Biography is an account of life of a great man written by someone else. Boswell's biography of Johnson is a classic example of this art of writing. Great men in any walk of life influence their contemporary society tremendously. They are held in high esteem and their lives are, in fact, the milestones of history. Carlyle has correctly called history a collection of biographies. Their lives are full of most exciting and ennobling experiences and incidents. The lives of Rammohan and Vidyasagar shows their fights for reformation of our society. The lives of Sri Ramkrishna and Swami Vivekananda and Loknath Brahmachari depict austerities, spiritual execellence and concern and sacrifice for the fallen. The biographies of scientists like Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendranath Bose and Meghnad Saha are wonderful records and accounts of their devotion to science.

The biographies of great men show us the right path to follow in our life. We can take leaf out of their book to make our lives sublime. The discipline, devotion and dedication that they displayed in their lives can be an object lesson for their followers, who can mould their lives accordingly. A biographer needs to make truthful presentation of the great man's life avoiding all exaggeration and hero-worshipping. Everyone especially those who are students should read biographies of great men.