FAMOUS PERSONALITY OF GUJARAT

Religious Personalities

• Bhagwan Swaminarayan

• Mohammed Shafi Madani

• Ratan Singhji Ratan

• Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj

• Shri Nirdoshanand Swami Maharaj

• Shri Jagdishwaranand Swami Maharaj

• Ervad Behram R. Vakil (former Zoroastrian head priest of Singapore)

• Yogi Amrit Desai

Literature/Philosophy

• Bhojalram Bapa of Fatepur, Gujarat (He is Guru of Jalaram Bapa and popular for his literature known as "Bhoja bhagat naa chaabakhaa")

• Narsinh Mehta

• Hemchandracharya

• Homi Bhabha

• Mirabai born in Rajasthan but migrated in her old age to Dwarka

• Akho Bhagat

• Premanand

• Narmad

• Govardhanram Tripathi

• Ramanbhai Nilkanth

• Ramanlal V. Desai

• K. M. Munshi (also a freedom fighter, politician, educationist and environmentalist)

• K.K Shashtri

• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

• Jagdish Bhagwati,University Professor of Columbia University , Prominent Economist

• Jhaverchand Meghani

• Manubhai Pancholi `Darshak'

• Suresh Joshi

• Raghuvir Chaudhari

• Bakul Tripathi, A noted politcal humorist, president of the Sahitya Parishad in 2005, until his death on August 31, 2006.

• Dhiruben Patel

• Usha Sheth

• Suresh Dalal

• Sitanshu Yashashchandra

• Ravji Patel

• Manilal Desai

• Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh

• Labhshankar Thakar

• Madhu Rye Thaker

• Suresh C. Dave

• Bhagyendra Patel

• Bhikhu Parekh, A political theorist

Films and entertainment

• Amisha Patel (Actress)

• Ayesha Takia (Actress)

• Mallika Sarabhai (Dancer and Daughter of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai)

• Asha Parekh (Actress)

• Ben Kingsley (Gujarati and Russian-Jewish descent)

• Bindu Desai (Actress)

• Chitra Patel ( Model & Actress )

• Deepika Chikhalia (Ramayan serial fame - Actress)

• Dimple Kapadia (Actress)

• Falguni Pathak (Dandiya Queen)

• Himesh Reshammiya (Music Director)

• Ismail Darbar (Music Director)

• Isha Shravani (Actress)

• Kal Penn (American born to Gujarati parents)

• Kalyanji & Anandji (Music director duo)

• Ketan Mehta (Director)

• Manmohan Desai (Director)

• Ketan Desai (Director)(panto)

• Namitha (Actress)

• Neelam (Actress)

• Nirupa Roy (Actress)

• Paresh Rawal (Actor)

• Ravi Parikh (American musician born to Gujarati parents, in the group Shocker Zulu)

• Ravi Patel (Actor/Comedian)

• Sanjay Gadhvi(Director)

• Sanjay Lila Bhansali (Director)

• Sanjeev Kumar (Haribhai Jhariwala) (Actor)

• Satish Shah (Actor)

• Shruti Seth (VJ , Actress)

• Karishma Modi (Actress)

• Tina Munim (Actress)

• Farooq Shaikh (Actor)

• Viju Shah (Music director)

• Parveen Babi (A famous Actress from Gujarat)

• Shravan (Music director of Nadeem-Shravan duo)

• Alka Yagnik (Singer)

• Sunidhi Chahuan (Singer)

• Arvind Rathod (Actor)

• Ami Trivedi (Actress)(Kituu Of Kituu Sabb Jaantii Hain)

Business

• Gautam Adani (Adani Group)

• Anil Ambani (Reliance ADAG)

• Dhirubhai Ambani (founder of Reliance)

• Mukesh Ambani (Reliance)

• Aspi Godrej (Godrej)

• Kasturbhai Lalbhai (Arvind Mills)

• U.N. Mehta (Torrent Group)

• Karsanbhai Patel (Nirma)

• Mafatlal Patel (Mafatlal Group)

• Ramanbhai Patel (Cadila Healthcare)

• Nilanshu Raja (Medicomm Inc/Foundation)

• Shashi Ruia (Essar)

• Ambalal Sarabhai (Sarabhai Enterprises)

• Nigel Shaw (British Gas plc)

• Jamsetji Tata (founder of Tata group)

• Ratan Tata (Chairman of Tata group)

• Bhanu Vakil (former CEO of Parle & Essel Group)

• Shiavax R. Vakil (former director of several Tata Group companies)

• Tulsi Tanti (Sulzon Energy)

Politics

• Narendra Modi, chief minister (2001-)

• Abbas Tyabji, Freedom fighter from Gujarati

• Lal Krishna Advani, Former deputy prime minister ( came to contest elections.

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel First Deputy Prime Minister of India (1947-1950)

• Vithalbhai Patel Indian Legislator and Politician (1871 - 1933)

• Mohandas Gandhi Father of the Nation, Spiritual Leader of the Independence Movement

• Mahadev Desai, personal secretary of Gandhi

• Morarji Desai, Fourth Prime Minister of India

• H.M. Patel, Ex. Finance Minister of India

• Shankarsingh Vaghela, Textile Minister of India

• Kasturba Gandhi, Mahatma's wife and freedom fighter.

• Kanaiyalal Munshi, freedom fighter

• Shyamji Krishna Varma, noted freedom fighter

• Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan

• Lord Karan Bilimoria, Member of House of Lords, UK

• Lord Meghnad Desai, Member of House of Lords, UK

• Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Member of House of Lords, UK

• Lord Nazir Sheikh, Member of House of Lords, UK

• Shailesh Vara MP, Member of House of Commons, UK

Sports

• Kiran More

• Irfan Pathan

• Karsan Ghavri

• Vinoo Mankad

• Munaf Patel

• Zaheer Khan

• Geet Sethi

• Parthiv Patel

• Nayan Mongia

• Ajay Jadeja

Music

• Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen (his parents are Parsis from Valsad, Gujarat)

• Bhikhubhai Bhavsar

• Kalyanji-Anandji Music Directors

• Tana-Riri

• Baijnath (A student of Pt. Haridas and contemporary of Tansen)

• Brahmanand Swami

• Bihari Dan GadhviSon of Late.Hemu Dan Gadhvi

• Premanand Swami

Scientists

• Vikram Sarabhai

• Homi Bhabha