List of Bengalis

This article provides lists of famous and notable Bengali people, from India or Bangladesh, or people with Bengali ancestry.

Academicians

Ashis Nandy, Political Psychologist
Andre Béteille, Sociologist
Dipesh Chakrabarty, Historian
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, literary critic and theorist
Partha Chatterjee, Political Scientist
Kaushik Basu, Economist
Sumit Sarkar, Historian
Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, linguist, educationist, litterateur
Sukumar Sen, Linguist
Nirmal Kumar Bose, Anthropologist

Actors and actresses

See also: List of Bengali actresses

Utpal Dutta - Bengali actor
Chhabi Biswas - Bengali actor
Rabi Ghosh - Bengali actor
Sabitri Chatterjee - Bengali actor
Jaya Bhaduri - Bollywood actress
Bobita ববিতা - Bangladeshi film actress
Rahul Bose - Bollywood actor and rugby player
Mithun Chakraborty - renowned Bollywood and Bengali film actor
Soumitra Chatterjee- Bengali actor
Shefali Chowdhury -
Sumita Devi - Bangladeshi film and television actress
Raakhee Gulzar - Bollywood actress
Humayun Faridi - popular Bangladeshi film actor
Konnie Huq - British television presenter.
Pradeep Kumar - Famous Bollywood actor
Ashok Kumar - Legendary Bollywood actor
Kishore Kumar - One of Bollywood's greatest singer, actor, music composer
Uttam Kumar - Bollywood and Bengali film actor
Rani Mukerji - renowned Bollywood actress
Shabnam - (Jharna Basak) - actress in Bangladeshi and Pakistani films
Aparna Sen - Bengali film actress
Suchitra Sen - Bollywood and Bengali film actress
Sushmita Sen - renowned Bollywood actress, India's first Miss Universe
Raima Sen - Bollywood actress, half-Bengali and half-Tripuri
Rimi Sen - Bollywood actress
Riya Sen - Bollywood actress, half-Bengali and half-Tripuri
Sharmila Tagore - renowned Bollywood and Bengali film actress
Madhabi Mukherjee- actress notable works include charulata, mahanagar
Ruma Guha Thakurta- actress notable works include Ganashatru, Abhijan, Polatak; wife of Kishore Kumar
Konkona Sen Sharma - Acclaimed Bollywood Actress
Tanushree Dutta - A Bollywood actress
Bipasha Basu - A Bollywood actress

Artists

Economists

Muhammad Yunus is the recipient of 2006 Nobel Peace prize.

Romesh C. Dutt
Muhammad Yunus মুহাম্মদ ইউনুস Muhammod Iunus - economist, Nobel Laureate, micro-credit pioneer
Amartya Sen অমর্ত্য সেন Ômorto Kumar Shen - economist, Nobel Laureate

Entrepreneurs

Jawed Karim - co-founder of YouTube but opted out of full-time involvement and acted as an advisor before the purchase by Google
Amar Bose অমর গোপাল বসু Ômor Gopal Boshu - founder of Bose Corporation
Subrato Roy - founder of Sahara India Pariwar
Bibi Russell বিবি রাসেল founder of Bibi Productions

Filmmakers

Satyajit Ray সত্যজিৎ রায় - filmmaker, won the Bharat Ratna (The highest civilian award of Government of India) in 1992, won the Academy Honorary Award in 1992 for lifetime achievement and also received the Légion d'honneur award of France
Ritwik Ghatak ঋত্বিক ঘটক - filmmaker
Hrishikesh Mukherjee হৃষিকেশ মুখার্জি - filmmaker
Mrinal Sen মৃনাল সেন Mrinal Shen - filmmaker
Zahir Raihan জহির রায়হান - filmmaker
Tapan Sinha film maker
Aparna Sen film maker
Rituporno Ghosh film maker
Shakti Samanta film maker, President of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association for 5 years

Head of major organizations

Irene Khan, Current Secretary General of human rights organization Amnesty International; she is the first woman, the first Asian, and the first Muslim to hold the position; she won Sydney Peace Prize 2006

Intellectuals and social reformers

Roquia Sakhawat Hussain was a pioneer in women's education

Shri Aurobindo, Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru
Ram Mohan Roy, রাজা রামমোহন রায় - founder of the Brahmo Samaj
Roquia Sakhawat Hussain, বেগম রোকেয়া - prolific writer, important Women's right activist and social worker
Debendranath Tagore দেবেন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর - was an active Brahmo, and was against sati, idol worship
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar ঈশ্বর চন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর - responsible for introducing major reforms in the educational system and was Women's right activist
Keshub Chunder Sen কেশব চন্দ্র সেন - intellectual and a noted religious reformer
Sivanath Sastri শিবনাথ শাস্ত্রী - an important intellectual
Nasreen Pervin Huq, Prominent Women's Rights Activist
Muhammad Shahidullah, famous educationist, writer, polyglot, philologist and linguist

Journalists and news reporters

Matiur Rahman মতিউর রহমান - editor of Daily Prothom Alo, winner of Ramon Magsaysay Award for journalism
Fareena Alam - named Media Professional of the Year by Islamic Relief and was named Media Professional of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards.
Prannoy Roy - Founder and President of NDTV - One of India's largest television and media production house
Mainul Hosein - chairman of the editorial board of the Daily Ittefaq, the largest daily Bengali news publication in Bangladesh
Harish Chandra Mukherjee - pioneer of nationalistic Hindu journalism and a reformer
Nina Hossain, - British television news broadcaster
Pritish Nandy - Pritish Nandy Communications Ltd
Samar Sen

Musicians

Abhijeet Abhijeet Bhattacharya - Bollywood playback singer
Nikhil Banerjee, sitar player
Tanmoy Bose, tabla player
R.D. Burman Rahul Dev Burman - music composer (half bengali & half tripuri)
S.D. Burman Sachin Dev Burman - famous music composer and singer and father of R.D. Burman
Debu Chaudhuri, Sitar Player
Manna Dey Manna De - Bollywood playback singer
Bikram Ghose, percussion player, Grammy award winner
Hirak Ganguli, braught tabla from accompanist's instrument to a solo classical instrument
Jnan Prakash Ghosh, legendary Tabla player and lusician
Shankar Ghosh popularized Tabla deciple of Jnan Ghosh
Norah Jones - pianist and singer-songwriter, Grammy award winner
Allauddin Khan
Ali Akbar Khan
Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar - Late playback singers of Bollywood
Vilayat Khan Bilaeet Khã - sitar maestro
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay - Bollywood and Tollywood playback singer
Runa Laila, Bangladeshi singer, equally popular in Bangladesh, India & Pakistan.
Sanjaya Malakar is an American born Bengali and Italian singer
Sabina Yasmin, popular Bangladeshi playback singer
Ruma Guha Thakurta- founder and lead singer of Calcutta Youth Choir. Also playback singer.
Shaan Shantanu Mukherjee - Bollywood playback singer
Manilal Nag Sitar player
Kumar Sanu Kumar Sanu - Bollywood playback singer
Anoushka Shankar - sitar player and composer
Ravi Shankar Robi Shôngkor - sitar maestro, Grammy Award winner, father of Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar
Abbas Uddin, folk singer

Political figures

Ghulam Azam গোলাম আযম - Former leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh
Muhammad Ali Bogra, - Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1953 until 1955
Subhas Chandra Bose সুভাষ চন্দ্র বসু Shubhash Chôndro Boshu - co-founder Indian National Army, Head of State and President of India
A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury - well known politician and senior leader of Indian National Congress party
Chittaranjan Das চিত্তরঞ্জন দাস - Major figure in the Indian independence movement also known as Deshabandhu.
A. K. Fazlul Huq - আবুল কাসেম ফজলুল হক - Presented the Lahore Resolution of 1940 that established Muslim League's demand for a homeland for Muslims, Pakistan
Iskander Mirza - the first President of Pakistan
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee শ্যামা প্রসাদ মুখার্জী - Founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh which reformed to form the famous Bharatiya Janata Party; the godfather of modern Hindutva and Hindu Nationalism
Khawaja Nazimuddin খাজা নাজিমুদ্দীন - second Governor-General of Pakistan, and the second Prime Minister of Pakistan
Bipin Chandra Pal বিপিন চন্দ্র পাল - One of three extremist patriots of the Indian National Congress during Indian independence movement
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman শেখ মুজিবর রহমান Shekh Mujibur Rôhman - Founding Father of Bangladesh; first President of Bangladesh
Ziaur Rahman জিয়াউর রহমান Ziaur Rôhman - Founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981; first to propose the creation of SAARC
Khwaja Salimullah - founder of Muslim League
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy - Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 until 1957; founder of Awami League

Sportspersons

Brojen Das was the first Asian to swim across the English Channel

Saurav Ganguly - Cricketer: most successful cricket captain of Indian cricket team and led India to the World Cup 2003 Finals.
Brojen Das ব্রজেন দাস)- Swimmer: first Asian to swim across the English Channel and the first person to cross it four times
Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, athletics: Double gold-medallist in track at Asian games, was awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and Padma Shri award
Aftab Ahmed Chowdhuryআফতাব আহমেদ চৌধুরী - Cricketer: Widely judged to be one of Bangladesh's best batsmen
Rani Hamid রাণী হামিদ) - Chess player: was awarded the FIDE Woman International Master (WIM) title in 1985 and won British Women's Championship (1983, 1985, 1989)
Mihir Sen, Swimmer: First Indian to swim across the English Channel in 1958.
Arati Saha, Swimmer: First Asian woman to swim English Channel in 1959.
Dibyendu Barua, Chess: Indian chess grandmaster
Pankaj Roy, Cricketer: top Indian cricketer, holder of a world record opening partnership with Vinnu Mankad.
Mohammad Rafique মোহাম্মদ রফিক - Cricketer: One of the Bangladesh's most senior and best players
Pradip Kumar Banerjee প্রদীপ কুমার ব্যানার্জি - Footballer: was named Indian Footballer of the 20th Century by FIFA and received the Padma Shri Award in 1990
Mouma Das, Renowned TT player.Won many awards.
Poulami Ghatak,TT player of national repute
Mantu Ghose, Renowned TT player.Won many awards.
Shailen Manna, Renowned Football player. Indian Footballer of the last century.Played in the olympic also.
Gostho Pal, Great Footballer.Member of the 1st Indian Team(MohunBagan)those who won the IFA shield against a British team in the pre independence period.Led the Mohunbagan Club successfully.
Ritwik Bhattachrya, India's best squash player
Saurav Ghoshal, India's leading squash player
Jayanta Talukdar, Leading archer
Soumyadeep Roy, Leading Table Tennis player
Niaz Morshed is a renowned chess player from Bangladesh. He is the first Grandmaster to emerge from South Asia.
Jhulan Goswami, ICC Women's Cricketer of the year 2007

Religious figures

Atiśa Dipamkara Shrijnana, অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান - Buddhist teacher: Important figure in the Tibetan Buddhist in tradition and in establishment and was inventor of bodhichitta or known as "mind training"
Tilopa, Buddhist teacher: Important figure in the Tibetan Buddhist; founder of the Kagyu lineage and progressor of Mahamudra method
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu চৈতন্য মহাপ্রভূ Choitonno Môhaprobhu - Hindu monk and social reformer
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস Ramkrishno Pôromôhongsho - Hindu saint
Swami Vivekananda স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ Shami Bibekanondo - Hindu monk and social reformer
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - founder of ISKCON
Paramahansa Yogananda পরমহংস যোগানন্দ Pôromôhongsho Joganondo - monk and exponent of Kriya Yoga
Sri Anandamoyi Ma, আনন্দময়ী মা) - Spiritual teacher and Guru
Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji - Hindu Saint
Baba Lokenath Brahmachari - Hindu saint and philosopher
Khan Jahan Ali, খান জাহান আলী - considered Muslim saint, built the great Bagerhat Shat Gambuj Masjid (60 dome mosque)

Scientists & Engineers

Abul Hussam - Chemist: Inventor of Sono arsenic filter and the gold winner of the 2007 Grainger Challenge Prize for Sustainability
Mani Lal Bhaumik ব্রজেন দাস - Physicist: helped develop the first excimer laser at the University of California
Amar Bose অমর গোপাল বসু - Inventor, founder of Bose Corporation
Jagdish Chandra Bose জগদীশ চন্দ্র বসু} Physicist, radio and wireless transmittion pioneer, invented the radio before Marconi. Also did substantial work on botany.
Satyendra Nath Bose সত্যেন্দ্র নাথ বসু)- Physicist, founded Bose–Einstein statistics, which helped to produce Bose-Einstein condensate (2001 Nobel Prize in Physics was given for this discovery); Boson, a study of Elementary particle, is named to honor him
Upendranath Brahmachari - Biologist: synthesized Urea Stibamine (carbostibamide) and used it in the treatment of Kala-azar (leishmaniasis), was a nominee for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Fazlur Khan ফজলুর রহমান খান - One of the foremost structural engineers of the 20th century: Structural engineer and designer of Sears Tower, the tallest building in the USA
Dilip Mahalanabis - Biologist: under his leadership International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh medical centre, discovered Oral rehydration therapy, which saved more than 40 millions lives from Diarrhoea
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis প্রশান্ত চন্দ্র মহলানবিস) - Statistician: Inventor of Mahalanobis Distance and did pioneering work on anthropometric
Jamal Nazrul Islam - famous physicist and mathematician
Sisir Kumar Mitra শিশির কুমার মিত্র - Physicist: pioneer in the investigations of ionosphere and worked with Marie Curie, was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Society and Mitra crater on the Moon is named after him
Subhash Mukhopadhyay সুভাষ মুখোপাধ্যায় - Physicist: became the first physician in India and second in the world to perform the In vitro fertilization
Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, অমল কুমার রায়চৌধুরী - Physicist: well known for his contributions to relativistic cosmology produced the famous Raychaudhuri's equation, a key ingredient for other major scientific concepts
Prafulla Chandra Roy bn:প্রফুল্ল চন্দ্র রায়- Pioneer in the field of pharmaceutical and chemical works (discovered mercurous nitrite)
Megh Nad Saha মেঘনাদ সাহা - Physicist, produced the famous "Thermo-Ionization Equation" or Saha Equation
Ashoke Sen - Physicist: well known for his contributions to string theory and co-discovered S-duality

Writers

Further information: List of Bengali language authors and Bengali Writers : An Alphabetical List

Rabindranath Tagore is the first Asian Nobel laureate

Banaphool - pen name of Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay.
Rabindranath Tagore রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর Robindronath Ţhakur - Nobel laureate; considered the most important Bengali writer, he wrote the national anthem of India and Bangladesh
Kazi Nazrul Islam কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম Kazi Nozrul Islam - Rebel Poet of British India, National Poet of Bangladesh
Humayun Ahmed, হুমায়ূন আহমেদ, writer, novelist, filmmaker
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay বঙ্কিম চন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায় Bongkim Chôndro Chôţţopaddhae - novelist and essayist, credited for the first Indian novel
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay শরত্চন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায় Shôrot Chôndro Chôţţopaddhae - novelist
Nirad C. Chaudhuri নীরদ চন্দ্র চৌধুরী Nirod Chôndro Choudhuri - Victorian scholar, Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Mahasweta Devi মহাস্বেতা দেবী Môhashsheta Debi - author, social activist
Romesh Chunder Dutt
Sunil Gangopadhyay সুনীল গঙ্গোপাধ্যায় Shunil Gônggopaddhae - poet, novelist
Mir Mosharraf Hossain মীর মোশাররফ হোসেন - novelist
Jhumpa Lahiri ঝুম্পা লাহিড়ী Jhumpa Lahiŗi - writer
Amitav Ghosh - Omitabho Ghosh - writer and historian, most famous for his novels 'The Hungry Tide' & 'Glass Palace'
Dhan Gopal Mukerji ধান গোপাল মুখোপাধ্যায় Dhan Gopal Mukhopaddhae - author
Subhas Mukhopadhyay সুভাষ মুখোপাধ্যায় Shubhash Mukhopaddhae - poet
Shamsur Rahman শামসুর রাহমান Shamsur Rôhman - poet
Arundhati Roy Orundhoti Roy - novelist, writer and activist, Bengali father
Al Mahmud আল মাহমুদ - poet, novelist
Alaol আলাওল - one of the most talented medieval poets
Muhammad Zafar Iqbal - science fiction writer
Michael Madhusudan Dutt মাইকেল মধুসূদন দত্ত - poet and dramatist