Rajasthan has produced many personalities who have contributed greatly to the historical heritage of the state. Some of the personalities are form the pages of history while some are contemporary. Al of them are form various fields of Politics, Dance and Music, Literature, Science, Religion, Industry, Cinema etc. A look at these personalities will help us understand them better.

Political Personalities
Pratibha Devisingh Patil: She is the current President of India and the first women to hold the office. sworn in as President of India on July 25, 2007, she was born to Narayan Paglu Rao on 19th December 1934 at Nadgaon, Maharashtra. She had completed her term in the 10th Lok Sabha and was recalled from political hibernation to become the first woman Governor of Rajasthan.
Ashok Gehlot: A leader of Indian National Congress. Ashok Ghelot is the present Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He has served as chief minister of the state earlier also from 1998 to 2003. His current term began on December 13, 2008, following Congress's victory in the state elections. Hailing from Jodhpur city, he has done a lot for the state and he was also a member of the Lok Sabha apart from being a junior Minister in the central government of India.

Vasundhara Raje: Preceded by Ashok Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje was the ex-chief Minister of Rajasthan. She is the first woman Chief Minister of Rajasthan. As the Finance Minister, she had steered Rajasthan from a budget deficit into a budget surplus for the first time since the 1991-1992 budget, in accordance with the guidelines of the 12th Finance Commission. She actively courted the IT (Information Technology industry) to open offices in the state, and oversaw the building of new schools and colleges. Vasundhara also introduced mid-day meal schemes for mothers, insurance schemes, transportation vouchers for girl students and skills training for workers.

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat: Born in a Sikar district of Rajasthan, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, has been a former Vice President of India. Member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shekhawat has served the state as a Chief Minister thrice and done a lot for the social welfare of Rajasthan. His supporters deem him as "Rajasthan Ka Ek hi Singh". He has held many significant positions and even fought the Presidential election as an independent candidate.

Historical Personalities
Maharana Pratap: The towering personality of Maharana Pratap is legendary. courage, bravery, self respect, patriotism and the spirit of independence gets personified in a single persona of Maharana Pratap. Born on 9 May, 1540, he has fought many battles for the sake of his kingdom and had always defended it for the enemy forces. His chivalry was outstanding in the battle of Haldighati. Victory in the battle of Dewair in 1582, accentuated his bravery and he led the state of Mewar efficiently.

Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II: Ruler of the kingdom of Amber (later called Jaipur), he was born at Amber, the capital of the Kachwahas. This first Hindu ruler in the centuries preformed the ancient Vedic ceremonies like the Vajapeya and Ashwamedha and distributed large amount of charity. On the social front he had taken strict measures to abolish Sati pratha and emphasized on Sanskrit learning. However, his greatest contribution is the construction of Jaipur city which later became the capital of Rajasthan.

Prithvi Raj Chauhan: This second last Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi and the last ruler of Chauhan dynasty, succeeded to the throne in 1179 CE at the age of 11, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. He was the one who unified the Rajputs to fight against the Muslim forces and invasions. His elopement with Samyukta (Sanyogita), the daughter of Jai Chandra, the Gahadvala king of Kannauj, is much popular as the romantic bent of his persona. Even his life is a tale of bravery, courage and chivalrous deeds.

Music Personalities
Mehdi Hasan: Born in the village of Luna in Rajasthan India in 1927, Mehdi Hassan is affectionately called Khan Sahib and titled as "Shahenshah-e-Ghazal". He is a famous Pakistani Ghazal singer who hails form Rajasthan. He is proud to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant.

Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhat: He is a pioneer hallmark of Hindustani music (North Indian classical music). Born in Jaipur in Rajasthan in July 1952, he is one of the most noted disciples of the sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar. Bhatt is best known for his albums and other fusions in addition to pan-cultural collaborations with Western artists. He has also made 'Mohan Veena', that appears to be a hybrid of a classical Spanish guitar and a sitar. He has named it after himself and Veena, the generic Sanskrit word for a stringed instrument.
Jagjit Singh: Born in Ganganagar, then in Rajputana in British In, Jagjit Singh is a famous Indian ghazal singer. The melodic and emphatic voice of Jagjit is a break away from the prevalent style of ghazal rendition, which was heavily based on classical and semi-classical Indian music. A winner of the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors from the Government of India, his albums are among best sellers.

Sports Personalities
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: This Indian shooter who won the silver medal in Men's Double Trap at the 2004 Summer Olympics, was the member of the winning team in the double trap event. He had also won gold in the individual and team events in men's double trap at the 2005 Asian Clay Shooting championships at Bangkok. He has been conferred with many awards like Arjuna award in 2003-2004 for shooting, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Padma Shri, a civilian award from the Government of India, and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), a non-gallantry award for exceptional service,

Business Personalities
Lakshmi Narayan Mittal: Mittal is a London-based Indian billionaire industrialist, born in Sadulpur village, in the Churu district of Rajasthan who presently resides in Kensington, London. Being from a very humble middle class family, he has spent his intial years in India, living with his extended family on bare floors and rope beds in a house which was built by his grandfather.

Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla: G.D. Birla was an Indian businessman and member of the influential Birla Family. He had worked for society development of his hometown Pilani and had established the Birla Engineering College in Pilani among other educational institutions. Today, BITS Pilani is one of the top ranked Engineering schools that also houses a wing of Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), a famous residential, public school christened after Birla's family and a number of polytechnic colleges. He is the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan in 1957.