Every year on March 22, Bihar divas is obsereved in order to celebrate the formation of the state. On the occasion, let’s take a look at top ten Biharis who have made India proud.
MJ Akbar: Born on 11 January in 1951, M J Akbar is a well known personality among the youth. Started his journey as a Journalist, MJ Akbar is now a politician associated with the ruling party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party. Akbar, BA (Hons) in English, started his career with the Times of India and then moved on to work with several leading media organisations in the country which includes, Ananda Bazar Patrika (ABP) Group, The Telegraph, The Deccan Chronicle and India Today among others. He stepped into politics in 1989 when was elected as a Congress Lok Sabha MP from Bihar under Rajiv Gandhi. He later joined the BJP and currently serving the country as Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rajendra Prasad: He will always be remembered as the first President of Independent India. A Doctorate in Law, Prasad joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement and since then he emerged as a prominent leader from the region of Bihar. When India became a Republic in 1950, Prasad was elected its first President by the Constituent Assembly. In the year 1957, Prasad was re-elected to the presidency, becoming the only president to have been served in the office twice.
Meira Kumar: Meira Kumar, a five time Member of Parliament, has brought laurels to the State when she was appointed as the first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha in 2009. She served the post from 2009 to 2014. Born in Arrah district in Bihar, Meira entered into politics in 1985 and was elected from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh during which she defeatied political bigwigs like Ram Vilas Paswan and Mayawati.
Manoj Tiwari: One of the immensely popular stars of Bhojpuri cinema, Manoj Tiwari was born on February 1, 1971 in Atarwalia village in Bihar. Before making a debut in the Bhojpuri films, Tiwari was a singer who sang many Bhojpuri songs. Tiwari is a highly successful actor in Bhojuri cinema and has acted in several hit films like Daroga Babu I Love You, Bandhan Toote Na, Ae Bahuji ki Sister to name a few. He was one of the contestants in the season four of the famous reality show ‘Big Boss’. Currently, he is a BJP MP.
Manoj Bajpai: Seasoned Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpai was born inNarkatiaganj a small village in Bihar. During his teens, he shifted Delhi to fulfill his hope of becoming an actor. He applied to National School of Drama (NSD) but got rejected thrice, but when he applied for the fourth time he was asked to join NSD as a teacher. After few years of struggle, it was Ram Gopal Varma’ s Satya which established him in the Hindi film industry. He has acted in several highly acclaimed movies like Kaun, Shool, Zubeidaa, Gangs of Wasseypur.
Udit Narayan: Narayan born in Bihar on December 1 in Basi in the Supaul district was one of the most sought after singers of the hindi film industry, he ruled bollywood during late 80’s to early 2000’s and has worked with all the famous music directors. ‘Ae Ajnabee’, ‘Papa Kehte Hain’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, ‘Radha’, ‘Tere Naam’, ‘Chand Chupa Badal Main’ are some of the famous songs sung by the singer. Narayan also appeared in the third season of famous singing reality show Indian Idol as one of the judges.
Sushil Kumar: The first contestant to win Rs 5 crore in Indian game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sushil Kumar was born in Motihari Champaran, Bihar in 1984. Before wining KBC he was employed as a computer instructor in MNEREGA where he used to earn a salary of Rs 6000. KBC was not only the show in which he appeared, after wining the huge amount, he later participated as one of the contestants in the second season of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.
Sushant Singh Rajput: Born in Patna, Sushant Singh is one the emerging stars of Hindi film industry. Before making a debut in Bollywood with movie Kai Po Che, Sushant was a main lead in the serial, Pavitra Rishta who also appeared on two dance reality shows. He was a student at Delhi College of Engineering but left the college in third year in order to pursue career in acting. His latest release was Neeraj Pandey’s M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, he portrayed the role of Cricketer MS Dhoni in the movie which was critical and commercial success. His next release is Raabta, opposite Kriti Sanon.
Prakash Jha: The national award-wining director, Prakash Jha was born on 27 February 1952 in Baraharwa, Bettiah, West Champaran in Bihar. Later, Jha relocated to Mumbai where his interest in the film making grew and he joined Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) but due to some protest the college was shut for some time but he never got back to FTII to complete his course. It was in the year 1984 when Damul released which won National Film Award for Best Feature film. Mrityudand, Gangajal, Apaharan, Rajneeti some of the movies directed by him.
Ustad Bismillah Khan: Indian musician, known for playing shehnai, Ustad Bismillah Khan also among the top 10 personalities that brought laurels to the state. Ustad Bismillah Khan for his marvelous work in Indian music was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001.
