

Children Kusum, Hari Krishna, Suman, Anil, Sunil and Ashok

Awards Bharat Ratna (posthumously)

Qn4: Write a biographical sketch using the profile given in the table. (Do it yourself – practice)

Name Abraham Lincoln

Well known as American President.

Nicknamed ‘Honest Abe’ or ‘Father Abraham’

Nationality American

Political ideology Republican (1854–1865), National Union (1864–1865)

Born on 12 February 1809

Born in Hodgenville, Kentucky, U.S.

Died on 15 April 1865 (56 years)

Place of death Petersen House, Washington, D.C., U.S.

Diseases & Disabilities Asperser’s Syndrome, Depression

Cause of Death Assassination

Father Thomas Lincoln

Mother Nancy Lincoln

Life companion Mary Todd

Children Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker

5. Read the following details about the president of India, Sri Ram Nath Kovind and prepare a bio-sketch.

Points to be covered	Details of the person
Name	Ram Nath Kovind
Date of birth	1^st of October, 1945
Place of birth	Parunkh village of Kanpur District, Uttar Pradesh
Family	Father: Late Sri Maiku Lal Mother: Late Smt. Kalavathi Wife: Smt. Savitha Kovind A son and a daughter
Profession	Advocate in the Delhi High Court (1977-79) Union Government Standing Counsel in the Supreme Court of India (1980-1993)
Positions held	Member of Rajyasabha (1994-2000) Governor of Bihar (2015-2017) Elected as The President of India on 25^th of July, 2017

6. Read the following and write a biographical sketch of Smt. Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India.

Name : Smt. Sarojini Naidu

Birth : 13^th February, 1879 in Chattopadyaya family

Parents : Father-a great scholar

Mother-a fine poetess

Education : Madras University, King’s College, London and Gorton’s College, Cambridge.

Returned to India in 1896

Collection of poems : All the poems collected in the Sceptered Flute (1943)

Political Career : 1921 – National Movement,

Close to Mahatma Gandhi;

Represented India in Round Table Conference;

Arrested during Quit India Movement;

Appointed Governor of Uttar Pradesh

Awards : Nightingale of India

7. Read the information given below about Bammera Pothana. Using the information write a biographical sketch of Pothana.

Name	Bammera Pothana
Life time	1450-1510
Place of birth	Bammera village, Warangal District
Languages known	Telugu and Sanskrit
Parents	Kesanna, Lakshmamma
Known as	Natural poet
Famous works (books)	Translation of Srimad Bhagavatham into Telugu, Bhogini Dandakam, Veerabhadra Vijayam
Devoted to	Lord Shiva, and Lord Rama

8. Write a bio-graphical sketch of Mithali Raj, the famous Indian women cricketer using the following hints.

Name	Mithali Raj
Born	3^rd December, 1982, Jodhpur in Rajasthan
Parents	Dorai Raj, Leela Raj
Performance	Selected for the Indian cricket team at 17 ODI debut in 1999 against Ireland Only woman cricketer to reach 6000 run mark in ODI 1^st woman captain to lead India to ICC ODI World cup female twice in 2005 and 2017 Total 6190 runs in 186 ODIs
Awards	Arjuna – 2003 Padmasri – 2015 Youth sports Icon of Excellence – 2017 Youth sports person of the year 2017 BBC 100 women list in 2017

9. Read the details of the famous personality given below.

Points to be covered	Details of the person
Name	Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin
Born	16^th April, 1889, Walworth, London, United Kingdom
Parents	Father – Senior Charles Chaplin Mother – Hanna
Spouse	Oona O Neill
Children	Geraldine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin
Profession	English comic actor, film maker and composer acted in silent films
Awards	Academy Honorary Award Academy Award for best original music score
Died	25^th December 1977, Corsier-sur-vevey, Switzerland

Now, write a biographical sketch of Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin in about twelve sentences.

10. Write a bio-sketch of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam with the help of the following information.

Name	Dr. AvulPakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Birth	15^th October at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu state
Parents	Ashiamma (mother), Jainulabdeen (Father)
Education	Schooling at Rameshwaram
Childhood friends	Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Shivaprakasan
Profession	Professor, author, aerospace scientist
Presidency	Worked as 11^th president of India from 26^th July 2002
Literary pursuits	Wings of fire, India 2020, My Journey, Ignited Minds
Honours	Honorary doctorate from 30 universities
Awards	Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990), Bharat Ratna (1997)

11. Given below are the details of professor Jayashankar, the Telangana ideologue. Based on the information write his biographical sketch.

Points to be covered	Details of the person
Known as	Jayashankar sir Ideologue of Telangana movement
Date, place of birth and family	Born on 6^th August, 1934 in Akkampet in Warangal district Parents: Kothapalli Lakshmi Kantha Rao and Mahalakshmi
Education	Completed Ph.D. in economics at the Osmania University, Hyderabad
Important events	· In 1952, as a student leader, he joined the Telangana movement and protested the plans being prepared for the state reorganization · He refused to sing songs in praise of the Nizam and insisted on singing Vandemataram · In 1969, he launched Telangana Jana Sabha and in 1999 the Telangana Development Forum · Published several articles on Economic development and educational economics · Worked as professor and as vice-chancellor of Kakatiya University · He fought for the formation of separate Telangana until his death
Honours	Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) is named after him and a new district Jayashankar Bhoopalapalli is formed on his name.
Death	21^st June, 2011 at Hanamkonda Waranagal district

12. Use the following data about a renowned and distinguished poet Goreti Venkanna and write a bio-sketch on him.

Born : 1963, Gowraram, Mahaboobnagar, Telangana

Occupation : Lyricist and poet

Category : Folk

Songs to his credit : more than 45

Popular song : Palle Kanneru Peduthundo …

13. Read the following information about C.V. Raman, the Nobel Prize recipient. Then prepare a biographical sketch of C.V. Raman.

Points to be covered	Details of the person
Date and place of birth	November 7^th, 1888 Tiruchirapally in Tamilnadu
Information about family and education	Wife – Lokasundari Ammai Father – R Chandrashekara Iyer Mother – Parvatamma Field – Physics Studied at Presidency College of Madras
Important events in life	Book – Why the Sky is Blue Discovery – Raman Effect Died on 21^st November 1970
Awards and prizes	Nobel Prize in Physics and Bharat Ratna
Contribution to his field and society	Established Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore

14. Now-a-day cricket is fascinating game to all. Moreover, cricketers are treated as demigods, for their exceptional capabilities. In recent times the cricketer Virat Kohli enchanted the minds of cricket viewers.

Now prepare a Biographical Sketch of Virat Kohli.

While preparing biographical sketch you may use the following hints which are given under.

Name	Virat Kohli
Born	November 05, 1988, Delhi
Achievements	1. Captained Indian cricket team 2. Highest double centuries as captain
Teams	India Delhi Royal Challengers Bangalore
Bat style	Right handed bat
Spouse	Anushka Sharma, a movie star
Parents	Prem Kohli, a criminal lawyer Saroj Kohli, a house wife
Pet name	Cheeku
Religion	Hindu
Awards	1. ICC ODI player of the year in 2012 2. Arjuna Award in 2013 3. ICC cricketer of the year 2017

15. Read the following details of Sachin Tendulkar, the legend Indian cricketer and write a biographical sketch of him. You may use the following details.

Name	Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Date of birth	24^th April, 1973
Parents	Late Ramesh Tendulkar (father) Rajini Tendulkar (mother)
Wife	Anjali, a doctor
Profession	Former Indian Cricketer
Records	Test runs – 15,921 ODI runs – 18,426 Tests played – 200
Awards	Bharat Ratna (2013) Padma Vibhushan (2008) Padma Shri (1999) Wisden Cricketer of the year (1998)

16. Based on the details of the famous Indian Badminton player, Parupalli Kashyap given below, write a biographical sketch of him.

Full Name : Parupalli Kashyap

Date of Birth : 8^th September, 1986

Place of Birth : Guntur

State : Andhra Pradesh

Father and Mother : Uday Shankar and Subhadra

Wife : Saina Nehwal

Coach : Pullela Gopichand

Residence : Hyderabad

Height : 5ft 8 inch

Handedness : right

Career titles : 2012 India open Grand Prix Gold, 2018 Australian BWF series

Highest ranking : 6

Current ranking : 58

Medal : Gold, 2014 Glasgow common wealth games

Silver, 2010 New Delhi common wealth games

Bronze, 2016 Hyderabad Asian team championship

Award : Arjuna Award 2011

22 December 2024

BIOGRAPHY || a major discourse || master in writing a BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

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