In all, 36 illustrious nominees across six categories are up for the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2008, the biggest and the most credible awards in the Indian media. The nominee list has been announced.
IBN18’s editorial team went through a stringent ratifying process to shortlist Indians who have left an indelible mark with the depth of their vision and helped raise standards with their dynamism.
The choices in this nominee list have brought new ideas to the field of governance, won sporting laurels for the country, married social consciousness to business strategies, stretched the boundaries of entertainment, dedicated their lives to a bigger cause and left an unmistakable mark on the globe. Together, they define a brand new India – one which is upbeat, resurgent and dynamic.
Some of the most successful names from the various spheres of life find a place in the category nominees for the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2008:
Politics: Luminaries such as Nitish Kumar, Omar Abdullah, Pranab Mukherjee, Raman Singh, Sheila Dikshit and Shivraj Singh Chauhan have set standards in the art of governance with their far-reaching vision complemented by unmatched perseverance and spirit making them the most deserving in this category.
Sports: Through their stupendous grit, relentless hard work and insatiable hunger for glory, Abhinav Bindra, Jeev Milkha Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh and Vishwanathan Anand have made the country proud in a range of sporting disciplines including shooting, golf, cricket, badminton, boxing and chess.
Business: Towering personalities like Aditya Puri, Baba Kalyani, CB Bhave, Ramadorai, Ratan Tata and Uday Kotak have blazed a trail through world-class products and management practices, exemplary leadership skills and have the knack for charting growth stories under adverse economic conditions, making them the best suited for this category.
Entertainment: Be it the world of cinema, television, music or the phenomenon called IPL, dream merchants like Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, AR Rahman, Avika Gor, Katrina Kaif and Lalit Modi have brought in a fresh wave with their imagination and innovative ideas and have made life a little more delightful for billions of Indians in the process.
Public Service: They have enriched people’s lives through innovative ideas and hard work and made a real difference to the society at large, without ever being concerned for personal fame or gains. The nominees are: Baba Ram Dev, Janaagraha, Madhavan Nair, Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani, RK Singh and Pratyay Amrit and Vijay Mahajan.
Global Indian: By fitting their deep-rooted Indian sensibilities on to a global matrix, nominees like Arvind Adiga, Ashley Tellis, Dev Patel, Sanjay Gupta, Salman Rushdie and Swaraj Paul have attained success at the biggest possible stage. In essence, they symbolise a contemporary and inclusive way of life that mirrors a new world order.
Three mechanisms have been set up for the citizens to cast their vote – they are as follows:
SMS – IOTY to 52622
Call – 505 2622 04 and 12555 26 (for BSNL and MTNL users)
Log on to – indianoftheyear.com
Voting closes at midnight on Jan. 22.
Simultaneously, an electoral college consisting of eminent personalities will vote for their choice. An elite Jury of Padma awardees will then select six individual winners of all six categories and decide who amongst the six will be honoured with ‘CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2008’.
Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network, said: “The procedure undertaken for selecting and short listing the nominees for CNN-IBN Indian of the Year ‘08 awards underlines complete transparency. The chosen nominees are an astute choice in their respective categories and we hope the best win!”
“CNN-IBN Indian of the Year ‘08 awards nominees comprise Indians whose hard work and achievements in the past one year have earned them applause and acclaim,” said Dilip Venkatraman, Convener - CNN-IBN Indian of the Year and CMO-IBN18 Network. “The elite editorial body had to go through a rigorous exercise to ratify these nominees. We look forward to honouring and awarding these achievers.”
