March 17 is celebrated as Saint Patrick’s Day. The birthday of many famous personalities is celebrated in India on 17th March. Let us know that the birthday of which famous personalities of India is celebrated on 17th March.
(1) Late Puneeth Rajkumar (Born on 17th March, 1975 at Chennai, Died on 29 October 2021, Bengaluru) – He was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer who worked primarily in Kannada cinema. He was a lead actor in 29 films; as a child, he appeared in many films. As a child actor his performances in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha, Yarivanu and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were praised. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. He also won Karnataka State Award Best Child artist for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. Puneeth’s first lead role was in 2002’s Appu. Karnataka Government has announced State’s highest civilian award Karnataka Ratna for Puneeth, posthumously, in November 2021. He has been dubbed by media and fans as “Power Star“. He appeared as a lead actor in commercially successful films, including Appu (2002), Abhi (2003), Veera Kannadiga (2004), Mourya (2004), Aakash (2005), Ajay (2006), Arasu (2007), Milana (2007), Vamshi (2008), Raam (2009), Jackie (2010), Hudugaru (2011), Raajakumara (2017), and Anjani Putra (2017). He was one of the most famous celebrities and the highest-paid actors in the Kannada cinema. In 2012, he debuted as a television presenter on the game show Kannadada Kotyadhipati, a Kannada version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He died in young age on 29th October 2021 due to heart attack.
(2) Mrs. Saina Nehwal (Born: 17 March 1990 in Hisar, Haryana) – She is an Indian professional badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world’s 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 that she was able to attain the world no. 1 ranking, thereby becoming the only female player from India and overall the second Indian player (after Prakash Padukone) to achieve this feat. She has represented India three times in the Olympics, winning a bronze medal in her second appearance at the London 2012. Nehwal has achieved several milestones in badminton for India. She is the only Indian to have won at least one medal in every BWF major individual event, namely the Olympics, the BWF World Championships, and the BWF World Junior Championships. She is the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal, the first Indian to have reached the final of the BWF World Championships, along with being the only Indian to have won the BWF World Junior Championships. In 2006, Nehwal became the first Indian female and the youngest Asian to win a 4-star tournament. She also has the distinction of being the first Indian to win a Super Series title. In the 2014 Uber Cup, she captained the Indian team and remained undefeated, helping India to win bronze medal. It was India’s first medal in any BWF major team event. Nehwal became the first Indian to win two singles gold medals (2010 and 2018) in Commonwealth Games. Considered one of India’s most successful badminton players, Nehwal is credited for increasing the popularity of badminton in India. In 2016, the Government of India conferred the Padma Bhushan – India’s third highest civilian award – on her. Previously, the nation’s top two sporting honours, namely the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award, were also conferred on her by the Government of India.