Manu Bhaker, Neeraj Chopra, SRK and others: the headliners who have made India proud

From Manu Bhaker, who came up with an exemplary performance at the Paris Olympics, to Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh who appeared on the Jimmy Fallon Show, and designer Rahul Mishra who presented a nuanced showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week—several public figures from the fields of sports, cinema, art, and fashion have elevated India’s stature on the global stage.

On the occasion of India’s 78th Independence Day, YS Life looks back at the newsmakers who have raised the country’s flag high this year so far.

Vinesh Phogat

All eyes were on Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat at the Paris Olympics after she clinched three back-to-back wins, including one over defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki. However, her dream came crashing, following her failure to meet the weight requirement, ahead of the 50-kg freestyle women’s wrestling final.

The 29-year-old sportsperson was found to be 100 grams above the permissible limit, leading her out of the competition. A day later, she announced her retirement from the sport with a heartbreaking message that conveyed she didn’t have the strength to continue.

Phogat appealed against her Olympic disqualification, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed her plea.

Manu Bhaker

Twenty-two-year-old Manu Bhaker has yet again proven that she’s among the best in shooting. At the Paris Olympics, Bhaker scripted history by winning two bronze medals–at the women’s 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event where she was paired with Sarabjot Singh.

This isn’t the first time that Bhaker has made India proud with her stupendous performance. She has several firsts to her credit—including being the first Indian woman shooter to get an Olympic medal and the first shooter from India to appear in three finals at a single edition of the Olympics.

Post her wins, Bhaker has secured a one-year endorsement with cola giant Thums Up.

The Olympic winner will take a three-month break and may not participate in the Shooting World Cup in October, as confirmed by her coach Jaspal Rana.

Yangdup Lama

In the last few years, India’s cocktail culture has come under the spotlight because of its many talented mixologists. But the OG of this world is none other than Yangdup Lama, who is behind some of the successful bars in India—including Sidecar, and Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy in Delhi-NCR.

Recently Lama won the Roku Industry Icon Award 2024 at Asia’s 50 Best Bars, making him the first Indian to win this title.

Lama’s strength lies in using lesser-known indigenous ingredients, particularly from the mountain regions of India, to create creative concoctions.

His bar Sidecar was ranked #26 in the World’s Best Bars list of 2022 and #18 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023.

Lama’s latest bar, The Brook in Gurugram, with co-founder Minakshi Singh, is already creating a buzz within just a week of its opening. The bar reflects the concept of mountain life in its selection of cocktails and food.

Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan, or SRK as he is lovingly known, has been the poster boy of romance for over three decades, impressing both global and Indian audiences alike with his larger-than-life overtures.

Recently, he became the first Indian to receive the Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism award at the 77th edition of the prestigious Locarno Film Festival. The award celebrates global personalities who have made significant contributions to cinema.

Locarno Film Festival’s director, Giona A. Nazzaro, explained: “The reason why we wanted to award Shah Rukh Khan is because he’s a great artist. He;s been carrying the dreams and the hopes of so many people through his wonderful work ethic and discipline. He made all the dreams of many, many, many of us come true.”

SRK was last seen in Rajkumar Hirani’s movie Dunki in 2023.

Neeraj Chopra

The entire nation had pinned its hopes on javelin hero Neeraj Chopra to win a medal at the Paris Olympics, and he didn’t disappoint. The sportsperson clinched a silver after a throw of 89.45 metres in his second attempt, after five of his throws were deemed fouls. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal with a record-breaking performance of 92.97 metres.

Chopra has been consistent in his performance, having won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 with a throw of 87.58 metres. He is the second Indian after Norman Pritchard to secure a medal in athletics, and one of the two sportspersonsfrom India, along with shooter Abhinav Bindra, to have won an individual gold at the Olympics.

Gaggan Anand

The celebrated chef may be based in Bangkok but Kolkata-born Gaggan Anand has made the country proud time and again with his evolved take on Indian cuisine. A few months ago, his intimate 14-seater eponymous restaurant, Gaggan, was listed at #9 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 in Las Vegas. It was also crowned the Best Restaurant in Asia at the same event.

Here’s what the post on World’s 50 Best Restaurants social media read, “Discover the culinary creative of Gaggan Anand, Kolkata-born chef, and former drummer, who brings a rebellious spirit to fine dining. At Gaggan, progressive Indian cuisine meets French, Thai, and Japanese influences in a vibrant, intimate setting.”

That’s not all. The Michelin-starred chef has also partnered with luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton for a fine-dine restaurant in Bangkok, merging fine dining and high fashion in a unique manner.

Rahul Mishra

Ace designer Rahul Mishra’s designs, inspired by nature, are taking over the world, one creation at a time.

A few months ago, his showcase ‘Aura’ at the Paris Haute Couture Week 2024 garnered appreciation for presenting Indian craft through a contemporary lens. His showstopper was Janhvi Kapoor, who made her debut on the international runway, wearing a black bustier top with a matching sequinned mermaid-style holographic skirt, with a train.

Previously, Bollywood actress Ananya Panday had walked the ramp for the designer at the Paris Fashion Week, wearing a black mini dress and holding a giant sieve as a prop.

Mishra was also in the news for dressing Isha Ambani in a hand-embroidered couture sari gown based on the theme ‘Our Garden of Time’ at Met Gala 2024.

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa

Another Indian making waves in the sporting world is 19-year-old chess prodigy and grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen at the Norway Chess Tournament in a classical game format earlier this year. Previously, he beat Carlson in both the blitz and rapid chess formats.

He is currently a participant at the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz Tournament. While his performance was noteworthy against Armenian-American Levon Aronian, he couldn’t survive in a match with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France. With six matches remaining in rapid and 18 more to go in blitz, expectations are high for him to bounce back.

Diljit Dosanjh

The superstar of Punjabi music, Diljit Dosanjh, has won hearts all over the world with his foot-tapping compositions and friendly demeanour. His appearance on the popular The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is proof of his stardom.

At the show, Fallon referred to him as “the biggest Punjabi artist on the planet”. The singer enthralled the audience and made them groove to his hits, including G.O.A.T and Born to Shine.

Previously, Dosanjh had performed at Vancouver’s BC Place stadium in April this year and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2023, becoming the first Punjabi artist to be a part of these prestigious stages.

He is also in the news for his collaboration with American rapper Saweetie on the track ‘Khutti’.