A British-Indian model-turned-actress, Katrina Kaif started modelling at the age of fourteen after she won a beauty contest in Hawaii. At a fashion show, Kaif got the attention of a London-base
Anuradha Pal is a tabla player, multi-percussionist and music composer. She started playing tabla at the age of ten. She has been a disciple of legends like late Ustad Alla Rakha and Zakir Huss
Pop singer Alisha Chinai is well known for her albums and playback singing in Bollywood. She has worked with prominent musicians like Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik and Nadeem-Shravan. Her albums like
Girija Devi is one of the finest classical and folk vocalists in the country. Born and brought up in Varanasi, she took forward the legacy of Benaras gharana and mastered semi-classical forms o
Amish Tripathi, a banker turned author, has written the highly successful Shiva Trilogy, a mythical fantasy based on Lord Shiva which shot him to fame in a short span and placed him in the best
Devdutt Pattanaik is a physician turned mythologist, author and consultant. He has written over 600 articles and 30 books on the relevance of sacred stories, symbols and rituals in modern times
What inspires you? I take inspiration from my failures. When people tell me, ‘you can’t do this’, or ‘you’re not eligible to do this, or &ls
Playwright, writer and director Mahesh Dattani has penned several plays such as Final Solutions, Dance Like a Man, Bravely Fought the Queen, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Tara, and Thirty Days in
Often hailed as India’s Dan Brown, Ashwin Sanghi is among the best-selling authors of the country. His books are based on historical and mythological themes set in a contemporary context.
Vyjayanthimala Bali was perhaps the first south Indian actor to become a national star. One of the prominent actors of the golden era of Bollywood, she ruled the film industry for almost two de
Coming from a family of farmers in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has made it big in the Hindi film industry. Beginning his career as a theatre actor, the National
Geeta Chandran is a well-known Bharatanatyam artist. She has founded the dance academy, Natya Vriksha, which has travelled across the globe for promotion of Bharatanatyam. She has contributed in Ca
Lucky Ali is best known for his husky voice and a distinctive style of music. His debut album, Sunoh, released in 1996, was an instant success and established him in the genre of Indian pop. He
Sakshi Malik is the first Indian female wrestler to bag an Olympic medal. The 24-year-old comes from Mokhra village of Rohtak, Haryana. She came into the limelight as an international wre
Prolific writer and acclaimed journalist Jerry Pinto has edited and written many literary works in different genres. His work ranges from children’s fiction and magazine columns to poetry
Known for his indelible roles in Gangs of Wasseypur and Nil Battey Sannata, Pankaj Tripathi hails from a village in Bihar where many people still don’t have TV sets at home. His par
American jazz musician Ted Nash has won this year’s Grammy for his album Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom for ‘Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album’ and the &
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was born in Kolkata and has spent most of her life in Northern California. The two cultures are reflected in her writings. Two of her books, The Mist
Renowned actor and mental health expert Dr Mohan Agashe wears many hats. He got a degree in Psychiatry from BJ Medical College, Pune, where he later became a professor. It was during hi
Iranian documentary filmmaker Shiva Sanjari is known for her documentary Here the Seats are Vacant, about the first woman filmmaker of Iran. The movie was shown at the 13th Internationa
He accompanied his father to film studios in Chennai and helped him in designing sets, but Thota Tharrani wanted to be an artist. So he studied mural painting and print-making, but as l
Chetan Bhagat started as an investment banker, before turning to writing. His first novel, Five-Point Someone, sold briskly, and one bestseller followed another. Finally, The New York Times cal
Oscar-nominated Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri is a phenomenal performer, teacher and composer. She grew up in a family which is into music from generations. She has performed at festivals a
Anand Neelakantan is known for his style of counter-telling Indian mythology. His first three books followed the counter-telling style, and narrated stories of mythological villains like Ravana
Vani Jairam’s childhood dream of becoming a playback singer was realised when veteran film music composer Vasant Desai gave her the opportunity to sing Bole Re Papi Hara and two othe
Sanjeev Kapoor’s first rendezvous with food business was at the Asian Games held in Delhi in 1982, where he was given the duty of serving pineapple juice. Kapoor was then a student of the
Malavika Sarrukkai is a Bharatanatyam dancer from Tamil Nadu. She began learning the dance form at the age of seven and made her stage debut at the age of 12. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak
Born in a small village near Hisar in Haryana, Pandit Jasraj comes from a family of musicians of over four generations. Jasraj was initiated to music by his revered father, Pandit Motiram. Soon
Sudarsan Pattnaik’s association with sand art began when the artist was only nine years old. Born in a poor family in Puri, Odisha, Pattnaik faced a lot of hardship in his formative years
Prahlad Tipanya is not a typical musical genius. Before the age of 24, he had no inkling of a career in singing. Nor was music in his genes: his parents were poor and unlettered. He was happy w
Sudha Ragunathan is a renowned Carnatic vocalist and composer. She has performed across India and abroad. Her guru was Padma Bhushan ML Vasanthakumari, known by many as a musical genius and a d
Nikhil Sachan is one of the most promising names among contemporary Hindi writers. His first book, Namak Swadanusar, a collection of short stories published in 2013, was praised widely in liter
Pandit Chhannulal Mishra is a noted exponent of Banaras and Kairana gharanas. Born in Hariharpur of Azamgarh district, he learnt musical notes from various gurus and thus his music is an amalga
Roy is a budding filmmaker and screen writer from Birmingham in the UK. He has written and directed The Thought of You, a short film that won the Royal Stag Barrel Large Shorts ‘Perfect T
Harshdeep Kaur is a playback singer better known for her Sufi renditions. She sings Hindi as well as Punjabi. She sang ‘Ik Onkar’ in Rang De Basanti apart from several other soulful
Denzil Smith is a stage and film actor who has featured in several Indian and international productions that have achieved both critical and commercial success. Gurinder Chadha’s Viceroy&
Vishal Dadlani is a versatile musician who composes, sings as well as writes lyrics. He is the co-founder of electronica/indie-rock band Pentagram – the first Indian band to perform
Faezeh Jalali is an actor, director, playwright and dramatist who garnered appreciation after her role in Slumdog Millionaire. Her plays Shikhandi – The Story of the In-Betweens and 07/07
Govind Namdev`s performances, whether on stage or in films, are always memorable for their fine touches of characterisation, presence, style. He attributes them to his rigorous
His films Chalbaaz and Jalwa were box-office hits. The TV serial *Karamchand*, with Pankaj Kapur as the detective of the title and Sushmita Mukherjee as his assistant, is cons
Supermodel Milind Soman takes on other roles too: actor, film producer, fitness icon. A competitive swimmer in school and college, Soman was a national champion and won a silver for India at th