List of people from Malwa

Historical

• Kalidasa (c 100? BC - c 400? AD) Sanskrit playwright
• Chandragupta Vikramaditya (375 - 415) Legendary King
• Varahamihira (505 - 587) Astronomer and Mathematician
• Siddhasena
• Bhartrihari (570-651?)
• Brahmagupta (598 - 668) Mathematician
• Bhoj (1010–1060) King
• Bhāskara II (1114–1185) Mathematician
• Dhanvantari
• Rajmata Ahilya Devi Holkar ruler of Indore state of the holkars
• Mahinda was a Buddhist monk depicted in Buddhist sources as bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka. He was the first-born son of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka from his wife Devi
• Sanghamitra daughter of Emperor Ashoka and his wife, Vidisha Dev
• Mahendraditya was the king of Ujjain and father of the legendary king Vikramaditya

Academia, Business and Professionals

• Dr. Chitranjan Singh Ranawat, famous hip surgeon based in New York, United States, completed his MBBS and MS from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical Collge, Indore.
• Deepak Mohoni, famous Indian stock market analyst, studied at Daly College, Indore for four years.
• Danish Sheikh, India's only charisma coach currently living in Mumbai was born in Indore.

Artists and Literary Figures

• Pradeep (1915-1998) Indian poet and songwriter who is best known for his patriotic song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo.
• Kunwar Amarjeet Singh, Hip-Hop & Contemporary style dancer and currently playing lead role in Dil Dosti Dance .
• Ustad Amir Khan, celebrated Hindustani classical vocalist, born in Indore 1912. Referred to his unique style of khyal singing as "Indore Gharana."
• Celina Jaitley, a Shimla-born Indian actress who mainly appears in Bollywood films, has her parents living in the Army town of Mhow in the Indore district.
• Hafeez Contractor, famous architect of India is born in Indore.
• Johnny Walker, famous comic actor, was born in Indore.
• Kiran Kumar, a Mumbai-based Kashmiri Indian actor, studied at Daly College, Indore.
• Kishore Kumar, famous playback singer and actor, who belonged to Khandwa had studied at the Indore Christian College and used to stay in the hostel.
• Lata Mangeshkar, famous playback singer, was born in Indore to Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar.
• Mahadevi Varma, an outstanding Hindi poet and a freedom fighter, was married to Dr Swarup Narain Varma in Indore.
• M.F. Husain, eminent painter, he spent his childhood in Indore.
• Rahat Indori, Urdu poet and songwriter in Hindi films.
• Rais Khan, the celebrated Indian sitar maestro was born in Indore in 1938.
• Sagarika Ghatge, an Indian film actress, is the daughter of the actor Vijayendra Ghatge.
• Salman Khan, an Indian film actor who appears in Bollywood movies was born in Indore.
• Sneha Khanwalkar,an Indian music director who works in Bollywood, was brought up in Indore.
• Swanand Kirkire Indore born lyricist-singer-writer.
• Vijayendra Ghatge, an actor in the Hindi film industry, is the son of Sita Raje Ghatge, who was the daughter of Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar III of Indore (reigned 1903-1926).
• Prahlad Tipanya, a Kabir folksinger from Lunyakheri village, recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award.
• Umakant Gundecha and Ramakant Gundecha, leading Dagarvani dhrupad singers.
• Sachida Nagdev contemporary Indian artist
• Asghar Ali Engineer graduated with a degree in civil engineering from Vikram University

Rulers, Nationalists, and Politicians

• Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, most noted ruler of Holker State who built numerous temples, wells and dharamshalas all over India. She spent most of her life in Maheshwar, then capital of the Holkars, situated on the banks of the Narmada and is said to have visited Indore only twice in her lifetime. Her name is synonymous with Indore and the University and airport are named after her.
• Ajit Jogi, the first chief minister of the state of Chhattisgarh, India, was the District Magistrate of Indore in 1980s.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, father of the Indian Constitution and campaigner for Dalit rights was born in Mhow.
• Digvijay Singh (politician), an Indian politician, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress political party, studied at Daly College in Indore. He is also an alumnus of Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science, Indore.
• Guru Radha Kishan, Swatantrata Sangram Sainik fought valiantly for the economic deprivation for the poor and the issues of social deprivation.
• Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army studied at Daly College Indore.
• General K. Sundarji was Commandant of the College of Combat,Mhow (now known as Army War College) during the early 1980s.
• Prabhash Joshi: A well known journalist. Editor in chief of Jansatta,(The Indian Express group).
• Prakash Chandra Sethi, an Indian National Congress politician was a Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was the Member of Parliament from Indore Lok Sabha constituency between 1984 and 1989. He also served in a number of positions in the Centre - Home Minister, Defence Minister, Minister of External Affairs, Finance Minister, Railways, and Housing and Development.
• Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Manekshaw was Commandant of the Infantry School, Mhow during the 1950s.
• Sumitra Mahajan, Bharatiya Janata Party Leader and MP, has been the Member of Parliament from Indore Lok Sabha constituency since 1989.
• Kailash Vijayvargiya, a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party, ex-Mayor of Indore
• Maharaha Yashwantrao Holkar was a key figure in Maratha history. He galvanized several years of resistance against the British Empire and was called the Napoleon of India.
• Yeshwantrao Holkar II, the Maharaja of Indore belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Marathas, was born in Indore in 1908.
• Thawar Chand Gehlot, Cabinet minister in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in Narendra Modi government
• Hukam Chand Kachwai, was a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party
• Paras Chandra Jain, a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party
• Satyanarayan Jatiya, former cabinet minister from 1999 to 2004 and held portfolios of labour and social justice and empowerment.
• Sartaj Singh PWD minister in government of Madhya Pradesh
• Yashoda Devi was the first woman to be elected from a former princely state of India as a member of a legislative assembly.
• Pushpa Devi Singh Indian politician
• Kaptan Singh Solanki Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party

Sports Persons

• Amay Khurasiya, former member of Indian Cricket team has studied in Indore.
• Chandu Sarwate, former Indian cricketer and former Indian cricket selector, lived and died in Indore in 2003.
• Colonel C.K. Nayudu, first Indian Test Captain in cricket. He led India between 1932 and 1934.
• Jalaj Saxena, cricketer who plays as an all rounder for the India A cricket team, was born in Indore in 1986.
• Captain Mushtaq Ali, Colonel Nayudu's team-mate in the Holkar team and in the Indian team. Popularly known as the 'Errol Flynn' of Indian cricket.
• Raj Singh Dungarpur, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and a former Indian cricket selector was an ex-student of Daly College, Indore.
• Rahul Dravid, an Indian cricketer, and the former captain of the Indian cricket, born in Indore.
• Minoti Desai, an Indian cricketer, who represented Indian women's team, was born in Indore in 1968.
• Mir Ranjan Negi Hockey goalkeeper & Coach of Indian Women Team who's won Asian Championship.
• Narendra Hirwani, a leg spin bowler and former member of Indian cricket team moved to Indore when he was a teenager.
• Sandhya Agarwal, former captain of Indian women's cricket team.
• Sanjay Jagdale, former state cricketer. Presently one of the national selectors for the senior all-India teams and the honorary secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. He is also the director of the Cricket Club of Indore.
• Shankar Lakshman (1933–2006), goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won two golds and a silver. Captain of the team which won the gold in the 1966 Asian Games. He belonged to Mhow and lived his retired life here till his death on Apr 29 2006.
• Captain Syed Mushtaq Ali, an Indian international cricketer, was born in Indore in 1914 and died in Indore in 2005.
• Naman Ojha Indian cricketer

See also

• List of people of Indore, the largest city of Malwa