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Though she was married off at age 9 and had had a baby by 14, Anandi Gopal Joshi rose to become one of the first female doctors in India and the first Indian-origin woman to graduate with a medical degree in the US. Unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis shortly before her 22nd birthday.
Islamic preacher Zakir Naik is also the founder of the Islamic Research Foundation and his own broadcast network, Peace TV. Though a qualified surgeon, he later gained fame as a public speaker. His channel is banned in multiple countries, such as India, Bangladesh, and the UK, for its extremist nature.
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, once the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, India, was known for his commitment to farmers. A qualified doctor, he initially worked as a medical officer and launched a hospital, too. He died in a tragic helicopter crash in the Nallamala Hills, along with 4 others on board.
Reita Faria is an Indian physician and former beauty queen. She is best known for winning the Miss World pageant in 1966 and thereby becoming the first woman of Asian origin to win the contest. Reita Faria is also the first qualified physician to win the Miss World title. Reita Faria declined several acting offers to focus on her career as a physician.
Devi Shetty is an Indian cardiac surgeon and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of Narayana Health where he also serves as the chairman. Shetty, who has performed over 16,000 heart operations, was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award in 2012. His life and career inspired an episode of Netflix's series The Surgeon's Cut.
Bidhan Chandra Roy was an Indian educationist, physician, statesman, philanthropist, and freedom fighter. Widely regarded as the chief designer of modern West Bengal, Roy founded several institutions and four cities in the state. He also served as West Bengal's chief minister from 1948 to 1962. In 1961, Bidhan Chandra Roy was honored with India's highest civilian award, The Bharat Ratna.
Sixth century BC Indian surgeon Sushruta, known as the Father of Plastic Surgery, is best remembered for his treatise Sushruta Samhita, which is one of the fundamental texts on Ayurveda and medicine. Some of his surgical procedures included the surgery of the nose and the surgical removal of a dead fetus.
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy was an Indian politician who served as the 14th chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009. Reddy was revered and respected by the people of Andhra Pradesh, so much so that over 100 people committed suicide on hearing the tragic news of Reddy's demise due to a helicopter crash in 2009 at age 60.
Naresh Trehan is an Indian cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgeon. Since 1991, Trehan has been serving as the personal surgeon of the President of India. Over the course of his illustrious career, Naresh Trehan has been honored with several prestigious awards, such as the Bidhan Chandra Roy Award, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, and Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor.
Mohan Agashe is an Indian actor and psychiatrist. Best known for his work in the fields of psychopharmacology and clinical psychology, Agashe played a major role in founding the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health. As an actor, Mohan Agashe has won many prestigious awards, such as the Sahitya Akademi Award, Thespo Lifetime Achievement Award, and Filmfare Best Villain Award.
Govindappa Venkataswamy was an Indian ophthalmologist best remembered for his work which aimed at eliminating needless blindness. The founder of Aravind Eye Hospitals, Venkataswamy developed a high volume, high quality, and low-cost service delivery model that effectively restored sight to many people. Govindappa Venkataswamy was honored with the Padma Shri Award in 1973.
Shah Faesal scripted history when, in 2010, he became the first Kashmiri to top the Indian Civil Services examination. However, he later quit the bureaucracy in protest of the killings of Kashmiris. He later formed the political party JKPM, criticizing the scrapping of Article 370, but eventually quit politics, too.
Born in Kolkata, India, Bhasha Mukherjee moved to England as a 9-year-old kid. She later not only acquired a medical degree but also won the Miss England 2019 pageant, and later represented England at the Miss World contest. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, she returned to medical practice.
Dr. Sharmila is an Indian physician and actress best known for her work in the late-night TV show Puthira Punithama which featured Indian psychiatrist and sexologist N. Mathrubootham during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sharmila's popularity increased in 2000 when she was cast to play interesting roles in acclaimed director K. Balachander's TV series, Jannal-Marabu Kavithaigal and Irandaam Chanakyan.
Subhash Mukhopadhyay was an Indian physician and scientist. He became the first Indian scientist to create India's first and the world's second in-vitro fertilization (IVF) baby in 1978. Unfortunately, he committed suicide in 1981 after being harassed by the Indian government which was against IVF at that time. His life and death inspired the 1990 film Ek Doctor Ki Maut.
Hakim Ajmal Khan was an Indian physician best remembered for co-founding the popular Jamia Millia Islamia University, which is currently located in New Delhi. He is also credited with establishing another institution named Tibbia College in Delhi. Hakim Ajmal Khan also took part in important pre-independent movements, such as the Khilafat movement.
Surendra Poonia is an Indian sportsman, physician, politician, and former Special Forces officer. He has represented India in five World Championships in countries like Spain, Turkey, Ireland, and Croatia, winning 27 medals including 10 golds. Poonia holds the Limca record for winning most international sports medals as an Indian doctor. He is also credited with founding the Fit Bharat marathon.
The son of an East Indian Railways physician, leading Indian scientist and doctor Upendranath Brahmachari was the first to use Urea-Stibamine as a treatment for Kala-azar. Apart from winning honors such as the knighthood and the title of Rai Bahadur, he was also nominated for the Nobel Prize twice.
S. I. Padmavati was an Indian cardiologist best remembered for establishing the All India Heart Foundation and serving as the director of the National Heart Institute, Delhi. The first female cardiologist in India, Padmavati is also credited with setting up India's first cardiac catheter lab and cardiac clinic. In 1992, she was honored with India's second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan.
P. K. Sethi was an Indian orthopedic surgeon best remembered for co-inventing a flexible and inexpensive artificial limb called the Jaipur foot in 1969 alongside Ram Chandra Sharma. The artificial limb, which was popularized by Indian dancer Sudha Chandran, became immensely popular in India. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Sethi for his work that has helped several people.
P. R. Krishna Kumar was an Indian Ayurveda expert best known for founding a non-profit organization called AVP Research Foundation, which aims at supporting research in the field of Ayurveda. He is also remembered for his association with The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Ltd. in Coimbatore where he served as the managing director. Kumar was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009.
Suresh Amonkar was an Indian politician and qualified doctor best remembered for his work in political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and Goa Suraksha Manch. From 1999 to 2000, Amonkar served as the Minister of Health, Labour & Employment, and Social Welfare. He died in 2020 from complications due to the novel coronavirus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Jitendra Nath Pande was an Indian pulmonologist remembered for his association with the All India Institute of Medical Studies where he worked as a professor, apart from serving as the Head of Medicine. He was also associated with Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science & Research where he worked as a senior consultant. Pande was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021.
Kameshwar Prasad is an Indian medical researcher, neurologist, and academic. He is best known for his association with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences where he serves as the head of the Department of Neurology. In 1991, Kameshwar Prasad was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri Award, India's fourth-highest civilian honor, by the Government of India.
