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Karnataka is a state in Southern India. Karnataka is best known for its software industry and now biotechnology.


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Personalities in Karnataka

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Karnataka has produced many well-known personalities. Many from other states of India have moved to Karnataka and achieved a lot for themselves and the state. This page is NOT about being a successful Kannadiga ($$), but it is about those who have brought a change.

We would like to introduce you to successful entrepreneurs, sportsmen/women, scientists, authors etc.

Please help us by suggesting names, categories, intro for each name.

Astrologer

Beauty Queens

Business

Cartoonists

Education

  • Dr. S. Rajashekharaiah – He was the first Vice Chancellor of Karnataka’s biggest university, Visveswaraiah Technological University at Belgaum. He was responsible for bringing more than 80 engineering coleges in the state under one banner and giving them a new improved and contemporary syllabus. He envisioned a paperless exam pattern and started work on Student Exchange programs with foreign Universities.
  • Dr. H. Narasimhaiah

Entertainment/Movies

Food / Nutritionists

Government

Literature/Arts/Authors

Jnanpith Awardees

Undoubtedly the most prestigious award in India for literature. The award comprises a cheque, a plaque and a bronze-cast statuette of Vagdevi, the goddess of learning. It is modeled after the statue originally in 11th-century Saraswati Temple at Dhar in central India and currently in the British Museum, London.

The 15 petals of the pedestal lotus represent the Indian languages. Vagdevi holds in her arms the ritual vessel ‘Kamandal’, a book, a stalk-less lotus and a rosary – all symbols of learning and spiritual insight.

Mathematics

Music

Religion/Lyrisists

Science/Scientists

  • Dr. Devi Shetty – founder & MD of Narayana Hrudayalaya. Dr. Devi Shetty has started this noble venture just to provide medical service at low cost, preferably for free. In a nutshell, he is a man with a good heart. We pray young doctors get inspired by this “Doc”.
  • Professor Kattesh Katti: A Man with a Vision to Eradicate Cancer
  • Roddam Narasimha
  • Sir C. V. Raman – In 1930, for the first time in its history, an Indian scholar, educated entirely in India has received the highest honor in science, the Nobel Prize in Physics.
  • Dr. Shrinivas Kulkarni – an Astrophysicist based in California. The John D. and Catherine T. McArthur professor of astronomy and planetary science at Caltech discovered the millisecond pulsar-distant stars emitting very high-frequency radio waves-and has conducted stand-out observational astronomy in virtually the entire electromagnetic spectrum. ‘Shrini’ also discovered brown dwarfs-stars whose radii are less than the Chandrashekhar Limit (the theory that won Subrahmanyam Chandrashekhar the Nobel) and which decay into less luminous (brown), smaller gas masses instead of collapsing into black holes. Shrini’s primary interests are the study of neutron stars and gamma-ray bursts, and the search for extra-solar planets through interferometric and adaptive techniques. Dr. Shrini is related to Narayana Murthy (Sudha Murty’s brother) and Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande.
  • Srinivasan – BARC
  • Narayan Sadashiv Hosmane
  • Prof C.N.R. Rao – was also awarded the Karnataka Ratna award in June 2001
  • Prof U.R. Rao
  • Dr. Raja Ramanna

Simply Special

  • S Manjunath – An engineer from SJCE and with an MBA deree from IIM-L one would think he would be serving in the private sector or have his own business. Manjunath worked for IOC. This alone shows his dedication and love for the country. He was murdered by a petrol pump owner because Manjunath was just doing his duty ‘honestly’. It was very touching to see his father talking to the media in Kolar – there was pride in his eyes as he said his son did the right thing by exposing the guilty. Karnataka has lost a brave son. The first presentation of Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award 2007 to be held on March 24, 2007 in IIM, Bangalore.

Social Service

Sports

Technology

  • Arun Netravali – President, Bell Laboratories
  • Azim H Premji – Chairman, Wipro Corporation
  • B. V. Jagdeesh – co-founder of Exodus Communication.
  • Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande – Co-founder and Chairman of Sycamore Networks, Inc.
  • Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw – CMD Biocon. Popularly known as the “Bio Queen” of India.
  • Kumar Malavalli – co-founder Brocade Communication, TeleVital
  • Nandan M. Nilekani – Co-founder & CEO, Infosys
  • N.R. Narayana Murthy – Chairman & Chief Mentor Officer, Infosys Technologies Limited
  • Sabeer Bhatia – born in Delhi, studied in Bangalore. Instrumental in introducing the first free web-based email service Hotmail. This is no small achievement in our opinion. Other ventures of his are Arzoo, InstaColl, Telixo, Hot Seasons

Warriors/Dynasties/Fighters

  • Devayya Bopayya
  • Of Military Intelligence and More – Brigadier P.T. Monappa
  • HakkaBukkas
  • Kempe Gowda
  • Kittur Channamma – 45kms from Belgaum is Kittur. Kittur is best known for the heroic resistance the Rani Channamma put up against the British here in 1824. Enraged by the high handiness of Thakeray, the collector of Dharawad, when he refused to let the adopted son of Mallasarja rule his death. When all negotiations failed, the brave Rani fought until the Kittur army defeated and she was taken prisoner. A visit to the museum here will take you down through the curtains of time to her time of glory. In the memory of this valiant woman, a nature park has been founded where you can jump and watch the friendly deer and sambar. Her statue also stands sentinel over Belgaum, at a prominent square.
  • Mayura Varma/Sharma
  • Nalmadi Krishnadevaraya
  • Nalwadi/Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar
  • Pulakeshi – Badami, the one time capital of the Chalukyas , is noted several temples, some structural & other rock-cut, of the 6th & 7th Centuries. The foundations of Badami, or Vatapi as it was called, were laid by Pulakeshi I (535 – 566 AD) his son Kirtivarman, the Ist (567 – 598 AD), beautified the town with temples & other buildings. The greatest ruler of the dynasty was Pulakeshi II (610-642 AD) who among others defeated the Pallava King Mahendra Verman I.
  • S.K. Amin
  • Tipu Sultan
  • Vidyaranya
  • Vishnuvardhana

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