Famous Personalities of Rajasthan
Personalities who have made a difference to India in the fields of Politics, Dance
and Music, Literature, Science, Religion, Industry, Cinema etc and contributed a
lot to India's Culture and Spirit. Have a look at the profiles of these great personalities
who make you feel proud to be a Rajasthani....
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
The "Hindustan Ka Ek hi Singh" as he is popularly lauded by the millions of his
supporters, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is one of the oldest anti-Congress leaders alive
in India.He also is one of the most popular politicians in India.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is a former Vice-President of India. He served in that position
since August 2002, when he was elected to a five-year term by the electoral college
following the death of Krishan Kant He served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan
state three times, from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992, and 1993 to 1998.
Shekhawat was born on October 23, 1923, in an obscure village in Sikar district
of Rajasthan. Poverty forced him to quit his education before completing high school,
following which he found a job as a police constable.
Ghanshyam Das Birla
Shri Ghanshyam Das "G.D." Birla was an Indian businessman and member of the influential
Birla Family. Birla's grandfather Shiv Narayana Birla wanted to diversify from the
traditional marwari business of lending money against pawned items. He left Pilani,
his hometown in Rajasthan with a modest capital to Bombay to establish a business
in cotton dealership. The venture was successful and he came back to Pilani to build
a huge mansion, which still stands by the name Birla Haveli.
Envisioning infrastructural development in his hometown, Birla founded the Birla
Engineering College in Pilani among other educational institutions. The college
has evolved over the years to develop into one of India's best engineering schools,
BITS Pilani. Today, Pilani also houses a wing of Central Electronics Engineering
Research Institute (CEERI), a famous residential, public school christened after
Birla's family and a number of polytechnic colleges
In 1957, he was awarded India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan
by the Government of India.
Gulabo
‘Gulabi Sapera’ is famous in india as "GULABO" THE KALBELIYA DANCER FROM RAJASTHAN
She is part of the international culture and music circuit, part of jazz bands and
a performer in films. She is a visiting teacher in Copenhagen, Denmark every year,
to train children there in body-awareness and dance.
The Kalbeliya Dance has become a Rajsthani exclusive. Invitations from around the
country took Gulabo everywhere.
She is a woman who has broken down more than the three walls. Gulabo, and many little-known
people like her, are leaders in a changing India.
...more on
Gulabo
Jagjit Singh
Jagjit Singh is a famous ghazal singer from India. He was born in Ganganagar, then
in Rajputana in British India
Essentially a ghazal album, it's emphasis on melody and Jagjit's fresh voice was
a departure from the prevalent style of ghazal rendition, which was heavily based
on classical and semi-classical Indian music. Skeptics had their own reservations,
purists scorned it but it was widely successful among listeners and the album set
new sales records.
In 2003, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours,
from the Government of India.
...more on Jagjit
Singh
Lakshmi Niwas Mittal
Lakshmi Narayan Mittal is a London-based Indian billionaire industrialist, born
in Sadulpur village, in the Churu district of Rajasthan, and resides in Kensington,
London.Born in a Rajasthan Agrawal family, Lakshmi spent his intial years in India,
living with his extended family on bare floors and rope beds in a house built by
his grandfather.
Lakshmi Mittal began his career working in the family's steelmaking business in
India, and in 1976, when the family founded its own steel business, Mittal set out
to establish its international division, beginning with the buying of a run-down
plant in Indonesia.
Since 2005, Mittal has been the richest person residing in the United Kingdom, the
richest person in Asia and the fourth richest person on the planet. He is the President
of the Board of Directors and CEO of ArcelorMittal; ArcelorMittal is the world's
largest producer of steel
In March 2008, Mittal was reported to be the 4th wealthiest person in the world
by Forbes Magazine.
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh was ruler of the kingdom of Amber (later called Jaipur).
He was born at Amber, the capital of the Kachwahas.
Sawai Jai Singh was the first Hindu ruler in centuries to perform the ancient Vedic
ceremonies like the Vajapeya (1734) and the Ashwamedha (1716) sacrifices — on both
occasions vast amounts were distributed in charity. He also promoted Sanskrit learning
and initiated reforms in Hindu society like the abolition of Sati and curbing the
wasteful expenditures in Rajput weddings
Jai Singh’s greatest achievement was the construction of Jaipur city (known as pink
city), which later became the capital of the modern Indian state of Rajasthan. For
these multiple achievements Sawai Jai Singh II is remembered even to this date,
as the most enlightened king of 18th Century India.
Maharana Pratap Singh
Maharana Pratap, is the name of a glorious and towering personality, who is the
embodiment of courage, bravery, self respect, patriotism and the spirit of independence.
Such a person was ever born in this world is difficult to believe. Words fail to
give a true discription of characteristics which immortalized him to be remembered
with due respect and honour.
Born on 9 May, 1540 Maharana Pratap possesses an excellent physique, character and
sagacity along with high morality. He was enthroned in 1572 and struggled for the
independence of his motherland and the preservation of Indian moral values till
he breathed his last. In 1576,Maharana Pratap displayed unbounded courage and bravery
in the battle of Haldighati. After the historical and decisive victory in the battle
of Dewair in 1582, he led Mewar State on the path of social and cultural advancement
Maharani Gayatri Devi
Maharani Gayatri Devi is the Rajmata of Jaipur and the wife of Sawai Man Singh II.
She was born on May 23 1919 as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar. Maharani Gayatri
Devi was the third Maharani of Jaipur from 1939 to 1970 and is currently styled
as the Rajmata, or Queen Mother.
After India's independence and the successive abolition of the princely states,
Maharani Gayatri Devi became an extremely successful politician. When she entered
politics and contested the Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) election from the Jaipur constituency
in 1962, she smashed all electoral records by winning the largest-ever lead over
her nearest, Congress party, rival. She even rose the position of Vice-President
of the right-wing Swatantra Party at the national level.
Maharani Gayatri Devi was unfortunately linked up with the violation of tax laws,
and served 5 months in Tihar Jail. She retired from politics after that experience,
and showed her interest in writing. Maharani Gayatri Devi published her autobiography
- A Princess Remembers, written with Santha Rama Rau, in 1976.
Maharani Gayatri Devi was a particularly ardent horse rider. She had one child,
Prince Jagat Singh of Jaipur, Raja of Isarda, who was later granted his grandfather's
life as an additional title.
Maharani Gayatri Devi was once honored in Vogue magazine's Ten Most Beautiful Women
list. Maharani Gayatri Devi funded and established several schools for girl's education
in Jaipur, most prominent of which is the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girl's Public School.
She also promoted the dying art of blue pottery in Rajasthan.
Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan, affectionately called Khan Sahib and titled as "Shahenshah-e-Ghazal"
is a well-known Pakistani Ghazal singer. Mehdi Hassan was born in the village of
Luna in Rajasthan, India in 1927 into a family of rich traditional musicians. He
claims to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant.
Mehdi Hassan’s voice and unique performance skills in ghazal singing were unmatched
in the world of South Asian music. The 60s and 70s can be named Mehdi Hassan’s decades’,
as there was hardly any hero in the Pakistani musical scene on whom Mehdi Hassan’s
songs were not filmed.
...more on Mehdi Hassan
Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Pandit Vishwa Mohan is an exponent of Hindustani music (North Indian classical music).
He is one of the most celebrated shishyas (disciples) of the sitarist Ravi Shankar.
He was born in Jaipur in Rajasthan in July 1952
His major international breakthrough came with the album A Meeting By The River,
a collaboration with American slide guitarist Ry Cooder that would be awarded a
Grammy award for Best World Music Album in 1994. It is for this album and other
fusion and pan-cultural collaborations with Western artists like Taj Mahal, Béla
Fleck and Jerry Douglas, rather than his own unique take on Indian classical music
traditions that Bhatt is best known.
He is also a creator of 'mohan veena', named after himself and Vina or Veena, the
generic Sanskrit word for a stringed instrument. It is an instrument that appears
to be a hybrid of a classical Spanish guitar and a sitar. The Mohan veena sounds
somewhat like a Western slide guitar and is played with sitar mizrabs (wire picks)
and a thumb pick and a polished steel rod for the slide.
...more on
Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Prithviraj Chauhan
Prithvi Raj Chauhan was the second last Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi
(the last Hindu king being Hemu). He succeeded to the throne in 1179 CE at the age
of 11, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. He controlled much of
Rajasthan and Haryana, and unified the Rajputs against Muslim invasions.
His elopement with Samyukta (Sanyogita), the daughter of Jai Chandra, the Gahadvala
king of Kannauj, is a popular romantic tale in India, and is one of the subjects
of the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem composed by Prithviraj's court poet and friend,
Chand Bardoi.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is an Indian shooter who won the silver medal in Men's
Double Trap at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne,
he was the member of the winning team in the double trap event. He won the gold
in the individual and team events in men's double trap at the 2005 Asian Clay Shooting
championships at Bangkok
He is a Lt. Colonel in the Indian Army. An alumnus of National Defence Academy,
Khadakwasla Pune (N.D.A.)
He won the Arjuna award in 2003-2004 for shooting and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna,
the highest sporting honour of India, in 2004-2005. He is a recipient of the Padma
Shri, a civilian award from the Government of India, and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
(AVSM), a non-gallantry award for exceptional service, presented by the government.
He is the first officer (from the Indian Army) below the rank of brigadier to be
awarded the AVSM.
Smt. Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the current President of India, the 12th person and
first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on July 25,
2007
Pratibha Patil was born to Narayan Paglu Rao on 19th December 1934 at Nadgaon, Maharashtra.
She studied at R.R. School at Jalgaon. She received her M.A. from Mooljee Jaitha
(M.J.) College, Jalgaon and obtained a law degree from the Government Law College,
Mumbai and practised as an advocate in Jalgaon.
In November 2004, eight years after she had completed her term in the 10th Lok Sabha,
Pratibha Patil was recalled from political hibernation to become the first woman
Governor of Rajasthan.
Smt. Vasundhara Raje
Smt. Vasundhara Raje is the present Chief Minister of Rajasthan State, was born
on March 8, 1953 in Mumbai. She is the fourth child of the incumbent Ruler of Gwalior
Jivaji Rao Scindia and his wife Rajmata Vijaya Raje. She completed her school education
from Presentation Convent, Kodaikanal. Thereafter, she graduated in Economic and
Political Science (Hons.) from Sophia College, Mumbai University, Mumbai
Smt. Vasundhara Raje was conferred the Third “U.N. Women Together Award” in New
York.
Smt Raje came in touch with Rajasthan with her marriage to the incumbent ruler of
Dholpur, Maharaja Hemant Singh on November 17, 1972. Since then her relationship
with Rajasthan has become stronger.
Smt Vasundhara Raje, because of her dedication, sincerity and efficiency, was give
the portfolio of Minister of State for External Affairs in 1998-99 in the cabinet
headed by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On October 13, 1999, Smt Raje was again included
in the Central Ministry as State Minister with independent charge of Small Industries,
Personnel & Training, Pension & Pensioners Welfare, Personnel & Public Grievances
and Pension Ministry, Nuclear Energy Department and Space Department, etc.
