Verghese Kurien

Verghese Kurien (born November 26, 1921 at Kozhikode, Kerala) is the founder of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), an apex cooperative organization that manages the Amul food brand. He is recognised as the man behind the success of the Amul brand. Amul had a revenue of $1b USD in 2006-07. He is credited with being the architect of Operation Flood -- the largest dairy development program in the world. Kurien helped modernise Anand model of cooperative dairy development and thus engineered the White Revolution in India, and made India the largest milk producer in the world.

Eary life and education

Verghese Kurien was born on November 26, 1921. His father was a civil surgeon in Cochin. He graduated in Physics from Loyola College, Madras in 1940 and then did B.E. (Mech) from the University of Madras. After completing his degree, he joined the Tata Steel Technical Institute, Jamshedpur from where he graduated in 1946. He then went to USA on a government scholarship to earn his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (with distinction) from Michigan State University.

Career
When he came back to India, he was posted as a dairy engineer at the government creamery, Anand, in May 1949. Around the same time, the infant cooperative dairy, Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union (KDCMPUL), now famous as Amul -- was fighting a battle with the Polson Dairy, which was privately owned. Young Kurien, fed up with being at the government creamery, which held no challenge, volunteered to help Shri Tribhuvandas Patel, the Chairman of KDCMPUL, to set up a processing plant. This marked the birth of AMUL.

Personal life
Kurien belongs to the Syrian Christian community of India. He married his neighbor's daughter Molly. Molly was a gracious host and Dr Kurien's house used to serve as a guest house in Anand for the visiting dignitaries[citation needed]. He has one daughter Nirmala Kurien and a grandson, Siddharth.

The White Revolution

Kurien has since then built this organization into one of the largest and most successful institutions in India. The Amul pattern of cooperatives had been so successful, in 1965, then Prime Minister of India, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, created the National Dairy Development

Board (NDDB) to replicate the program on a nationwide basis citing Kurien's "extraordinary and dynamic leadership" upon naming him chairman. Kurien also set up GCMMF in 1973 to sell the products produced by the dairies. Today GCMMF sells AMUL brand products not only in India but also overseas. He quit the post of GCMMF Chairman in 2006 following disagreements with GCMMF management.[1] Kurien, plays a key role in many other organizations, ranging from chairing the Viksit Bharat Foundation, a body set up by the President of India to chairman of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand's (IRMA) Board of Governors in India. Kurien was mentioned by the Ashoka foundation (www.ashoka.ca) as one of the eminent present Day Social Entrepreneurs. Kurien's life story is chronicled in his memoirs 'I too had a dream'.[2] Kurien and his team were pioneers in inventing the process of making milk powder and condensed milk from buffalo's milk instead of cow's milk. This was the reason Amul became so successful and competed well against Nestle who only used cow milk to make powder and condensed milk. In India buffalo milk was the main raw material unlike Europe where cow milk is abundant. India's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru visited Anand to inaugrate AMUL "factory" and he embraced Kurien for his groundbreaking work.

Elattuvalapil Sreedharan

Elattuvalapil Sreedharan (born 12 June 1932) is the managing director of Delhi Metro.

Early life
E. Sreedharan was born in a family of Palakkad district, Kerala. His family hails from Karukaputhoor in Palakkad district of Kerala. After attending Basel Evangelical Mission Higher Secondary School there he studied at the Victoria College in Palghat and then graduated as an engineer from the Government Engineering College, Kakinada (now JNTU)[citation needed].

Career

After a short tenure as a lecturer in Civil engineering at the Government Polytechnic, Kozhikode and a year at the Bombay Port Trust as an apprentice, he joined the Indian Railways in its Service of Engineers. His first assignment was in the Southern Railway as a Probationary Assistant Engineer in December 1954. He is also the school classmate of former Chief election commissioner T.N.Seshan.[1] That time his first position in class was overtaken by T.N. Seshan from 5th standard onwards[citation needed].
Government career

In 1963, a huge tsunami washed away parts of Pamban Bridge that connected Rameshwaram to mainland Tamil Nadu. The Railways set a target of six months for the bridge to be repaired while Sreedharan's boss, under whose jurisdiction the bridge came, reduced it to three months. Sreedharan was put in-charge of the execution and he restored the bridge in just 46 days.[2] The Railway minister's Award was given to him in recognition of this achievement. In 1970, as the deputy chief engineer, he was put in charge for implementation, planning and design of Calcutta metro, the first ever metro in India. Cochin Shipyard launched Rani Padmini, the first ship it built, when he was its Chairman and Managing Director (CMD). He retired from Indian Railways as Member Engineering in 1990. Sreedharan also has an advisory board slot at a new Foundation for the Restoration of National Values. Business tycoon Ratan Tata and a former chief justice of India are serving, too. The foundation aims to "bring in good values in all areas of national life, to cleanse corruption in high places," says Sreedharan.

Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic Nun. She was born in Albania but took Indian Citizenship. For 45 years, she took care of the sick, orphaned and the dying and was an advocate for poor and the helpless. By the age of 12, she was convinced that she should commit herself to religious life. She left home at the age of 18 as a missionary and she never saw a parents or siblings again. Teresa received Vatican permission in 1950 to start the diocesan congregation that would become the Missionaries of Charity. Its mission was to care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the blind, the lepers, and all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone. It began as a small organization with 13 members in Calcutta; today it has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages and charity centers worldwide, caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine. By 1996, she was operating more than 517 missions in over 100 countries. At the time of her death, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity had over 4,000 sisters, an associated brotherhood of 300 members, and over 100,000 volunteers, operating 610 missions in 123 countries. I am

happy to share in my forum that the most admired person of mine is a women and an Indian citizen.

Muthulakshmi Reddi

Muthulakshmi Reddi was a medical practitioner, social reformer and Padma Bhushan awardee belonging to India. Muthulakshmi was the first women doctor in India. During the olden days, girls of India faced various constraints before Independence especially. They werent educated properly and they werent allowed to socialize with men. Even today in many parts of India women still face many problems and as a result of which they arent allowed to progress in life. In spite of various constraints faced by girls in India of her time, she could complete her higher education. In 1907, she joined the Madras Medical College, where she achieved a brilliant academic record. With several gold medals and prizes to her credit, Muthulakshmi graduated in 1912 to become one of the first woman doctors in India. Muthulakshmi Ammal had earlier been advised not to appear for the very difficult M.B and C.M. course but she shocked everyone by getting 100 per cent result in surgery. She won most of the merit medals and prizes of that year. She was also was a tough one. She was also the first woman to be nominated to the Madras Legislative Council, where she was elected Deputy Chairperson. She was the founder-president of the Indian Womens Association and became the first advisor to the Mayor of the Madras municipal corporation. She was the prime mover behind the legislation that abolished the system of dedicating young girls to temples (devadasi) and played a role in rising the minimum marriage age for women. She founded the Cancer Institute (WIA) in Madras and Avvai Home, the first institute in Madras to admit and educate poor and destitute girls with no caste bias. Muthulakshmis father supported her decisions not to get married, despite her mothers pleas and protest. But her resolve was broken when impressed with her academic excellence, Dr. Sundar Reddi, a well-known surgeon and the first Indian doctor to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Civil Surgeons (FRCS), approached for her hand. She was soon persuaded his daughter to marry Dr. Reddi in 1914. Muthulakshmi consented but not without a fight. She demanded that she should be treated as an equal and be given the freedom to do what she wanted. She was given the freedom. In1936, Muthulakshmi Reddi leased land in Adyar village for the Avvai Home. Girls were also encouraged to learn spinning and weaving. Having seen her young sister die of cancer, she was determined to make cancer treatment available in Madras. She went to England for her post-graduation and studied cancer treatment as well as gynecology. Her son, Krishnamurthy later became a cancer specialist. She founded the Cancer Institute at Adyar (just 5 blocks away from my house) now well known all over India. Muthulakshmi wrote in her autobiography that her best pastime was to look after little children.

Even while studying medicine, a neighbors child would be found in her lap. This great passion for children found full expression in Avvai Home where many young women have found the means for formal education.

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917, in Allahabad, the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, later the first prime minister of India. Being influenced and inspired by her parents, Indira Gandhi rose to power in India and eventually became prime minister. She dedicated her life to progress in her country despite the overwhelming problems and challenges she encountered. A graduate of Visva-Bharati University, Bengal, she also studied at the University of Oxford, England. In 1938 she joined the National Congress party and became active in India's movement for independence. In 1942 she married Feroze Gandhi (1913-60), a Parsi lawyer also active in the party. Shortly after both were arrested by the British on charges of subversion and spent 13 months in prison.

Road to Fame In 1959, Gandhi became the fourth woman elected president of the Indian National Congress. Five years later in 1964, the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri appointed Indira Gandhi as minister of information and broadcasting. As minister, she most importantly encouraged the making of inexpensive radios and started a family planning program.

After Shastri's death in 1966, Indira Gandhi served as prime minister until India held the next election. She won that election, and in 1967, became the first woman ever elected to lead a democracy. In 1971, Gandhi was re-elected by campaigning with the slogan "Abolish Poverty."

o control population growth, Gandhi implemented a voluntary sterilization program. As a result, adversaries criticized her and her administration in general. To secure her power and because of escalating riots, on June 26, 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency which limited the personal freedom of Indians. Also, she ordered the arrests of the main opposition leaders. In 1977, she was voted out of office but regained her position as prime minister in 1980. On October 31, 1984, on the unfateful day, Indira Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards assassinated her. They did

so to avenge the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Gandhi ordered the storming in June because of terrorist activity. As prime minister, Gandhi tried to improve the lives of Indians. Her main accomplishments were improving relations with the Soviet Union and victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan. Also in 1971, India sent its first satellite into space. Economically, Indira Gandhi led India to one of the fastest growing economies in the world toward the end of her time as prime minister.

Dhirubhai Ambani : The Reliant Ruler

Born in the village in Saurashtra (Gujarat), village in Saurashtra (Gujarat), Founder Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited, Founder Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited. Reliance Group, with interests in textiles, petrochemicals, petroleum, oil and gas, financial services, insurance, power, telecom and infocom, is India's largest business house with total sales of Rs 62,000 crore (US$ 13.2 billion), net profits of Rs 4,400 crore (US$ 950 million) and cash flow of over Rs 6,800 crore (US$ 1.5 billion).

Conferred the 'Man of the Century' award by Chemtech Foundation and Chemical Engineering World in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the chemical industry in India, November 2000. Thrice (2000, 1998 and 1996) nominated as one of the 'Power 50 - the most powerful people in Asia' by Asiaweek magazine. Awarded the Dean's Medal by The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, for setting an outstanding example of leadership, June 1998. Conferred The Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence for Lifetime Achievement, August 2001

Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar is not only the supreme voice of the Indian music, but an Institution of Indian Music. Lata Mangeshkar was born on 28th September, 1929, at Sikh Mohalla, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Her father, Pt. Deenanath Mangeshkar a classical singer & stage actor, came from Mangeshi in Goa. Ever since she started her singing career, Lata Mangeshkar has been active in all walks of Indian popular and light classical music having sung film songs, ghazals, bhajans and pop. Until the 1991 edition, when her entry disappeared, the Guinness Book of Records listed her as the most recorded artist in the world with not less than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs recorded in 20 Indian languages between 1948 and 1987. Between 1942 and 1948, Lata had to act in as many as 8 films in Hindi and Marathi to take care of the family's economic problems, after her father's death. She also made her debut as a playback singer in the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal (1942) but the song was edited out! How She Came Into Picture? The first Hindi film in which she gave playback was Aap ke Sewa Main (1947) but her singing went unnoticed. When Lata entered the Film Industry, heavier Punjabi voices like Noorjehan, Shamshad Begum and Zohrabai Ambalewali ruled the Industry. Ironically Lata was even rejected for Shaheed (1948) by producer S. Mukherjee who complained that her voice was too thin! However Ghulam Haider unable to use her in Shaheed gave Lata her breakthrough song with Dil Mera Toda from Majboor (1948). 1949 saw the release of four films. Barsaat, Andaaz (1949) , Dulari and Mahal. The songs of all four films were runaway hits particularly Aaega Aanewaalaa from the last mentioned. By 1950 the Lata wave had changed the Industry. Her high-pitched singing rendered obsolete the heavy basy nasal voices of the day. Only Geeta Dutt and to a certain extent Shamshad Begum survived the Lata wave. Asha Bhosle too came up in the late 1950s and the two sisters were the queens of Indian playback singing right through to the 90s. Though Lata sang under the baton of all the top composers barring O.P. Nayyar and with all the top playback artistes of the day, special mention must be made of her work for C. Ramchandra who made her sound her sweetest and Madan Mohan who challenged her voice like no other music director. The 1960s and 70s saw Lata go from strength to strength even as there were accusations of her monopolizing the field. From the 80s Lata cut down on her workload to concentrate on her shows abroad. Lata Mangeshkar sings infrequently now but even today the songs of some of the biggest hits of today Dil To Paagal Hai (1997), Maachis (1997), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) and Dil Se (1998) are sung by her. From Nargis to Kajol she's sung for them all. Lata Mangeshkar is in fact that rare artist who has realized her search for excellence. A Phalke Award winner for her contribution to Indian Cinema, the latest jewel in Lata's crown is having India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna conferred on her.

Mohandas Karamchand
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in the town of Porbander in the state of Gujarat on 2 October 1869. He studied law at University College, London. In 1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to establish a law practice in Bombay, with little success. He went to South Africa to wrork but found himself treated very shabbily and like someone of inferior race. This realization changed the face of Indian dependence and freedom struggle. Political Awakening Gandhi emerged as the leader of the Indian community, and it is in South Africa that he first coined the term satyagraha to signify his theory and practice of non-violent resistance. Gandhi returned to India in early 1915 ver the next few years, he was to become involved in numerous local struggles all over the country. Gandhi became the international symbol of a free India. He lived a spiritual and ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and meditation. In 1921 the Indian National Congress, the group that spearheaded the movement for nationhood, gave Gandhi complete executive authority, with the right of naming his own successor. The British government again seized and imprisoned him in 1922 for the failure of the civil disobedience movement.

During the riots that followed the partition of India, Gandhi pleaded with Hindus and Muslims to live together peacefully. Riots engulfed Calcutta, one of the largest cities in India, and the Mahatma fasted until disturbances ceased. On January 13, 1948, he undertook another successful fast in New Delhi to bring about peace, but on January 30, 12 days after the termination of that fast, as he was on his way to his evening prayer meeting, he was assassinated by a fanatic Hindu. A period of mourning was set aside in the United Nations General Assembly, and condolences to India were expressed by all countries.

Sunil Bharti Mittal

From making bicycle parts as a teenager, Sunil Bharti Mittal has come a long way. Sunil Bharti Mittal Chairman and Group Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises, has at the age of 43 created a Telecom Giant in India. Sunil Is An Alumnus Of Harvard Business School India's leading telecom conglomerate, has been at the forefront of technology and has revolutionized telecommunications with its world-class brands, products and services. The company has grown by leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings in the 1970.

Feather in the Cap In 2002, Dataquest, a leading Indian IT magazine, named Mittal the Dataquest IT Man of the Year He Is The Receipient Of Ceo Of The Year, 2002 Award (World Hrd Congress). Chosen Amongst Stars Of Asia By Business Week. Family Life He has a daughter who's 17 and twin sons who are 13, doesnt get to spend much time with the family. He is thankful for a supportive family. However. Whenever hes with them he tries to spend some quality time. Mantra work is love, not stress

Sachin Tendulkar : The Champion of Champions

Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut in ODIs and Tests at the age of 16 against Pakistan and the fiery pace of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He then went to England as a part of the national side, and has not looked back ever since. Born on 24 April 1973 in Mumbai, he is the star of the Indian cricket team. The greatest batsman in the world today, Sachin Tendulkar has the cricketing world at his feet. Immensely gifted and blessed with an impeccable technique, Tendulkars batting is a dream, combining timing, elegance and power. On the Pitch The first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket, making the record in the third game of a fivematch series against Australia on the 31st of March 2001. He reached the landmark when he scored 34 runs in his 266th match and 259th innings. Tendulkar, 27, in his amazing 12-year career, has scored a world record 28 hundreds and 50 half-centuries in his 10,000 runs.

In batting, he has reached a stage that others can only dream of. He has destroyed practically every bowling attack in the world. Tendulkar's 'specialties' include the straight drive (seemingly nobody plays the shot better than him), the cover drive, the square cut, the pullshot over midwicket/square leg, the delicate leg glance, the late cut, the lofted shots over mid-on and mid-off and not to mention the improvisations he keeps coming up with, time and again. Feather in the Cap He has also won the Coopers and Lybrand Award for Player of the Year in June 1998, backed by an amazing 40% of almost 5000 votes cast during an online survey conducted by Cricinfo, the largest cricket site on the 'net. He has also climbed to the no.1 spot in the very important and prestigious Wisden Cricket ratings based in his test performances in the last two years, scoring at an average of above 57 in 26 tests.

Osho-The Guru

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931 - 1990) , or Osho as he preferred to be called, was one of India's most popular and flamboyant ' export gurus ' and without double the most controversial. He followed no particular religion, tradition or philosophy and his often acerbic criticism and dismissal of various religious and political leaders made him many enemies world over. was his advocacy of sex as a path to enlightenment an approach outraged his Indian critics and earned him epithet 'sex guru' from the Indian press.

The Ashram The Bhagwan Rajneesh's famous ashram) is in a leafy northern suburb of Pune. Styling itself as a Spiritual Health Club, it has continued to prosper since the Bhagwans death in 1990 and attracts thousands of visitors each year. Facilities include swimming pool, sauna, tennis and basketball court, massage and beauty parlour, bistro, bookshop and a five hector Zen garden known as Osho Teerth, open to public from 6am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm..