Iconic Indians: 75 Extraordinary Individuals Who Inspired the Country celebrates 75 Indians who played an important role in transforming an impoverished former colony into an increasingly confident and rapidly growing nation. Chosen from diverse fields such as politics, sports, arts, defence, business, entertainment, science and environment, this collection of essays examines the personal journeys of these exceptional individuals, including not just their successes but also their self-doubt, failures and even their disagreements with each other.
While many of them are household names, several are remarkable characters who made major contributions in their time but have faded from public memory. Through these narratives, the book simultaneously tells the wider story of how India traversed the first 75 years of Independence.
An excellent primer on the stalwarts who have made the nation what it is today, this book is a must-read for every person interested in the past, present and future of India.
Sanjeev Sanyal is an economist, urbanist and writer. His bestselling books include Land of the Seven Rivers, The Ocean of Churn and Life Over Tivo Beers. He attended Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and then Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. In 2010, the World Economic Forum named him Young Global Leader. He currently lives in Delhi and serves as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. He has a blackbelt in taekwondo, and is a keen collector of old maps.
Rajesh Singh
Rajesh Singh has been a freelance analyst of politics, governance and public affairs and has contributed articles to well-known think-tanks such as Vivekananda International Foundation and Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, and to several media platforms in Delhi and Goa. He had a nine-year stint with The Pioneer, where he was first the deputy national bureau chief and later the opinion editor. He also served as media advisor to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in 2002-03.
Our initial struggle was that of identifying the 75 eminent personalities we would write about. Ours is a large and populous country, and here we were dealing with three-quarters of a century. So, we had a tough time deciding who was to be left out and who was to be included. The dilemma was real. For instance, a reader may well ask: 'Why has the pioneering music composer Naushad Ali not been included?' or 'What made us drop Hindustani classical greats, such as Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Bismillah Khan or Kishori Amonkar?' That said, our readers will eventually agree with us that those who have been featured in this book undoubtedly deserve the inclusion.
Hindu (892)
Agriculture (93)
Ancient (1022)
Archaeology (614)
Architecture (534)
Art & Culture (859)
Biography (597)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (159)
Emperor & Queen (494)
Islam (235)
Jainism (275)
Literary (875)
Mahatma Gandhi (380)
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