Rajnarayan Basu (1826-1899) educationist, litterateur and intellectual, he studied at Hindu College (1840-43) after studying initially at Guru Pathshala in Calcutta. Rajnarayan was a bright student and qualified for a scholarship at school. His close friends included prominent personalities of his time such as Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Jnanendra Mohan Thakur, Bhudev Mukhopadhyay, Ananda Krishna Basu etc. Rajnarayan was the house tutor of Rabindranath Tagore. He was an English translator of Upanishad at Tattavabodhini Sabha (1846-49) and taught English at Sanskrit College (1849). He also served as headmaster of Midnapore Zila School (1851). During early 1846, Rajnarayan was converted to Brahmoism. He became president of Adi Brahma Samaj and remained in that position till the end of his life. He founded the House of BRAHMA SAMAJ. A nationalist, Rajnarayan founded the Jatiya Gaurab Sampadani Sabha (National Association for Achieving Pride) and Brahmabodhini Sabha. He was a member of the Indian Association as well as of a political association named Sanjibani Sabha. He also founded a public library at Midnapore. In 1868, he left for Deoghar where he lived the rest of his life. While at Deoghar, he was awarded the title of 'Rishi' (Saint). . Among his books are Rajnarayan Basur Baktita (Speeches of Rajnarayan Basu, 1st part 1855, 2nd part 1870), Rajnarayan Basur Atmacharita (Autobiography of Rajnarayan Basu,1909). His English books writings include 'A Defence of Brahmoism and the BrahmaSamaj'.

Bhudev Mukhopadhyay (1827-1894) educationist, thinker, writer, and journalist, was born at Haritaki Bagan Lane in Kolkata on 22 February 1827. He was a student of Sanskrit College and Hindu College. He was a brilliant student, and won a junior scholarship in 1841 and a senior scholarship in 1843.
Bhudev was a distinguished writer and thinker. His essays, textbooks and novels to conveyed his ideas on nationalism and rational thinking. In his essays collected in Paribarik Prabandha (1882), Samajik Prabandha (1892), and Achar Prabandha (1895), he endeavored to reform Hindu customs and family laws in keeping with the needs of the times. He was also a literary scholar and a student of Sanskrit.
Bhudev was the moving force behind the establishment of a number of schools, including Rajshahi College in Bangladesh. He also contributed to the spread of Sanskrit and vernacular education. After retirement he studied Vedanta for some time at Benares. Though he advocated the study of English, he recommended the use of the vernacular as the medium of instruction. Believing in national integration, he advocated the adoption of Hindi as the state language of India. He also translated Bengali books into Hindi, and recommended that Hindi replaced Persian in the courts of Bihar.

Rai Bahadur Dinabandhu Mitra (1830-1873) eminent dramatist, was born in 1830 at Chouberia in Nadia, to Kalachand Mitra. His father named him Gandharva Narayan, which he later changed into Dinabandhu Mitra. Dinabandhu Mitra's education started at a village pathshala. Around 1846, he was admitted to the free school run by James Long. Dinabandhu was a bright student and won a number of scholarships. In 1850, he enrolled at Hindu College and was awarded scholarships for academic excellence.

Dinabandhu is primarily known for his play about the plight of indigo farmers Nildarpan. Michael Madhusudan Dutt translated the play into English and Reverend James Long published it, an act for which Long was fined. When the play was staged, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar was so taken in by the realism of the performance that he threw a shoe at the actor. Bankimchandra compared Nildarpan to Uncle Tom's Cabin for its role in arousing people's awareness of the evils of indigo plantations. Dinabandhu was awarded the title 'Rai Bahadur' by the British government for services rendered at the Battle of Lushai. He died on 1 November 1876.

Hemchandra Banerjee (1838-1903) poet and lawyer, was born on 17 April 1838. It was through the efforts of his maternal grandfather that he was admitted to Khidirpur Bangala School in Kolkata. Subsequently, through the personal efforts of Prosannakumar Sarbadhikari, Principal of Sanskrit College, Hemchandra learnt English and was admitted to Hindu School in Calcutta in 1853.
Hemchandra was a patriotic poet whose writings were inspired by Hindu nationalism. He fell into disfavor of the British government when his poem, 'Bharatsangit', which exhorted his fellow Indians to throw off their foreign shackles, was published in the Education Gazette in July 1872. For some time the poem was considered the national song of Bengal. His other writings such as 'Bharatvilap', 'Kalachakra', 'Ripon Utsav', and 'Bharater Nidrabhanga' also reflect his patriotism. Hemchandra's writings also concern women's issues, especially the injustices towards women and widows. His poem, 'Kulin Mahila Vilap' (The Lament of the Kulin Wife), greatly helped the cause of Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar's campaign against polygamy