Sri Aurobindo will not be instantly recognisable

A blue plaque commemorating Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu philosopher credited with beginning western interest in Hinduism, was erected on a house in St George's Drive, London SW1, in 2004. In October a plaque for Cetshwayo, King of the Zulus, was mounted on a London house. Many of the figures who have recently been chosen, such as Kwame Nkrumah, the former president of Ghana, and Sri Aurobindo, the Indian spiritual leader, will not be instantly recognisable to many "well-informed" members of the public.

According to the documents, the Culture Department has been active in supporting plaques for black figures such as Ignatius Sancho and Olaudah Equiano, the former slaves turned abolitionists, in time for next year's bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. Telegraph