Along with being India’s one of the most advanced states in terms of industrialization, literacy and per capita income, Gujarat is also one of India’s most progressive states. Many famous personalities were born in Gujarat and make the state as well as a country proud of their achievements. The state of Gujarat has played its vital role starting from the freedom fight and making the country independent from British Rule. Mahatma Gandhi Ji and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel have played a pivotal role in India’s freedom struggle. Not only this, Gujaratis have achieved a leading position in every field, be it politics, sports, movies and entertainment, literature, business, art and culture, science and more. Some of the top personalities from Gujarat are Gandhiji, Sardar Patel, Narendra Modi, Dhirubhai Ambani, Azim Premji, Vikram Sarabhai, Amit Shah, Narsinh Mehta, Pramukh Swami Maharaj and more. Even in the field of art, culture and entertainment, we have famous Gujarati celebrities like Sanjeev Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Asha Parekh and Dilip Joshi. Even our Raashtreeya Shaayar Shri Jhaverchand Meghani was also from Gujarat.
Gujaratis are most famous for their hardships and economical sense. Without their contribution, we will not be what we are today. The state of Gujarat has emerged as one of the best in the country democratically, in terms of financial superpower and per capita income, law and order, values, traditions and polities. This is all because of values and ethics followed by Gujaratis to achieve new heights in every field.
These famous personalities from Gujarat have become a milestone in their field and a role model to many of those who follow them. There are many most famous Gujarati personalities active in their fields now and to name a few are Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya Cheteshwar Pujara and Jasprit Bumrah.
Who can forget the contribution of Global Gujaratis Personalities like Sam Pitroda, Priti Patel, Sunita Williams, Lord Meghnad Desai and many more? Below is a list of some of the most celebrities and Gujarati Personalities we can always take pride in.
Gujarat's Most Famous Personalities
Mahatma Gandhi Father of the Nation
Date of Birth: 2 October 1869 Birth Place: Porbandar
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel First Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India
Date of Birth: 31 October 1875 Birth Place: Nadiad
Vithalbhai Patel Co-Founder of Swaraj Party
Date of Birth: 27 September 1873 Birth Place: Nadiad
Morarji Desai Fifth Prime Minister of India
Date of Birth: 29 February 1896 Birth Place: Valsad
Indulal Kanaiyalal Yagnik Independence activist and founder of Gujarat state
Date of Birth: 22 February 1892 Birth Place: Nadiad
Narendra Modi 15th Prime Minister of India
Date of Birth: 17 September 1950 Birth Place: Vadnagar
Amit Shah Home Minister of India
Date of Birth: 22 October 1964 Birth Place: Mumbai
Abbas Tyabji Politician
Date of Birth: 1 February 1854 Birth Place: Vadodara
Chimanbhai Patel Politician
Date of Birth: 3 June 1929 Birth Place: Sankheda
Ahmed Patel Politician
Date of Birth: 21 August 1949 Birth Place: Bharuch
Dadabhai Naoroji Intettectual, Educator and a Social Leader
Date of Birth: 4 September 1825 Birth Place: Navsari
Thakkar Bapa Social Refoemer
Date of Birth: 29 November 1869 Birth Place: Bhavnagar
Dayananda Saraswati Founder of Arya Samaj
Date of Birth: 12 February 1824 Birth Place: Tankara
Jamshedji Tata Founder of the TATA Group of Companies
Date of Birth: 3 March 1839 Birth Place: Navsari
Azim Premji Chairman of Wipro Limited
Date of Birth: 24 July 1945 Birth Place: Mumbai
Dhirubhai Ambani Founder of Reliance Industries
Date of Birth: 28 December 1932 Birth Place: Chorwad
Mukesh Ambani Billionaire Businessman
Date of Birth: 19 April 1957 Birth Place: Aden, Yemen
Gautam Adani Billionaire Industrialist
Date of Birth: 24 June 1962 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Anil Ambani Reliance Industries (ADAG Group)
Date of Birth: 4 June 1959 Birth Place: Mumbai
Uday Kotak Billionaire Banker, MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank
Date of Birth: 15 March 1959 Birth Place: Mumbai
Dilip Shanghvi Founder Sun Pharmaceutical
Date of Birth: 1 October 1955 Birth Place: Amreli
Karsanbhai Patel Founder of Nirma Group
Date of Birth: 1945 Birth Place: Ruppur - Mehsana
Pankaj Patel Chairman of Cadila Healthcare
Date of Birth: March 1953 Birth Place: Karamsad
Nanji Kalidas Mehta Industrialist
Date of Birth: 17 November 1887 Birth Place: Porbandar
Jay Mehta Businessman
Date of Birth: 18 January 1961 Birth Place: Mumbai
Vikram Sarabhai Father of India's space program
Date of Birth: 12 August 1919 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Praful Bhavsar Director, Space Applications Center, ISRO
Date of Birth: 17 August 1926 Birth Place: Gujarat
Pranav Mistry Inventor and Computer Scientist
Date of Birth: 14 May 1981 Birth Place: Palanpur
Narsinh Mehta Adi Kavi, Poet and Saint
Date of Birth: 1414 Birth Place: Talaja
Shrimad Rajchandra Jain Poet, Mystic, Philosopher, Scholar and Reformer
Date of Birth: 9 November 1867 Birth Place: Vavania - Morbi
Morari Bapu Ram Kathakar
Date of Birth: 25 September 1946 Birth Place: Talgajarda
Pramukh Swami Maharaj Pramukh of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
Date of Birth: 7 December 1921 Birth Place: Vadodara
Ramesh Oza Bhagwad Kathakar
Date of Birth: 31 August 1957 Birth Place: Devka - Rajula
Akha Bhagat Prachin Kavi
Date of Birth: 1591 Birth Place: Gujarat
Sanjeev Kumar Actress, Director, Producer
Date of Birth: 9 July 1938 Birth Place: Surat
Asha Parekh Duo Music Director and Composer
Date of Birth: 2 October 1942 Birth Place: Mumbai
Anandji Virji Shah Actor, Theatre Artist, Telivision Presenter
Date of Birth: 2 March 1933 Birth Place: Kundrodi
Farooq Sheikh Actor, Politician
Date of Birth: 25 March 1948 Birth Place: Vadodara
Paresh Rawal Actor, Politician
Date of Birth: 30 May 1955 Birth Place: Mumbai
Abhijat Joshi Screenplay Writer
Date of Birth: 1 December 1969 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Manmohan Desai Producer & Director
Date of Birth: 26 February 1937 Birth Place: Mumbai
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Director, Producer, Music Director
Date of Birth: 24 February 1963 Birth Place: Mumbai
Siddharth Randeria Film Actor, Theatre Actor, Writer, Director
Date of Birth: 17 December 1955 Birth Place: Mumbai
Dilip Joshi Film and Television Actor
Date of Birth: 26 May 1968 Birth Place: Porbandar
Mahesh Bhatt Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Date of Birth: 20 September 1948 Birth Place: Mumbai
Mukesh Bhatt Producer, Actor
Date of Birth: 5 June 1952 Birth Place: Mumbai
Himesh Reshammiya Playback Singer, Music Director, Lyricist
Date of Birth: 23 July 1973 Birth Place: Mahuva
Aruna Irani Actress, Director
Date of Birth: 18 August 1946 Birth Place: Mumbai
Parveen Babi Film Actress and Model
Date of Birth: 4 April 1949 Birth Place: Junagadh
Ajay Jadeja Cricketer, All-rounder
Date of Birth: 1 February 1971 Birth Place: Jamnagar
Irfan Pathan Cricket, Bowler
Date of Birth: 27 October 1984 Birth Place: Vadodara
Munaf Patel Cricket, Bowler
Date of Birth: 12 July 1983 Birth Place: Ikhar
Nari Contractor Cricket, Bowler
Date of Birth: 7 March 1934 Birth Place: Godhra
Nayan Mongia Cricketer, Wicket Keeper
Date of Birth: 19 December 1969 Birth Place: Vadodara
Parthiv Patel Cricketer, Wicket Keeper
Date of Birth: 9 March 1985 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Ravindra Jadeja Cricketer, Bowler, All-Rounder
Date of Birth: 6 December 1988 Birth Place: Jamnagar
Vinoo Mankad Cricketer, All-rounder
Date of Birth: 12 April 1917 Birth Place: Jamnagar
Yusuf Pathan Cricketer, All-rounder
Date of Birth: 17 November 1982 Birth Place: Vadodara
Ankita Raina India No.1 Tennis Singles Player
Date of Birth: 11 January 1993 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Cheteshwar Pujara Cricketer, Batsman
Date of Birth: 25 January 1988 Birth Place: Rajkot
Jaydev Unadkat Cricket, Bowler
Date of Birth: 18 October 1991 Birth Place: Porbandar
Hardik Pandya Cricketer, All rounder
Date of Birth: 11 October 1993 Birth Place: Surat
Krunal Pandya Cricketer, All rounder
Date of Birth: 24 March 1991 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Jasprit Bumrah Cricketer, Bowler
Date of Birth: 6 December 1993 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Axar Patel Cricketer, Bowler
Date of Birth: 20 January 1994 Birth Place: Anand
JAM Ranjitsinhji Cricketer, Batsman
Date of Birth: 10 September 1872 Birth Place: Sadodar
Jasu Patel Cricketer, Bowler
Date of Birth: 26 November 1924 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Karsan Ghavri Cricketer, Bowler
Date of Birth: 28 February 1951 Birth Place: Rajkot
Jhaverchand Meghani Social Reformer, Writer, Poet
Date of Birth: 28 August 1896 Birth Place: Chotila
Umashankar Joshi Poet, Scholar and Writer
Date of Birth: 21 July 1911 Birth Place: Bamna - Bhiloda
Gulabdas Broker Author
Date of Birth: 20 September 1909 Birth Place: Porbandar
Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi Politician, Writer, Educationist
Date of Birth: 30 December 1887 Birth Place: Bharuch
Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi Writer, Poet
Date of Birth: 16 March 1877 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Narmadashankar Dave Poet, Playwright, Essayist, Orator, Lexicographer and Reformer
Date of Birth: 24 August 1833 Birth Place: Surat
Dalpatram Poet
Date of Birth: 21 January 1820 Birth Place: Vasoj
Kalapi Poet and the Thakor of Lathi State
Date of Birth: 26 January 1874 Birth Place: Lathi
Kaka Kalelkar Indian Independence Activist, Aocial Reformer, Journalist
Date of Birth: 1 December 1885 Birth Place: Satara
Dhumketu Pioneer Writer of Gujarati Short Stories
Date of Birth: 12 December 1892 Birth Place: Virpur
Chandravadan Mehta Writer and Broadcaster
Date of Birth: 6 April 1901 Birth Place: Surat
Govardhanram Tripathi Novelist
Date of Birth: 20 October 1855 Birth Place: Nadiad
Mallika Sarabhai Padma Bhushan Dancer, Activist
Date of Birth: 9 May 1954 Birth Place: Ahmedabad
Gijubhai Badheka Educator
Date of Birth: 15 November 1885 Birth Place: Chittal
Bhikhudan Gadhvi Padma Shri Award Indian Folk Singer
Date of Birth: 19 September 1948 Birth Place: Junagadh
Shahabuddin Rathod Padma Award Winner Renowned Humourist
Date of Birth: 9 December 1937 Birth Place: Thangadh
Ravishankar Raval Painter, Art Critic
Date of Birth: 1 August 1892 Birth Place: Bhavnagar
Lord Meghnad Desai Economist, Politician
Date of Birth: 10 July 1940 Birth Place: Vadodara
Sunita Williams Astronaut
Date of Birth: 19 September 1965 Birth Place: Ohio, USA
Sam Pitroda Father of India's Computer and IT Revolution
Date of Birth: 4 May 1942 Birth Place: Titilagarh
Priti Patel British Politician Serving as Home Secretary
Date of Birth: 24 July 2019 Birth Place: London
Ami Bera American Physician and Politician serving as the U.S. Representative
Date of Birth: March 2, 1965 Birth Place: LA, USA
Pan Nalin International Filmmaker
Date of Birth: - Birth Place: Amreli
Hashim Amla South African Cricketer, All Rounder
Date of Birth: 31 March 1983 Birth Place: Durban, South Africa
Aarthi Agarwal Actress, Model Telugu cinema
Date of Birth: March 5, 1984 Birth Place: New Jersey, USA