Before embarking on your India Tour, read about famous Indian people whose names stayed written in history of this magnificent country.

One of the two countries in the world with population numbering more than a billion, the increasing number of Indians making their mark in the global arena comes as no surprise. Unparalleled talents, amazing compassion, grit determination and incredible beauty are some traits that make these outstanding Indians, peerless and fearless in pushing boundaries and blazing their trails.

Mahatma Gandhi, Father of India- the Great Soul

“Your character must be above suspicion and you must be truthful and self-controlled.”

True to his quote above, the Father of The Nation lived his life exemplifying his philosophy of satyagraha (firmly beholding to truth) and ahimsa (non-violence). Born in 1869, named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he led and won the struggle against colonial rule. His struggles were not only against external powers, but also against the nation’s archaic traditions within the country, such as the caste system and especially the concept of untouchables, almost non-existent women rights and child marriage - just to name a few.

His time as legal advisor during the travel to South Africa saw the beginning of a leader who faced discrimination first hand and did not take it lying down. Fighting for the rights of Indians in South Africa and later in his homeland India, was a lifelong battle for this minimalist, who lived the simple life way before minimalism became a trend. No stranger to imprisonment, thanks to the governments rattled by his bold and unusual strategies of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi remained unswayed. His Salt March in 1930 is one fine example of ahimsa and his usual garb of traditional dhoti and shawl woven by him spoke volumes of his basic lifestyle. Fasting and leading several movements were part and parcel of his life as a freedom fighter. A year after independance from colonial rule and the partition between India and Pakistan, the Great Soul was assassinated in 1948 by a Hindu fanatic.

Mother Theresa

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

Just as the great ocean is made of tiny water droplets and the vast beach is made of tiny sand grains, the late Mother Theresa’s little acts of kindness have had exponentially grown to serve the poorest of the poor in the deplorable slums of Calcutta. The nun, originally from Macedonia, who first taught in a high school in Calcutta, has taught people in India and all over the world the true meaning of compassion and humanity. With the Vatican’s permission to start her own order the Missionary of Charities, in 1950, the diminutive nun showed the world her magnanimous heart with her humane charity work.

Her selfless initiatives did not go unnoticed and she was rightfully awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979 and subsequently in 1980, received the Bharat Ratna, (meaning Jewel or Gem of India), the highest civilian award of India. These are just some of the other accolades bestowed on this angel of humanity. After serving the people and her religion well into her 80s, Mother Teresa passed away in 1997. The process for her canonization and possible sainthood is in progress, with her already beatified with the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

The Enlightened Emperors- Asoka and Akbar

The ancient golden age of India was during the reign of Mauryan Dynasty, founded by Chandragupta Maurya who extended India’s sovereignty over most of the sub-continent. The political prowess and military astute continued with his successors, most notably his grandson Asoka the Great. While known for his military conquests and capable administration, King Asoka is mostly renowned for the spread of Buddhism to every region of India. The turning point in his aggressive military campaign was his victorious and vicious conquest of Kalinga, which came at a high price of many lives drowned in bloodshed. Aghast by his violent acts, the remorseful Asoka turned to Buddhism and soon advocated the philosophy of non-violence including promotion of vegetarianism. A philanthropist and advocate of righteousness (dharma) and known as the Emperor of Emperors in the history of India, Asoka commissioned edicts with Buddhist inscriptions to be constructed throughout India. Even present day tours see many visitors travel far wide to view these Pillars of Asoka. A famous symbol found in one of the pillars is the Asoka Chakra (wheel of righteousness), is now a national emblem found on the flag of India.

The other enlightened emperor is Akbar the Great, of the Mogul Dynasty. Known to be a patron of arts and culture, he had amassed thousands of literary scripts although he had not learnt to read or write. His military and political astuteness was evident in India’s sovereignty in the 16th century. The greatest Moghul emperor established a system of bureaucracy and autonomy and was tolerant of all religions He won the trust of the wary Rajput kings and Hindu subjects with his impartial rule and appointing deserving officials regardless of their religion. He even cemented good relations with the Hindus by marrying princesses of the religion, one of whom is reported to be his favorite wife. His love for finer things in life is still evident in the current region of India where there are several magnificent monuments of the Moghul architecture.

Freedom fighters

‘Free India’ was the lifelong motto of these remarkable Indians who devoted their lives for the struggle of independence, the freedom from colonial rule. All through every region of India, there were more than a handful of patriotic citizens willing to risk everything for their motherland’s independence- Jai Hind was their every breath. From the sepoy turned pioneer freedom fighter, Mangal Pandey of the 19th century, the leader of the 1857 Indian Mutiny, Tantya Tope, to one of the earliest women freedom fighter, the fiery Queen, Rani of Jhansi- history has remarkable records of brave citizens of India who had no qualms of voicing out against the colonial masters. In modern times, India is proud of Lala Lajpat Rai, Subash Chandra Bose and Jawarhalal Nehru, among many others, who shared the same vision of Mahatma Gandhi for an independant India.

Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty

The Gandhi family is still very much active and influential in modern Indian politics is not related to the Father of India, Mahatma Gandhi. Jawarhalal Nehru, a freedom fighter and close associate with Mahatma Gandhi, was India’s first Prime Minister. A graduate from Cambridge University, a strong activist in the freedom fight and imprisoned several times for his participation in the ‘Quit India’ movements, Nehru is also famed as the architect of modern India. His political legacy has continued with his daughter, Indira Gandhi who took on the family name Gandhi,  with her marriage to politician Feroze Gandhi. She followed in her father’s footsteps in the fight for freedom and subsequent imprisonment, was India’s third and first woman Prime Minister. Nicknamed as the Iron Lady of India, she was at the helm of Indian politics for 16 years before her untimely assassination in 1984. Her son, Rajiv Gandhi was persuaded to take over his mother’s position and became India’s youngest Prime Minister. Unfortunately, he too faced a violent death like his mother. This esteemed ‘first’ family of India, whose members have led the country for more than half of its independent years, the Gandhis are set to remain in the political scene for a long time to come.

Nobel Laureates-  Rabinath Tagore (1913), Mother Theresa (1979), Amarthya Sen (1998), Venkatesan Ramakrishnan (2009)

India has produced a number of Nobel Prize winners in the past century and current times. The first on the honour roll is Sir Rabinath Tagore, who won the Noble Prize for Literature in 1913, for oft reprinted Gitanjali, a selection of poems, whose English translation delighted Yeats and other notable literary champions.  In 1979, Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize for her inspiring spirit in her struggle against poverty while reaching out to the loneliest and the dying (see above). In 1998, economist Armartya Sen was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics Sciences for ‘his contributions to welfare economics’. The recent addition to the certain to grow list of Indian Nobel Laureates is Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who won the 2009 joint award, Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contribution in the study of ‘structure and function of ribosome’.

Beauty Queens- Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen

History was made in 1994 when the top international beauty pageants- Miss World and Miss Universe titles were both won by the elegant beauties from India. Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen won the respective titles, setting high standards for future beauty queens back home. Not content to be the uno numero in beauty, both winners have gone to make their mark in the world renowned Bollywood- the film industry responsible for the most number of movies made yearly. Both model-turned-actresses have won several movie awards since their entry to the demanding movie industry.

Aishwarya Rai has taken her movie career further on the international circuit. A frequent face at Cannes Film Festival, where she once was part of the jury panel, and other major film festivals and award shows, she has been cast in a number of Hollywood movies. Now married to Abishek Bachan and part of the influential Bachan dynasty, she continues to make progressive strides with her box-office hits across India. Aishwarya Rai- Bachan has maintained her influential stronghold in the fickle movie industry for more than a decade.

A. R. Rahman

Jai Ho, Jai Ho- the rhythmic melody was chanted worldwide when the 2009 Oscars show brought the global entertainment spotlight on A. R. Rahman, nicknamed ‘ The Mozart of Madras’, and everything India. The Academy Award for Best Picture in 2009 went to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ a rags to riches and fairytale romantic story with the settings based in the slums of Calcutta, one of the poorest regions of India.

That Indian movie also won Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song for the gifted composer- songwriter- singer, who has a long list of awards to his name, including several international trophies such as the BAFTA and Golden Globe, together with those from his homeland which includes the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award. Long before winning the Academy Award, A R Rahman was already noted in 2005, by the Time magazine as ‘India's most prominent movie songwriter’.

Ambani and Mittal

The Ambani brand is more revered than the company, Reliance, run by the business mogul. Started by the founder Dhiru Bhai Ambani who created a new history in the capital market of India, with an equity cult, it reached skywards as the first Indian company to be included in the Forbes 500 list. What the father began, the son, Mukesh Ambani continues to grow stratospherically. The late Dhiru Bhai Ambani has been called the ‘greatest creator of wealth in the century’ by the Times of India in 2009. Now Mukesh Ambani strides forward in the global arena with numerous business accolades within India and around the international business markets.

The name Mittal seems to have the Midas touch. There are two individual business moguls, of different families and different industries, are constantly perched on Forbes’ richest Indians list. While Sunil Mittal has steered his local company Bharti Group, in local telecommunications with his telco, AirTel, first to pass the 2 million subscribers’ mark, Lakshmi Mittal is world renowned as the steel magnate with international dealings running to millions. Both have found permanent places in various Forbes’ list and won several awards for their commercial achievements. 

Cricket Champion of champions-  Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar

Cricket is often considered to be Holy Grail in India. Unsurprisingly, two of the cricket’s greatest batsmen come from the country where cricket is almost the breath of most citizens across region of India. The earlier record making champion Sunil Gavaskar (retired in 1987) and the hero of present day cricket Sachin Tendulkar are heroes to many and household names. Both are highly skilled and talented with unsurpassed techniques. Their raw gift in cricket and sheer determination has led to numerous record innings, hundreds and half centuries and runs, all repeatedly achieved in their spectacular cricket careers. In their own time on the field, both champions have been celebrated as the greatest batsman in the world.

The above list, may not do justice to those excluded,  but clearly reflects the Indians’  immense talent and sheer grit. Their intelligence and capabilities have taken many Indians all over the world where their specialties and expertise is in great demand. Incredible Indians have made their mark in history and still continue to stride tall and proud in modern times.