Punjab has given India great leaders, saints of service, scientists, artists and athletes. Exams ask about them in two ways: "Who is known as …?" (a nickname or title) and "… is linked with which field?". This page groups the famous Punjabis by field. Learn the nickname table first, then the people behind each field.
1947
Pingalwara founded
Bhagat Puran Singh, Amritsar
4th
Milkha Singh, 400 m
Rome Olympics, 1960
3
Olympic hockey golds
Balbir Singh Sr, 1948–56
1972
Kiran Bedi joins IPS
First woman IPS officer
Nicknames and titles
The most-asked type of question. Learn this table first; the flashcards below help you test yourself.
| Nickname / title | Person · field |
|---|---|
| Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab) | Maharaja Ranjit Singh · Ruler |
| Punjab Kesari | Lala Lajpat Rai · Freedom fighter |
| Shaheed-e-Azam | Bhagat Singh · Revolutionary |
| Baba / Gadar Baba | Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna · First president of the Ghadar Party |
| Ram Mohammad Singh Azad | Udham Singh · Revolutionary |
| Pagri Sambhal Jatta | Sardar Ajit Singh · 1907 peasant movement |
| Architect of modern Punjab | Partap Singh Kairon · Politics |
| Bearded Mother Teresa | Bhagat Puran Singh · Social service (Pingalwara) |
| Supercop | K.P.S. Gill · Police |
| Father of Fibre Optics | Narinder Singh Kapany · Science |
| Koel (Nightingale) of Punjab | Surinder Kaur · Folk singing |
| Kalian da Badshah | Kuldeep Manak · Folk singing |
| Flying Sikh | Milkha Singh · Athletics |
| King of the short corner | Prithipal Singh · Hockey |
| Rustam-e-Hind | Dara Singh · Wrestling |
| Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum | Parkash Singh Badal · Politics (Sikh religious title, 2011) |
Faces behind the titles
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ruler
- "Sher-e-Punjab" (Lion of Punjab)
Anonymous, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Bhagat Singh
Revolutionary
- "Shaheed-e-Azam"
Ramnath Photographers, Delhi, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna
Ghadar leader
- First president of the Ghadar Party
- Called "Baba" / "Gadar Baba"
Udham Singh
Revolutionary
- Took the name "Ram Mohammad Singh Azad"
- Not the hockey Olympian of Sansarpur
Punjab state archives, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Sardar Ajit Singh
Peasant leader
- "Pagri Sambhal Jatta"
- 1907 peasant movement
Unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Partap Singh Kairon
Politician
- "Architect of modern Punjab"
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
More titles: writers and theatreTap to open
| Nickname / title | Person | Field |
|---|---|---|
| Chhevan Dariya (sixth river); Bhai Sahib | Bhai Vir Singh | Literature |
| Tagore of Punjab | Prof. Puran Singh | Literature |
| Father of the Punjabi novel | Nanak Singh | Literature |
| Father of Punjabi drama | I.C. Nanda | Theatre |
| Birha da Sultan (king of the pain of separation) | Shiv Kumar Batalvi | Poetry |
| Baba Bohar of Punjabi literature | Sant Singh Sekhon | Literature |
| Shakespeare of Punjabi | Waris Shah | Qissa poetry |
| Grandmother of Punjabi theatre | Norah Richards | Theatre |
| Bhai Manna Singh | Gursharan Singh | Street theatre |
REMEMBER
K for Kesari, K for Koel. Punjab Kesari = Lala Lajpat Rai (a lion). Punjab di Koel = Surinder Kaur (a singing bird). The lion roars, the koel sings.
FLASHCARDS
Nickname → person
- Punjab Kesari
- Lala Lajpat Rai
- Sher-e-Punjab
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh
- Shaheed-e-Azam
- Bhagat Singh
- Bearded Mother Teresa
- Bhagat Puran Singh (Pingalwara)
- Koel of Punjab
- Surinder Kaur
- Flying Sikh
- Milkha Singh
- Father of Fibre Optics
- Narinder Singh Kapany (Moga)
- Supercop
- K.P.S. Gill
- Rustam-e-Hind
- Dara Singh
- Kalian da Badshah
- Kuldeep Manak
QUICK FACT
Lala Lajpat Rai (1865–1928) was part of the Lal-Bal-Pal trio. He led the protest against the Simon Commission at Lahore in 1928 and died from the injuries of the police lathi charge. Read more on the freedom struggle page.
COMMON TRAPS
- Sher-e-Punjab is Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The title is sometimes used for Lala Lajpat Rai too, but his standard title is Punjab Kesari.
- Master Tara Singh was an Akali leader of the Punjabi Suba movement, and Darshan Singh Pheruman was a Punjabi Suba activist. Neither is "Punjab Kesari".
- Bearded Mother Teresa = Bhagat Puran Singh (Pingalwara). Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal is known for cleaning the Kali Bein river.
- Koel of Punjab = Surinder Kaur, not her elder sister Prakash Kaur.
- Father of the Punjabi novel = Nanak Singh, but the first Punjabi novel (Sundari) was written by Bhai Vir Singh.
QUICK CHECK
Who among the following is known as Punjab Kesari?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Lala Lajpat Rai
Kesari means lion. Lala Lajpat Rai led the 1928 Simon Commission protest at Lahore.
QUICK CHECK
Who is known as the "Koel of Punjab"?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Surinder Kaur
Folk singer Surinder Kaur got the Padma Shri in 2006. Prakash Kaur was her elder sister.
Social service and public service
Pingalwara, the police and the army.
- Bhagat Puran Singh was born in 1904.
- In 1947 he founded All India Pingalwara at Amritsar. It is a home for destitute (very poor and homeless), disabled and mentally ill people.
- For this lifelong service he is called Punjab's "Bearded Mother Teresa".
- He received the Padma Shri in 1981, but returned it in 1984 in protest against Operation Blue Star.
- He died on 5 August 1992.
KEY TERM
Pingalwara
A home that cares for people who have no one — the poor, the disabled and the mentally ill. Bhagat Puran Singh started it at Amritsar in 1947.
1904: born→1947: Pingalwara→1981: Padma Shri→1984: returned→1992: died
| Person | Known for |
|---|---|
| Kiran Bedi | Born in Amritsar (1949). Joined the IPS in 1972 — India's first woman IPS officer, and so also the first from Punjab. Later UN Police Adviser and Lt Governor of Puducherry. |
| K.P.S. Gill | IPS officer of the Assam–Meghalaya cadre (1958 batch). DGP of Punjab in 1988–90 and 1991–95. Called "Supercop" for ending militancy in Punjab. |
| Major-General Ravinder Singh | The first Sikh to become Chief of the Singapore Army (2011–14). |
| Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal | Cleaned the Kali Bein, the rivulet of Sultanpur Lodhi. |
Two police officers to remember
Kiran Bedi
born 1949 · IPS officer
- Born in Amritsar
- India's first woman IPS officer (1972)
- Later Lt Governor of Puducherry
A. Mhadhbi, ITU Pictures, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
K.P.S. Gill
IPS officer
- "Supercop"
- Cadre: Assam–Meghalaya (1958 batch)
- DGP of Punjab, 1988–90 and 1991–95
WHAT IS A CADRE?
Every IPS officer belongs to one state cadre (parent state). K.P.S. Gill's cadre was Assam–Meghalaya. He served in Punjab on a posting outside his own cadre — so the answer to "which cadre?" is Assam, not Punjab.
QUICK CHECK
Bhagat Puran Singh, who set up Pingalwara, died in which year?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: C — 1992
He died on 5 August 1992. He founded Pingalwara at Amritsar in 1947.
QUICK CHECK
The "Supercop" K.P.S. Gill belonged to which cadre?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Assam
He was an IPS officer of the Assam–Meghalaya cadre (1958 batch) who served as DGP of Punjab.
CHECK YOURSELF
Who is called the "Bearded Mother Teresa" of Punjab, and why?
Show answer
Bhagat Puran Singh. In 1947 he founded Pingalwara at Amritsar to care for destitute, disabled and mentally ill people. He died in 1992.
Rulers of Patiala
The princely state that gave India a cricket captain and a Round Table delegate.
| Ruler | Remember for |
|---|---|
| Baba Ala Singh | Founder of Patiala state; Qila Mubarak (1763) |
| Maharaja Karam Singh | Rebuilt Bahadurgarh Fort, Patiala (1837) |
| Maharaja Narinder Singh | Built the Sheesh Mahal, Patiala (1847) |
| Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (ruled 1900–38) | Attended the First Round Table Conference, London, 1930, as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes; captained the Indian cricket team; represented India at the League of Nations |
| Maharaja Yadavindra Singh | Son of Bhupinder Singh; the last ruler; Rajpramukh of PEPSU (1948) |
Rulers of Patiala at a glance
Baba Ala Singh
Founder of Patiala state
- Qila Mubarak (1763)
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
ruled 1900–38 · Maharaja of Patiala
- First Round Table Conference, London, 1930
- Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes
- Captained the Indian cricket team
Bain, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh
Last ruler of Patiala
- Son of Bhupinder Singh
- Rajpramukh of PEPSU (1948)
Unknown, 1930s, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
QUICK CHECK
Which ruler of Patiala attended the First Round Table Conference in London in 1930?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
He went as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes. He ruled Patiala from 1900 to 1938.
Scientists and creators
Two Punjabis whose work is known all over the world.
NARINDER SINGH KAPANY (1926–2020)
- Born at Moga, Punjab
- Called the "Father of Fibre Optics"
- Did early work on sending light through thin glass fibres at Imperial College, London, in the 1950s
- Gave the name "fibre optics"
- Padma Vibhushan 2021 (after his death)
NEK CHAND SAINI
- A road inspector in the PWD (Public Works Department), Chandigarh
- Built the Rock Garden, Chandigarh, in secret from c. 1957
- Used waste: broken bangles, tiles, pots and stones
- Opened to the public in 1976; about 40 acres near Sukhna Lake
- Padma Shri 1984
QUICK CHECK
Who among the following is known as the "Father of Fibre Optics"?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Narinder Singh Kapany
Kapany, born at Moga, did early work on sending light through glass fibres in the 1950s. Sabeer Bhatia co-founded Hotmail.
QUICK CHECK
Who is the creator of the iconic Rock Garden?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Nek Chand
Nek Chand, a PWD road inspector, built it secretly from about 1957 using waste. It opened in 1976.
Painters and potters
"Associated with which field?" questions come from this table.
| Artist · field | Known for |
|---|---|
| Sobha Singh (1901–1986) · Painting | Portraits of the Sikh Gurus; Sohni Mahiwal and Heer Ranjha paintings; lived at Andretta (Kangra, HP); Padma Shri 1983 |
| Kirpal Singh (1923–1990) · Painting | Large paintings of battle scenes from Sikh history; many hang in the Central Sikh Museum, Amritsar |
| S.G. Thakur Singh · Painting | Founded the Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar (1928) |
| Amrita Sher-Gil (1913–1941) · Painting | Born in Budapest to a Sikh father and Hungarian mother; Three Girls, Bride's Toilet; a National Art Treasure |
| Manjit Bawa · Painting | Modern painter from Dhuri |
| Satish Gujral · Painting, art | Padma Vibhushan 1999 |
| Arpana Caur · Painting | Modern painter |
| Gurcharan Singh (1896–1995) · Pottery | Pioneer ("father") of studio pottery in India; founded Delhi Blue Pottery Trust; Padma Shri |
Amrita Sher-Gil (1913–1941)
Self-portrait sketch, 1927 — her work is a National Art Treasure
Amrita Sher-Gil, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Amrita Sher-Gil with her paintings — born in Budapest to a Sikh father
Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
COMMON TRAPS
- Kirpal Singh the painter (Sikh battle scenes) is different from Kirpal Singh the informer who betrayed the Ghadar rising of 1915.
- Sobha Singh the painter is different from Sobha Singh the Delhi builder (father of writer Khushwant Singh).
- Kirpal Singh painted battles, not Sufi saints, folk tales or sunsets. Gurcharan Singh is the potter — the other three in such lists are painters.
QUICK CHECK
The famous painter Kirpal Singh is best known for his paintings of:
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Battle scenes from Sikh history
Many of his large battle paintings hang in the Central Sikh Museum, Amritsar.
QUICK CHECK
Who among the following was associated with the art of pottery?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Gurcharan Singh
Gurcharan Singh founded Delhi Blue Pottery Trust. The other three were painters.
CHECK YOURSELF
Which painter is linked with battle scenes from Sikh history, and who was the pioneer of studio pottery?
Show answer
Kirpal Singh painted Sikh battle scenes. Gurcharan Singh (Delhi Blue Pottery Trust) was the pioneer of studio pottery.
Singers, theatre and cinema
More on music on the folk dances and music page.
| Singer | Remember for |
|---|---|
| Surinder Kaur | Koel / Nightingale of Punjab; Padma Shri 2006 |
| Prakash Kaur | Folk singer; elder sister of Surinder Kaur |
| Asa Singh Mastana | Folk singer; Padma Shri 1985 |
| Kuldeep Manak | "Kalian da Badshah" |
| Gurmeet Bawa | Famous for the long "hek"; Padma Bhushan 2022 (after her death) |
| Lal Chand Yamla Jatt | Folk singer with the tumbi |
| Puranchand Wadali | Wadali Brothers, Guru Ki Wadali; Sufi music; Padma Shri 2005 |
| Hans Raj Hans | Sufi and folk singer; Padma Shri |
| Mohammed Rafi | Playback singer from Kotla Sultan Singh (Amritsar) |
THEATRE
- Norah Richards — "grandmother of Punjabi theatre"
- I.C. Nanda — "father of Punjabi drama"
- Gursharan Singh ("Bhai Manna Singh") — street plays in villages
- Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry — Padma Shri 2011
CINEMA
- Amitoj Mann — directed Hawayein (2003, on 1984) and Kaafila (2007, on illegal migration)
- Gurvinder Singh — Anhe Ghore Da Daan (2011)
- Chann Pardesi (1980) — first Punjabi film to win a National Award
- Karan Aujla — a Punjabi singer, not a film director
QUICK CHECK
Who made the two films Kaafila and Hawayein?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: A — Amitoj Mann
Hawayein (2003) is about 1984; Kaafila (2007) is about illegal migration. Karan Aujla is a singer.
Sportspersons
Milkha Singh and the hockey stars of Punjab.
- Milkha Singh, the "Flying Sikh", is Punjab's most famous athlete.
- His first national title in the 400 m came in 1957 (the year given in exam keys).
- In 1958 he set national records in the 200 m and 400 m at the National Games, Cuttack, and won gold at both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
- At the 1960 Rome Olympics he finished 4th in the 400 m final (about 45.6 seconds) and just missed a medal. This national record stood for decades.
- He received the Padma Shri in 1959, and declined the Arjuna Award in 2001.
Milkha Singh year by yearTap to open
TIMELINE
- 1957First national 400 m title
Milkha Singh's first national title.
- 1958Asian and Commonwealth gold
Also national records at the Cuttack National Games.
- 1959Padma Shri
Two years after Balbir Singh Sr, the first sportsperson to get it (1957).
- 1960Rome Olympics
4th in the 400 m final.
- 2001Declines the Arjuna Award
He felt it had come far too late.
REMEMBER
4 – 400 – 60: Milkha Singh came 4th in the 400 m at Rome in '60.
- Balbir Singh Sr won three Olympic hockey golds — 1948, 1952 and 1956. In 1957 he became the first sportsperson to get the Padma Shri.
- Dhyan Chand also won three Olympic golds (1928, 1932, 1936). His birthday, 29 August, is National Sports Day — not Milkha Singh's.
- Sansarpur (Jalandhar) is the "Mecca of Indian hockey" with 14 Olympians. Udham Singh — the hockey Olympian, not the revolutionary — is one of its stars.
- Prithipal Singh — "king of the short corner". Ajit Pal Singh — captain when India won the 1975 World Cup. Also Pargat Singh and Surjit Singh (the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar, is named after him).
- Harmanpreet Singh (Amritsar) won Olympic hockey bronze at Tokyo 2020, and won bronze again as captain at Paris 2024. He was FIH Player of the Year for 2020–21, 2021–22 and 2024 (the 2023 award went to Hardik Singh). Do not mix him up with Harmanpreet Kaur, the cricketer from Moga.
| Sportsperson · sport | Remember for |
|---|---|
| Gurbachan Singh Randhawa · Athletics | Finalist, 110 m hurdles, Tokyo Olympics 1964 |
| Kamaljeet Sandhu · Athletics | First Indian woman to win Asian Games gold (400 m, 1970) |
| Dara Singh · Wrestling | "Rustam-e-Hind"; from Dharmuchak (Amritsar) |
| Kartar Singh · Wrestling | Asian Games golds, 1978 and 1986 |
| Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh · Cricket | Punjab cricketers who played for India |
| Shubman Gill · Cricket | From Fazilka |
| Harmanpreet Kaur · Cricket | From Moga; has captained the Indian women's team |
More sporting stars
Dara Singh
Wrestler
- "Rustam-e-Hind"
- From Dharmuchak (Amritsar)
Camaal Fotografia, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Harbhajan Singh
Cricketer
- Punjab cricketer who played for India
Kamaljeet Sandhu
Athlete
- First Indian woman to win Asian Games gold (400 m, 1970)
Other sportspersons (asked once)Tap to open
| Sportsperson | Sport | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Hardeep Kaur | Karate | International karate player from Mansa |
| Angad Vir Singh Bajwa | Shooting | Skeet shooter |
| Simranjit Kaur | Boxing | Boxer from Punjab |
KEY TERM
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award
Punjab's highest sports honour, given by the state since 1978. The Kila Raipur Rural Sports (Ludhiana, since 1933) are called the "Rural Olympics".
QUICK CHECK
At the 1960 Olympics, Milkha Singh got ____ in athletics.
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Fourth position in the 400 m final
At Rome he ran about 45.6 seconds and just missed a medal. Remember 4 – 400 – 60.
QUICK CHECK
In which year did Milkha Singh win his first national title in the 400 m race?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: A — 1957
Exam keys give 1957. In 1958 he won Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold.
CHECK YOURSELF
What did Milkha Singh achieve at the 1960 Rome Olympics?
Show answer
He finished 4th in the 400 m final, in about 45.6 seconds, narrowly missing a medal.
Awards and honours
Award questions always carry a year. Learn the year with the name.
| Person · field | Award |
|---|---|
| Balbir Singh Sr · Hockey | Padma Shri 1957 (first sportsperson) |
| Milkha Singh · Athletics | Padma Shri 1959 |
| Bhagat Puran Singh · Social service | Padma Shri 1981 (returned 1984) |
| Nek Chand · Rock Garden | Padma Shri 1984 |
| Surinder Kaur · Folk music | Padma Shri 2006 |
| Narinder Singh Kapany · Science | Padma Vibhushan 2021 (after death) |
More Padma awards to PunjabisTap to open
| Person | Field | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Bhai Vir Singh | Literature | Padma Bhushan 1956 |
| Amrita Pritam | Literature | Padma Shri 1969; Padma Vibhushan 2004 |
| Sobha Singh | Painting | Padma Shri 1983 |
| Asa Singh Mastana | Folk music | Padma Shri 1985 |
| Dr Manmohan Singh | Economics, public life | Padma Vibhushan 1987 |
| Kapil Dev | Cricket (born in Chandigarh; played for Haryana) | Padma Bhushan 1991 |
| Satish Gujral | Art | Padma Vibhushan 1999 |
| Jagjit Singh | Ghazal (born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan) | Padma Bhushan 2003 |
| Puranchand Wadali | Sufi music | Padma Shri 2005 |
| Khushwant Singh | Literature | Padma Vibhushan 2007 |
| Surjit Patar | Poetry | Padma Shri 2012 |
| Gurmeet Bawa | Folk music | Padma Bhushan 2022 (after death) |
Padma awards: faces to know
Dr Manmohan Singh
Economist, public life
- Padma Vibhushan 1987
Ricardo Stuckert/PR, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 br
Kapil Dev
Cricketer
- Padma Bhushan 1991
- Born in Chandigarh; played for Haryana
Bollywood Hungama, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
Award trivia (asked once)Tap to open
PTC PUNJABI FILM AWARDS 2020
These awards are given by the PTC Punjabi channel for Punjabi cinema. In 2020, Best Actress went to Sonam Bajwa for Ardab Mutiyaran.
- National Teacher Award 2024 (announced on Teachers' Day, 5 September 2024): Pankaj Kumar Goyal, a teacher from Faridkot district, was honoured for his new ways of teaching.
- Punjabi Sahit Rattan (Rs 10 lakh) is the highest literary award of the Punjab Languages Department (Bhasha Vibhag), Patiala. The Shiromani awards (Rs 5 lakh each) honour writers, poets, singers, ragis, journalists and artists.
- Punjab Kala Parishad, Chandigarh, is the state arts council. Poet Surjit Patar was its chairman from 2017 to 2024.
QUICK CHECK
The PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Actress for 2020 was given to whom?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: A — Sonam Bajwa
She won it for Ardab Mutiyaran.
Punjabi firsts
"First" questions are easy marks. This is a revision of facts given above.
1957
Balbir Singh Sr
First sportsperson to receive the Padma Shri.
1970
Kamaljeet Sandhu
First Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold (400 m).
1972
Kiran Bedi
First woman IPS officer of India — and of Punjab.
2011–14
Ravinder Singh
First Sikh to head the Singapore Army.
QUICK CHECK
Name the first woman IPS officer from Punjab.
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Kiran Bedi
Born in Amritsar, she joined the IPS in 1972 as India's first woman IPS officer — so also Punjab's first.
Common traps
COMMON TRAPS
- Kiran Bedi is the first woman IPS officer of India (1972), so also of Punjab. Other "Kiran" names in the options are distractors.
- K.P.S. Gill served as DGP of Punjab, but his cadre was Assam–Meghalaya.
- Bhupinder Singh (not Yadavindra, Mahendra or Karam Singh) went to the First Round Table Conference in 1930.
- Milkha Singh came 4th in the 400 m at Rome 1960 — not a medal, not the 200 m, not Tokyo.
- Bhagat Puran Singh died in 1992; he founded Pingalwara in 1947; he returned his Padma Shri in 1984.
- The Rock Garden is Nek Chand's work — not Amrita Pritam's, Master Tara Singh's or Kaptan Singh Solanki's.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
MAP
Where they came from
Moga: Lala Lajpat Rai (Dhudike), N.S. Kapany, Harmanpreet KaurAmritsar: Kiran Bedi, Pingalwara, Harmanpreet Singh, Dara Singh, Mohammed RafiJalandhar: Sansarpur, the hockey villageKapurthala: Kali Bein (Sant Seechewal)Ludhiana: Kila Raipur Rural SportsSangrur: Manjit Bawa (Dhuri)Fazilka: Shubman Gill
Map: geoBoundaries (ODbL; DataMeet CC BY 2.5 IN), Natural Earth rivers (public domain)
QUICK BYTES
- Punjab Kesari: Lala Lajpat Rai
- Sher-e-Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh
- Bearded Mother Teresa: Bhagat Puran Singh
- Pingalwara: Amritsar, 1947; founder died 1992
- Koel of Punjab: Surinder Kaur (Padma Shri 2006)
- Flying Sikh: Milkha Singh
- Milkha: 1st national 400 m title 1957; 4th at Rome 1960
- Balbir Singh Sr: 3 Olympic golds (1948, 52, 56)
- Father of Fibre Optics: N.S. Kapany (Moga)
- Rock Garden: Nek Chand (opened 1976)
- First woman IPS: Kiran Bedi (1972)
- Supercop K.P.S. Gill: Assam–Meghalaya cadre
- First Sikh chief of Singapore Army: Ravinder Singh
- Round Table Conference 1930: Bhupinder Singh of Patiala
- Sikh battle-scene painter: Kirpal Singh
- Studio pottery: Gurcharan Singh
- Sobha Singh: painter (Andretta)
- Hawayein and Kaafila: Amitoj Mann
- PTC Best Actress 2020: Sonam Bajwa
- Karate player Hardeep Kaur: Mansa