K. J. Yesudas

K.J. Yesudas was born in Fort Kochi, Kerala, to Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth. His father, who was a well-known Malayalam classical musician and stage actor, was his first guru. Later he joined the Music Academy in Thrippunithura and underwent training. For a brief period, he was with Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, a maestro of Classical Music. He was scoffed at for being a Christian learning Carnatic music ^[1]. He has learned Hindustani Music, also. His voice lends itself well to both Indian classical, devotional, and popular songs. He has recorded songs for most Indian languages except Assamese and Kashmiri.In his heyday, he was known as the Jim Reeves of South India. Fans term his voice as nothing short of "divine".

Yesudas began his career in playback singing in Kollywood in the early 60's and by mid 70's he entered Bollywood. He has bagged seven National Film Awards for the best singer in the Indian film industry. In 2006 he sung 16 film songs in four South Indian languages on the same day at AVM Studio, Chennai.

Yesudas has performed in many major cities around the world. In his music concerts in theMiddle East he sings Arabic songs in the Carnatic style. He frequently dons the role of a cultural ambassador of India through his numerable performances abroad by promoting Indian Music. He is the only singer who has been accorded the title Asthana Gayakan (Official singer) of Kerala State. He has been awarded the Padma Sri (1973) and Padma Bhushan (2002).

In 1965, he was invited by the Soviet Union government to perform at music concerts in various cities in the USSR and also sang a Russian song over Radio Kazakhstan. In 1970 he was nominated to head the Sangeetha Nataka Academy of Kerala and he ended up being the youngest person ever to occupy that post. In 1971, Yesudas with his musical troupe travelled all over Kerala to raise funds for the Indian Prime Minister's National Defense Fund during the Indo-Pakistani War. He also became Senate member in the International Parliament for Safety and Peace ( see [1] ) . He has taken the words of Sree Narayana Guru, "One Religion, One Caste for all humans"^[2] to heart. On November 14, 1999, Yesudas was presented with an honorary award by UNESCO for "Outstanding Achievements in Music and Peace" at the "Music for Peace" event in Paris, a concert held to mark the dawn of the new millennium and whose attendees included artistes such as Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Montserrat Caballé, and Zubin Mehta.

Scholarship:

• Completed the Ganabooshanam course at R.L.V. Music Academy, Thripunithura, Cochin
• Graduated from the Sree Swathithirunal Music Academy, Trivandrum
• Trained under well-known musicians like K.R. Kumaraswamy (former principal of the Music College, Kochi), Kunjuvelan Aasan (a disciple of Nagaswera Vidwan Rajaratnam Pillai), Augustine Joseph, Ramakutti Bagavathar, Sivaraman Nayar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar.

Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar (Hindi: लता मंगेशकर, born September 28, 1929) is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in the Hindi movie industry. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She sang in over 980 Bollywood movies and has sung songs in over twenty regional Indian languages, mostly in the Hindi. She is the elder sister of the equally accomplished singer Asha Bhosle and lesser-known singers Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar.

Lata is the second vocalist ever to have received the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she has recorded no less than 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974 (30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987, according to 1987 edition). Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that this number was highly exaggerated and that Mangeshkar's sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had.

Lata Mangeshkar was born a Konkani family in Sikh Mohalla, Indore, which then used to be in Central India Agency and is now in the State of Madhya Pradesh. Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother, Shudhhamati, was Deenanath's second wife. The family's last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays, BhaawBandhan.^[2] Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Hridayanath, Asha, Usha, and Meena are her siblings in sequence.

Lata took her first music lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (sangeet naatak in Marathi). Her father's recitals and lessons left a strong impression on her, as did the songs of K.L. Saigal, who was her favorite singer and idol. Her formal education was limited to one day in the school. On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school.

Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honors, including Padma Bhushan (1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), Bharat Ratna (2001), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

In 1984, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the Lata Mangeshkar Award in honor of Lata Mangeshkar. The State Government of Maharashtra also instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award in 1992.

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in the history, stating that she had reportedly recorded "not less than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 Indian languages" between 1948 and 1974. Her record was contested by Mohammed Rafi, who was claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs.^[16][17] After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records stated Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings", but also stated Rafi's claim. The later editions of Guinness Book stated that Lata Mangeshkar had sung no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

Although the entry has not been printed in Guinness editions since 1991, reputable sources claim that she has recorded thousands of songs, with estimates ranging up to figures as large as 50,000.^[18][19] However, even the earliest Guinness claim of 25,000 songs (between 1948-1974) was claimed to be exaggerated by other sources, who stated that the number of songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu films till 1991 was found to be 5250.^[20] Mangeshkar herself stated that she does not keep a record of the number of songs recorded by her, and that she did not know from where Guinness Book editors got their information.

Anuradha Sriram

Anuradha Sriram is an Indian carnatic and playback singer who hails from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung in many Tamil and Hindi films. Anuradha is from a Tamil family and completed her Master's in music from Wesleyan University, US prior to her foray into music. She is married to singer Sriram Parasuram. Anuradha specializes in Carnatic music and has sung in over 1000 concerts worldwide. She is keenly interested in folk music. She has featured in a number of 'jugalbandhi' or fusion concerts along with her husband who is a Hindustani maestro. Anuradha's cine career was triggered by her proficiency in the different raagas in Carnatic music and her distinguished educational background in music. She was eventually spotted by A. R. Rahman who gave her a chance in Minsara Kanavu. Anuradha has been active in films since 1997.

AJIT AGARKAR

Ajit Agarkar is an Indian cricketer who has been a potential player for the Indian squad since his arrival in the International cricket scene. His full name is Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar and he was born on December 4,1997, in Mumbai. Ajit was raised by his grandparents at Shivaji Park where many renowned cricketing greats practised. Completing his education at Ruparel College in Matunga, Mumbai, Ajit went on to pursue his interest in cricket, becoming one of India's most talented and promising young players. Now, happily married to Fatima Ghadially and with a son, Raj, Ajit Agarkar devotes his attention to his family and his forte for cricket.

Although Ajit's lightly built frame obscures his undermining skill and talent as an all-rounder, he has the potential to be compared with the role played by cricketing great, Kapil Dev, when in form. A fiery right-arm fast-medium bowler, Ajit Agarkar combines pace with swing to an effective measure. He is also a potential lower-order right-hand batsman who has delivered in the past. The major teams that Ajit Agarkar represents are India, Mumbai and Middlesex.

In his cricketing career, Ajit Agarkar has played 26 Tests, scoring 571 runs including his highest with an unbeaten Test century of 109 (not-out), batting at number eight, at Lord's in 2002. His Test bowling statistics display his take of 58 wickets with his best being 4/61.

In the One Day International circuit, Ajit made his debut against Australia at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi, on April 1,1998, where he took the crucial wicket of Adam Gilchrist. Since then he has played in 183 ODIs, scoring 1250 runs, taking 276 wickets with the best being 6/42. Ajit Agarkar has also played in six World Cup matches taking 7 wickets.

Although Ajit Agarkar has performed well on numerous occasions, he has a poor Test career and also a number of performance slumps, with a number of ducks and expensive bowling. However, his 'never say die' attitude has enabled him to make strong comebacks, making him a regular player of the Indian cricket team.

Amongst the other numerous achievements by Agarkar, some of his most noted are:

• He has set a world record for the fastest 50 wickets in One-Day International matches.
• He holds the world record of playing least number of matches to take 200 ODI wickets and completing 1000 runs, in 133 matches, breaking Shaun Pollock's record accomplished in his 138th match.
• He has the world record of hitting the fastest half century - off only 21 balls - surpassing Kapil Dev's record of 22 balls in 1983.

ANIL KUMBLE

Anil Kumble was born on October 17, 1970 in Bangalore, Karnataka. He has been playing for the Indian national team since 1990. Currently he is the highest wicket taker for India in both ODI and Test cricket. He is also referred to as 'Jumbo' by his team mates.

He began his career as a medium pacer who became a right-arm leg spinner. His style of bowling is quite unconventional and is most famous for his flipper. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 1990 and that same year during the tour of England he made his Test debut. His acknowledgement as a quality spinner came when India toured South Africa in 1992 and Kumble took eight wickets in the second Test. Later that year he took 21 wickets in just three Tests against England on home ground. He took his first 50 wickets in just 10 matches and became the fastest Indian bowler ever to do so. He also has a record of being the second fastest Indian bowler to reach 100 Test wickets. His haul of 6 wickets for 12 runs by an Indian bowler against Sri Lanka remained unbroken for another 10 years.

Kumble's good form in Test selected him for the World Cup in 1996 and ever since he has also been playing for India's ODI team. His record of 10 wickets in a Test innings against Pakistan in 1999 is only the second of its kind. In 2004 he became only the third spinner in Test cricket and the second Indian to take 400 Test wickets. In 2004 again he became India's highest wicket taker. He also holds the record for the highest number of caught and bowled dismissals.

As a batsman his average is fairly modest but he is known for his tenacity as a bowler. His bowling talents have made him one of India's best spinners. Anil Kumble has already announced his retirement from ODI on March 30, 2007 but continues as a Test bowler. He has won the Arjuna Award in 1995, the Padma Shri in 2005 and was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1996.

SOURAV GANGULY

The Prince of Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly has been in the news recently for his comeback to the Indian cricket team, both in the ODI and Test versions. This former captain of the Indian cricket team was born on 8 July 1972. He captained the one-day cricket team from 2000 to 2005 after making his one-day international debut against Australia in 1992 and Test debut versus England in 1996.

Fondly called as the Bengal Tiger, Sourav hit the headlines when on India's 1996 tour of England, he scored two centuries in two consecutive matches, including his debut match. His 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in the 1999 World Cup, is the highest score by an Indian in the World Cup. Following a series of poor performances, he was dropped from the national side in October 2005. He came back into the national Test squad in November 2006, following the poor run of the Indian team in South Africa. In January 2007, he returned to the Indian ODI team also. Ganguly led India to the World Cup final in 2003, where they lost to the Kangaroos. He has over 10,000 runs in One Day Internationals and over 5,000 runs in Test cricket to his credit and alongwith Sachin Tendulkar formed one of the most successful opening pairs in modern-day cricket.

In 2004, he was awarded the Padma Shri. He is the most successful Indian captain ever in test cricket, having captained India in a record number of 49 Test matches and winning 21 of them. After his comeback to the Indian ODI team, he has played a series of spectacular knocks and was adjudged " Man of the Series" in the series against Sri Lanka.

He is the second fastest player to reach 10,000 ODI runs. He has many records to his name. Alongwith Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he holds the record for the second highest score by an Indian cricketer in an ODI, alongwith the little maestro Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav held the record for the highest first wicket partnership in an ODI match, till it was broken by Jayasuriya and Tharanga. He was the 3rd batsman in international cricket to score a century on debut at Lords. The country is waiting with baited breadth for him to display his amazing pyrotechnics in the current World Cup.

RAHUL DRAVID

"The Wall", " Mr. Dependable", " Mr. Consistent"-Rahul Dravid, the man at the helm of Indian cricket is the cynosure of all eyes with the Indian cricket team eyeing the 2007 World Cup title this March in the West Indies. Born on 11 January 1973 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, he grew up in Bangalore and hit the headlines when he scored a century on debut for his school team and a double century for the Karnataka under-15 cricket team against the Kerala under-15 cricket team.

He made his Ranji debut in 1991 against Maharashtra. Thereafter, he was selected to play for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. After consistent and strong performances in the domestic circuit, he was selected for the India A team in a domestic tournament. He donned the national colors against Sri Lanka in the Singer Cup in 1996. He did not do well and was subsequently dropped from the side. Once he came back to the team, he performed creditably in the home and away matches for India. Dravid has been the rock of the Indian cricket team.

His 331-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar is a world record. He was named one of the Wisden cricketers of the year 2000. Dravid received the Padma Shri award in 2004. In the same year, the International Cricket Council awarded him the inaugural Player of the Year award and the Test player of the Year award.

Rahul Dravid has many records to his name. Among others, he has the second highest Test batting average among those batsmen who have scored over 8,000 Test runs, the longest streak of consecutive Tests since debut, was involved in the highest partnership made on foreign soil for any wicket for India with Virender Sehwag(410 runs vs Pakistan at Lahore in 2006) and is the fastest to reach 9000 runs in Test cricket.

He holds the record of not being dismissed on duck for 120 consecutive one-day matches and was the leading run scorer in the 1999 World Cup. It was under his captainship that the Indian team broke the 14-match record set by West Indies for the most consecutive matches one-day matches won while chasing a total. Whether Dravid guides India to another World Cup triumph is the million-dollar question.