Famous Personalities
Gujarat GK · प्रसिद्ध व्यक्तित्व · 18 facts
Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat, and led India's independence movement through non-violent means.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, born in Nadiad, Gujarat (1875), was India's first Home Minister and integrated 562 princely states into India; called 'Iron Man of India'.
Narendra Modi, India's 14th Prime Minister (since 2014), was born in Vadnagar, Mehsana district, Gujarat, on September 17, 1950.
Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of Reliance Industries, was born in Chorwad, Junagadh, Gujarat (1932) and built India's largest private conglomerate from scratch.
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, born in Ahmedabad (1919), is called the 'Father of the Indian Space Programme' and founded ISRO and various national research institutes.
Kasturbhai Lalbhai, from a prominent Ahmedabad textile family, was a pioneering industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Atira textile research institute.
Verghese Kurien (born in Kerala but worked in Anand, Gujarat) is called the 'Father of the White Revolution' and built Amul into Asia's largest dairy cooperative.
Karsanbhai Patel, born in Ruppur, Gujarat (1945), founded Nirma detergent in 1969, disrupting the soap market and becoming a symbol of grassroots entrepreneurship.
KM Munshi (Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi) was a Gujarat-born lawyer, freedom fighter, novelist, and founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (1938).
Morarji Desai, born in Bhadeli, Valsad, Gujarat (1896), was India's first non-Congress PM (1977–79); he was awarded India's Bharat Ratna and Pakistan's Nishan-e-Pakistan.
Hemachandra (1089–1172 AD), the great Jain scholar from Gujarat, wrote the Desinamamala, Yoga Shastra, and the epic Trishashti-shalaka-purusha-charita.
Homi Bhabha, though born in Mumbai, worked closely with Gujarat's scientific community; Vikram Sarabhai was his protege and collaborated with him on atomic energy.
Amitabh Bachchan, though born in Allahabad, is a Brand Ambassador of Gujarat Tourism ('Khushboo Gujarat Ki' campaign) and helped boost tourism significantly.
Ravindra Dave was Gujarat's renowned folk singer who popularized Gujarati folk music; the Bhavai tradition has produced many noted artists from Gujarat.
Narsinh Mehta (15th century) is Gujarat's most celebrated medieval poet-saint, known for his devotional 'bhajans' including 'Vaishnav Jan To' (Gandhi's favorite).
Ela Bhatt, born in Ahmedabad (1933), founded SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) in 1972, a pioneering labor organization for women in the informal economy.
Chandrakant Sheth and Suresh Joshi are noted contemporary Gujarati literary figures; Gujarati literature has a rich 1000-year tradition starting from Hemachandra's writings.
Baba Amte's colleague Dr. Prakash Amte is from Maharashtra, but Gujarat produced noted social workers like Manibhai Desai (Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation founder).