Popularly known as "Sri M." and "Sri Madhukarnath", is a yogi, spiritual guide, social reformer and educationist, and an initiate of the Nath tradition of Hinduism and is the disciple of Sri Maheshwarnath Babaji, who was a disciple of Sri Guru Babaji (Mahavatar Babaji).

Bangladeshi foreign service officer and career diplomat who served as the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh in 2001 and as High Commissioner to India from 2014 till 2019.

Politician who served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 till 2008 and as member of the Lok Sabha from 2014 till 2019.

Hindustani classical vocalist, composer, lyricist and an exponent of the Patiala-Kasur gharana. Conferred Padma Shri in 2011.

Author who wrote in Odia and English. His research in the archives of London and Edinburgh brought to light some of the little-known facts of India's freedom struggle in the first decade of the twentieth century led by Sri Aurobindo and his deeper quest led him to mysticism and he was an inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry since 1963. Conferred Padma Shri in 2001.

Architect and a noted figure in Indian architecture. Considered as a "pioneer of low-cost housing" and known for his contributions to the evolution of architectural discourse in India. Having worked under Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, he was a pioneer of modernist and brutalist architecture in India. Conferred Padma Shri in 1976 and Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2023.^[8]

Social activist known for her protest against social injustice and for work towards upliftment of the landless, and the poor; and fought against governments as well as big industries. Conferred Padma Shri in 1989.

Politician and four-time former Chief Minister of Nagaland. Also served as Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and as Governor of Goa (2004–2008), Governor of Maharashtra (2008–2010) and as Governor of Odisha (2013–2018).

Environmentalist, green activist, and the founder of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization. His works majorly includes developing sustainable technologies that are ecology inclusive economy for ecosystem development. Known for coining the term GEP (gross environmental product), an ecological growth measure parallel to GDP which has been accepted as a growth measure by the state of Uttarakhand in 2021. Conferred Padma Shri in 2006.

Gynaecologist and one of the pioneers of women's health in Ladakh. Conferred Padma Shri in 2006.

Billionaire businessman and the chairman of Mahindra Group.

Civil servant, lawyer and legal educator, considered by many as the father of modern legal education in India. Founder of the National Law Universities system and former Chairman of National Law School of India University and Indian Statistical Institute. Also served as a member of the Law Commission of India and member of several expert Committees. Conferred Padma Shri in 2003.^[9]

Politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as a three-time Chief Minister of Goa, from 2000 till 2005, from 2012 till 2014, and again from 2017 till his death in 2019. Also served as the Union Minister of Defence from 2014 till 2017.

Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University, was a prominent member of the core team during the initial years of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. Known for his "theory of buyer behaviour" which provided the foundation for the future of research in the field of consumer psychology and marketing.

Professional badminton player. Considered one of India's most successful sportspersons, she has won medals at various tournaments such as the Olympics and on the BWF circuit, including a gold at the 2019 World Championships. She is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion, the only second individual athlete from India and the first Indian woman athlete to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games. Conferred Padma Shri in 2015.

Industralist and chairman emeritus of TVS Motor Company and Sundaram-Clayton Limited, and founder of Srinivasan Services Trust. Conferred Padma Shri in 2010.

Senior politician and Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha from 2014 till 2019. Longest-serving woman parliamentarian, having represented Indore constituency in Lok Sabha from 1989 till 2019, and served as a minister of state in the union cabinet holding portfolios of Human Resource Development (1999–2002), Communication and Information Technology (2002–2003) and Petroleum and Natural Gas (2003–2004).

Playback singer and Carnatic musician. In a career spanning over four decades, she has recorded over 18,000 songs in various Indian languages, as well as foreign languages and is also known for her extensive history of collaboration with music composers like A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, Hamsalekha, M. M. Keeravani and with the playback singers K. J. Yesudas and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam over the years. She is regarded as a cultural icon of South Indian states and is called as the "Melody Queen of Indian Cinema". Conferred Padma Shri in 2005.

Politician and lawyer belonging to the Indian National Congress who served as a three-term Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 till 2016, and was credited with ending militant insurgency and mitigating violence in addition to improving the state's fiscal condition. Also served as a member of the Lok Sabha and Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Food Processing Industries from 1993 till 1995.

Prominent poet, playwright, folklorist, film director in Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi and is known for effective adaptation of the North Karnataka dialect of the Kannada language in his plays, and poems. His plays mainly revolve around folk or mythology interlinked with contemporary issues, inculcating modern lifestyle with his hard-hitting poems and became a pioneer of such literature. His contribution as a playwright is significant not only to Kannada theatre but also to the Indian theatre in general as he achieved a blend of the folk and the modern theatrical forms. Conferred Padma Shri in 2001.

Retired civil servant who served as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India from 2014 till 2019, and formerly as the Union Fertilizers Secretary (2002–2004), Union Telecom Secretary (2004–2005) and then as Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (2006–2009). Currently serving as the executive chairman of the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library since 2020.

Politician and founder-President of Lok Janshakti Party, who served as a nine-time member of Lok Sabha and two-time member of Rajya Sabha. Served as union cabinet minister holding various portfolios including Ministry of Labour and Welfare (1989–1990), Railways (1996–1998), Communications and Information Technology (1999–2001), Mines (2001–2002), Chemicals and Fertilizers and Steel (2004–2009) and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (2014–2020). Known as the "weatherman of Indian politics".

Politician belonging to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and then from Bharatiya Janata Party, who served as two-time Chief Minister of Gujarat in 1995 and again from 1998 till 2001. Also served as Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat in 1990, member of Lok Sabha (1977–1980) and member of Rajya Sabha (2002–2008).

Islamic scholar, known as "Mufakir-e-Islam" and "Hakem-e-Ummat", engaged on religious and social issues with the Muslim masses in mid 1970s and was moved by the pathetic condition of the community and worked towards spreading education and knowledge on modern lines and waged a community wide war against illiteracy and ignorance.

Billionaire businessperson and founder chairman of UPL limited and is considered as "India's crop protection king" for his role in pioneering red phosphorus manufacturing in India.

Former civil servant and politician who served as a member of Rajya Sabha from 2004 till 2010 and as Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities from 2003 till 2006. Prior to joining politics, he served as Press Secretary to the President of India from 1983 to 1987 and as Chairman of Delhi Tourism from 1997 till 1999.

Senior politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from 2014 till 2021. Previously, also served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (2005–2008), Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (1991–1996, 2004–2005), Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism (1993–1996), and Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare (2009–2014)

Punjabi folk singer known as "Lambi hek di malika" (transl. Queen of singing in an extended breath) for her long hek (transl. holding breath during a song) that she could hold for about 45 seconds. She was the first Punjabi female singer to sing on Doordarshan.

Businessman and chairman of Tata Sons. Formerly served as chief operating officer and executive director of Tata Consultancy Services and assumed the chair of B20 India and will lead the business agenda during India's G20 presidency.

Indian-born British-American actress, food and travel writer, and television personality and is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973).

Paralympic javelin thrower competing in F46 events and the first Indian Paralympian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics, thus becoming the most decorated Indian Paralympic player after winning his third medal, a silver at the 2020 Summer Paralympics at Tokyo. Conferred Padma Shri in 2012.

Classical musician in the Hindustani music tradition belonging to the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana, who was remarked by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi as "assurance for the future of Indian vocal music". Conferred Padma Shri in 2006.

Former civil servant who served as the 13th Comptroller and Auditor General of India from 2017 till 2020. Also served as the Chief Secretary to the Government of Rajasthan (2013–2014), Union Finance Secretary (2014–2015) and Union Home Secretary (2015–2017).

Indian-American business executive currently serving as the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft. Prior to becoming the chairman, he served as executive vice president of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company's computing platforms.

Indian-American business executive and the chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google.

Billionaire businessman, and the chairman and managing director of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, which includes the Serum Institute of India, an Indian biotech company which is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world. Contributed in production of vaccines during COVID-19. Conferred Padma Shri in 2005.

Indian-born Mexican scientist and winner of the 2014 World Food Prize for his scientific research in developing 480 wheat varieties that have been released in 51 countries which led to an increase in world wheat production – by more than 200 million tons – building upon the successes of the Green Revolution. Conferred Padma Shri in 2001.

Academic and writer of Odia language novels and stories and has active interest in social reform and has fought against social injustice on many occasions. Notable works include Yajnaseni, Shilapadma. Conferred Padma Shri in 2007.

Social reformer, philosopher, welfare activist, humanitarian, religious ascetic and writer.

Former professor, considered a scholar in Nyāya Sūtras, an ancient Indian Sanskrit text composed by Akṣapāda Gautama, and the foundational text of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy.

Conferred as a duo honour, scientists and entrepreneurs and co-founders of Bharat Biotech. Known for their role in developing India's own COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin.

Actor appearing in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese language films. Won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Ghare Baire.

Novelist, philosopher and screenwriter who writes in Kannada and is widely regarded as one of modern India's popular novelists. His novels are unique in terms of theme, structure, and characterization and has been among the top-selling authors in the Kannada language. Conferred Padma Shri in 2016.

Billionaire industrialist, philanthropist, and the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group and chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani.

Theoritical physicist known for his research on statistical physics and stochastic processes and the first Indian to be awarded the Boltzmann Medal.

Playback singer in Indian cinema, fondly referred to as "Meera of modern India" and had a career spanning over five decades. She did playback for over one thousand Indian movies recording over 10,000 songs. In addition, she recorded thousands of devotionals and private albums and also participated in numerous solo concerts in India and abroad.

More formally known as "Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar Swami", is a religious guru and yogi ascetic known for his spiritual discourses on Sri Vaishnavism subscribed to Thenkalai tradition of Sri Vaishnavism, and is the designer and planner of the Statue of Equality, a statue dedicated to Ramanujacharya, in Hyderabad.

Playback singer and one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in the country. She recorded songs for movies in several languages besides Hindi, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Bengali, Odia and Punjabi and is considered among the popular singers of her prime time.

Scholar of linguistics and literature and an authority on Indian intellectual traditions. Best known for his teaching and research areas include literary and linguistic theories, both Indian and Western, the philosophy of language, nineteenth century British life, literature and thought and Indian intellectual traditions and has written and lectured extensively on these themes.

Educator, author and philanthropist who is chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a member of the public health care initiatives of the Gates Foundation. Founded several orphanages, participated in rural development efforts, supported the movement to provide all Karnataka government schools with computer and library facilities. Conferred Padma Shri in 2006.

Popularly known as "Daaji", is a spiritual leader, author and the fourth in the line of Rāja yoga masters in the Sahaj Marg system of spiritual practice and he has been the president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission. Regularly conducts workshops and has written two books on the topics of meditation and spirituality.

Jurist, who served as the first female judge of the Supreme Court of India and the first Muslim woman to be appointed to any of the higher judiciaries in the country. Upon retiring from the court, she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and later as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1997 to 2001.

Journalist, known for his work as the managing director of the Bombay Samachar. Served as the Chairman of the Press Trust of India in 2015.

Actor, producer and politician who predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali language films. Also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Best known for his role as Jimmy in the 1982 film Disco Dancer and for his performances in films such as Surakksha, Hum Paanch, Sahhas, Wardat, Shaukeen, Wanted, Boxer, Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki, Pyar Jhukta Nahin, Ghulami, Agneepath, Ravan Raaj: A True Story and Jallaad. Holder in the Limca Book of Records for 19 movie releases as lead actor in the year 1989. Also bagged the National Film Awards for the films Mrigayaa, Tahader Katha and Swami Vivekananda.

Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Jindal Aluminium Limited and patron and chief architect of the Sitaram Jindal Foundation and its associate trusts. Best known for his philanthropical works believing that the most practical and meaningful way to give back to the society is to bring hope to the poor and downtrodden in distress.

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Hon Hai Technology Group (FOXCONN), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer and the leading global science and technology solutions provider.

Cardiologist and one of the pioneers of interventional cardiology in India. Currently serving as the director of Cardiology department at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai and at Breach Candy Hospital, as a consultant. He is reported to have performed the first Cardiac catheterization and Angiography in newborn babies in India, in 1973, the year when he introduced Bundle Electrography in the country. Also credited with the performance or supervision of over 35,000+ angioplasties and over 75,000+ angiographies. Conferred Padma Shri in 2004.

Politician who served as Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Communications, Chemicals and Fertilizers, etc. under prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Also served as state president for West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party and as an Additional Solicitor General of India prior to his election to the Lok Sabha in 1999.

Politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas from 1999 until 2004 under prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh from 2014 until 2019.

One of the leading cardiologists in India and is currently serving as the chairman and chief interventional cardiologist at Apex Heart Institute, Ahmedabad. Best known for his groundbreaking achievements in the field of interventional cardiology and as the pioneer of transradial angioplasty in India.

Politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as a Union Minister of State under prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1999 until 2004 holding various portfolios including Defence, Parliamentary Affairs, Law and Justice, Urban Development, etc. Holds the distinction of being the first legislator belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party to be elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

Popularly known as Rajdutt, he is a veteran actor and director and has been felicitated with several Maharashtra State Film Awards. Best known for his work in Marathi cinema and family dramas and also won the Rajat Kamal Award for his Marathi films – Shapit and Sarja. Also participated in Satyagraha and went to jail during the Goa liberation movement.

Buddhist spiritual leader, enthroned as the leader of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism for Ladakh in 1943 and served as the Head Lama for all Tibetan Buddhist Lineages in Ladakh. He was one of the most senior Lamas for the Drikung Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. Also played an active role in politics from the 1960s and was elected as the first leader of the Ladakh Action Committee, until 2003.

Composer, music director, orchestrator, conductor who composed duo along with Laxmikant Kudalkar under the name of Laxmikant–Pyarelal. Best known for his popular compositions of Indian classical music as well as Western music and for their folk tunes and semi-classical music. For Shagird, they composed Rock-n-Roll-style melodies, and in Karz the music is closer to disco. Composed music for more than 750 movies between 1963 and 1998.

Physician and politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as a Union Minister under prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee holding various portfolios including Labour and Employment, Small Scale Industries, Development of North Eastern Region, Health and Family Welfare, Water Resources, etc. In the field of medicine, he is known for his contributions in finding medication for Kala-azar and credited to the established of AIIMS Patna.

Pop, filmi, jazz, and playback singer known for her works along with music directors R. D. Burman and Bappi Lahiri. She also reprised some of R. D. Burman songs that were sung by others such as "Mehbooba Mehbooba" and "Dum Maro Dum" and popularised them to a distinct end. Conferred Padma Shri in 2011.

Affectionately addressed as "Captain", he was an actor and politician who appeared as a lead in Tamil cinema. He acted in over 150 films in his career spanning four decades. He was well known for his performances in Vaidehi Kathirunthal (1984), Amman Kovil Kizhakale (1986), Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran (1988), Senthoora Poove (1988), Pulan Visaranai (1990), Chinna Gounder (1992), Honest Raj (1994), Thayagam (1996) and Vaanathaippola (2000). Known for his stance on food equality on film sets, demanding that low-wage cast and crew members must be given the same quality meals that he was served and for a few films, he also accepted deferred remuneration to help struggling producers.

Journalist, serving as the chief editor of the Janmabhoomi Group of Newspapers.