Kapila Vatsyayan was a leading scholar of Indian classical dance,art,architecture,and art history. She served as a member of parliament and bureaucrat in India,and also served as the founding director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
Sudha Murty is an Indian educator,author,philanthropist and former chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. She is married to the co-founder of Infosys,N. R. Narayana Murty. In 2024,Murty was nominated as Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha on 8th March 2024 for her contribution on Social work &Education. Murty was awarded the Padma Shri,the fourth highest civilian award in India,for social work by the Government of India in 2006. Later in 2023,she was awarded the Padma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award in India.
Jaya Bachchan is an Indian actress and politician. She has served as a member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party. Known for her work in Hindi films,she is noted for reinforcing a natural style of acting in both mainstream and "middle-of-the-road" cinema. A recipient of several accolades,she has won a record nine Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri,the fourth-highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India.
Sonal Mansingh is an Indian classical dancer and Guru in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancing style. She has been nominated by the President of India to become a Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha. She is the recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Vibhushan in 2003.
Rahul Bajaj was an Indian billionaire businessman. He was the chairman emeritus of the Indian conglomerate Bajaj Group. He was awarded the third-highest civilian award in India,the Padma Bhushan,in 2001.
Dadi Pudumjee is a leading puppeteer in India and he is the founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992.
Shobhana Bhartia is an Indian businesswoman. She is the chairperson and editorial director of the HT Media,one of India's largest newspapers and media houses,which she inherited from her father. She has also recently taken charge as the Chancellor BITS School of Management and Pro-Chancellor of BITS-Pilani which was founded by her grandfather G. D. Birla and is the current chairperson of Endeavor India.
Supriya Sule is an Indian politician from the Nationalist Congress Party and currently a Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha representing Baramati since 2009,leader of Nationalist Congress Party in Lok Sabha since 2014 and the Working National President of Nationalist Congress Party since 2023. Previously,she served as the Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra from 2006 to 2009. In 2011,she launched a state-wide campaign against female foeticide. Recently,she has been honored with Mumbai Women of the Decade Achievers Award by All Ladies League for social service. She is the daughter of Sharad Pawar,chief of Nationalist Congress Party.
Nirmala Deshpande was a noted Indian social activist who had embraced Gandhi and philosophy. She devoted her adult life to the promotion of communal harmony and service to women,tribal people,and the dispossessed in India.
Sai Paranjpye is an Indian movie director and screenwriter. She is the director of the award-winning movies Sparsh,Katha,Chasme Buddoor and Disha. She has written and directed many Marathi plays such as Jaswandi,Sakkhe Shejari,and Albel.
Shakuntala Paranjpye was an Indian writer,actress and a prominent social worker. She was a member of Maharashtra Legislative Council during 1958–64,and served as nominated member of Rajya Sabha during 1964–70. In 1991,she was awarded Padma Bhushan,the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India,in recognition of her pioneering work in the field of family planning.
Fali Sam Nariman was an Indian jurist. He was a senior advocate to the Supreme Court of India from 1971 and was the President of the Bar Association of India from 1991 to 2010. Nariman was an internationally recognised jurist on international arbitration. He was honoured with the 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2018. He was one of India's most distinguished constitutional lawyers and argued several leading cases. He was the Additional Solicitor General of India from May 1972 to June 1975.
Mohan Dharia was a Union minister,a lawyer and social worker. During his last days he stayed in Pune. Dharia was an environmentalist and ran a non-government organisation Vanarai. He was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Pune Lok Sabha constituency,first in 1971 as an Indian National Congress (INC) member and became a Minister of State,and later in 1977 as a Bharatiya Lok Dal member,and joined the Morarji Desai Ministry as Union Minister of Commerce. Prior to it,he remained member of the Rajya Sabha twice from INC,first 1964-1970 and then 1970- 1971
Renuka Chowdhury is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress,she represented the political party in the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh. She has also served as the Union minister of State for Ministry of Women and Child Development and Tourism in the Government of India.
Shivajirao Girdhar Patil was an Indian social activist and politician from the state of Maharashtra. He began his social activism at an early age when he participated in the Indian independence movement. Post-independence,he was associated with various political parties and had been member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council,Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and even the Rajya Sabha for one term. In 2013,he was presented with the Padma Bhushan,India's third highest civilian award. He was the father of Indian film actress Smita Patil.
Dr Phulrenu Guha was an Indian activist,educationist and politician,belonging to the Indian National Congress. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha the Upper house of Indian Parliament from April 1964 to April 1970 from West Bengal. She was the Minister for Social Welfare in the Indira Gandhi Ministry from 1967 to 1969. She was elected to the Lok Sabha the Lower house of Indian Parliament from Contai constituency,West Bengal in 1984. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1977.
Rajashree Birla is an Indian philanthropist. She is the wife of the late Aditya Birla. After her husband's death in 1995,Rajashree began working in CSR and charity sectors,developing a large philanthropic organization funded by her family. In 2011,the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award,for her services to society.
Shobhana Ranade is an Indian social worker and Gandhian,known for her services towards her cause of destitute women and children. The Government of India honoured her in 2011,with the Padma Bhushan—the third highest civilian award—for her services to the society.
Maniben Kara (1905-1979) was an Indian social worker and trade unionist. She was a founder member of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha and served as its president. She was honoured by the Government of India in 1970 with Padma Shri,the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Chitra Jayant Naik (1918–2010) was an Indian educationist,writer,social worker,the chairperson of the Indian Institute of Education and the expert member of the Planning Commission of India. She was the chairperson of the Non-formal Education Committee set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and was a member of the National Literacy Mission. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1986.
