Another year has gone by, and here you are – another grey hair, and hopefully, a little wiser. While you’re bracing yourself (and your liver) for a night of debauchery, check out this list of icons whom you share your special day with.
They just might be your idols, and who knows, you could one day be as famous as them!
Manmohan Singh
A man of few words, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh boasts of a CV which could be anybody’s envy. Singh was the first Sikh Prime Minister.
Armed with degrees from two of the world’s most prestigious universities – Oxford and Cambridge, Singh has taught economics at his alma mater. He is also responsible for opening the Indian economy to LPG – liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation.
Serena Williams
Undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players ever, Serena Williams has been ranked world no 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association eight times from 2002 to 2017. She first rose to the position on 8 July 2002. Among active tennis players, Williams holds the most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles together.
She has a total of 39 Grand Slam titles to her name. Among her many accolades, Williams was named ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ by Sports Illustrated magazine in 2015.
A little known fact about her is that she has acted in two popular TV shows – My Wife and Kids, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay in 1820 in undivided Bengal, ‘Vidyasagar’ was a pioneer of the Bengal Renaissance. He had received the title ‘Vidyasagar’ from his alma mater, erstwhile Calcutta’s Sanskrit College, for his academic prowess. Vidyasagar is not only remembered for his contribution to Bengali literature, but is revered for championing women’s rights. To that end, he introduced widow remarriage, a taboo at the time.
Vidyasagar also helped simplify the Bengali alphabet and is responsible for the way it looks today.
Anand Gandhi
The Mumbai-based filmmaker and producer is best known for his debut feature-length film Ship of Theseus (2012), which went on to win the National Film Award for Best Picture. For those of you who have watched the highly philosophical drama ride with metaphors, it may come as a surprise to know that Gandhi began his career by writing dialogues for the first 82 episodes Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Don’t be shocked yet: Gandhi also wrote the screenplay for the other longest running TV show in Indian TV history – Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. Gandhi, who is known for his contempt for Indian TV shows moved to writing plays soon after his TV writing stint. Among the plays he has written and directed are the critically acclaimed Sugandhi, Pratyancha and Janashtaru.
Lilly Singh
‘Superwoman’ Lilly Singh has a rather eclectic CV. This is what might pop up if you run a quick Google search on the Canadian artiste: YouTube artiste, comedian, writer, actress, vlogger. Already feeling terrible about your own relatively dull résumé? 29-year-old Singh’s YouTube channel has over 12 million subscribers and has been watched at least two billion times.
In 2016, Forbes listed her as the third highest-paid YouTube artiste. Earlier this year, Singh’s first book, How to be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life was released.
TS Eliot
Yes, literature buffs, we also have something for you! British writer and poet Thomas Stearns Eliot is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets born in the twentieth century. A pioneer of the Modernist movement in English literature, TS Eliot’s 1915 poem The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock is perhaps one of the best examples of poetry from that era. Among his other famous works are the 1949 play The Cocktail Party.
Born in Boston, USA, Eliot moved to England in 1914, at the age of 25 and took up British citizenship at the age of 39.
You can listen to Anthony Hopkins’ recitation of The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock here:
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