Religion: Here in the name of texts we have the sacred "Veds" and "Upanishads". These are very difficult to understand as they dwell upon the basic structure of our existence. However, there have been a number of preachers who have brought the core knowledge to the common man in a palatable format. For example, Sankaracharya with his "Advaita Vedant", Swami Dayananda with the establishment of "Arya Samaj" and Swami Vivekananda with his speeches on Hinduism in the U.S. and his complete works, that try to simplify the language of the "Veds".
Science: Offers plenty of examples. Thomas Alva Edision, is one who probably revolutionized the entire concept of using scientific research, for commercial purposes. His entrepreneurship opened the flood gates for inventions of technological devices in the field of science and technology.
Sports: For this I will select a more contemporary and "local" hero, Rahul Dravid! Yes, in case you have watched him bat, he demonstrates that all that is written in the text books on batting in cricket, can actually be applied on the field. What is more important is that he is phenomenally successful, and improvises on all conditions across the entire world where international cricket is played. Though the "best batsman" of our times can go wrong in tough conditions, "The Wall" rarely makes a mistake.
Art(Music): Some may even chuckle after reading the name, Jagjit Singh. But the fact is that he has always tried to package the Hindustani Classical music into a more attractive form for the younger generation which is bombarded by the western music broad casted from the skies above. In return he has always received brickbats and criticism from the "connoisseurs". He has been critised for introducing santoor, guitar and synthesizers in 'ghazals'. Seniors have frowned when he demonstrates his strong knowledge in sound recording and sound engineering. But these masters, forget that the entire non-film commercial music industry was brought in by him in our country of which even the classical music is an integral part now.
To finish off, just a small sample, where the master is trying hard with the sound-engineer, to get the difference between a note to the correct frequency. Isn't it great to see a "semi"-classical singer trying to get the sound effects right, so that it pleases the audience?
This was on 6th of May 2006, before the San-Fransico concert. Along with the usual band of his musicians, it is a pleasure to see Deepak Khazanchi on guitar, albeit a much older look now!
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