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Awards

Sampooran Singh Gulzar, more famous as Gulzar, has made a name for himself in the annals of Indian cinema. Besides being a lyricist, he is a poet, filmmaker, director and playwright. Born in Dina in present-day Pakistan on August 18, 1936, he has given the lyrics for some of Bollywood’s popular songs. His life story is almost straight out of movies. Before becoming a writer, Gulzar worked as a car mechanic. But soon he found [...]

Jayalalitha Image

Jayalalitha became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the third time in May 2011. The former popular Tamil film star has had a rollercoaster journey in Indian politics. Starting as a political disciple of the late MG Ramachandran, she rose to head the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and finally became the Chief Minister of the state. She contested the State Legislative Assembly elections from Srirangam in May 2011. Background Born on [...]

Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi or M.S. as she was popularly known was born in the temple town of Madurai on September 16, 1916 and grew up in an atmosphere surrounded by music. Though her family led a frugal existence, her mother wanted M.S.Subbulakshmi to start formal training in vocal music, but unfortunately, her guru Madurai Srinivasa Iyengar passed away soon after she started training under him. Her musical genius was on display when she cut [...]

Kumar Mangalam Birla, the Chairman of The Aditya Birla Group, is one of the most successful businessmen of India. The Aditya Birla Group comprises of 16 companies and joint ventures in India and 22 international companies, mostly in South-east Asia. He is also the Director of the Group’s international companies in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Egypt. The Company operates globally in countries like Canada, China, Laos, USA, U.K, Germany, Hungary and Australia. In addition to [...]

Irfan Pathan is a talented Indian cricketer and a significant member of the Indian national cricket team since 2003. Irfan Pathan is an all-rounder and has been compared to the likes of cricketing great, Kapil Dev. His original name is Irfan Khan, and he was born on October 27, 1984 in Baroda, Gujarat, India. Pathan was born into a devout Islamic family who wished him to be an Islamic scholar, however he and his brother, [...]

Shrimati Kumkum Mohanty is a world famous Odissi dancer. She has received training under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra at Kala Vikash Kendra. Her contribution to the field of Odissi dance has been vast and praiseworthy. Kumkum Mohanty has been honoured with the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1994. As a child, Kumkum Mohanty was an exceptional dancer. A serious student of Kelucharan Mohapatra, Kumkum Mohanty grew up as an outstanding dancer, dedicated to the dance form [...]

The doyen of Odissi, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra was born on January 8, 1926 in Raghurajpur, Orissa. Kelucharan was a precocious child, he learnt to paint, sculpt and play the Khol drum at a very early age. He joined Gotipua troupes and folk theater groups when he was just nine. He was totally immersed in Odissi. He resurrected odissi when it was at the verge of extinction. In 1994 he set up an organisation, ‘Srjan’ to [...]

Shyam Benegal, a  director who has carved a niche for himself in Indian cinema, was born on 14 December 1934 in Alwal, Hyderabad. Initially, he started off in the advertising industry before moving on to movies. He made his directorial debut with Gher Betha Ganga in 1962, though he became famous for his film Ankur in 1973. He is known for his quartet of movies Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977), which [...]

Raja and Radha Reddy, the world famous dancing couple, excel in the art of Kuchipudi, They have taken this dance to a new height by adhering to the traditional style and technique of Kuchipudi dance. They are named among the major dancers of India for their excellence and perfection in this dance form. Both of them were born the state of Andhra Pradesh, Raja Reddy was born in 1944 in Narsapur and Radha Reddy in [...]

Pt. Birju Maharaj Probably the greatest exponent of Kathak, Pt Birju Maharaj was born on 4th February 1938. He belongs to the Kalka-Bindadin Lucknow Gharana of Kathak. Named Brij Mohan, he is the son of legendary Achchan Maharaj of Maharaj family of Kathak dancers. Brij Mohan was into dancing from the initial years of life. Trained by his uncles Shambhu Maharaj and Lachchu Maharaj he gave his first performance at the age of seven. After [...]