ANJU BOBBY GEORGE
Athlete

Anju Bobby George, made history when she won the bronze medal in Long Jump at the World Athletics Championships 2003 in Paris. With this achievement, she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Athletics Championship clearing 6.70 m.

Anju was born on April 19th, 1977 in Cheeranchira Kochuparambil family in Changanasseri, Kerala to parents K.T. Markos and Gracy. She was initiated into athletics by her father and her interest was further kindled by her trainer Mr. Thomas in Koruthode school. She did her schooling in St. Ann's High School and CKM Koruthode School and graduated from Vimala College. In the School Athletic meet in 1991-92,  she came first in 100 m hurdles and relay and second in long jump and high jump events and became the women's champion. Anju's talent was noticed in the national schools games where she won third place in 100 m hurdles and 4x100 m relay. She was the Calicut University Champion during her college days.  

Although she started with Heptathlon, she later began to concentrate on her jump events and went on to win long jump medal in the 1996 Delhi junior Asian championship. In 1999 Anju set the national record for triple jump in the Bangalore Federation Cup and Silver medal at the South Asian Federation Games in Nepal. In 2001 Anju bettered her own record in long jump to 6.74 m, her best till date in the National Circuit Meet at Thiruvananthapuram. In the same year she also won gold for triple jump and long jump in the Ludhiana National games. Anju reigned supreme in her events in the Hyderabad National games also. Anju became the first Indian woman to win a bronze medal clearing 6.49 m at the Commonwealth Games at Manchester 2002. She also won the gold medal at the Busan Asian Games. She received the prestigious Arjuna ward (2003) for eminent sports persons from the government of India after her success in the World Athletic meet.

Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh was born in September 27, 1907 in the village Banga of Layalpur to Mata Vidyavati and Sardar Kishan Singh. Bhagat Singh grew up in a patriotic atmosphere as his father and uncle, were great freedom fighters and were put in jail many times by the British. Bhagat Singh grew up at a time when the Freedom struggle was all around him. Since his young age he wondered why so many Indians could not get freedom from a few British invaders, he dreamed of a free India. The massacre at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919 drove him to go to Amritsar, where he kissed the earth and brought back home a little of the blood soaked soil, he was just 12 years old then. Kartar Sing Sarabha, hanged at the age of 19 by the British was Bhagat Singh's hero

 

Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu was one of the most prominent leaders of India's freedom struggle. Born on February 13, 1879 in Hyderabad, Sarojini was the eldest daughter of Varasundari and Dr. Aghornath Chattopadhyaya, who was a scientist and founder-principal of Nizam College of Hyderabad. Her mother Varasundari was a Bengali poetess.

Sarojini's father aspired for her to become a mathematician or scientist, but young Sarojini was drawn towards poetry from a very early age. Seeing her flair for poetry, her father decided to encourage her. With her father's support, she wrote the play "Maher Muneer" in the Persian language. Dr. Chattopadhyaya sent a copy to the Nawab of Hyderabad who was very impressed by the beautiful play written by her. Sarojini got a scholarship to study abroad and got admitted to King's College, London and then later at Girton College, Cambridge.

Sarojini met Dr. Govind Naidu, during her stay in England and later married him at a time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed.

RAVI SHANKAR

Sitarist

Ravi Shankar is an internationally known Indian sitar maestro. As an exponent of Indian music all over the world. and incomparable Sitarist, Pandit Ravi Shankar enjoys great popularity

Ravi Shankar received training in sitar from Ustad Alaudin Khan. His musical performance have an aesthetic appeal. The first Indian to compose music for foreign films, he has made a notable contribution in popularising Indian music abroad. He opened Kiunara school of music in Los Angeles in 1967..
Ravi Shankar has received a number of prestigious awards and honours, both national and international.   International Music Vensco Award, Silver Bear and Venice Festival Award, Magsaysay award are some of them. In 1976, he was elected a fellow of the Sangeet Natak Academy and in 1962 and 1980 was the recipient of Presidential Awards. He was also awarded Bharat Ratna. Some universities in India as well as abroad have conferred doctorates on him. The government of India honoured him by nominating to Rajya Sabha in 1986. In 1999, he received the International prize for film and media music in Germany. His autobiography "My Life and My Music " is an extremely revealing document of his musical career.

He wrote and conducted orchestral music for ballet, set to Nehrus's 'Discovery of India' and the 'Festival of India' music with top musicians of Europe and America. During 1949-55 he served as the Director of Music, All India Radio.

BANKIN .C. CHATERJEE
Social reformer, Composer of national song

Bankin C. Chaterjee  was the composer of the National song 'Vande Mataram'. He was considered to be a leading litterateur of Bengali literature. He was born in 1838 at Kantal-para, West Bengal.

In 1882, he wrote 'Anandmath'. Besides, he also wrote novels 'Krishna Charitra',' Durgesh Nandini',' Chandhrani','Visha Briksha', 'Kapal Kundala'.

In his famous satirical book, 'Kamala Kanter Daftar', he highlighted the social evils that prevailed in the society pertaining to injustice to the poor and he advocated remedial measures to balance the degree of equality between have and have-nots in the society. All his works bear unmistakable stamp of nationalism and Indian culture.

GULZAR
Director, Poet, Lyricist, Script Writer

Gulzar  is a multifaceted personality; a film maker, poet, lyricist, short story and script writer - all in one. He was born on 18th August 1936 in Deena, Jhelum district (now in Pakistan). Even as a child he loved music and wrote poetry. After partition he left his home town and came to Delhi. 

Sampoorna Singh Gulzar began his career in films as a lyricist. He started working as an assistant to Director Bimal Roy and wrote his first lyrics for the song 'Mora Gora Ang Layi Le' in Bimal Roy's film 'Bandini'(1963). Later for 'Kabuliwala', 'Sannata', 'Khamoshi' and many other films giving out all time hits. Then he turned to script writing and worked for famous directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee, Asit Sen, Buddhadev Dasgupta, and Kumar Shahani. He wrote stories for around 60 films.

AMITABH BACHCHAN
Actor   

Amitabh Bachchan can be categorized as India's most popular and successful hero of  Hindi films. He was born at Allahabad in 1942. He has been hailed as a 'super star' in India. Because of his immense popularity, he has been labeled 'one man industry'.

Before joining films, he was working as an executive in a shipping firm at Kolkata. His career graph took an upward swing with the release of  'Janjeer' in 1973. He monopolized the Hindi cinema after providing his worth as an accomplished actor when pitted against Rajesh Khanna in 'Anand' and Dilip Kumar in 'Shakti' (1982). 

His most successful film are: Anand(1970), Namak Haram(1973), Abhiman(1973), Milli(1975), Deewar, Sholay(1975), Mukaddar ka Sikandar(1978), Trishul(1978), Silsila(1981), Agni-Path (1990).  Amitabh features best in song and dance sequences. His rendering of 'Khai Ke Paan Banaraswla' (Don) and Jumma Chumma dede (Hum) became a craze with the younger generation. He has won Filmfare Award, National Award and has been conferred Padma Shri for his histrionic achievements.

Amitabh Bachchan retired from the film industry to briefly enter politics by winning a seat in parliament from Allahabad constituency in 1984, but within a short span of time, he resigned from the Parliament.

ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE
Ex Prime Minister of India
Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the ex Prime Minister of India, is a multi faceted political personality. He was born  on 25th  December 1924, at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh to parents Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, a school teacher and Krishna Devi. He was educated at Victoria alias Laxmibai College, Gwalior and D.A.V. College, Kanpur and holds a Postgraduate degree in Political Science. 

Shri Vajpayee's first brush with nationalist politics was in his student days, when he joined the Quit India Movement of 1942 which hastened the end of British colonial rule. A student of political science and law, it was in college that he developed a keen interest in foreign affairs, an interest he has nourished over the years and put to skilful use while representing India at various multilateral and bilateral foray. For a while he studied law, but midstream he chose to become a journalist. This choice was largely influenced by the fact that as a student he had been an activist in India's struggle for freedom. Shri Vajpayee had embarked upon a journalist's career, which was cut short in 1951 when he joined Bharatiya Jana Sangh. 

As a founder-member of the Jana Sangh, 1951-1977 (now known as Bharatiya Janatha Party) he served as the party's president and took it to new heights. He served as the BJP's president for the first five years of its existence, laying the foundation for the party's awesome growth in the last one decade. As a parliamentarian, he has been elected to the Lok Sabha nine times and to the Rajya Sabha twice. He is the only parliamentarian elected from four different States at different times namely UP, Gujarat, MP and Delhi. He served as External Affairs Minister in the Morarji Desai Government from 1977 to 1979. He was elected to various positions including Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition (1993), Lok Sabha; Chairperson of a number of parliamentary committees. He served as Prime Minister for a short stint in 1996. Later on March 19, 1998, he took charge as Prime Minister of India and again on October 13, 1999 for the second consecutive term as the head of a new coalition government, the National Democratic Alliance. He is the only Prime Minister since Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to have become Prime Minister of India through three successive mandates. 

Apart from politics, Shri Vajpayee has participated in various social and cultural activities. The Krishna Bihari Vajpayee Trust set up by him in the name of his late father promotes a number of constructive activities for the uplift of the deprived and poor as well as children. He has been a Member of the National Integration Council since 1961. Some of his other associations include being President of All India Station Masters and Assistant Station Masters Association (1965-70); Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Smarak Samiti (1968-84); Deen Dayal Dham, Farah, Mathura, U.P; and Janmabhomi Smarak Samiti, 1969 onwards. 

Vajpayee has many literary and artistic accomplishments to his credit. Well known and respected for his love for poetry and as an eloquent speaker, Shri Vajpayee is known to be a voracious reader. He edited Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly) and the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun. His published works include 'Meri Ikkyavan Kavitayen' and 'Amar Aag Hai' (collection of poems), 'Sankalp Kaal', 'Shakti-se-Shanti', 'Meri Sansadiya Yatra' (in four volumes), 'Four Decades in Parliament' (speeches (1957-95) in three volumes), 'Lok Sabha mein Atalji' (a collection of speeches); 'Mrityu Ya Hatya', 'Amar Balidan', 'Kaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundalian' (a collection of poems written in jail during Emergency), 'New Dimensions of India's Foreign Policy' (a collection of speeches delivered as External Affairs Minister during 1977-79); 'Jan Sangh Aur Mussalman' etc .'Baapji' as affectionately called by his close friends and relatives is a family man. He finds time to spend with his adopted daughters Namita and Neharika in between his hectic schedules. He is fond of Indian music and dance. He loves nature and one of his favorite retreats is Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU

First Prime Minister of Independent India 
Nehru was born in Allahabad  (UP). His father Motilal Nehru was a famous Lawyer and a great  Patriot. Nehru was educated in England.  As an architect of modern India and a doughty champion of world peace, Jawaharlal  Nehru is immortalized in history. Nehru came to be respected as a world statesman for his policies of peace, secularism and non- interference in any country's internal affairs.

He was elected as the President of Indian National Congress five times and it was under the President ship of Nehru that Congress adopted the famous resolution of Complete independence at its Lahore session in 1929. When the country gained freedom in 1947, Nehru became  its first Prime Minister. Under Nehru India made Technical and Industrial  advances.

Nehru was a man of letters. His most famous books are his 'Autobiography', 'Glimpses of world History' and 'Discovery of India'. Nehru loved Children a great-deal. Every year his birthday is celebrated as 'Children's day'.

CHANDRA SHEKHAR AZAD
Freedom Fighter

Chandra Shekhar Azad was a revolutionary freedom fighter. He will always remain immortal in the annals of history as a man who sacrificed his life on the altar of freedom. Azad was born at a place called Jhalra in Madhya Pradesh.

He ran away from home when young, reached Kashi (Benaras) and joined the freedom struggle when still young. In 1921, he received his first punishment for revolutionary activities. He was sentenced to fifteen lashes. With each stroke of the whip the young patriot shouted "Bharat Mata Ki Jai". He was undaunted and he badly scared the British with his courage and rebellion against the oppression of the Indians. He was killed in an encounter with the British forces in Allahabad.

SUBASH CHANDRA BOSE
Freedom Fighter

Subash Chandra Bose was a great patriot and a determined fighter of national freedom. He was born at Cuttack (Orissa). Unlike other prominent leaders of the Indian freedom struggle, Subash strongly believed that an armed rebellion was necessary to wrest independence from the British. Subash Chandra Bose is popularly known as 'Netaji'.

In 1943, he organized the Indian National Army (I.N.A). He gave to the nation the Salutation and slogan of 'Jai Hind'.  The famous words of Subash Chandra Bose  are "Give me blood, I will give you freedom". He was posthumously decorated with the title 'Bharat Ratna' in 1992. However, the Supreme Court of India declared on 4^th  August, 1997  that the press communiqué dated January 23, 1992, used from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to confirm Bharat Ratna "Posthumously" on Netaji should be treated as cancelled as this proposal was dropped by Government in deference to the sentiments expressed by Public and his family members. He is said to have died in an air-crash in 1945.

RAJIV GANDHI
Ex Prime Minister of India

Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944 in Mumbai. Born to parents, Firoz Gandhi and Priyadarshini Gandhi, he was heir to the political heritage of his mother and grandfather  Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India. He married Sonia Maino, an Italian girl, whom he met during his student days in Cambridge.

Rajiv was a pilot by profession. He was never interested in politics but the sudden death of his younger brother Sanjay in a glider accident in Delhi steered Rajiv Gandhi into it.

He won the election from Amethi and became a Member of Parliament in 1981. He was appointed general secretary of the Congress party in 1983. On the October 31, 1984 he took the oath  as the Prime Minister of the country.

Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest Prime Minister of the World's largest Democracy. He strengthened India's political, economic and cultural bonds with other countries. He was the first politician at the helm to criticize the power brokers who ruled the roost in the ruling party. Rajiv Gandhi found himself in many controversies during the last two years of his Prime Minister ship.

He met a tragic end on 21st may 1991 at Sriperumbudur, by an LTTE (Liberal tigers of Tamil Eelam) Suicide Bomber named Tanu, when he was attending an election meeting.

The Government of India conferred the highest honour of the land "Bharat Ratna" on him posthumously.

Many foundations have been established to cherish his memory for the welfare of society in the fields of Science and Technology, Arts and Culture, and Health and Medicine.

DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR
Architect of Indian Constitution

Dr. Ambedkar was the main architect of the Indian Constitution. He was born in a very poor low caste family of Madhya Pradesh.  In U.S.A., he did his M.A. in 1915 and Ph.D. in 1916. From 1918 to 1920, he worked as a Professor of Law.  Dr. Ambedkar set up his legal practice at the Mumbai High Court. 

Ambedkar was the main inspiration behind the inclusion of special provision in the Constitution of India for the development of Schedule Caste people. Dr. Ambedkar was the Law Minister of India from 1947 to 1951. He  took part in the Satyagraha of untouchables at Nasik in 1930 for opening the Hindu temples to them.

Dr. Ambedkar was emancipator of the 'untouchables' and crusader for social justice. This liberator of the down trodden was affectionately called "Babasaheb". He was posthumously awarded 'Bharat Ratna' in the year 1990.

INDIRA GANDHI
Ex Prime Minister of India 

Indira Gandhi was the first women Prime Minister and an important world stateswoman. She was born in Allahabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. She was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. She was a great crusader of world peace.  When she was just 13 years old, Indira organized a 'Monkey Army' (Vanar Sena) comprising of young teenagers which proved her intention to fight for the independence of her country.

In 1942, she got married to Feroze Gandhi. Two sons were born to her- Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. Indira Gandhi became the third Prime Minister of India on January 24,1966 and remained in this post up to 1977. In 1975, her election to Parliament was declared invalid and she declared internal emergency, which led to her defeat in 1977 elections. Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980 with an overwhelming majority.

She was one of the most efficient Prime Ministers of India and is credited with great achievements.  Noteworthy among them are nationalization of banks, liberation of Bangladesh and 20 point programme for the upliftment of the poor. She was honoured with 'Bharat Ratna' in 1971.

Mrs. Gandhi, met her tragic end on 31st October 1984, when she was brutally assassinated by her own guards.

SUBRAMANYAN CHANDRASEKHAR
Asrtophysicist, Nobel prize winner

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, a Nobel Laureate in Physics and one of the greatest astrophysicists of modern times was born on October 19, 1910 in Lahore, (now in Pakistan) to parents Chandrasekhara Subrahmanya Ayyaa civil servant and Sita Balakrishnan. Being the nephew of the great, C.V. Raman, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics young  Chandrashekhar's interest in the subject came naturally to him. 

In 1930, at the age of 19, he completed his degree in Physics from Presidency College, Madras and went to England for postgraduate studies at the Cambridge University. Chandrasekhar was noted for his work in the field of stellar evolution, and in the early 1930s he was the first to theorize that a collapsing massive star would become an object so dense that not even light could escape it; now known as the Black hole. He demonstrated that there is an upper limit ( known as 'Chandrasekhar Limit' ) to the mass of a White dwarf star. His theory challenged the common scientific notion of the 1930s that all stars, after burning up their fuel, became faint, planet-sized remnants known as white dwarfs. But today, the extremely dense neutron stars and black holes implied by Chandrasekhar’s early work are a central part of the field of astrophysics.

Initially his theory was rejected by peers and professional journals in England. The distinguished astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington publicly ridiculed his suggestion that stars could collapse into such objects( black holes). Disappointed, and reluctant to engage in public debate, Chandrasekhar moved to America and in 1937 joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Chicago and remained there till his death. At Chicago, he immersed himself in a personalized style of research and teaching, tackling first one field of astrophysics and then another in great depth. He wrote more than half a dozen definitive books describing the results of his investigations. More than 100,000 copies of his highly technical books have been sold. He also served as editor of the Astrophysical Journal, the field’s leading journal, for nearly 20 years; presided over a thousand colloquia; and supervised Ph.D. research for more than 50 students.

Chandrasekhar was a creative, prolific genius whose ability to combine mathematical precision with physical insight changed humanity's view of stellar physics. In addition to his work on star degeneration, he has contributed significantly to many disparate branches of physics, including rotational figures of equilibrium, stellar interiors, radiative transfer of energy through the atmospheres of stars, hydro magnetic stability and many others. He won the Nobel Prize in 1983 and received 20 honorary degrees, was elected to 21 learned societies and received numerous awards in addition to the Nobel Prize, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society of London; the Royal Medal of the Royal Society, London; the National Medal of Science, the Rumford Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and the Henry Draper Medal of the National Academy of Sciences. NASA's premier X-ray observatory was named the Chandra X-ray Observatory in his honor.

J. C. BOSE
Founder of Bose Research Institute, Biologist, Physicist

Jagadish  Chandra Bose was one of the pioneers of modern science in India. His research was on the properties of electro-magnetic waves. His major achievement was to demonstrate the similarity of responses to stimulation among the living and the nonliving as well as the fundamental similarity of responses in plant and animal tissues. The British Government knighted him in 1917. He founded the 'Bose Research Institute' in Kolkatta in 1917.

Bose was not only a biologist, but also a physicist. Bose believed that by focusing on the boundaries between different physical and biological sciences, he would be able to demonstrate the underlying unity of all things. Bose's biological researches were founded initially by the discovery that an electric receiver seems to show science of fatigue after continued use. He can rightly be called the inventor of wireless telegraphy. Bose was the first in the world to fabricate and demonstrate in public (1985) the device that generated microwaves-radio waves of very short wave length. But his invention was not patented before Guglielmo Marconi (1896) who became internationally recognised as the inventor.

After completing his studies in London, Bose return to Kolkatta and was appointed Professor at Presidency College in Kolkatta. Then he became the director of the institute he founded and remained in the post till his death on 23rd November 1937.

VIKRAM.A.SARABHAI
2nd chairman of Indian Atomic Energy Commission and Indian Space Research Organisation

Vikram.A.Sarabhai,  was the main personality behind the launching of India's first satellite, Aryabhata in 1975. He was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat  in a family of industrialists. He was also responsible for the Equatorial Rocket Building Station at Thumba.

Sarabhai set up the Ahmedabad Textile Industries Research Association, a laboratory for research in Physics and the Indian Institute of Management. Sarabhai was the second chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission and the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Sarabhai's study of cosmic rays under the eminent scientist Dr. C.V. Raman, revealed that cosmic rays are a stream of energy particles reaching the earth from the outer space, being influenced on their way by the sun, the atmosphere and magnetism. This study helps in observing terrestrial magnetism and the atmosphere, the nature of the sun and outer space. He was conferred 'Padma Shri' in 1966 and was posthumously awarded 'Padma Vibushan' in 1972. He was also awarded 'Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize' in 1962. This great scientist could be credited with launching India into space age.

DR. H. J. BHABHA
Father of Indian nuclear science, 1st chairman of Atomic Energy Commission

The eminent scientist who ushered India into the atomic age was Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha. He was born on 30 October 1909 in a Parsi family of Mumbai. He is called the 'Father of Indian Nuclear Science'.

Dr.Bhabha was appointed the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, set up in 1948. It was largely due to his efforts that the nation's first Atomic research Center, now named Bhabha Atomic research Center, was established at Trombay, near Mumbai. Under his expert guidance the nation's first atomic reactor 'Apsara' was also commissioned in 1956. In 1945, he founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.

Dr.Bhabha had a highly distinguished career and was an exceptionally bright student. Even as a student, he made some fundamental discoveries in electricity, magnetism, quantum theory and the cosmic rays.

Dr.Bhabha as the scientist of a very high caliber, received many national and international awards and honours. In 1942, he was awarded the 'Adams' award. In 1951, Bhabha was elected the president of the Indian Science Congress. In 1955, he was elected the chairman of the U.N. sponsored International conference on the peaceful uses of the atomic energy held in Geneva. The Government of India also honoured him with 'Padma Bhushan' in 1954. The 'Homi Jehangir Bhabha Award' has been instituted by Indian National Science Academy. He passed away in 1966 in a plane crash.

CHANDRASEKHAR VENKATA RAMAN
Physicist, Nobel Prize Winner

C.V.Raman was a scientist in Physics, who won noble prize in 1930. His discovery of the 'Raman Effect' made a very distinctive contribution to Physics. He was knighted by the British Government in 1929. He was also conferred the highest title of 'Bharat Ratna' in 1954.

Raman was born on 7th November,1888 at Ayyanpettai in Tamil Nadu. He had his education in Visakhapatanam and Madras. After getting top ranking in the Financial Civil Service Competitive Exam, he was appointed as Deputy Accountant General in Calcutta (Kolkutta). In 1917 he became the professor of Physics at the Calcutta University. After 15 years service at the Calcutta University, Raman shifted to Bangalore and became the Director of the Indian Institute of Science in 1933. In 1943 he founded 'Raman Research Institute', near Bangalore.

The 'Raman Effect' was a demonstration of the 'Collision' effect of light bullets (photons) passing through a transparent medium, whether solid, liquid or gaseous. Raman's publications include 'Molecular Diffraction of Light', 'Mechanical Theory of Bowed Strings' and 'Diffraction of X-ray's', 'Theories of Musical Instruments' etc. Raman conducted pioneering research in musical acoustics, particularly on Tamboura, the well known Indian musical instrument.

Sunil Bharti Mittal
Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Group

Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Group can be labelled as the most ambitious telecom entrepreneur in India. Sunil a former student of Harvard Business School, graduated from Punjab University. The son of a parliamentarian, Sunil did not want to follow his father's footsteps. He had shown an interest in business even from his teenage days. So after graduation, Sunil got together with his friend and formed a small bicycle business with borrowed capital in the1970s. But by 1979, he realized that this business would remain small. So he moved out of Ludhiana, spent a few years in Mumbai and in 1981, was running an import and distribution operation out of New Delhi and Mumbai. 

By 1982, Mittal had started a full-fledged business selling portable generators imported from Japan and that gave him the chance to involve himself in activities like marketing and advertising. Things went smoothly until the government banned the import of generators as two Indian companies were awarded licenses to manufacture generators locally. 

Sunil Mittal got interested in push button phones while on a trip to Taiwan, and in 1982, introduced the phones to India, replacing the old fashioned, bulky rotary phones that were in use in the country then. Bharti Telecom Limited (BTL) was incorporated and entered into a technical tie up with Siemens AG of Germany for manufacture of electronic push button phones. By the early 1990s, Mittal was making fax machines, cordless phones and other telecom gear. 

The turning point came in 1992 when the Indian government was awarding licenses for mobile phone services for the first time. One of the conditions for the Delhi cellular license was that the bidder have some experience as a telecom operator. Mittal clinched a deal with the French telecom group Vivendi. Two years later, Sunil secured rights to serve New Delhi. In 1995, Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL) was formed to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel. Within a few years Bharti became the first telecom company to cross the 2-million mobile subscriber mark. The company is also instrumental in bringing down the high STD/ISD, cellular rates in the country by rolling the countries first private national as well as international long-distance service under the brand name IndiaOne. In 2001, the company entered into a joint venture with Singapore Telecom International for a $650-million ubmarine cable project, the countries first ever undersea cable link connecting Chennai in India and Singapore.

Always on the move and making an impact and excelling in whatever he did, this clear thinking risk taker has changed the face of the Indian ICT space. For his contributions he has been honoured with several awards. He was chosen as one of the top entrepreneurs in the world for the year 2000 and  amongst 'Stars Of Asia', by 'Business Week', he received IT Man of the Year Award 2002 from Dataquest and CEO Of the Year, 2002 Award (World HRD Congress). He is the member of National Council of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Chairman, Indo-US Joint Business Council, Member, Advisory Committee constituted by Ministry of IT. Mittal has to his credit the breaking up of the 100 year old monopoly of state run companies to operate telecom services in India. Now he heads a successful empire focused on different areas of business through independent Joint Venture companies with a market capitalization of approximately $ 2 billion, employing over 5,000 people and still growing. Bharti Foundation has funded over 50 schools in Madhya Pradesh and also donated Rs 200 million to IIT Delhi for building a Bharti School of Technology and Management.

In spite of his deep involvement in work, Mittal the man, is calm, seldom ruffled and very down to earth. He says he achieves a sense of detachment and peace with regular practice of yoga. He is thankful for a supportive family including a daughter and twin sons, with whom understandably he doesn't get much time to spend. His brothers Rakesh and Rajan are with him in the business.

MANMOHAN SINGH
Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh, best known as ' father of Indian Reforms',  has emerged as the Congress party's frontrunner, the 14th Prime Minister of India and also the first Sikh to have reached the country's top legislative position. Hailed to be the cleanest man in Indian politics, he was Former Finance Minister and author of the post-1991 economic reforms.  

He was Born to Mr Gurmukh Singh and Mrs Amrit Kaur on September 26, 1932 in a small village Gah (West Punjab), now in Pakistan. A brilliant student, Manmohan Singh secured top marks in almost all the major examinations he wrote. After his Masters in Economics from Amritsar's Hindu College under  Punjab University he won  scholarships to Cambridge and Oxford, earning a doctorate with a thesis on the critical role of exports and free trade in India's economy. Manmohan Singh won the prestigious Adam Smith prize in 1956 from Cambridge University.

The following year, he returned to India as a university lecturer and for the next nine years remained at Punjab University before being posted for international duty with UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development). He then joined the Delhi School of Economics as a professor. Two years later, his academic career was cut short and he joined the government to serve in various capacities. 

Singh held several positions throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. He served as Economic advisor to the finance ministry in the late 70s, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission and Chairman of University Grants Commission in 1980s and early 1990's and as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985 etc.

An academician, he was discovered by former prime minister Shri. P.V Narasimha Rao. Rao offered him the finance ministry in 1991 under the Congress Government, and the chance to rescue a sickly economy threatened by an acute balance of payments crisis. During his stint as the finance minister (1991-1996), the suave, soft-spoken Sikh guided India out of financial trouble and put the country on course to becoming an economic power by opening up the economy to foreign investment and slashing trade barriers. 

Singh was always an unlikely politician, who was routed in a parliamentary election in 1999. In fact, he has never won an election and sits in the upper house. Politically, Manmohan Singh is the classic example of the stateless politician.

After the Indian National Congress won the 2009 general elections, Singh was reappointed as the Prime Minister of India on May 22, 2009, making him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term before this over 40 years ago.

DHIRAJLAL HIRACHAND AMBANI (1932-2002)
Founder of Reliance Industries

Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, one of the leading Indian businessmen, was born on December 28, 1932 in Chorwad, Gujarat. Popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani, he heads The Reliance Industries, India's largest private enterprise. 

Dhirubhai started off as a small time worker with Arab merchants in the 1950s and moved to Mumbai in 1958 to start his own business in spices. After making modest profits, he moved into textiles and opened his mill near Ahmedabad. Dhirubhai founded Reliance Industries in 1958. After that it was a saga of expansions and successes. 

Reliance, acknowledged as one of the best-run companies in the world has various sectors like petrochemicals, textiles and is  involved in the production of crude oil and gas, to polyester and polymer products. The companies refinery at Jamnagar accounts for over 25% of India's total refining capacity and their plant at Hazira is the biggest chemical complex in India. The company has further diversified into Telecom, Insurance and Internet Businesses, the Power Sector and so on. Now the Reliance group with over 85,000 employees provides almost 5% of the Central Government's total revenue. 

Dhirubhai has been one among the select Forbes billionaires and has also figured in the Sunday Times list of top 50 businessmen in Asia. His industrious nature and willingness to take on any risk has made him what he is. In 1986 after a heart attack he had handed over his empire to his two sons Anil and Mukesh. His sons are carrying on the successful tradition of their illustrious father.

Dhirubhai Ambani was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on June 24, 2002 after he suffered a major "brain stroke". This was his second stroke, the first one had occurred in February 1986 and had kept his right hand paralyzed. He was in a state of coma for more than a week. A battery of doctors were unable to save his life. He breathed his last on July 6, 2002, at around 11:50 P.M. (Indian Standard Time).

Dhirubhai Ambani started his long journey in Bombay from the Mulji-Jetha Textile Market, where he started as a small-trader. As a mark of respect to this great businessman, The Mumbai Textile Merchants' decided to keep the market closed on July 8, 2002. At the time of Dhirubhai's death, Reliance Group had a gross turnover of Rs. 75,000 Crore or USD $ 15 Billion. In 1976-77, the Reliance group had an annual turnover of Rs 70 crore and Dhirubhai had started the business with Rs.15,000.

Narayana Murthy : The Guru of I.T. Technology

Mr. Narayana Murthy is undoubtedly one of the most famous persons from Karnataka. He is credited for creating the biggest IT empire in India that has brought India on the world's IT map. He is the brain behind Infosys which is considered to be the jewel of India's IT crown. Today, Infosys is acknowledged by customers, employees, investors and the general public as a highly respected, dynamic and innovative company. In March 1999, Infosys Technologies became the first India-registered company to be listed on an American stock exchange. Narayana Murthy distributed the company’s profits among the employees through a stock-option program, and adopted the best corporate governance practices. All this earned him praise and respect.

Peek in to the Past Mr. Narayana Murthy was born on August 20, 1946 in Karnataka, India. He obtained his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (B.E.) from University of Mysore in 1967 and his Master of Technology (M.Tech.) from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur in 1969.

Mr. Murthy is a member of the National Information Technology Task Force of India, and also of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry. He is a Director on the board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Feather in the Cap:
The brainchild of the premium IT firm, founded Infosys in 1981 along with six software professionals. He is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor Officer of Infosys.

He was the President of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) from 1992 to 1994.

He was awarded with The ET Businessperson Of The Year Award [2000-2001] and The Max Schmidheiny Award - 2001 and numerous other honors. Business Week chose him as one of "The Stars of Asia" for three successive years, in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Dr. A P J ABDUL KALAM
President of India

Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabhudin Abdul Kalam, the twelfth President of India, is rightfully termed as the father of India's missile technology. He was born to parents Jainulabdeen Marakayar and Ashiamma on 15th October, 1931, at Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram district, Tamil Nadu. Dr. Kalam as an eminent Aeronautical Engineer, contributed for the development of India’s first Satellite launch vehicle SLV-3 and the missiles like the Trishul, Agni, Pritvi etc. 

He did his secondary education at Schwartz High School in Ramanathapuram, B.Sc. at St. Joseph's College(1950), Tiruchi, and DMIT in Aeronautical Engineering at the MIT, Madras during 1954-57. After passing out as a graduate aeronautical engineer, Kalam joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore as a trainee and later joined as a technical assistant in the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the Ministry of Defence. 

In the 1960's Kalam joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba in Kerala. He played a major role in the centre's evolution to a key hub of space research in India, helping to develop the country's first indigenous satellite-launch vehicle. During 1963-82, he served the ISRO in various capacities.  In 1982, he rejoined DRDO as Director, and conceived the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) for five indigenous missiles. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has established an Advanced Technology Research Centre, called 'Research Centre Imarat' to undertake development in futuristic missile technology areas. He also served as the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Defence minister and later the Government of India. After retiring from the post Dr. Kalam joined Annamalai University till he became the President in January 2002. 

He is a member of Indian National Academy of Sciences, Astronautical Society of India and many other professional bodies.  Dr. APJ abdul Kalam has been awarded Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and India's Highest civilian Award 'The Bharat Ratna' in 1997. Other prestigious awards include Dr.Biren Roy Space Award, Om Prakash Basin Award for Science and Technology, National Nehru Award, Arya Bhatta Award etc. Dr. Kalam was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc. Honoris-causa) by twenty eight universities. 

Dr. Kalam, a bachelor is a connoisseur of classical Carnatic music. He plays veena in his leisure. He writes poetry in Tamil, his mother tongue. Seventeen of his poems were translated into English and published in 1994 as a book entitled 'My Journey'. He reads the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita with equal devotion. He is also the Author of the books 'India 2020 : A vision for the New Millennium'(1998 with YS Rajan), 'Wings of Fire : an Autobiography' and 'Ignited Minds – unleashing the power within India'.

Totally dedicated to the nation, Dr. Abdul Kalam's vision is to transform India into a developed nation by the year 2020 through hard work and perseverance. He holds a first world dream for the third world nation.