Great Personalities

Kumar Mangalam Birla is chairman of the multinational, Aditya Birla Group—the third largest business house in India. Born into a generations old business family, he was groomed to become a successful entrepreneur, and eventually decided to get involved in the family business. After obtaining his graduate degree and becoming a Chartered Accountant, he completed his post-graduation from London. When he was 28, his father’s sudden demise came as a shock and a lot of business responsibilities fell on his shoulder. He faced a lot of skepticism regarding his inexperience because at the time Kumar took over the Aditya Birla Group, it had already become a giant business house, dealing in viscose, textiles, garments, cement, aluminum and fertilizers. But he refused to be let down by these challenges and silenced everybody with his sharp business sense. He encouraged new business policies and his passionate approach marked changes in the functioning of the organization. Along with preserving th...

Priyanka Chopra is an Indian film actress and singer who has emerged as one of the most popular and high-profile celebrities in India. Born in Jamshedpur, a small town in India, to physician parents, she was schooled in different cities across India until the age of 13, when she was sent to the United States. In America, besides academics, she also volunteered for dancing and singing activities, but desired to become an engineer or psychologist rather than a performer. Upon returning to her homeland, she took part in the Femina Miss India contest and was selected to represent India in the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned ‘Miss World 2000’. After winning the beauty pageant, she left her studies midway to join the film industry. Although she started her career with a Tamil film ‘Thamizan’ it was not long before she made her debut in Bollywood as the second lead in the 2003 film ‘The Hero’. She was noted for the glamorous role she portrayed in her next film ‘Andaaz’ and also ear...

Popularly known as the Iron Lady of India, Indira Gandhi earned a formidable reputation across the globe as a ‘statesman’. Her sheer sense of politics and exceptional skills catapulted her position in the Indian politics, so much so that she went on to become the first woman elected to head a democratic country. Till date, she is the only woman to hold the office. Born in a politically influential dynasty and growing in an intense political atmosphere, Indira Gandhi had learned the trick of the trade quite early in life. She possessed an authoritarian streak and became the central figure of the Indian National Congress party, post her father’s death. She was known for her political ruthlessness and extraordinary centralization of power. It was during her premiership that India became the regional power in South Asia with considerable political, economic, and military clout. She also presided over a state of emergency and made considerable changes to the Indian Constitution. She used t...

One of the golden voices of Hindi filmdom, Mohammed Rafi was definitely one of the greatest contemporary singers to have taken birth in India. He was blessed with such versatility that he could sing romantic numbers, sad songs, funny songs and ghazals, all with the same heartwarming soulfulness. Voted as “Indian Cinema’s Greatest Voice”, it is no surprise that even today he remains one of India’s most listened to singers—decades after his untimely death! Over a long and productive singing career that spanned over three decades, the singer recorded thousands of songs, several of which still remain etched in the memories of Indian film lovers. He had a strong command over the Hindi language and had the ability to modulate his voice and tone to suit the personalities of the actors he was singing for. Over his career, he sang for many of Bollywood’s superstars like Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Sunil Dutt. Along with his solos, he was also very famous for singing duets with t...

Jagjit Singh was a renowned Indian singer, writer and musician, famously dubbed as the ‘Ghazal King’. Born into a middle class Sikh family, he was a child prodigy in music; his father identified his talent and encouraged him to learn classical music. After his graduation, he moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in music industry and experienced his fair share of struggle in the industry to find work. In the meantime, he married Chitra, another singer, and together they started singing compositions. But it was not until after seven years of marriage, when the couple’s first fruitful album was released. The magic of the duo's voice, their blissful romance and the utter intensity of their ghazals enthralled everyone. Thereafter the couple worked both on solo and joint musical projects and performed concerts worldwide. He achieved incredible success through his soulful and mesmerizing voice in several genres of singing ranging from romantic melodies to sad compositions and devotional hy...

Bhupen Hazarika was a multifaceted Indian artist, famously referred to as the uncrowned king of North-Eastern India's cultural world. He is best described as an extraordinarily talented person who was a poet, music composer, singer, actor, journalist, author and a renowned film-maker of the very highest repute. He was a child prodigy who was discovered by his mentors at a young age which helped him to excel at his abilities. He has rendered music, written lyrics, and sung for numerous Assamese, Bengali and Hindi films which created an everlasting impression on both Assamese and Indian cinema, literature, and music. Most of his songs are marked by themes of humanity and universal brotherhood and have been translated to, and sung in many languages, most notably in Bengali and Hindi. Other than being a musician and playback singer, he was an immensely talented filmmaker who created some of the most memorable national award winning Assamese films. He is also acknowledged to have intro...

Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played a major role in inciting the Indian rebellion of 1857. A sepoy serving with the British East India Company, he protested against the issue of greased cartridge to the soldiers; the cartridges were rumored to have been greased with either cow or pig lard. A staunch Hindu Brahmin, it was against his religious beliefs to bite off the ends of greased cartridges if they had indeed been lubricated with animal fat. Soon the belief rose among the soldiers that the British had deliberately used pig or cow fat, and Mangal Pandey incited the other soldiers to join him in a protest against the British. On 29 March 1857, he paced in front of the regiment's guard room by the parade ground, calling his fellow Indian soldiers to rebel. Armed with a musket, he attacked two Europeans, injuring them badly. Some of his fellow soldiers joined him in the rebellion though another sepoy, Shaikh Paltu, restrained Pandey in order to prove his loyalty to the B...

While Gandhi fondly administered the title of ‘Maker of Modern India’ on Tilak, the British labelled him as the ‘Father of Indian Unrest’. The people of India remember him as ‘Lokmanya’ or ‘widely accepted by the people as the leader’. A teacher and journalist by profession, Tilak initiated his political life as a Maratha propagandist but soon developed into a prominent nationalist. He was the first ever leader to advocate the need for ‘Swaraj’ or ‘Self Rule’. His strong political opinions and revolutionary ideas raised an alarm in the Indian consciousness and made people realize the need for free India, where every religion and race would be treated equally. In his long career as a social reformer and freedom fighter, his slogan ‘Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it’ inspired millions of Indians. He is best remembered for his defiance of the British rule and fostering the idea of extremist nationalism.

Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Maurya Empire, was one of the most important rulers in the history of India. He is credited for unifying small independent states to form a large single kingdom for the first time under one administration, leaving aside Kalinga and the Tamil regions of Chera, Chola, Satyaputra, and Pandya. He was successful in destroying the Nanda dynasty, which ruled most of northern India, at the young age of 20. Along with his chief advisor and Brahmin scholar, Chanakya, he seized the Macedonian territories and conquered the eastern territories of Alexander’s general Seleucus to add them to his empire. His empire stretched across Kashmir in the north to Deccan Plateau in the south and Afghanistan and Balochistan in the west to Bengal and Assam in the east. Nevertheless, he voluntarily left his throne and accepted Jainism, moving southwards to Karnataka. His grandson, Ashoka, followed his footsteps in completing the pending conquest of Kalinga and Tamil kingdom ...

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a highly respected veteran politician who had served as the Prime Minister of India in three non-consecutive terms. He was a member of the Indian Parliament for almost five decades; in fact he is the only parliamentarian who had been elected from four different states at different times, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi. He made his foray into politics during the pre-independence era when he took part in the Quit India Movement which led to his arrest and imprisonment. A true patriot, he was one of the founding members of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh, an Indian nationalist party. A multi-faceted personality, he is a very skilled poet with several published poems. Also well known is his love for his native language Hindi—he was the first person to deliver a speech in Hindi at the U.N. General assembly. He is very famous for his oratory skills and held several prestigious positions in Indian politics before being elected the Prime mi...

Arvind Kejriwal is an Indian anti corruption activist turned politician who is the 7th Chief Minister of Delhi. He is the National Convener of the Aam Aadmi party (AAP), a political party that was launched in November 2012. Kejriwal had been a social activist long before he entered the world of politics and his main motive of venturing into this field was so that he could serve the country. As a teenager he had trouble deciding which career to pursue: medicine or engineering. Eventually he decided to go for engineering and set his eyes on entering the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Stubbornly refusing to give the entrance exam at any other college, he appeared only for the IIT entrance—and cleared it at the first try. As a student he realized that his passion lay not in making money, but in serving his country. He started working for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and also became involved in social activism. His involvement in the ‘Parivartan’ movement earned him a Ramon Mags...

One of the foremost exponents of Hindustani classical music, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi requires no introduction of sorts. A classicist by training and profession, he was known the world over for his ‘Khayal’ form of singing. What made him distinctive from his contemporaries was his ability to balance between the traditional music and mass-culture taste. This probably best explains his success as a Hindustani vocalist in terms of largest commercially recorded repertoire. Blessed with fine musical sensibilities and brilliant hold of fundamentals, his powerful voice, amazing breath control, rhythmic stance, and intelligent fusion of passion and creativity has marvelled all who have heard him play. He was a purist by heart and did not experiment much with his music which was marked by spontaneity, accuracy and unbelievably fast paced taans. However, he enriched the ‘Kiraana Gharana’ by adapting characteristics from other gharanas and adding his own distinctive taste to it. A Bharat Ratna award...

Bajirao I was the Peshwa (Prime Minister) to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shahu. A courageous warrior, he is credited with expanding the Maratha Empire, especially in the north. Also known as Bajirao Ballal and Thorale ("Elder") Bajirao, he was born into a Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin family. His father was the first Peshwa of Chhattrapati Shahu, and Bajirao used to accompany his father on his campaigns from a young age. He inherited his father’s courage and valor, and grew up to be a brave and daring warrior himself. He gained much fame for his military skills while still a teenager and was appointed as the Peshwa when he was just 20 years old. In this position he proved himself to be an outstanding cavalry leader who took up the charge of leading his troops and helped to greatly expand the Maratha Empire. Famed for his military skills, Bajirao made use of rapid tactical movements in battle which greatly contributed to his success. He fought several major battles a...

Baba Amte was an Indian social worker who dedicated his life to the noble cause of social service, particularly to make life better for the sufferers of leprosy. When he first witnessed the misery and ostracization faced by leprosy patients, his conscience was shaken and he was determined to do something to empower these people. He founded several ashrams and hospitals for these patients. Born into a wealthy family, he lived an enviable life. As a youngster he owned a gun and loved hunting! An avid movie fan, he corresponded with the likes of Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. But as he matured with age he realized that there was too much injustice and suffering around him. This made him ditch his luxurious life and dedicate himself to the cause of betterment of the world. Fortunately, he met a kindred spirit in Sadhana who shared his passion for social work and he married her. He was a Gandhian and lived a very austere life. A firm believer in the virtue of hard work, he encouraged the ...

With a career spanning over six decades over which she sang thousands of songs in different languages, there is no doubt that Asha Bhosle is one of the most recognized female Indian voices all over the world. Even though she is most famous for being a playback singer who has over her long and productive career sung for over a thousand Bollywood movies, her versatility is something that differentiates her from other famous singers. Her repertoire of songs extends much beyond the Hindi film music she is most popular for. Ghazals, bhajans, pops, classical, and folk songs—there is no genre of music untouched by Asha Bhosle. Singing came naturally to young Asha as she was the daughter of the classical musician, Deenanath Mangeshkar. The untimely death of her father when she was just a little kid forced her and her elder sister Lata to start singing in films to earn a livelihood. A whirlwind teenage romance with a much older man and a disastrous marriage made her take up singing very seriou...

The man who spurred the indifferent youth of India to voice their opinions against rampant corruption, Anna Hazare is one of the country’s most respected social activists. Hazare, a proponent of the non-violence movement frequently conducts hunger strikes to bring social issues of concern into limelight so that the political parties take action. Well into his seventies, the elderly gentleman has dedicated the major part of his life to making his village and country a better place. Born as the eldest son into a poor family in rural Maharshtra, he witnessed very difficult times during his childhood. He went on to work in the army where he survived a road crash and was the lone survivor when the underground Naga rebels attacked his army post. These incidents made him realize that his life was spared for a specific purpose and dedicated the rest of his life to service. Back home, at the village of Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra, he was pained to see how under developed the place was. He or...

Milkha Singh is a former Indian track and field sprinter who was the first Indian male athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at a Commonwealth Games. Fondly called ‘The Flying Sikh’—a title bequeathed to him by the former President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan—he is highly respected for his sporting achievements. He has made his motherland proud by winning several Gold medals in international sporting events like the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. He had entered the 400m race at the 1960 Olympic Games as one of the favorites and had even led the race till the 200m mark before he lost his speed and other runners overtook him. Sadly, the contender for Gold couldn’t even win a Bronze! Yet even in losing he set an Indian national record for 400m. Milkha Singh’s story is one of hope and inspiration. As a teenager he witnessed the massacre of his whole family in front of his eyes. Orphaned and heart-broken he worked up his way through life, seeking solace in the running. ...

Dharmendra is an Indian film actor best known for his role in the hindi blockbuster movie ‘Sholay’ (1975). One of the most respected veteran actors in Indian film industry, he is the recipient of the prestigious Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema. He was also honored with India's third highest civilian honor Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. At the peak of his career, he was considered to be among the most handsome actors in India with a huge female fan following. Born into a middle-class family in Punjab, he moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) as a young man looking for work. Good-looking and talented, he ventured into acting and was a romantic hero in several films during the 1960s. Eventually he got noticed for his well-built physique as well and promoted as an “action-hero”. His action movies too proved to be very successful and soon he received the opportunity to share screen space with some of the best known names in the Hindi film indu...

Dilip Kumar, popularly called the Tragedy King, is credited to be among the greatest actors ever to have graced Indian cinema. Born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan, he adopted the screen name Dilip Kumar in keeping up with the traditions of early Hindi filmdom. The iconic actor has had a long and illustrious career spanning over five decades and is considered one of the foremost figures of the ‘Golden Era of Indian Cinema’. He entered the world of Hindi cinema during the 1940s when Bollywood was still in its infancy. His foray into acting was by chance—he actually started out as a canteen owner when a chance encounter with the actress Devika Rani resulted in a film offer. Even though his debut film did not do well, he soon established himself as an emotive character actor by the end of the decade. In spite of his being a versatile actor who has played several different characters with the same intensity and effectiveness, he is best known for portraying tragic roles in films like ‘Jogan’, ‘Dee...

The soulful voice behind many of the hit Bollywood songs of yesteryears’ superstar Rajesh Khanna, playback singer Kishore Kumar was a unique and eccentric personality. A multifaceted personality, he was not just a playback singer, but also an actor, comedian, lyricist, composer, producer cum director. One of the most recognized and well loved male voices of Hindi cinema, Kishore Kumar was also a much emotionally unstable personality, a genius troubled by the weights of his own talents. Born as the youngest among the siblings into a wealthy Bengali family, Kishore’s venture into filmdom simply happened by chance. In fact, it is nothing but a quirk of fate that the man who would one day become the voice of India’s superstars did not even receive a basic training in music! He was just a young boy when his elder brother became an actor in Bollywood and the youngster followed his brother to Bombay where his brother helped him find work. How would a young boy without any training in acting ...

Sunil Bharti Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur who founded the Bharti Enterprises, a business conglomerate headquartered in New Delhi, India. The corporation which deals in multiple industries across sectors including telecom, retail, and financial services is India’s largest telecom company. Born as the son of a politician, Mittal was the first one from his family to venture into the business sector. Being a first generation entrepreneur is no easy task and he had to face several challenges before reaching the height of success that he has reached today. Blessed with a high level of ambition and an astute sense of business, he dared to tread into the business sectors dominated by industrial giants like the Tatas, Birlas, and the Ambanis. With his relentless hard work and sheer determination not only did he manage to carve a niche for himself, but also emerged as one of the industry leaders in the telecom sectors with his flagship company Bharti Airtel which operates in countries acros...

Amitabh Bachchan is a famous Indian actor, who started out by starring in Hindi movies, and gradually moved on to act in Malayalam and English movies. With stellar performances in movies like 'Deewar' and 'Zanjeer', he came to be known as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema. He gained so much popularity during his career that famous French director, François Truffaut, named him a "one-man industry". Not only has he acted in serious action movies, but has also essayed a variety of roles, in comedies and dramas. The actor has displayed immense versatility and a glowing example of the same is his portrayal of a spurned lover, in the movie 'Parwana'. Though he did go through struggling times in his career, the talented actor managed to come back with solid performances in more recent times, with several hit films. He shares the honour of having received three 'National Film Awards', with Tamil and Hindi film actor Kamal Hassan, and M...