# List of Kumaoni people

Kumaonis are people from the Kumaon, a region in the Indian Himalayas.

## Administration

* Murli Manohar Joshi
* B. D. Pande
* V. C. Pande
* N.D. Tiwari

## Defence forces

* Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, Mahavir Chakra awardee. Hero Battle of Tololing, Kargil war
* Vice Admiral Harish Bisht, PVSM, AVSM, ADC former Flag Officer of the Indian Navy.
* Lucky Bisht, former Indian spy.
* Bahadur Singh Bohra, Lawanz Operation: 25 Sep 2008, Ashoka Chakra recipient
* Mohan Nath Goswami, Operation : CI & IS Ops, Sep 03, 2015, Ashoka Chakra recipient
* General Bipin Chandra Joshi, 17th Chief of Army Staff (COAS), First Army Chief from Uttarakhand
* Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy
* Captain Ummed Singh Mahra, Operation : Op Orchid, 6 July 1971, Ashoka Chakra recipient
* Mohan Chand Sharma, Batla House Encounter, 19 September 2008, Ashoka Chakra recipient

## Politics

* Kashi Singh Airy
* Yashpal Arya
* K. C. Singh Baba
* Mohan Singh Bisht
* Ajay Bhatt
* Ganesh Joshi
* Murli Manohar Joshi, He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of which he was the President between 1991 and 1993.
* Puran Chand Joshi, general secretary of the C.P.I. (1935–1947)
* Bhagat Singh Koshyari, governor of Maharashtra, chief minister of Uttarakhand
* Kalu Singh Mahara, freedom fighter, led an anti-British militia in Champawat, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
* Mahendra Singh Mahra, served as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Uttarakhand (April 2012 to April 2018).
* Badri Datt Pandey, He was popularly known as, and remains remembered in the region as, the Kumaon Kesari.
* Govind Ballabh Pant, freedom fighter, considered one of the architects of modern India
* Hargovind Pant
* Ila Pant
* K. C. Pant, former defence minister and vice chairman of the Planning Commission
* Prakash Pant
* Sheila Irene Pant or Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan
* Bachi Singh Rawat
* Harish Chandra Singh Rawat, M.P. 7th, 8th, 9th Lok Sabha Almora, 15th Lok Sabha Haridwar, C.M. Uttarakhand
* Pradeep Tamta, M.P.
* N. D. Tiwari, three-time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh(1976–77, 1984–85, 1988–89) and also served once as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (2002–2007)
* Bipin Chandra Tripathi, Founder of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, A political party which started Uttarakhand movement, led to formation of state.

## Judiciary

* Prafulla Chandra Pant, author and former judge of the Supreme Court of India, and a former member of the National Human Rights Commission of India

## Science and humanities

* Ravindra Singh Bisht, Indian archaeologist, Padma Shri recipient
* Anupam Joshi, cyber security expert and Professor
* J. P. Joshi, archaeologist
* Lal Mani Joshi, Buddhist scholar
* M. C. Joshi, Indian archaeologist who served as Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1990 to 1993.
* Pooran Chand Joshi, social anthropologist
* Shri Krishna Joshi, physicist
* Yashodhar Mathpal, archaeologist, painter, curator, Gandhian and Rock art conservationist.
* Janardan Ganpatrao Negi, theoretical geophysicist
* Ghananand Pande, scientist
* Govind Chandra Pande, Indian scholar, philosopher and historian of the Vedic and Buddhist periods
* M. C. Pant, radiation oncologist
* Nilamber Pant, space pioneer
* Krishna Singh Rawat, surveyor cartographer
* Nain Singh Rawat, C.I.E., first person to survey Tibet
* Dalip Kumar Upreti, lichenologist
* Khadg Singh Valdiya, geologist and environmentalist

## Journalism and literature

* Uma Bhatt
* Namita Gokhale
* Namrata Joshi, Journalist
* Manohar Shyam Joshi
* Manoj Joshi
* Prasoon Joshi, lyricist, poet, advertiser; chief executive offer and chairman of McCann World group India
* Shekhar Joshi
* Shailesh Matiyani
* Mrinal Pande
* Gaura Pant, who wrote under the name Shivani
* Pushpesh Pant, Indian historian and food critic
* Sumitranandan Pant
* Shekhar Pathak, historian
* Girish Tiwari, also known as Girda

## Music

* Dev Negi, Bollywood Playback Singer
* Pawandeep Rajan, Indian Idol 2020, Season 12 winner
* B. K. Samant, folk singer
* Mohan Upreti, folk singer, composer of the classic Kumaoni song Bedu Pako Baro Masa
* Naima Khan Upreti

## Sports

* Chandraprabha Aitwal, mountaineer, Padma Shri, Arjun and Rung Ratna Awardee. Tenzing Norgay Lifetime Achievement Award
* Ekta Bisht, cricketer
* Kavinder Bisht, boxer
* Madhumita Bisht, badminton
* Unmukt Chand, cricketer
* Rohit Danu, footballer
* Deepak Dhapola, cricketer
* MS Dhoni, cricketer (former captain of Indian cricket team, born to Kumaoni parents)
* Kamlesh Nagarkoti, cricketer
* Mir Ranjan Negi, hockey player
* Pawan Negi, cricketer
* Manish Pandey, cricketer
* Rishabh Pant, cricketer
* Harish Chandra Singh Rawat, 1965 Everester, Padma Shree recipient (1965)
* Lakshya Sen, badminton
* Anirudh Thapa football

## Films and theatre

* Sapna Awasthi, Bollywood playback singer
* Sonam Bajwa, Bollywood Actress
* Nidhi Bisht, casting director
* Gopal Datt, actor and writer
* Roop Durgapal, Indian television actress, best known for her role as Sanchi in the serial Balika Vadhu
* Prasoon Joshi, advertisement guru and lyricist
* Sukirti Kandpal, television actress
* Vinod Kapri, filmmaker
* Dev Negi, singer
* Hemant Pandey, actor
* Nitesh Pandey, actor
* Nirmal Pandey, actor
* Sudhanshu Pandey, actor
* Sudhir Pandey, actor
* Diksha Panth, Indian film actress
* Disha Patani, actress
* Sunita Rajwar, film, television and stage actress who graduated from the National School of Drama
* B. M. Shah, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner
* Mohan Upreti, dramatist
* Naima Khan Upreti, dramatist

## Humanitarian

* Dan Singh Bisht, billionaire, philanthropist
* Lakshman Singh Jangpangi, former trade agent
* Deep Joshi, social activist, recipient of Padma Shri.
* Vinayak Lohani, National Award for Child Welfare 2011
* Lalit Pande, social worker, Padma Shri recipient
* Kamla Pant, social activist
* Ridhima Pandey, activist for action against climate change

## Business

* Ranjan Pant, chief executive officer, advisor, global strategy management consultant and a change management expert
* Dan Singh Bisht, billionaire, philanthropist
* Muktesh Pant, former chief executive officer of Yum China.

## Spiritual Leaders

* Baba Hari Dass, yoga master, silent monk, and commentator of Indian scriptural tradition of Dharma and Moksha
* Satyananda Saraswati, Sannyasin, yoga teacher and guru