Famous personalities of Gujarat
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi, byname of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, (born October 2, 1869, Porbandar, India—died January 30, 1948, Delhi), Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. As such, he came to be considered the father of his country. Gandhi is internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress.
In the eyes of millions of his fellow Indians, Gandhi was the Mahatma (“Great Soul”). The unthinking adoration of the huge crowds that gathered to see him all along the route of his tours made them a severe ordeal; he could hardly work during the day or rest at night. “The woes of the Mahatmas,” he wrote, “are known only to the Mahatmas.” His fame spread worldwide during his lifetime and only increased after his death. The name Mahatma Gandhi is now one of the most universally recognized on earth.
Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Patel (October 31, 1875 – December 15, 1950) was a political and social leader of India who played a major role in the country’s struggle for independence and subsequently guided its integration into a united, independent nation. He was called the “Iron Man of India”, and was often addressed as “Sardar” which means “Chief” or “Leader” in many languages of India. Vallabhbhai Patel already had a successful practice as a lawyer when he was first inspired by the work and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. Patel subsequently organised the peasants of Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in Gujarat in a non-violent civil disobedience movement against oppressive policies imposed by the British Raj; in this role, he became one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat. He rose to the leadership of the Indian National Congress and was at the forefront of rebellions and political events, organising the party for elections in 1934 and 1937, and promoting the Quit India movement.
Morarji desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (February 29, 1896 – April 10, 1995) was an Indian independence activist and the sixth Prime Minister of India from 1977-79. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress. Before India’s independence he served as Revenue Minister of Bombay (1937 to 1939 and in 1946. In 1952 he was elected Chief Minister. He entered central government in 1956, becoming Minister for Commerce and Industry (1956-1958) and Finance Minister (1958-1963).
He contested Indira Gandhi for leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1966 but lost the following year and accepted the post of Deputy Prime Minister in her government. In 1969, he split from Gandhi and in 1977 formed the Janata Party. Winning the General Election that year, he became Prime Minister at the age of 81. He was a committed disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.
Narsinh Mehta
The great Krishna devotee Bhakt Narsinh Mehta was born around 1414 in a Nagar Brahmin family in Junagadh district in Kathiyavaad region of Gujarat. His father’s name was Krishnadas and grandfather’s name was Vishnudatt Mehta. As his father died when he was very young, his grand mother Jaykumari brought him up along with his brother Bansidhar.
Jaykumari was a staunch Vaishanvite and this had an impact on Bhakt Narsinh Mehta. It is said that, in his childhood, Narsi could not speak and so his grandmother was worried for him that whether Narsi would ever be able to speak in his life or not. Once, after listening to Bhagwat katha in a Shivatemple, while she was returning, she met a saint. She told the saint about Narsi’s problem. The saint smiled and sprinkled water from his Kamandalu on to Narsinh and whispered in his ears, “Bolo Radhakrishna” (speak Radhakrishna) and Narsinh immediately said, “Radhakrishna.”
Narendra modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi MP is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, and is the Member of Parliament for Varanasi. Modi is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. He is the first prime minister outside of the Indian National Congress to win two consecutive terms with a full majority, and the second one to complete five years in office after Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Dhirubhai ambani
Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was one of the founders of Reliance industries in Bombay. When he was 16 years old, he moved to Aden,Yemen. Initially, Dhirubhai worked as a dispatch clerk with A. Besse & Co. He also worked in Dubai for sometime. Dhirubhai returned to India and founded the Reliance Commercial Corporation with an initial capital of Rs 15000. Dhirubhai set up the business in partnership with Champaklal Damani from whom he parted ways in 1965. The Sunday Times figured him as one of the top 50 businessmen in Asia.
Dada bhai naoroji
Dadabhai Naoroji was a politician whose name is synonymous to the freedom struggle for the independence of India. Also famously called “The Grand Old Man of India”, Dadabhai Naoroji was born on the 4th of September, 1825 to a Parsi family in Bombay. Dadabhai Naoroji falls in the fundamental category of the founding pioneers of political and social leaders that grasped the evils of the colonial administration and pushed for India’s freedom form the British Raj. An intellectual, and academician, an economist, a staunch nationalist, a social reformer and an educator, Dadabhai Naoroji was instrumental in the formation of the Indian National Congress along with other leaders like Dinshaw Edulji Wacha and A. O. Hume. He is also responsible for the establishment of other important organizations like the Royal Asiatic Society of Bombay and the East Indian Association in London among many others. His distinguished caliber also led him to become the first Indian to become a Member of Parliament of the British where he held the responsibilities of a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom House of Commons as a member of the Liberal Party. Dadabhai Naoroji’s incredible aptitude for economics resulted in him writing a seminal text called ‘Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’ where its pages spoke of his renowned ‘Theory of Drain of Wealth’. This theory provided ground breaking insights to the various forms of exploitation carried out by the colonial British that took place in incalculable magnitudes eventually leading to the continuous impoverishment of India. A believer of equality and an upholder of progressive views, Dadabhai Naoroji believed in the equal treatment of both men and women and was a forerunner that advocated for education among the women. Belonging to the assemblage of Moderates, he spoke strictly against all forms of caste discrimination and oppression and upheld the importance of constitutional procedures.
kalyan ji anand ji
Kalyanji–Anandji are an Indian composer duo from Gujarat: Kalyanji Virji Shah (30 June 1928 – 24 August 2000) and his brother Anandji Virji Shah (born 2 March 1933). The duo are known for their work on Hindi film soundtracks, with many evergreen songs being composed by them.
Ajay jadeja
Ajaysinhji “Ajay” Jadeja, is a former India cricketer, who had been a regular member in the Indian cricket team between 1992 and 2000. He played 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals for India. His cricketing achievements were overshadowed by a 6-year ban for match-fixing. The ban was later quashed by the Delhi High Court on 27 January 2003, making Jadeja eligible to play domestic and international cricket. He was most remembered for hitting and quick finishing of the overs in late 1990s.