Sunil Gavaskar
The Little Master

Our greatest batsman, he helped India defeat the West Indies in 1971 helmet-less, with the most prolific series debut in the history of Test cricket. When Indian batsmen were notoriously shy of fast bowling, he took on Windies quicks with classical poise.

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Viswanathan Anand
Grand Meister

He was just 19 when he won the Grand Master title in 1988, and he’s been on a winning spree ever since, claiming the world crown in 2000. The genial genius, whose unflappable exterior hides his quicksilver mind and razor-sharp analytical prowess, is now the reigning World No. 1 in the world chess federation’s rating.

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P.T. Usha
Track’s Gazelle

India’s finest woman athlete, she dominated the Asian track scene in the ’80s, winning 33 medals, with 18 golds at the Asian Games and Asian Track and Field Meet. Named Asian Woman Athlete of the Year from ’84 to ’87, and again in ’89, she now trains those who aspire to follow in her fleet-footed steps at her athletics school in Kerala.

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Balbir Singh
Magic Stick

He symbolises the Golden Age of Indian hockey. As centre-forward, he was part of the team that won Olympic Golds in 1948, 1952 and 1956, and Asian Games Silvers in 1958 and 1962. He was also an inspired coach, who took India to World Cup victory in ’75.

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Raj Kapoor
Showman

Independent India’s first film icon, this consummate showman’s appeal captured audiences from China and Moscow to Cairo and Timbuktu—his cultural diplomacy for India was unparalleled. In the ’50s and ’60s, his roles projected a sense of idealism, hope and confidence, and the dream of bridging social, economic and political inequalities, something that struck a special chord in the newly independent nation.

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Satyajit Ray
Maestro

The undisputed auteur, he took serious Indian cinema to the world stage. He broke new ground with the brilliant Pather Panchali, which was different from any film made before it, or after. Deeply rooted in India, yet dealing with themes of universal and enduring human concern, his films like the Apu trilogy, Charulata, Jalsaghar, Sonar Kella and Shatranj ke Khiladi remain classics, rediscovered with awe by every generation.

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Amitabh Bachchan
Superstar

The tall, handsome superstar with that hypnotically deep voice became everybody’s favourite anti-hero in the ’70s and ’80s.