Listed below are personalities associated with Delhi, people who were either born here or made Delhi their home.
Amir Khusro
Amir Khusrau Dehlavi (1253-1325 AD) was a prolific Persian poet associated with royal courts of more than seven rulers of Delhi Sultanate. Amir Khusro is popular for playful riddles, songs and legends attributed to him. He is associated to Sufism and the qawwali form of song rendition is said to be his gift to the world.
Mirza Ghalib
Mirza Asadullah Khan "Ghalib" (1796-1869) is one of the best of Urdu poets. He led a revolution in Urdu poetry with his words.
Mukesh
Mukesh Chand Mathur (1923 - 1976) is popularly known as the voice of Raj Kapoor. Mukesh became the first male winner of the Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer in 1959. Mukesh's vocals became identified with other heroes in the 1960s and 70s, most notably, Manoj Kumar.
M.F.Hussain
Maqbool Fida Husain (B. 1915) is India's most famous Painter and Film maker who enjoys multifarious range of occupations interests and passions. In 1967 he made his first film, Through the Eyes of a Painter. It was shown at the Berlin Festival and won a Golden Bear.
Nizamuddin Auliya
Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia (d. 1325 A.D.) represents the pinnacle of the Chishti Order of the Sufis. Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia sent able disciples well versed in the Chishti practices to places across India. Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia taught the following for the sufi path: "For a dervish, three things are necessary. They all begin with an 'ain' (an Arabic letter), i.e., Ishq (love), Aql (intelligence) and Ilm (knowledge).
Pervez Musharraf
The Pakistani president was born in Delhi. Relations between the countries did not allow him to visit his home for decades but he finally did sometime back.
Qurratulain Hyder
Qurratulain Hyder (B. 1927) is one of the most celebrated of Urdu fiction writers. A trendsetter in Urdu fiction, she is a prolific writer. She has so far written some 12 novels and novellas, four collections of short stories and has done a significant amount of translation of classics. Aag Ka Darya (River of Fire), her magnum opus, is a landmark novel that explores the vast sweep of time and history.
Ravi Shankar
Pandit Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitarist and composer is India's most esteemed musical Ambassador and a singular phenomenon in the classical music worlds of East and West. As a performer, composer, teacher and writer, he has done more for Indian music than any other musician. He is well known for his pioneering work in bringing Indian music to the West.
Khushwant Singh
Khushwant Singh (B. 1915) is one of the best-known Indian writers of all times. Khushwant Singh's name is bound to go down in Indian literary history as one of the finest historians and novelists, a forthright political commentator, and an outstanding observer and social critic.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan is the leading actor of bollywood and continues to the favourite for all age groups.
