People from India

Vikas Khanna

Chef, restaurateur, author, filmmaker and MasterChef India judge

Born 1971

Swami Vivekananda

Hindu monk and philosopher who introduced Vedanta and Yoga to the West

1863 – 1902

Sunil Chhetri

India’s record goalscorer and most-capped footballer

Born 1984

Vijay Amritraj

Tennis player, commentator and actor; Hall of Fame inductee

Born 1953

Sri Aurobindo

Philosopher, yogi, poet and early nationalist leader

1872 – 1950

S. H. Raza

Painter known for the bindu and a founder of the Progressive Artists’ Group

1922 – 2016

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi

Captain of the India men’s basketball team

Born 1991

Virat Kohli

Cricketer and former India captain; record holder for most ODI centuries

Born 1988

Vikram Sarabhai

Physicist and father of India’s space programme

1919 – 1971

Sam Pitroda

Telecom engineer and inventor credited with India’s telecom revolution

Born 1942

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Founder of Biocon and pioneer of Indian biotechnology

Born 1953

Garima Arora

Chef; first Indian woman to earn a Michelin star

C. V. Raman

Physicist; Nobel laureate who discovered the Raman effect

1888 – 1970

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Aerospace scientist and 11th President of India

1931 – 2015

Vallabhbhai Patel

First Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India

1875 – 1950

Nitish Kumar

Longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar and president of the Janata Dal (United)

Born 1951

Tarla Dalal

Cookbook author who taught India vegetarian home cooking

1936 – 2013

Shah Rukh Khan

Actor and film producer, one of the most successful stars in world cinema

Born 1965

Sandesh Jhingan

Centre-back for FC Goa and the India national team

Born 1993

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Fashion and jewellery designer known for Indian bridal couture

Born 1974

Ritu Kumar

Pioneering fashion designer who revived Indian textile crafts

Born 1944

Ravi Shankar

Sitar virtuoso who brought Indian classical music to the world

1920 – 2012

R. K. Narayan

Novelist and creator of the fictional town of Malgudi

1906 – 2001

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Actress and producer working in Hindi cinema and Hollywood; Miss World 2000

Born 1982