List of Indians
This is a list of famous and notable people from India. This would include persons who are known to a large number of people and is not based on the extent of their popularity. Neither is the list viewed from the context of the present. Their fame could be brief, what matters is that they were well-known during the peak of their popularity. For important Native Americans, formerly also known as Indians, see List of Native Americans
Arts
- Amrita Sher-Gil, painter
- Birju Maharaj, Dancer
- Jatin Das, painter
- Kelucharan Mohapatra, Odissi dancer
- Mallika Sarabhai, Dancer
- M.F. Hussain, Painter
- Protima Bedi, dancer
- Raja and Radha Reddy, Kuchipudi dancers
- Raja Ravi Varma, Painter
- PC Sorcar, Magician
- Sudha Chandran, dancer
Business and Industry
- See also Influential businessmen of India
- Arjun Malhotra, co-founder, HCL Technologies
- Dewang Mehta, ex-chief of NASSCOM
- J.R.D. Tata, Industrialist, Tata Groups
- GD Birla, Industrialist, Birla Group
- Sohrab Pirojsha Godrej, Godrej Industries
- Jamnalal Bajaj
- N.R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder Infosys
- Sabeer Bhatia, co-founder Hotmail
- Sanjiv Sidhu, founder i2 Technologies
- Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar, Kirloskar Group
- Subrata Roy, Sahara India Parivar
- Verghese Kurien, founder Operation Flood
- Bobby Kishore, General Manager Microsoft Corporation
- Vinod Khosla, co-founder Sun Microsystems
- Vivek Paul, CEO of Wipro
Cartoonists
- Abu Abraham, in The Guardian
- Ajit Ninan, in the India Today
- Bal Thackeray
- Jug Suraiya
- Kesav, in The Hindu
- Mario Miranda
- Ranga
- R. K. Laxman, in the Times of India
- Shanker, in the Illustrated Weekly of India
- Yesudasan, in The Week
Fashion, modelling and beauty
- For a list of women who have won the Miss India titles see : Miss India
- Dino Morea, model and actor
- John Abraham, model and actor
- Madhu Sapre
- Manish Malhotra, designer
- Milind Soman, model and actor
- Nafisa Joseph, model and VJ
- Ritu Beri, designer
- Rohit Bal, designer
Literature
See also: Indian writing in English
- Allama Iqbal Urdu poet
- Arundhati Roy - Booker Prize for The God of Small Things
- Dom Moraes, poet, author
- Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Hindi poet
- Kabir
- Kaifi Azmi, poet
- Kalhana
- Kalidasa, playwright, creator of Shakuntalam
- Kamala Markandaya, poetess
- Khushwant Singh, novelist
- Mahadevi Verma, Hindi poetess
- Mirza Ghalib, Urdu poet
- Mulk Raj Anand
- Munshi Premchand, Hindi novelist
- Nissim Ezekiel - poet, art critic
- Rabindranath Tagore - Nobel Prize in Literature, composer of Indian national anthem
- R.K. Narayan, English short-story writer
- Salman Rushdie - Booker Prize for Midnight's Children
- Shashi Tharoor - Author of The Great Indian Novel besides other books
- Subhash Kak, writer
- Sumitranandan Pant, Hindi poet
- Tulsidas, poet, author of the Ramayana in Hindi
- Vikram Seth, English novelist, poet
- V.S. Naipaul - Nobel Prize 2001 (of Indian descent, never an Indian citizen)
- Vaikom Muhammad Basheer - Malayalam novelist
- Vayalar Ramavarma - Malayalam poet
Mass Media
- Aniruddha Bahal, writer and Tehelka journalist
- Deepak Chaurasia, consulting editor and anchor, Doordarshan News
- Khushwant Singh
- M. J. Akbar, chief editor, Asian Age
- Prannoy Roy, president, NDTV
- Arun Shourie, journalist
- Pritish Nandy
- Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, research coordinator, Doordarshan
- Saeed Naqvi
- Sanjay Pugalia, director, STAR News
- Sanjay Gupta, Anchor, CNN CNN Page on Sanjay Gupta
- Veer Sanghvi, editor, Hindustan Times
Movies
See also: Dadasaheb Phalke Award winners
Directors
- Adoor Gopalakrishnan
- Dev Anand
- Gurinder Chadha
- Guru Dutt
- Ismail Merchant
- Kamal Amrohi
- Mani Ratnam
- Manoj Night Shyamalan (born Indian, later American citizen)
- Mira Nair
- Raj Kapoor
- Rajkumar Santoshi
- Ram Gopal Varma
- Sai Paranjpe
- Satyajit Ray - Oscar for lifetime achievement, 1992
- Shekhar Kapoor
- Shyam Benegal
- Subhash Ghai
- Shakti Samanta
- Yash Chopra
Producers
- Amitabh Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd. (ABCL)
- Aziz Mirza, Dreamz Unlimited
- Dev Anand, Navketan Films
- Juhi Chawla, Dreamz Unlimited
- K.T. Kunjumon, Gentleman Films
- Mira Nair, Mirabai Films
- Mohanlal, Pranavam Arts
- Mukesh Bhatt, Vishesh Films
- Pooja Bhatt, initially Pooja Bhatt Productions, Fish Eye Network
- Raj Kapoor, R.K. Films
- Ram Gopal Varma, Varma Corporation Ltd.
- Shahrukh Khan, Dreamz Unlimited
- Sooraj Barjatya, Rajshri Films
- Subhash Ghai, Mukta Arts
- Sunil Dutt, Ajanta Arts
- Yash Chopra, Yashraj Films
- Yash Johar, Dharma Productions
Actors
A-H
- Aamir Khan
- Abhishek Bachchan
- Aftab Shivdasani
- Amitabh Bachchan
- Ajay Devgan
- Akshay Khanna
- Akshay Kumar
- Amol Palekar
- Anil Kapoor
- Annu Kapoor
- Anupam Kher
- Biswajit
- Bobby Deol
- Chandrachur Singh
- Dev Anand
- Dharmendra (born 1935)
- Dilip Kumar
- Dino Morea
- Fardeen Khan
- Feroze Khan
- Govinda
- Guru Dutt
- Hrithik Roshan
J-R
- Jackie Shroff
- Jeetendra
- John Abraham
- Johnny Walker, real name Badruddin Qazi
- Jimmy Shergill
- Kamal Haasan
- Madhavan
- Manoj Bajpai
- Manoj Kumar
- Mehmood
- Mithun Chakraborty
- Mohanlal, Malayalam films
- Naseeruddin Shah
- Om Prakash
- Om Puri
- Pran
- Prem Nazir, Malayalam films
- Raj Kapoor (Actor and Director)
- Rajendra Kumar
- Raaj Kumar (Hindi actor)
- Rajeev Kapoor
- Rajesh Khanna
- Dr. Rajkumar (Kannada actor)
- Rakesh Roshan
- Randhir Kapoor
- Rishi Kapoor
S-V
- Saif Ali Khan
- Salman Khan
- Sanjay Dutt
- Sanjay Kapoor
- Sanjay Khan
- Sanjeev Kumar
- Shahrukh Khan
- Shakti Kapoor
- Shammi Kapoor
- Shashi Kapoor
- Shatrughan Sinha
- Sivaji Ganesan
- Sunil Dutt
- Sunil Shetty
- Sunny Deol
- Suresh Gopi
- Utpal Dutt
- Uttam Kumar
- Vinod Khanna
- Vinod Mehra
- Vivek Oberoi
Actresses
See List of Indian movie actresses
Music
- Abhijeet, singer
- Alka Yagnik, singer
- Amjad Ali Khan
- A.R. Rahman - Composer
- Anu Malik, composer
- Asha Bhosle, singer
- Babul Supriyo
- Balamurali Krishna
- Geeta Dutt, singer
- Hemant Kumar, composer and singer
- Hridaynath Mangeshkar, composer
- Ilayaraja, Composer
- Kavita Krishnamurthy
- Kay Kay, singer
- Khayyam
- Kishore Kumar, playback singer, actor
- Kumar Sanu, singer
- Lata Mangeshkar, singer
- Lucky Ali, singer
- Mahendra Kapoor, singer
- Manna Dey, singer
- MS Subbulakshmi, Classical (Carnatic) Singer
- Mohammad Rafi, singer
- Mukesh, singer
- Naushad, composer
- Noorjehan, singer
- O.P. Nayyar, composer
- Rahul Dev Burman, composer
- Ravi, composer
- Ravi Shankar, Sitar maestro
- Sadhana Sargam
- Salil Chowdhury, composer
- Shamshad Begum
- Sultan Khan
- Suraiya, singer
- Talat Mahmood, singer
- Udit Narayan, singer
- Yesudas, singer, devotional and film songs, exponent of Carnatic music
- Zakir Hussain, Tabla maestro
- Zubin Mehta, conductor
Organised Crime
Philosophers
Politics
- Presidents: President of India
- Prime Ministers: Prime Minister of India
- Chief Ministers (Tamil Nadu): List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- Bal Thackeray
- Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
- E.K. Nayanar
- Feroze Gandhi
- Indira Gandhi
- J Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Lal Krishna Advani
- Laloo Prasad Yadav
- M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Manmohan Singh
- Mayawati
- MG Ramachandran, Popularly known as MGR, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- Mulayam Singh Yadav, chief minister, Uttar Pradesh
- Narendra Modi, chief minister, Gujarat
- Natwar Singh
- P Chidambaram
- P. V. Narasimha Rao
- Phoolan Devi (1963-2001), dacoit, bandit, Member of Parliament, (see Bandit Queen)
- Pranab Mukherjee
- Priyanka Gandhi (born 1971)
- Rabri Devi (born 1959)
- Rahul Gandhi, MP from Amethi
- Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991)
- Rajiv Pratap Rudy
- Ravi Shankar Prasad
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950)
- Shrikant Jichkar (1954-2004)
- Somnath Chatterjee (born 1929)
- Subhash Chandra Bose (1897-1945)
- Vinay Katiyar
- Yashwant Sinha (born 1937)
Religion
- Adi Sankara
- Amir Khusrau
- Baba Bullhay Shah
- Baba Ganj-e-Shakar
- Mata Amritanandamayi
- Sri Aurobindo
- Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
- Farid
- Gautama Buddha - the founder of Buddhism.
- Guru Nanak
- Hazrat Makhdum Bukhari Jahanian Jahangasht
- Hazrat Mueen-ud-Din Chishti Ajmeri Khwajah
- Hazrat Sirhindi
- Hazrat Usmaan Pir Harooni
- J. Krishnamurti
- Kabir
- Lord Mahavir
- Meera
- Narayana Guru
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
- Nizaam-ud-Din Auliya
- Osho Shree Rajneesh
- Prabhupada A.C. Bhaktivedanta
- Prem Rawat
- Ramakrishna Paramhansa
- Sai Baba of Shirdi
- Sathya Sai Baba
- Samartha Ramdas Swami
- Sant Tukaram
- Sant Namdeo
- Swami Vivekananda
- Tulsidas poet, author of the Ramayana in Hindi
- The Ten Gurus of Sikhism - the founders of the Sikhism & Sikh religion
Royalty
See also: List of Mughal emperors
- Akbar the Great
- Ashoka the Great
- Aurangzeb
- Babur
- Bindusara
- Chandragupta Maurya
- Chandragupta II (Chandragupta Vikramaditya)
- Jahanara Begum, daughter of Shah Jahan
- Jehangir
- Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi
- Mumtaz Mahal
- Rajendra Chola
- Samudragupta
- Shah Jahan
- Sher Shah Suri
- Shivaji
- Tipu Sultan
Sciences
- A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
- Acharya P.C. Roy
- Aryabhata
- Ashoke Sen, theoretical physicist
- Bhaskaracharya
- Birbal Sahni
- Brahmagupta
- C.N.R. Rao
- C.V. Raman
- George Sudarshan
- Hargobind Khorana
- Harish Chandra
- Homi Jehangir Bhabha
- Jagdish Chandra Bose
- Sardar Jagjit Singh
- J.J. Rawal, astrophysicist
- Jayant Narlikar
- Kollagunta Gopalaiyer Ramanathan
- Lagadha
- Madhava
- Madhu Sudan
- Meghnad Saha
- Nilakantha Somayaji
- Panini
- Pingala
- Raja Ramanna
- Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
- Srinivasa Ramanujan
- Satyendra Nath Bose
- S. Bhagvantam
- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
- Vikram Sarabhai
- Yajnavalkya
Social work
- Anna Hazare
- Arundhati Roy, Narmada Bachao Andolan
- Baba Amte
- Jayaprakash Narayan
- Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan
- Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity
- Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chipko movement
- Vinoba Bhave, Sarvodaya and Bhoodan movements
Sports
- Anil Kumble, Cricket
- Anju George, athlete
- Baichung Bhutia, Football
- Chandu Borde, Cricket
- Dhanraj Pillay, Hockey
- Dhyan Chand, Hockey
- Geet Sethi, snooker
- Gopichand, badminton
- Harbhajan Singh, Cricket
- Javagal Srinath, Cricket
- Jeev Milkha Singh, golf
- Jyoti Randhawa, golf
- Kapil Dev, Cricket
- Karnam Malleswari, Weightlifting
- Leander Paes, Tennis
- Mahesh Bhupathi, Tennis
- Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, cricket
- Milkha Singh, Athlete
- Mohammed Azharuddin, Cricket
- Pargat Singh, Hockey
- Prakash Padukone, Badminton
- P. T. Usha, Athlete, Asian Games medallist
- Ramesh Krishnan, tennis
- Rahul Dravid , Cricket
- Ranjitsinghji, cricket
- Sachin Tendulkar, Cricket
- Sania Mirza, Junior Wimbledon Girls champion
- Saurav Ganguly , Cricket
- Sunil Gavaskar, Cricket
- Vijay Amritraj, lawn tennis
- Viswanathan Anand, Chess
Others
- Amartya Sen, Economist, Nobel Prize in Economics, 1998
- Avinash Kak, professor
- Jaishree Odin, teacher
- B.K.S. Iyengar, proponent of yoga
- Balbir Singh Sodhi, victim of September 11-related revenge violence
- Basava Premanand, Skeptic and debunker of gurus
- Bimal Jalan, ex-Governor Reserve Bank of India
- Kalpana Chawla, first Indian woman astronaut (Born Indian, later American citizen), Columbia astronaut
- Nain Singh
- Noor Inyat Khan, World War II spy, born of an Indian father and descendant of Tipu Sultan
- Rakesh Sharma, first Indian astronaut
- Ram Nath Kak, veterinarian
- Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, (born 1940), Chief Justice of India
- Sidhartha Basu, quiz master