Famous Personalities of Kerala

Kerala is a state that lies in South India and has a literacy rate of 94%. The state is known for its heritage and cultural importance and has been the birthplace of many famous personalities. This article is an overview of the famous personalities of Kerala. They include poets, singers, political leaders, and social workers who have made their home state proud nationwide and worldwide.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan 

Adoor Gopalakrishnan is a famous personality of Kerala and is also an Indian film director, producer and scriptwriter. He was born on 3 July 1941 in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. He has produced numerous films in Malayalam, and most of his movies are about the culture and society of Kerala.

Gopalakrishnan has won the national film award and Kerala state film award numerous times. Adoor Gopalakrishnan was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2006 and Padma Shri in 1984. He was also awarded the Kerala government’s highest honour award JC Daniel Award for his contribution to Malayalam cinema in 2016.

Anju Bobby George

Anju Bobby George, a famous personality of Kerala born on 19 April 1977 in the Kottayam district of Kerala, is a well-known athlete in India. She created history when she secured the third position in the long jump at World Championships in 2003 and became the first Indian athlete by winning a medal in the world championship.

Anju Bobby George won a gold medal at the IAAF world athletics in 2005. The Indian government awarded her with the Padma Shri award in 2004. She was also awarded Khel Ratna in 2003 and Arjuna Award in 2002. In 2021 Anju got the BBC lifetime achievement award for being the best athlete.

AK Antony

Arackaparmbil Kurien Antony was born on 28 December 1940 in the Alappuzha district of Kerala and is among the famous personalities of Kerala. He is a well-known attorney and politician. AK Antony was a member of Parliament and was also the 23rd Defence Minister.

AK Antony was the defence minister for eight long years and is known as the longest-serving defence minister. Apart from this, he has also served thrice as the chief minister of Kerala.

PT Usha 

PT Usha, also known as the Golden girl in India, was born on 27 June 1964 in the Kozhikode district of Kerala. She is a well known Indian track and field athlete and is often called the queen of Indian track and field. She was active in sports from 1976 to 2000.

In the 1998 Asian Championships in Athletics, she represented India in the 4 x 100 metres relay and won a gold medal, and their team set a national record of 44.43 s. The personal best record of PT Usha in the 100 m is 11.39 s.

KJ Yesudas

KJ Yesudas was born on 10 January 1940 and is a well known Indian classical singer. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in different languages. He holds a record of singing eleven songs in various languages in one day.

Yesudas was awarded the Padma Vibhushan award in 2017, Padma Bhushan Award in 2002 and Padma Shri in 1975. He has also won the National Film Award and the Kerala state film award for best singer 25 times. 

Mohanlal Viswanathan

Mohanlal Viswanathan is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer born on 21 May 1960 in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. Mohanlal has worked in many films in different languages, mainly in Malayalam.

Mohanlal has received several honours and accolades, both honorary and competitive, including nine Kerala state film awards and five national film awards. In 2001, the government honoured him with the Padma Shri 2001 and in 2019, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. He was also given the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2008.

Conclusion 

This was an overview of famous personalities of Kerala who have won several awards for their expertise in their field of work. Famous personalities are necessary for our society because regular people, children, look up to them. They are all thought leaders and influential people with power. People want to hear them and follow what they say and do. What makes them more important is that they have gained their standing through the force of their personalities, overcoming obstacles in their pathway. These notable personalities also have a duty to do good and inspire and motivate the people of the country.