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.

MOHAMMED AZHARUDDIN

Mohammed Azharuddin is a former Indian Test and ODI cricket player who has successfully captained the Indian team during the 1990’s. Mohammed Azharuddin was born on 8th February, 1963 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Successfully pursuing his cricketing career over the years, Azharuddin has also gradually settled down at the home-front.

After divorcing his wife, he married Bollywood starlet Sangeeta Bijlani, and also has a son Mohammad Ayazuddin, who is also into cricket. Today, still facing a life ban from cricket for match-fixing, Azharuddin is busy with his newfound real estate business and also runs a gym named Est in Hyderabad.

Mohammed Azharuddin was an outstanding cricketer who held an excellent record in both Tests and limited overs game. He was a graceful right-handed batsman whose fluid batting style was similar to that of Englishman David Gower. He proved hostile towards spin and medium-pace attack, peppering the leg and off-sides with his classic wristy-flicks and timed stroke play.

Azharuddin was also known for his agility on the field with dazzling catches, amazing diving stops and nippy run-outs. Azharuddin was even a great leader and his captaincy enjoyed tremendous success. The major teams that Mohammed Azharuddin has represented are India, Hyderabad and Derbyshire.

Mohammed Azharuddin had an excellent first-class record of 229 matches, where he scored an amazing 15855 runs. He made his Test debut against England at Kolkata in December 1985. Since then he has played a mammoth 99 Tests, aggregating 6215 runs with 22 centuries, his highest Test score being 199 against Sri Lanka, and 105 brilliant catches. His notable Test performances include his 14 Test match wins as captain, 3 consecutive centuries in his debut matches and shares the record for the quickest Test century by an Indian.

He made his one-day international debut against England at Bangalore in March 1985. Since then, he has played in 334 ODI’s, scoring 9378 runs with 7 centuries, his highest being 153(not-out), and 156 stunning ODI catches. He has also appeared in four consecutive Cricket World Cup events, in 1987 as semi-finalists, 1992 Cup event, 1996 as semi-finalists, and in the 1999 Cup event. He has a spectacular 103 ODI wins as captain as well as shares the list with the fastest century makers in one-day cricket, namely Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi.

Despite having an outstanding record, Mohammed Azharuddin’s tragic fall from cricket came at the peak of his career in the year 2000. This was due to his alleged role in match-fixing, as named in a confession by former South African captain Hansie Cronje, eventually leading to a life ban from cricket, thus ending his dream run.

However, for his immense contribution and dedication in the field of cricket, Mohammad Azharuddin was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1986, as well as, was honored with the ‘Wisden Cricketer of the Year’ in 1991.

P.T.USHA

Pilavullakandi Thekkeparampil Usha (P.T. Usha) or “ Payolli Express” as she was popularly known was the reigning queen of Indian track and field for two decades. This “Golden Girl” was born on June 27, 1964 in a village called Koothali near Perambra in Kozhikode district of Kerala. She was interested in sports right from her childhood days.

In 1976 the Kerala Government started a Sports division for women in Kannur, where Usha started practicing under coach O.M Nambiar. Her march to fame started in 1979, when she won the individual championship at the National School Games. In 1980, in her first international meet, she won 4 gold medals for India. Her biggest moment came when in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics she missed the bronze medal in the 400m finals by 1/100th of a second.

In 1985 she won 5 gold medals and 1 bronze medal at the Asian track and field championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the Seoul Asian Games, Usha won gold medals in the 200 m, 400 m, 400 m hurdles and 4x400m relay categories. At the Beijing Asian Games, she won 3 silver medals for India. In 1991, she married V. Srinivasan. After the birth of her son, she came back to athletics and won bronze medals in the 200 m and 400 m at the Asian Track Federation meet at Fukuoka in Japan in 1998. She retired from athletics in the year 2000 and set up her sports academy in Kerala.

She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1983 and the Padma Shree in 1985.

KAPIL DEV

The Haryana Hurricane Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj was born on 6 January 1959 in Chandigarh. He led India to their first and only World Cup title in 1983 and was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. Kapil Dev made his international cricket debut against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 1978-79. When the Pakistani team returned to India for a six-Test series in 1979-80, Kapil's spectacular performance fetched him the "Man of the Series" award. He was successful in the next season in Australia too. He bagged the "Man of the Series" award against England in the home series of 1981-82 as well as the away series in 1982. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team after India's dismal performance in its tour to Pakistan in 1982. He lost the captainship in 1984 to Sunil Gavaskar, but regained it in 1985. In 1996, Kapil led India to a Test series win over England.

He was a very successful bowler too. Kapil became the second bowler ever to take 400 wickets in Test cricket in 1991. He went on to become the highest Test wicket-taker in the world in 1994, a record which was broken by Courtney Walsh in 1999. Kapil's name has entered the record books for being the only player to have scored 4,000 Test runs and taken 400 Test wickets. In 1988, Kapil become the highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket before his record was broken by Wasim Akram in 1994.

A very attacking player, he loved to take the fight to the opposition's camp. One of his most memorable innings was in a match en route to the World Cup final of 1983 when he scored 175 not out against Zimbabwe, rescuing India from a precarious position at 17/5 and finally turning the game in India's favour.

He retired from cricket in 1994 and was appointed as the coach of the Indian national cricket team in 1999, but he resigned in 2000. He was awarded the Arjuna Award for 1979-80, the Padma Shri in 1982 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991.

SUNIL GAVASKAR

Sunil Gavaskar is a former Indian cricketing great who shone for India. Nicknamed 'Sunny', Sunil is often regarded as one of the greatest opening batsman in Indian Test history and also has several records to his name. His full name is Sunil Manohar Gavaskar and he was born on 10th July, 1949, at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His uncle is Madhav Mantri, a former Indian Test wicketkeeper. He is married to Marshaniel Gavaskar with a son Rohan, who is also a domestic level cricketer.

With great cricket influences in his family, Sunil's interest in cricket began since his school days, where for his brilliant performances he was even named 'India's Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year' in 1966. Since then, he has come a long way in Indian cricket, and now, although retired from the game, still plays a significant role in advising and managing affairs of the cricketing fraternity in India and as a commentator and ICC official. The major sides that Sunil Gavaskar has represented are India, Mumbai and Somerset.

Despite his diminutive stature, he was an outstanding right-hand batsman with brilliant batting technique, noted 'late-flicks' and impenetrable defensive stance, especially against fast bowling. Sunil was a backbone for the team's innings in a match, along with his ability to be a good slip fielder. It was in his era that Indian cricket realized its potential and began performing well at Tests and ODI's. Sunil made his first class debut for Vazir Sultan Colts XI and then played on with the Bombay squad, until he was selected in 1970/71 to the Indian cricket team.

Sunil made his Test debut against West Indies at Port of Spain in March 1971 and helped India clinch their first ever win, as well as their first ever series victory over the West Indies. Since then he has played as many as 125 Tests, scoring 10122 runs while becoming the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs; with a record 34 centuries. His record was recently surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar in 2005. Gavaskar's highest Test score was 236 not-out against West Indies at Madras in their 6th Test in 1983/84. He has also taken 108 catches in Tests, besides being a fine slip fielder.

Sunil made his One Day international debut against England at Leeds in July 1974. Since then he has played as many as 108 ODI's scoring 3092 runs, with an average of 35.13, and a strike rate of 62.26. He has also taken 22 catches in ODI, with the most memorable being 4 catches in an ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1985. Sunil has played in the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1987 Cricket World Cups, playing a big role in India's 1983 World Cup win. He has played 19 World Cup matches, scoring 561 runs, with his highest ODI score being 103 not-out.

Gavaskar created many records including breaking Sir Donald Bradman's prestigious total of 29 Test centuries in 1983 and also becoming the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs. Despite some outstanding performances, Sunil has also had his share of downs, like some controversial performances and unsuccessful stints at captaincy and at ODI games. Sunil was honored with the Padma Bhushan, the 1980 'Wisden Cricketer of the Year', and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was jointly instituted in his and Allan Border's honour.

Hariharan (singer)

Hariharan, born 3 April 1955 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music.

Hariharan grew up in Mumbai, and has bachelor degrees in science and law. The son of renowned Carnatic vocalists, Shrimati Alamelu and the late H.A.S. Mani (full name:anantha Subramani Iyer), Hariharan inherited his parents' musical talents. Alamelu was Hariharan's first guru (mentor). From here he picked up Carnatic music skills. He was also exposed to Hindustani music from a young age. In his teens, inspired by the songs of Mehdi Hassan and Jagjit Singh, Hariharan developed a passion for ghazals and started training in Hindustani music from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. He used to put in nine hours of singing practice everyday. The committed Hariharan also put heart and soul into learning Urdu when he decided to become a ghazal singer. He has perfected his Urdu diction to such standards that even his audiences in Lucknow, the heartland of the language, have been wowed over.

In 1977, Hariharan bagged the top prize in the All-India Sur Singaar competition and was promptly signed on by the late music director Jaidev to sing for the Hindi film Gaman. His debut song "Ajeeb Saane He Mujh Par Qarar" in that movie became such a hit that it won Hariharan an Uttar Pradesh state award, as well as a Best Singer National Award nomination, and Hariharan's playback singing career took off.

At the start of his career, Hariharan did the concert circuit and also performed on TV. He sang for a number of TV serials (e.g., Junoon). In addition, he cut several successful ghazal albums, writing most of the scores himself. One of Hariharan's first ghazal albums was "Abshaar-e-Ghazal" with Asha Bhonsle, which went gold in sales. Another outstanding ghazal album was "Gulfam", which not only hit double platinum in sales but also fetched Hariharan the Diva Award for the Best Album of the Year in 1994.

Hariharan entered the world of Tamil films in 1992 introduced by debutant music director A.R Rahman with the patriotic song "Thamizha Thamizha" in Maniratnam's film Roja. He was judged best male playback singer in the 1995 Tamil Nadu State Government Film Awards for his soulful rendition of the song "Uyire Uyire" also by music director A.R Rahman in Maniratnam's Bombay (Hariharan sang the song with K.S. Chitra). "Uyire Uyire" is better known as "Tu Hi Re" in its Hindi version. Hariharan has been one of the most trusted singer of A R Rahman and has sung many songs for him in long list of movies that includes Roja, Sapnay, Jeans, Hindustani, Dil hi dil me, Taal, Bombay, Rangeela, Nayak and many more . In 1998, Hariharan won the national award for the best playback singer for the soulful rendition of the song "mere dushman mere bhai" from the Hindi movie Border, composed by Anu Malik.

The year 1996 was a career milestone; he released the fusion album Colonial Cousins with Bombay-based composer/singer Leslie Lewis. This was the first Indian act to be featured on MTV Unplugged. It won a string of awards including the MTV Indian Viewers' Choice award.

Hariharan has also acted in a Tamil film with Khushboo, titled Power of Women & also played cameo roles in the Tamil film Boys & the Malayalam film Millennium Stars.

In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri and Yesudas Award for his outstanding performance in music.

Hariharan also collaborated with Pakistan based band Strings for a track called "bolo bolo". Hariharan released an album called destiny with Punjabi / bhangra artiste Daler Mehndi. His newest Ghazal album "Lahore ke rang, Hari ke sang" with renowned ghazal composers from Pakistan won him rave reviews and critical acclaim inside and outside india. He also coined the terminology "Urdu Blues" with his immensely successful album "Kaash" which featured musicians like Anandan Sivamani the percussion maestro, Ustaad Rashid Mustafa on tabla, Ustad Liyaqat Ali Khan on Sitar & Ustad Sultan Khan on Sarangi. Hariharan also worked with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain on his ghazal album Haazir.

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam

He was born into an orthodox family on June 4, 1946 in Konetammapeta (then in Andhra Pradesh and now in Tamil Nadu). He is the second son in a family of three sons and five daughters. His father S. P. Sambamurthy was a well-known exponent of Harikatha and his sister S.P. Sailaja is a former actress-singer in Telugu. He has two children - Pallavi and Charan.

He got his first oppurtunity in 1966 to sing in the kannada film Gandhinagara starring Dr.Rajkumar in the lead role.He has captivated the audience with his mesmerising voice and approach with samskara, of which there is a dearth in present day artists. Balu took to singing as a hobby during his childhood. He developed an interest in music very early in his life, and had studied notations and learnt to play instruments such as harmonium and flute on his own while listening to his father. His father wanted Balu to become an engineer; this brought him to Ananthpur, where he enrolled for the AMIE course in JNTU. Meanwhile, he also pursued his hobby and won awards at many singing competitions. There he was identified as a good singer in annual college programmes where he use to sing. Some friends recommended that he sing in Madras and provided him with referrals.

In 1964, a Madras-based Telugu Cultural Organisation, organised a music competition for amateur singers. Balu won the first prize, and that proved a turning point in his life. Music director SP Kodandapani took him under his wing. Offers then poured in from Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam movies.

Before he became a full fledged cinema singer, SPB was the leader of a light music troupe that comprising

• Anirutta, who was working in Corporation and was the harmonium artist
• Ilaiyaraaja who joined the group as Guitarist and then moved over to harmonium after Anirutta became busy in his regular job
• Baskar, Ilaiyaraaja's brother who was in charge of Percussion
• Gangai Amaran another brother of Ilaiyaraaja who was the Guitarist after Ilaiyaraaja moved over to Harmonium

Balasubrahmanyam made his debut in film music as a singer in Dec 15,1966 with Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna, a film scored by his mentor Kodandapani. He has sung more than 39,000 songs^[2]since in more than 5 different Indian languages including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam. However, he has sung most of his songs in Tamil. He holds the Guinness record for having sung the most number of song recordings by any singer (the record for a female singer is held by Lata Mangeshkar).

A gifted singer, he is highly regarded for his incredible vocal range, deep rich voice, and mastery of style, technique and control. These qualities allowed him expression across various genres of Indian music, and he has been highly sought after by many of India's film music composers. His approach to singing is methodical; he perseveres to understand the full meaning of the songs that he sings (many of which are very poetic) and the settings in which these songs are couched in order to most effectively match their requirements with his vocal delivery.S.P.B., though was very young, started singing for many different language films. As he became very busy, at times he used to sing even 17 songs in 12 hours at the recording theatre. He has also sung in Sanskrit and some regard his pronunciation of this language to be very good.

He has performed both the popular and classical music of India. For example, the songs he performed in the films Sankarabharanam, Sagara Sangamam, Rudra Veena were based on Carnatic classical music, and the song Umandu Ghumandu in the movie Ganayogi Panchakshari Gavayi was based on Hindustani classical music.

SPB virtually monopolised playback singing for more than 30 years in the Telugu, Kannada and Tamil cinema. His contemporary Dr.K.J.Yesudas monopolised the Malayalam music industry. SPB sang only a few songs in Malayalam. Although Yesudas' voice was regarded more suitable for sad songs in Tamil, SPB also sang some of the evergreen sad songs in Tamil such as 'Naanum unthen uravai','Nenjukkulle'and 'Kuyile pudichu'. He hosts a popular TV show called Paadutha Theeyaga on E-TV, Paadalani Undi on MAA-TV ,Ede Thumbi Haaduvenu on 'E-TV Kannada' and 'Ennodo Paattu Paadungal' on JAYA-TV. His recent achievement is Pandurangadu, a mythological cum historical movie in telugu releasing in May'2008.His voice modulation , vibrations have a divinity.He enthralled all listeners with his great voice in this movie.

Awards and titles

Year	Award	From
2001	Padma Sri	President of India K.R.Narayanan
1999	Doctorate	Pottisreeramulu University (A.P.) Presented by Governor Rangarajan

National awards

Year	Movie	Song	Language
1996	Minsaara Kanavu	Thanga Thamarai	Tamil
1995	Sangeetha Sagara Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai	Umandu Ghumandu Ghana Gar Je Badara	Kannada
1988	Rudra Veena	Cheppaalani Undi	Telugu
1983	Saagara Sangamam	Thakitha Thadimi	Telugu
1981	Ek Duje Ke Liye	Tere Mere Beech Mein	Hindi
1979	Shankarabharanam	Om Kaara Nadhaanu	Telugu

State awards

Year	Film	For	From	Comments
2005	Pellam Pichhodu	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
2003	Seetayya	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Idigo Rayalaseema Gadda
2002	Vasu	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
2000	Raghavayyagari Abbai	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
1997	Priya Ragalu	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Chinna Chiru Chiru Navvula Chinna
1997	Annamayya	Best Dubbing Artist	Andhra Pradesh	Dubbing for Suman
1996	Pavithra Bhandam	Best Supporting Actor	Andhra Pradesh	Father of Venkatesh
1994	Bhairavadweepam	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Sri Thumbura Narada
1993	Mr.Pellaam	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
1992	Bangaaru mama	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
1991	Chanti	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
1989	Neerajanam	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
1987	Abhinandana	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Rangulalo Kalavo
1986	Sirivennela	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Vidhatha Thalapuna
1985	Mayuri	Best Music Director	Andhra Pradesh
1985	Mayuri	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
1984	Suvarna sundari	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Idi Naa Jeevithalapana
1983	Bahudoorapu baatasaari	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Ekkada Thalupulu
1981	Premaabhishekam	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh	Agadu Agadu e nimishamu
1979	Shankarabharanam	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh
1978	Naalaaga endaro	Best Singer	Andhra Pradesh

• The Kalaimamani by Tamil Nadu Government in 1981
• Tamil Nadu Government Award - received 3 times
• Film Fans' Association (Madras) Award (oldest association in the country) - received 20 times

Other awards

• September 1, 2002 Life time Achievement Award "Play back King", conferred during TVS Victor Aalaapana Music Awards function for the years 2001 & 2002, at Hyderabad
• August 5, 2002 "Dr. Bezawada Gopala Reddy Award", given during a function in Nellore
• April 7, 2002 Delhi Telugu Academy's 'Rashtriya Vikas Shiromani Award (Life time)' in 2002 on the occasion of 'Ugadi 2002', held in New Delhi
• 2002 Swaralaya-Kairali-Yesudas award
• 2001 Sangeeta Ganga award
• 2006 Raja-Lakshmi Award from Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation, Chennai
• 2006 Best Playback Singer from Vijay TV, Reliance Mobile Vijay awards
• Mia Tansen Award Sur Singar Sanjad (Bombay) for best classical rendition of a song from 'Tere Payal Mere Geeth' composed by Naushad Sab
• Innumerable Awards from Magazines & Associations fostering films
• Basavashree Awrd -2007 - Karnataka Government

Film Fare Awards

• Mozhi - 2007 - Tamil
• Maine Pyar Kiya - 1989 - Hindi

Film Fare Nominations ( Hindi films )

• Ek Duje keliye - 1981

Achievements

• Has recorded over 38,000 plus songs in a span of 40 years, which include film songs and devotional numbers recorded by various recording companies of the country. It's a world record which will be soon entering into the Guinness Book of World Records.
• Has recorded 21 songs in Kannada for the composer Upendra Kumar in Bangalore from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. on February 8, 1981 which is a record.
• Has recorded 19 songs in Tamil in a day, and 16 songs in Hindi in a day, which is a notable achievement.

He also acted in various movies in full fledged roles or as comeos. And is also an anchor for a TV programme by name "Paduta Teeyaga". Recently, on Maa TV, he has hosted a children's singing show, called Paadalaniundi. Mansvini was the winner of the program.

SACHIN TENDULKAR

Born on 24 April 1973- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was named after the renowned favourite music director Sachin Dev Burman. Sachin was encouraged to play cricket by his elder brother, Ajit Tendulkar. Sachin showed signs of greatness early on in life. While at school, he teamed up with Vinod Kambli for an unbroken 664-run partnership in a Harris Shield game in 1988. His international career took off in 1989 when he played his first international match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989. He went on to become the leading run-scorer in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. This little master has the hopes of an entire country resting on his shoulders everytime he goes in to the field. Sachin holds a plethora of records to his name. He has scored the highest number of Test centuries as well as ODI(One-day International)centuries, the highest number of runs in ODI's, played the most number of ODIs (380), has won the highest number of Man of the Match awards, besides being the first cricketer and fastest cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark, 11,000-run mark, 12,000-run mark, 13,000 run-mark and 14,000 run-mark in ODIs

In an article in Wisden in 2002, Tendulkar was named as the second greatest Test batsman ever, after Sir Don Bradman. Tendulkar on-screen pyrotechnics have known him a large number of awards off it. He was a receipent of the and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for 1997-1998civilian award Padma Shri in 1999. The legendary Sir Donald Bradman was reminded of his style and technique of play whn he saw Tendulkar play. Bradman remarked "I never saw myself play," "but I feel that this player is playing much the same way I used to play."

The Australian spinning legend Shane Warne, remarked that he sometimes had nightmares about bowling to Tendulkar. Apart from his exploits as a batsman, Tendulakr has also had success as a bowler. He has taken 37 wickets in 132 Tests and 142 wickets in 365 ODIs. Among his bowling performances, his 5 wicket haul against Australia at Kochi in 1997-98 stands out. Of late, there has been a fair amount of criticism about his performances, but he has silenced his critics with some superb performances.

India's chances in the 2007 World Cup rest a lot on the shoulders of this "little master", in what would perhaps be his last World Cup.

KAMAL HASSAN

Kamal Hassan is an Indian actor par excellence. He is famous for his versatility and creative skills in acting. Kalathur Kannama was his first film as a child artist which won him the President's Gold Medal. Since then he has acted in more than 150 movies, in Tamil, Telugu, Kannad, Malayalam and Hindi . Kamal Hassan was born on 7th November 1954 in Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India . He divorced Vani Ganpati and married Sarika and later divorced her in 2002. He has two daughters Shruti K. Haasan and Akshara.

K Balachander gave Kamal Hassan a break in his movie Apoorva Ragangal and since then he has never looked back. As a versatile actor he has performed diverse roles which prove his acting skills. His potential as an actor is evident in the films like 16 Vayadhinilae, Nayakan, Guna, Mahanadhi, Hey Ram, Sadma, Chachi 420 and Alavandaan, which are a class in themselves. He is trained in the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam and this art has enhanced his acting skills. Some of his Bollywood super hits are Ek Duje Ke Liye, Sadma, Sannam teri Kasam, Giraftaar, Saagar, Raj Tilak,and Chachi 420.

Kamal Hasan won the National Award thrice in the best actor's category for the films Nayagan, Moondram Pirai and Indian. He has won 18 filmfare Awards. He is the only actor whose six movies were sent to the Oscars as India's official entry. He was honored with the Padmashri in 1990 and Kalaimamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu. He was bestowed an honorary doctorate by Sathyabama University, Chennai in 2005. In 2007 he was honored as the "Living Legend" in the film business by FICCI.

SHAH RUKH KHAN

Shah Rukh Khan was born on November 2, 1965 and raised in New Delhi. His did his education from Delhi earning an honours degree in Economics and pursued a Masters Degree in Mass Communications, which he did not complete.

He shot to fame with his role in the TV serial Fauji in 1988, following it up with a role in the TV serial Circus. Shahrukh moved to Mumbai from Delhi and became a household name with the hit Bollywood movie Deewana in 1992.

There was no looking back ever since and he has delivered a string of hits including movies like Baazigar, Darr, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil to Pagal Hai , Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Veer-Zaara Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and many others.

He has ventured into film production also. Besides, he has also done playback singing for a number of his movies. Currently, he is hosting the popular TV show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, taking over from Amitabh Bachchan, who was the original host.

He has won a host of awards in his distinguished career, including six Filmfare Best Actor awards. Apart from the Filmfare Awards, he has won other awards like the Rupa Cinegoers Award, Star Screen Videocon Award, Sansui Viewers Choice Movie Award etc. In 2005, he has honoured with the Padma Shri Award by the Government of India.

Though he has mainly enacted romantic roles, he has also played the role of an anti-hero to perfection in films like Baazigar, Darr, Anjaam, Duplicate and Don - The Chase Begins Again

AMITABH BACHCHAN

Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942 to eminent poet Harivanshrai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. He began his film carrier in 1969, with the movie Saat Hindustani.In 1973, his film Zanjeer was released, in which he played a new kind of hero, who took the law into his own hands and fought the injustices in the system and earned the epithet, "angry young man". Amitabh worked initially with a shipping firm in Calcutta before moving to Mumbai in 1968. He had applied for a job in All India Radio, but was rejected.

He went on to score major hits with movies like Anand (1970), Namak Haram (1973). Amitabh came on to the scene when there was a great deal of disaffection in the country, especially among the educated unemployment. In the subsequent years, he went on give several major hits like Deewaar (1975), he played the role of a mafia don opposite Trishul (1978), Don (1978), Natwarlal (1979), Mr. Suhaag (1979),The Great Gambler (1980), Kaalia (1981) Silsila (1981), Shakti (1982).

Though he played the role of angry young man to perfection, he excelled in all types of roles whether they be romantic roles or comic roles. In 1984, he joined politics and was elected to Parliament from Allahabad. He did not complete his tenure and resigned from his seat.He won the National Award for his role in Agneepath (1990). Though he suffered a slump in fortunes, he shot back into the limelight when he hosted the popular programme Kaun Banega Crorepati? He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001.