Famous Alumni

Modern School has a history of producing alumni who have become important, trailblazing figures in defence, politics, business, law, education, medicine, science, and the humanities. Some have made technological breakthroughs, developed innovative products or discovered life saving treatments, while others have led nations and revolutions, created timeless artwork, or written words that changed the course of history. The school alumni are deeply engaged with the world and strongly committed to contributing to society through entrepreneurship and volunteerism. The list of famous alumni of Modern School includes:

Mr Khushwant Singh (Padma Vibhushan) (batch of 1930) – is one of the most illustrious and well known alumni of Modern School. His eloquent and inspiring writing spans over topics like India- Pakistan partition and the evolution of Delhi as a city. He was awarded the first Modernites Excellence award. He was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan in 1974. In 2007 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India.

Dr Bharat Ram (Padma Bhushan) (Batch of 1930);Media – Began his career as an apprentice in the ‘Delhi Cloth & General Mills’. Soon through dedication and hard work he rose to the position of the Chairman and Managing Director. Dr. Bharat Ram founded Shri Ram Fibres and Shri Ram Fertilizers and also served on various government committees. His books, ‘Glimpses of Industrial India’ and ‘From Istanbul to Vienna’ provide an insight to the changing landscape of the Indian economy. Dr. Bharat Ram further went on to become the Chairman of the Indian Airlines and founded the Indian Golf Union.

Air Chief Marshal P C Lal (Padma Bhushan & Padma Vibhushan) (Batch of 1933) Defence – Belonged to the first batch of students who passed out of the new building on Barakhamba Road. Having joined the Indian Air Force in 1939, he saw active service in the World War II and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for undertaking hazardous reconnaissance flights deep inside Japanese held territory. He was appointed Chief of Air Staff in July 1969, and led the IAF to victory in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. His patriotism and passion for the country is an example for all.

Late Mr Justice Prakash Narain – Class of 1938 – Justice Narain was appointed permanent Judge of the Delhi High Court in 1969. He was Appointed Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in 1981 until 1985.

Air Chief Marshal S K Mehra, Class of 1948, Air Chief Marshal Mehra was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in 1952 and held various command and staff appointments during his career. He, in his outstanding flying career, logged 4000 hours on fighter aircraft and was one of the eight pilots who was selected by the Air Force for training on MIG 21s in Russia. In August 1988, he was elevated to the position of Chief of Air Staff. During his illustrious career, he was decorated with the Vayu Sena Medal, the Ati Vashist Seva Medal and the Param Vaishist Seva Medal by the President of India.

Lt Gen Amarjit Singh Kalkat – Class of 1952 – Served as Commanding Officer of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). He was decorated with Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

Mr Ravinder Narain – Class of 1953 – Senior Partner at Rajinder Narain & Co. He was appointed by the Ministry of Finance as a Member of the High-Level Committee, set up to review of India’s Central Excise and Customs Law. He has been a Non-Executive & Independent Director of several notable companies.
Justice B N Kirpal (Batch of 1954); Judiciary – Was the 31st Chief Justice of India. He began his legal career as an advocate in 1962, and was appointed as a Judge of Delhi High Court in November 1979. He became the Chief Justice of India in May 2002. During his judicial career he delivered several seminal judgements and furthered the cause of justice in India. His commitment to the environment conservation, earned him the nickname of “the green judge”

Mr Aravind Varma IAS – Class of 1957 – IAS Officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre (1963 Class). Has served as the Secretary to Government of India in the Ministries of Coal, Personnel, Mines and Chemicals & Petrochemicals.

Dr Arun Shourie (Batch of 1958); Governance – Former Union Minister for Disinvestment, Telecommunications and Information Technology is a veteran journalist, author, economist and parliamentarian. Mr. Shourie’s quotes like “Not an eye for an eye, not a tooth for a tooth; it is completely wrong…..But for an eye , both the eyes; for a tooth, the whole jaw”, demonstrate his feisty and powerful persona that exudes passion. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for journalism in 1982. As a Union Minister he led pioneering reforms in the Telecom sector and is credited with the success of the Indian Telecom sector’s phenomenal growth.

Lt Gen. Vijay Lall – Class of 1958 – Former Director General Ordnance Services, Indian Army. He is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

Dr Syeda Saiyideen Hameed – Class of 1959 – Former Member of Planning Commission. She is a recipient of the Padma Shri.

Lt. Gen Shanker Prasad – Class of 1959 – Former Director General, Infantry, Indian Army. He was decorated with Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

Mr Gurcharan Das, Class of 1959, Mr. Das is a prolific writer and the author of bestselling books, namely, ‘A Fine Family’, ‘India Unbound’, ‘The Difficulty of Being Good’, ‘The Elephant Paradigm’, ‘India Grows at Night’ and ‘Kama: The Riddle of Desire’. He has also served as the Managing Director, Procter & Gamble Worldwide (Strategic Planning). Mr Das today is unshakable and sought after speaker at world forums and is a regular columnist in prestigious papers such as the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, New York Times and The Times of India.

Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi – Class of 1961- Mr. Gandhi was secretary to Vice-President of India from 1985 to 1987, Joint Secretary to President of India from 1987 to 1992 and also served as Secretary to President of India from 1997 to 2000. In 2004, Mr. Gandhi was appointed as 22nd Governor of West Bengal.

Major General (Retd.) Ajay Sood, VSM – Class of 1961- Awarded ‘Vishisht Seva Medal’ by the President of India. After 38 years of distinguished service in the Army, he retired as the Additional Director General Mechanised Forces in 2003.

Dr Naresh Trehan (Padma Shri& Padma Bhushan) (Batch of 1962); Medicine – Is a renowned cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon and a stalwart in the field of medicine. He is the chairman and MD of MedantaMedicity, a 1500 bedded multi super specialty institute. He also founded the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre. His dedication to enhancing the healthcare and landscape of India and providing quality care to all has been an inspiration to many.
Mr Shekhar Kapur (Batch of 1962) is an Indian film director, actor, and producer, known for his works in Hindi cinema and international cinema. Part of Mr Kapur became known in Bollywood with his recurring role in the TV series Khandan in the mid-1980s and his directorial debut in the cult Bollywood film Masoom in 1983, which won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie for that year before gaining widespread success with the science fiction film Mr. India (1987).

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan & Padma Vibhushan) (Batch of 1963) Arts – Started enthralling the audience with his scintillating Raga Supernovas since the age of 6, when he made his debut. He also recently received the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award. It is his belief in music that has enabled him to interpret traditional notions of music in new refreshing ways, reiterating the challenge of innovation and yet respecting the timelessness of tradition.
Lt Gen Arvind Sharma – Class of 1963 – Former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Army Command. He was decorated with Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

Mr Jasjit Singh – Class of 1964 – Former Professional Tennis Player. Played in 1974 Davis Cup. He is currently, the MD of Shoreline Global Investments Inc.

Dr Pramod Kumar Julka – Class of 1966 – Noted Oncologist and medical educationist. He has served as Dean (Academic), All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013.

Mr Justice Mukul Mudgal – Class of 1966 – Served as the Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court from 2009 to 2011.
Dr Arvind Lal – Class of 1966 – Renowned pathologist, and founder of ‘Dr. Lal Path Labs’. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri, the first civilian doctor to be awarded honorary rank of Brigadier in the Indian Army.

Mr Sunil Mitra, IAS – Class of 1967 – IAS Officer of West Bengal Cadre (1975 Class).He has served as the Union Finance Secretary in 2011.

Mr Shiv Khera – Class of 1967 – Author, activist and professional motivational speaker. He is an author of the bestselling book “You Can Win”, which has been translated into several languages.
Mr Aman Nath – Class of 1968- Historian, poet, adventurer, restorer, hotelier, designer, author and philanthropist. He is the founder member of INTACH. Mr Nath is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by Ministry of Tourism, GOI in 2013.

Dr Anuradha Kapur – Class of 1968 – Served as Director of National School of Drama from 2007 to 2013. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction in the Theatre in 2004.
Dr Noshir M Shroff – Class of 1968 – Renowned ophthalmologist. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan.

Prof (Mrs.) Radha Kumar – Class of 1969 – Former Director at the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Milia Islamia. She is also Co-Founder and Director-General of the Delhi Policy Group, a think-tank supported by several US-based agencies including the Ford Foundation.

Mr Samir Mathur – Class of 1970 – IAS Officer. He is a former Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana.
Professor Anita Rampal – Class of 1970- A Nehru Fellow, UGC Research Scientist, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Education, Delhi University, and Chairperson of the NCERT Textbook Development Teams for Primary Schools.
Mr Justice Madan Lokur – Class of 1970 – Former Judge of Supreme Court of India. He has earlier served as Additional Solicitor General of India.

Mr Madhav Lal – Class of 1972 – IAS Officer (1978 Class). Former Chief Secretary, Secretary, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, and Former Secretary, Government of India. He was honoured with the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2012.

Mr Mukul Rohtagi – Class of 1972 – Senior Advocate and has served as the 14th Attorney General of India. He has previously served as the Additional Solicitor General of India.
Dr Navin Dang, Class of 1972, Dr. Dang is the recipient of the prestigious Dr B C Roy National Award for his contribution to the socio-medical field. He is the founder and director of Dr. Dangs Lab and is known for pioneering quality in the field of diagnostics in India. He has also been a nominated member of the Ethics Committee of Medical Council of India and Delhi Medical Council by the Government of India.
Dr Atul Kumar – Class of 1973 – Chief & Professor of Ophthalmology at Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, the national apex ophthalmic centre at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Dr Sriram Ramaswamy (batch of 1973)
Dr Ramaswamy is an internationally renowned physicist who received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in theoretical and now a member of the faculty at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He has won several national and international awards for his research contributions to the world of soft matter physics, condensed matter physics and biological physics, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, the Infosys Prize and the H K Firodia award. In 2016 he was elected a Fellow to the prestigious Royal Society in UK, which is a Fellowship of the world’s most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence since the 17th century.

Mr Pablo Bartholomew, Class of 1973. Mr. Bartholomew is a three-time World Press Award-winning documentary photographer. He has been bestowed with the Padma Shri in 2013 and the Chevalier Dans L’Ordre des Arts Et Des Lettres on behalf of the French Republic in 2014. He has to his credit over 30 successful solo exhibitions in various cities across the world, along with notable mentions in leading world magazines and papers.

Dr Cyrus M Shroff, Class of 1973, Dr. Shroff has been practicing exclusively in the field of Vitreoretinal medicine and surgery for over 34 years. Currently, holding the position of Medical Director of Shroff Eye Centre, he has also served as President Delhi Ophthalmological Society (2015-2016), President Vitreoretinal Society of India (2008-2010) and Honorary Ophthalmic Surgeon to the President of India (1997-2002).

Mr Amitabh Kant, IAS – Class of 1973 – IAS Officer of Kerala Cadre (1980 Class). He was the key driver of ‘Make in India’, ‘Startup India’, ‘Incredible India’ and ‘God’s Own Country’, initiatives which positioned and branded India and Kerala State as leading manufacturing and tourism destinations. He is currently serving as the CEO, NITI Aayog.

Ms Pravin Sinclair – Class of 1973 – Acclaimed educationist. She is a former Director of the National Council for Educational Research and Training.

Mr Madhusudan Prasad IAS – Class of 1973 – IAS Officer of Haryana Cadre (1981 Class). He has served as Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India.

Dr Ravindra Panth – Class of 1973 – Director, Nava Nalanda Mahavira. He is a scholar of Pali and Buddhist studies and has edited several Pali texts and research volumes. He has also served as Executive Member, Association of Theravada Buddhist Universities ATBU.

Pandit Madhup Mudgal – Class of 1973 – Hindustani Classical Music Vocalist. He is the former Principal of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Delhi. He received the Padma Shri Award in 2006.

Dr Mihir Shah – Class of 1973 – Distinguished Economist. He was the youngest member of the Planning Commission.

Mr Rajeev Vasudeva – Class of 1975 – Global CEO, Egon Zehnder, which is the world’s largest privately held executive search and talent strategy firm.

Dr Sanjay Sachdeva – Class of 1975 – Director (ENT) at Max Healthcare and previously Director (ENT) at Fortis Healthcare. He is a Specialist in Cochlear Implant and Endoscopic Laser Surgery. He has co-authored books such as, ‘Easy Guide to Ear, Nose and Throat’ published by the National Book Trust of India.
Mr Sanjay Mitra (IAS) – Class of 1975- IAS Officer, West Bengal Cadre. During 2004-2011, he served as Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister of India. In 2012, he served as Chief Secretary, West Bengal. Mr. Mitra has served as Union Secretary for Ministry of Road Transport & Highway and Defence Secretary of India.

Mr Rajeev Vasudeva – Class of 1975 – Global CEO, Egon Zehnder, which is the world’s largest privately held executive search and talent strategy firm.

Dr Mahipal Sachdev – Class of 1975 – Chairman & Medical Director of Centre for Sight group of eye hospitals. He was honored with Padma Shri award for his excellence in the field of Medicine in 2007.

Mr Surinder Mehta – Class of 1975 – Chairman of Prime Group of Companies. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri.

Mr Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul – Class of 1976 – Earlier Judge of the Delhi High Court and Chief Justice of High Court of Punjab and Haryana. He also served as the Chief Justice of Madras High Court. Justice Kaul is currently a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

Prof Meeta Narain, Class of 1976, Pro Narain is currently the Chairperson of the Centre of Russian Studies, JNU. She has contributed immensely to the advancement of the Russian language and has worked dedicatedly on approaches and theories of language translation.

Mr Rajiv Singh – Class of 1976 – Vice Chairman, DLF Group. Mr. Singh directs strategy and oversees the operations of the Company’s residential, commercial, retail, infrastructure, hotels and SEZ business lines. In December 2005, he was awarded `The Udyog Ratna Award’ for ‘Valuable Contributions to Economic Development of Haryana’.

Mr Kirti Azad – Class of 1976 – Former Cricketer and member of the 1983 World Cup Winning Indian Team. He is currently serving his third term as a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament.
Mr Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Class of 1977, Justice Khanna while practicing law has actively addressed wide and varied aspects of law including writ petitions in public law matters, environment and pollution law causes and medical negligence cases to name a few. He became a permanent Judge of the Delhi High Court on 20th February 2006 and has been appointed as a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court of India w.e.f. 18th January 2019.

Mr Rahul Bhatia – Class of 1977 – Founder & Managing Director, Indigo Airlines,
the largest low-cost airline in India with revenues of more than $ 2 billion.

Prof Ranjay Gulati – Class of 1980 – Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor at Harvard Business School. He was ranked as one of the top ten most cited scholars in economics and business over a decade by ISI-Incite.

Ms Sunita Narain – Class of 1980 – Noted environmentalist and activist. She is currently serving as the Director General of Centre for Science and Environment. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2005.

Mr Ravneet Gill – Class of 1980 – Served as Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank in India. He is one of the pioneers in the field of telecom financing in India. Mr. Gill was MD & CEO of YES Bank in India.

Mr Ajay Bisaria, IFS, Class of 1980, Mr. Bisaria joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1987 and is currently the High Commissioner of India to Canada. He went on to be appointed Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of India in 1999 and served in this capacity till 2004. He has served as India’s Ambassador to Poland, based in Warsaw, with concurrent accreditation to Lithuania from January 2015 to November 2017. Mr. Bisaria has also served as High Commissioner of India to Pakistan.

Mr K Bhaskar Pillai, Class of 1980, Mr. Pillai has played 95 first-class matches scoring 5443 runs at a batting average of 54. He has 18 centuries and 21 fifties to his credit and has the batting best of 222 not out. In 1988 he played for India in the ODI series against New Zealand. Mr Pillai is now the coach to the Uttarakhand Ranji Trophy Team and is also serving as a NCA coach, (an academy of BCCI)

Col Sonam Wangchuk (Batch of 1981); Defence – Is an Indian Army officer, serving with the Ladakh Scouts Regiment. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his heroic actions in the Kargil War in 1999. Major (now Colonel) Sonam Wangchuk held his column together and led a raid on the enemy position from a flank, killing two enemy soldiers. The officer also recovered one heavy machine gun and one universal machine gun, ammunition, controlled stores and three dead bodies of the enemy personnel. Thereafter, the officer took stock of all forces along the Chorbatla axis in the Batalik Sector and cleared the axis up to the Line of Control of all enemy intrusions at great risk to his life. Major Sonam Wangchuk displayed exceptional bravery and gallantry of the highest order in the presence of enemy fire and in extreme climatic conditions in the glaciated area.
Dr Arvinder Soin – Class of 1981 – Pioneer in liver transplantation in India. He runs India’s largest and the world’s second largest liver transplant program at Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon.

Mr Ajay Bijli – Class of 1985 – Chairman and Managing Director, PVR Ltd, one of India’s largest multiplex chain and producer/distributor of feature films. He is also Managing Director, Amritsar Transport Co., one of India’s oldest and largest freight service.

Dr Srivatsa Krishna – Dr Srivatsa Krishna an alumnus of Modern School batch 1986, topped the National Civil Examination to join the IAS in 1994 (Rank 1 out of 500,00 candidates). He went on to become the first serving IAS officer to do the Harvard Business School MBA and is also an alumni of the University of Oxford, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and a PhD from IIT Madras. He has served in the Strategy, Finance, Risk Management Vice Presidency of The World Bank Group in Washington DC.

He was awarded the prestigious Thinkers 50, a list of the top global thinkers in 2013 and prior to that World economic forum Young Global Leader in 2003. He has earned an official IMDB credit for singing playback in “Shanghai” and is a prominent commentator in various national and international publications.

Mr Gaurav Ghei – Class of 1986- International Pro Golfer. In 1999, he won the Asian Nations Cup held in Malaysia. In 2006, he won the Taiwan Masters and in 2007 the Pine Valley Beijing Open.

Ms Barkha Dutt – Class of 1989 – Former Group Editor of NDTV, and amongst the most eminent journalists in India. She is one of the youngest recipients of the Padma Shri.
Mr. Ronjan Sodhi (Batch of 1997); Sports –Has been honored with an Arjuna Award and the Rajiv Khel Ratna. He became the first Indian shooter to defend his world title when he won the gold medal in double trap event at the 2010 World Cup Final in Turkey.

Mr Gautam Gambhir (Batch of 2000) Sports– Has been an integral part of India’s cricket team and played an important role in India’s victories in the World Twenty 20 (2007) and Cricket World Cup (2011). He has been bestowed with the Arjuna Award and the Test Player of the Year award (2009) by ICC. He is also captain of the largely successful Kolkata Knight Riders team in the IPL. His smashing sixes and world class game have made him a role model for all aspiring cricketers.