This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2011)

Sangli
—  City  —
Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli
Sangli
Coordinates: 16°52′01″N 74°34′01″E / 16.867°N 74.567°E / 16.867; 74.567Coordinates: 16°52′01″N 74°34′01″E / 16.867°N 74.567°E / 16.867; 74.567
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Sangli
Government
• Body	Sangli-Miraj And Kupwad City Municipal Corporation (SMKMC)
Population (2008)
• Total	601,214
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	416416
Telephone code	0233
Vehicle registration	MH-10
Literacy	77%
Lok Sabha constituency	Sangli, Maharastra
Civic agency	Sangli-Miraj And Kupwad City Municipal Corporation (SMKMC)
Climate	Dry and Arid (Köppen)

Sangli  pronunciation (help·info) is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city^{[citation needed][disputed – discuss]} for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for. The Ganesh Temple of Sangli is a historical landmark of the city and is visited by thousands of pilgrims. Sangli is also noted for 'Bhadang' (dish made up of puffed rice).Sangli also famous for 'Bhel'. Bhel is a dish made by mixing puffed rice, onion, tamarind paste, tomato, etc.

Sangli is also one of the largest grape growing regions in Maharashtra. Government has established Krishna Valley Wine Park 30 km away from Sangli to promote wine industry. Recently, Sangli has come up as a major wind power generation locations in India.^{[citation needed]} Suzlon has set up large wind farms around Sangli city with a capacity to generate over 900 MW of power.

Sangli has number of renowned education institutes which includes Walchand College of Engineering (established in 1947), Willingdon College (estaiblished in 1919), City High school (established in 1914) and Sangli High School (established in 1907).

Princely State of Sangli[link]

The region, known as Kundal (now a small village near Sangli city) in medieval India, was the capital of the Chalukya Empire in 12th century AD.^{[citation needed]}

Sangli district is situated in the maharashtra karnataka border.

Sangli was one of the 11-gun salute princely states of British India, under the Kolhapur-Dekkan Residency in the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agency. It was one of the southern Maratha Jagirs. Its territory was widely scattered among other native states and British districts.

The city derives its name from "Saha Galli" ("Six Lanes" in Marathi). Sangli city is known as Natyapandhari, the birthplace of Marathi drama.^{[citation needed]} The city has a rich cultural influence of Marathi music and drama. It has a historic Ganpati temple built in the 18th century by ruling Patwardhan dynasty of Sangli. The temple attracts thousands of devotees regularly.

Famous Personalities[link]

Sangli was previously known as southern Satara . Sangli is birth place of many legends in social as well as political reformers. Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was born in Thembu [Small town in Khanapur-Aatpadi constituency].Balgandharva was born in village called Nagthane in Sangli district and Asha Bhosale was also born in Sangli. Maharashtra's Former Chief-Minister Vasantraodada Patil was born in Padmale (Near Sangli). " Sangit Natakas " (musical plays) are initiated in Sangli. Vishnudas Bhave is known to be father of the Sangit Natakas. Sangli is his not only birth place but also work place.Pantangrao Kadam is Chancellor of Bharti Vidyapeeth. Bharti Vidyapeeth confers Degrees in Medical, Engineering and Management Studies.

Sangli is home of many politicians. R. R. Patil is Home Minister of Maharashtra for second time since 2009. He is also former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Jayant Patil is current Cabinet Minister of Rural Development in the state of Maharashtra. He is also former Finance Minister of Maharashtra. Sangli was home of late Vasantdada Patil. He was Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

One of the legends of cricket was born in Sangli named Vijay Hazare.

As Sangli is famous for its beginning of Marathi Theatre, it is also known as a Wimbledon of the game "Chess", Sangli has tradition of chess at least of Two centuries. Haripur, nearing village and Sangli itself is the motherland of this game. Dajiba Date, Bandambhat Mehandale was the founder of the game in this area. Baba Bodas, Anna Gadre, Vinayakrao Khadilkar, Gangadharpant Paranjape, Narayanrao Joshi, from Miraj, Panditrao Gadre, Adv. Joshi, Prof. Alukar and even His Majesty Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Kolhapur were the shining stars in the field of chess at that time. The rich as well as ordinary people took interest in the game. In the year 1942 Late. Rambhau Bhide established southern Maratha Country chess club in the Wada of late. Govindrao Padsalgikar. In 1930. Late. Shrimant Dadasaheb Gadgil, Late Vishnupant Rajwade, Late. Trmmannacharya Padsalgikar founded chess society, Sangli. It arranged some chess Tournaments. In 1935, chess of 10 games was arranged between Late. Sultan khan who was the champion of the British Empire and late. Vinayakrao Khadilkar, the first Indian who had gone abroad for the chess tournaments.From 1922 to1925 chess Tournaments of Southern Maratha Country championship were arranged by late. Dy. Vasudeo Narayan Desai in Sangli Gymkhana. From that time, chess was the game of all common people of Sangli truly. In 1929 Deval Club of Sangli also arranged chess Tournaments. On 23rd December 1941, "Nutan Buddhibal Mandal" was founded in memory of late. Vishnu Ramchandra Rajawade by late Bhausaheb Rajwade, late Dajisaheb Dixit, late Sopanrao shingare and Bhaurao Padsalgikar. To canvce and make the game of chess popular, collect the literature of the game, arrange chess Tournaments and build a separate building for the Mandal are some objectives of the Mandal

Climate[link]

Sangli has a semi-arid climate with three seasons, a hot, dry summer from the middle of February to the middle of June, a monsoon from the middle of June to late October and a mild cool season from early November to early February. The total rainfall is about 25.5 inches (647.7 mm).

Notable landmarks[link]

• Ganapati Temple of Sangli - Grand temple built by Patwardhan dynasty of Sangli. It is famous for golden idol of Lord Ganesha.
• Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary - It is famous for peacocks and deers.
• Krishna Valley Wine Park, Palus - Grape & Wine tourism spot
• Chandoli National Park - It is declared as Sahyadri Tiger Reserve
• Chandoli Dam & Lake
• Prachitgad Fort - Built by Maratha Emperor Shivaji Maharaj.
• Battis Shirala - Famous for Wild Snakes specially for Cobra.
• Sangameshwar Shiva Temple, Haripur - It is situated on the confluence of River Krishna and river Warna.
• Bagetil Ganesh Temple, Haripur
• Tasgaon Ganesh Temple
• Krishna-Yerla Sangam & Raghunath Swami Anandmurti's Samadhi - Bramhanal

External links[link]

• www.sanglionline.com
• www.sangli.nic.in
• Sangli Miraj Kupwad Municipal Corporation
• DigVijay Gymnasia

v t e  State of Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai Topics History Geography Economy Tourism Marathi language Culture Marathi people Marathi literature Marathi cinema Maharashtrian cuisine Regions Desh Khandesh Konkan Mumbai Metropolitan Region Marathwada Vidarbha Districts Ahmednagar Akola Amravati Aurangabad Beed Bhandara Buldhana Chandrapur Dhule Gadchiroli Gondia Hingoli Jalgaon Jalna Kolhapur Latur Mumbai (City) Mumbai (Suburban) Nagpur Nanded Nandurbar Nashik Osmanabad Parbhani Pune Raigad Ratnagiri Sangli Satara Sindhudurg Solapur Thane Wardha Washim Yavatmal Million-plus cities in Maharashtra Mumbai Pune Nagpur Thane Pimpri-Chinchwad Nashik Kalyan-Dombivali Navi Mumbai Aurangabad Other cities with municipal corporations Ahmednagar Akola Amravati Bhiwandi Chandrapur Dhule Jalgaon Kolhapur Latur Malegaon Mira-Bhayandar Nanded Parbhani Sangli Solapur Ulhasnagar Vasai-Virar Portal: Maharashtra

Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan at NDTV Greenathon in Yash Raj Studios, 2012
Born	Aamir Hussain Khan (1965-03-14) 14 March 1965 (age 47) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Film actor, producer, director and writer
Years active	1973–1974, 1984, 1988–2001, 2005–present
Spouse	Reena Dutta (1986–2002) Kiran Rao (2005–present)
Children	3
Website
http://www.aamirkhan.com/

Aamir Hussain Khan (pronounced [ˈaːmɪr ˈxaːn]) (born 14 March 1965) is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema.^[1][2][3]

Starting his career as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain's film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Khan began his professional career eleven years later with Holi (1984) and had his first commercial success with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). He received his first National Film Award as a Special Jury Award for his roles in the films Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Raakh (1989).^[4] After eight previous nominations during the 1980s and 1990s, Khan received his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the major grosser Raja Hindustani (1996)^[5][6] and later earned his second Best Actor award for his performance in the Academy Award-nominated Lagaan, which also marked the debut of his own production company.

Following a four-year break from acting, Khan made his comeback playing the title role in the historical Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005), and later won a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his role in Rang De Basanti (2006). The following year, he made his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par, for which he received a Filmfare Award for Best Director. This was followed by Ghajini (2008), which became the highest grossing film of that year, and 3 Idiots (2009), which became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time, unadjusted for inflation.^[7] The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010 for his contributions towards the arts.^[8][9][10]

On 30 November 2011, Khan was appointed as national brand ambassador of UNICEF to promote child nutrition.^[11]

Early life[link]

Khan was born in Bandra's Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai, India, to a Muslim^[12] family that has been actively involved in the Indian motion picture industry for several decades. His father, Tahir Hussain, was a film producer while his uncle, Nasir Hussain, was a film producer as well as a director and an actor. His family on his father´s side are originally from Herat, Afghanistan.^[13]

He is a descendant of the scholar and politician Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and a second cousin to former deputy chairperson and current member of Rajya Sabha Dr. Najma Heptulla.

Career[link]

Actor[link]

Khan began his film career at the age of 8, as a child actor in a home production, made by Nasir Hussain, titled Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973)^[14] and Madhosh (1974). Eleven years later, he made his adult acting debut in a role that went quite unnoticed in Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984).

Khan's first notable leading role came in 1988 in the film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak which was directed by his cousin and Nasir Hussain's son Mansoor Khan. This film was a breakthrough commercial success, effectively launching Khan's career as a leading actor. Having the typical 'chocolate hero' looks, he was publicised as a teen idol. He also starred in critically acclaimed film Raakh, for which Khan got his first National Award for Special Jury Award. After that, he went on to appear in several other films in the late '80s and early '90s: Dil (1990), which became the highest grossing film of the year,^[15] Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) (for which he also wrote the screenplay), and Rangeela (1995). Most of these films were successful critically and commercially.^[16][17][18] Other successes include Andaz Apna Apna, co-starring Salman Khan. At the time of its release the movie was reviewed unfavorably by critics, but over the years has gained a cult status.^[19]

Khan at 2011 Berlin Film Festival

Khan continued to act in just one or two films a year, an unusual trait for a mainstream Hindi cinema actor. His only release in 1996 was the Dharmesh Darshan directed commercial blockbuster Raja Hindustani in which he was paired opposite Karisma Kapoor. The film earned him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award, after seven previous nominations, and went on to become the biggest hit of the year, as well as the third highest grossing Indian film of the 1990s.^[20] Khan's career had seemed to hit a plateau at this point of time, and most of the films to follow for the next few years were only partially successful. In 1997, he co-starred alongside Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Juhi Chawla in Ishq, which performed well at the box office. The following year, Khan appeared in the moderately successful Ghulam, for which he also did playback singing.^[21] John Mathew Matthan's Sarfarosh (1999), Khan's first release in 1999, was also moderately successful, gaining an above average box office verdict.^[22] The film was highly appreciated amongst the critics and Khan's role as a dedicated, honest and uncorrupted cop engaged in fighting border terrorism, was well received, as was his role in Deepa Mehta's art house film Earth. His first release for the new millennium, Mela, in which he acted alongside his real-life brother Faisal Khan, was both a box-office and critical bomb.^[23]

In 2001 he appeared in Lagaan. The film was a major critical and commercial success,^[24] and received a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards. Additionally, the film gathered critical acclaim at several international film festivals, in addition to winning numerous Indian awards, including the National Film Awards. Khan himself won his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. The film continues to be one of the most popular Hindi films in the west.^{[citation needed]}

The success of Lagaan was followed by Dil Chahta Hai later that year, in which Khan co-starred with Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan, with Preity Zinta playing his love interest. The film was written and directed by the then newcomer Farhan Akhtar. According to critics, the film broke new grounds by showing Indian urban youth as they really are today. The characters depicted were modern, suave and cosmopolitan. The film did moderately well and was a success mostly in urban cities.^[24]

Khan then took a four year break citing personal problems, and returned in 2005 with Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey: The Rising playing the title role of a real-life sepoy and a martyr who helped spark the Indian Rebellion of 1857 or the 'First War of Indian Independence'.^{[citation needed]}

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's award-winning Rang De Basanti was Khan's first release in 2006. His role was critically acclaimed,^[25] earning him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor and various nominations for Best Actor. The film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of the year,^[26] and was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars. Although the film was not shortlisted as a nominee for the Oscar, it received a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the BAFTA Awards in England. Khan's work in his next movie, Fanaa (2006) co-starred with Kajol was also appreciated,^[27] and the film went on to become one of the highest grossing Indian films of 2006.^[26]

His 2007 film, Taare Zameen Par was also produced by him and marked his directorial debut. The film, which was the second offering from Aamir Khan Productions, starred Khan in a supporting role as a teacher who befriends and helps a dyslexic child. It opened to excellent responses from critics and audiences alike. Khan's performance was well-received, although he was particularly applauded for his directing.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Khan appeared in the movie Ghajini. The film was a major commercial success^[28] and became the highest grossing Bollywood movie of that year. For his performance in the film, Khan received several Best Actor nominations at various award ceremonies as well as his fifteenth Filmfare Best Actor nomination.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Khan appeared in the commercially and critically acclaimed film 3 Idiots as Ranchodas Chanchad which became Bollywood's highest grossing film^[7] and won multiple Filmfare Awards including Best Picture.^[29] Around August, 2011, Khan started talks with Siddhartha Basu's BIG Synergy, to host a talk show, similar to the Oprah Winfrey show.^[30] On May 6, 2012, the highly anticipated show Satyamev Jayate debuted in English and all major Indian languages and received both popular and critical praise for its dicussions on various social issues like female foeticide, child sexual abuse and dowry plaguing Indian society.

Aamir is being paid Rs. 3 crore rupees per episode as to host the Satyamev Jayate and it makes him the highest paid host in Indian television industry. ^[31] This show has already received the highest TRP and dubbed as one of biggest hits on the Indian television after Ramayan.

Producer[link]

Khan at a promotional event for Taare Zameen Par

In 2001 Khan set up a production company known as Aamir Khan Productions. Its first film was Lagaan. The movie was released in 2001, starring Khan as the lead actor. The film was selected as India's official entry to the 74th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It was eventually chosen and nominated in that category but lost to No Man's Land. The film won numerous awards at several Indian award functions such as Filmfare and IIFA, and won the National Film Award for Most Popular Film, an award shared between Khan and the film's director, Ashutosh Gowariker.^[32] Khan later commented on the loss of Lagaan at the Oscars: "Certainly we were disappointed. But the thing that really kept us in our spirits was that the entire country was behind us".

In 2007 he produced the drama Taare Zameen Par which marked his directorial debut. Khan also played a supporting role in the film, sharing the screen with the debut of child actor Darsheel Safary. The film was initially conceived of and developed by the husband and wife team, Amole Gupte and Deepa Bhatia. It was a story of a young child who suffers in school until a teacher identifies him as dyslexic. The movie was critically acclaimed,^[33] as well as a box office success. Taare Zameen Par won the 2008 Filmfare Best Movie Award as well as a number of other Filmfare and Star Screen Awards. Khan's work won him two awards at the Filmfare, the Best Movie and the Best Director awards, which established his status as a competent filmmaker in Bollywood.

In 2008, Khan launched his nephew Imran Khan's debut in the film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na under his production house. The film was a big hit in India, and eventually earned Khan another nomination for Best Movie at the Filmfare.^[34]

In 2011, Khan released his home production Dhobi Ghat.^[35] which was directed by his wife Kiran Rao.

Television[link]

Khan made his television debut with his social issue based talk show Satyamev Jayte which started airing on 6 May 2012. The show will went live simultaneously on Star Plus, Star World and national broadcaster Doordarshan on the 11 A.M. Sunday slot in eight languages, being the first ever show to do so in India.^[36] The show opened to highly positive reviews and feedback from various eminent personalities such as social activists, media houses, doctors, film and television personalities, and Khan was praised for his effort, describing the show as a movement.^[37] In her review, Ritu Singh of IBN Live stated that, "Aamir Khan deserves an applause for bringing up such a sensitive issue and presenting it in a hard hitting way. The amount of research Aamir and his team has put into the show was clearly visible with the facts and figures presented. Every aspect of the issue was covered with great diligence."^[38] Parmita Uniyal from Hindustan Times praised the content and Khan for "step[ing] in to do what journalists are supposed to do – make a difference. The show is a classic example of that."^[39] 84 million people watched the show, making it, to date, the highest rated show on Indian television.^[40]

Humanitarian and political causes[link]

In April 2006, Aamir participated in the demonstrations put up by the Narmada Bachao Andolan committee with their leader Medha Patkar after the Gujrat government's decision to raise the height of the Narmada dam. He quoted to support adivasis, who might got displaced from their homes.^[41] Later he faced protests and a partial ban on his film Fanaa but the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh supported him by saying Everyone has the freedom of expression. If someone says something on a particular subject, that doesn't mean you should start protesting.^[42] Aamir also lended his support to Janlokpal Bill Movement led by Anna Hazare in August 2011.^[43]

He has been supporting common causes and in the same row when asked about views on entertainment tax in 2012 budget Aamir said, I don't want any reduction in that, all I expect is focus on education and nutrition.^[44] He quitted GOI's copyrights panels in February 2010 after facing sharp differences with other members.^[45] He journeyed to diverse parts of India, mostly to small towns during promotion of 3 Idiots saying film makers from Mumbai don’t understand small town India,^[46] which was an connecting to India experience, which is extended in his debut TV show Satyamev Jayate.

Personal life[link]

Khan married Reena Dutta, who had a small part in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, on 18 April 1986. They have two children, a son named Junaid and a daughter, Ira. Reena was involved briefly in Khan's career when she worked as a producer for Lagaan. In December 2002, Khan filed for divorce, ending the 15-year marriage. Reena took custody of both children.^[47] On 28 December 2005, Khan married Kiran Rao who had been an assistant director to Ashutosh Gowariker during the filming of Lagaan.^[48] Khan is a follower of spiritual leader J. P. Vaswani.^[49]

Though nominated many times, Khan does not attend any Indian film award ceremony as he feels "Indian film awards lack credibility".^[50] In 2007, Khan was invited to have a wax imitation of himself put on display at Madame Tussauds in London.^[51] However, Khan declined stating that, "It's not important to me... people will see my films if they want to. Also, I cannot deal with so many things, I have bandwidth only for that much."^[52] But he finally gave a nod to attend the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards, to be presented on 3 May 2012.^[53] But, Aamir Khan, who was supposed to attend the awards ceremony, gave it a last-minute miss.^[54]

In 2007, Khan lost a custody battle for his younger brother Faisal to their father, Tahir Hussain.^[55] His father passed away on 2 February 2010.^[56]

In a 2009 interview, Khan states that he tends to take an independent approach to the world of filmmaking, noting that he does not "do different things; I try to do it in a different manner. I think every person should follow his/her dream and try and make it possible to create an ability to achieve it backed by its practicality." He has also indicated that he is more interested in the process of filmmaking than in the end result: "For me, the process is more important, more joyful. I would like to have my entire concentration on the process right from the first step."

On 5 December 2011, Khan and his wife Kiran Rao announced the birth of their son, Azad Rao Khan,^[57] through a surrogate mother.^[58]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]