Famous Personalities of Haryana

Numerous prominent personalities have emerged from the state of Haryana, including freedom fighters, political leaders, Bollywood actors, athletes, singers and spiritual leaders.

Let us find out about some famous personalities from Haryana who have made a name for themselves in various fields.

Sports

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev Nikhanj is a former Indian cricket player born on 6 January 1959. He is considered one of the greatest cricket players. Team India won the 1983 World Cup under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. He is regarded as an all-rounder and was named “The Haryana hurricane” as he represented his state in domestic cricket. Kapil Dev was the only player to score more than 5000 runs and 400 wickets in test matches, making him an all-rounder cricketer.

Geeta Phogat

Geeta Phogat is the first Indian freestyle wrestler who qualified for the Olympic Summer Games and won the gold medal in wrestling for the first time in the Commonwealth Games (2010).

Sushil Kumar

Born on 26 May 1983, Sushil Kumar Solanki is a freestyle wrestler who has won two Olympic medals, a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, competing in the 66 kg weight division.

Entertainment

Randeep Hooda

Considered one of the finest actors in Bollywood, he is known for acting in movies like Saheb, Biwi, and Gangster, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Jannat 2, Highway, Sarabjit, and many more. He was born on 20 August 1976 and is from Haryana. Apart from movies, he has also made his debut in plays like A Playwright, A Walk in the Woods, etc.

Sunil Grover

Known for playing ‘Gutthi’ on The Kapil Sharma Show, Sunil Grover is an Indian comedian born in Haryana. He is also seen in movies like Gabbar is Back, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, and Bharat.

Badshah

Originally known as Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia, Badshah is an Indian rapper who made his first flow-less rap with Yo-Yo Honey Singh in 2006. Badshah was awarded in 2016 Punjabi Music awards for his hit song “Wakhra Swag”.

Manushi Chhillar

She is an Indian model born in 1997 and the winner of the Miss World pageant. She is the sixth woman to win Miss World. Currently, she is the face of one of the largest jewellery retail groups, Malabar Gold and Diamonds.

Politicians

Chaudhary Devi Lal

Born in the Sirsa district of Haryana, Chaudhary Devi Lal has served India twice as the deputy Prime minister and also played a major role in the formation of the Haryana state separately. He was also called the Lion of Haryana (Sher-e-Haryana) for his opposition to the Emergency and dictatorial responses. 

Spiritual figures

Baba Ramdev

Baba Ramdev was born Ramkrishna Yadav in the Mahendragarh district of Haryana. Baba Ramdev is a spiritual leader who is known for promoting the practice of yoga worldwide. Apart from yoga, he is also involved in Ayurveda, politics, agriculture, and business. He is also the owner of the Patanjali Group of Institutions.

Astronauts

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla, the first woman astronaut to enter space and log more than 375 hours (15 days and 12 hours to be precise) in space, was born in Karnal, Haryana. 

Journalist

Rohit Sardana

Rohit Sardana was a popular anchor, journalist, and editor in Indian media. He completed his education from Kurukshetra and hosted a famous show called Dangal in Aaj Tak.

Business

Om Prakash Jindal

OP Jindal was born in Hisar, Haryana. He is a successful businessman and founder of Jindal Steel and Power. His company has also won the Lifetime Achievement award for its outstanding contribution to the Steel Industry. OP Jindal is one of the richest people in Haryana, with a net worth of around 4 million U.S. dollars.