By Elton Gomes
Time and again, the world has come across people who have left an imprint on it, through their work—people who have set trends, who have questioned outlandish norms, and have stood for the truth.
The TIME magazine’s 100 most influential persons list includes those who have strived to make a difference, and changed people’s world views.
The 2018 TIME Most Influential list includes journalists, actors, musicians, artists, politicians, and others. The list includes, to name a few, personalities like Trevor Noah, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the pioneers of the #MeToo movement Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.
A total of four Indians are on the list—actor Deepika Padukone, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, and captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli.
Fortune also released its list of 50 Greatest Leaders of 2018. The list was topped by student activists, and survivors of the tragic Parkland school shooting. The list also included Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, and Delhi-based architect Balkrishna Doshi.
Doshi was recently awarded the highest award in architecture—the Pritzker—for being a pioneer in providing sustainable, and low-cost housing to Indians.
Fortune’s list also included the former Solicitor General of India, and senior advocate Indira Jaisingh. This is the first time an Indian lawyer’s name has been included on the list.
Making India proud
Hollywood actor Vin Diesel penned the profile for Deepika Padukone and said: “Anyone could talk about how beautiful she is, and anyone could tell you about her unmatched comedic timing. But she isn’t just a star. She’s an actor’s actor, dedicated to the craft.”
.@vindiesel: Actress “@Deepikapadukone is the best Earth has to offer. She’s not just here to represent India; she’s here to represent the world” #TIME100 https://t.co/dESXipYNcQ
— TIME (@TIME) April 19, 2018
Padukone is the only Bollywood actor to be featured on the list. By featuring in movies such as Padmaavat and XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, Padukone garnered immense acclaim both in India and abroad, as reported by the Indian Express.
India’s startup revolution made a mark for itself, as the list featured Ola’s CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, whose profile was written by Flipkart’s co-founder Sachin Bansal.
“By taking Ola Down Under to Australia this year, he has made it one of the first homegrown tech companies to meaningfully expand outside India. This time, the wishes of a billion Indians, mine included, are riding in his cab,” Bansal wrote.
Aggarwal thanked Bansal for his kind words, and said that he was honoured to be on the list.
Thank you @_sachinbansal for your kind and encouraging words! Honored to feature in the #TIME100 list. Recognition of the hard work by all at @Olacabs @TIME https://t.co/6Fl5cAiSuB
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) April 20, 2018
The Indian cricket team’s captain Virat Kohli evinced a similar reaction, when the God of Indian cricket Sachin Tendulkar wrote a profile for Kohli.
Thank you @sachin_rt paaji for such warm and encouraging words. Truly honored for being able to make it to the @Time‘s 100 list. #Times100 #grateful 🙏😇
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) April 20, 2018
Kohli’s exceptional performance in 2017, and his consistent performance throughout his career so far, has helped him score 11 centuries, totalling over 2,000 runs across all formats.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s profile was written by American writer, and journalist Walter Isaacson. In the profile, Isaacson praised Nadella for emphasising empathy: “Nadella also preaches the importance of empathy and making products that work reliably …”
Other prominent personalities in the list
Student activists, and survivors of the Parkland school shooting—Cameron Kasky, Jaclyn Corin, David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, and Alex Wind—found their names under the “pioneer” category. These activists organised the historic “March for our lives” rally, which made waves across the globe, and saw people of numerous nationalities take to the streets to protest social and cultural issues, primarily gun violence, across the US, and the world.
Pakistani-American comedian Kumail Nanjiani also made the list, sharing space with rapper Cardi B, author Jesmyn Ward, and Italian astrophysicist Marica Branchesi, among others.
American actress, writer, director, producer, and web series creator Issa Rae was also featured on the list. Mindy Kaling wrote her profile and said, “Only Issa Rae could make the adjectives awkward and insecure chic.”
A toast to @IssaRae! She won the Peabody Award today for INSECURE and was named to #Time100 on the same day! Yes, these are exterior markers of her excellence, which we all are well aware of despite them. But I love to see the light shine on her from all directions! Shine, Queen! pic.twitter.com/QJl5im8Q4p
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 19, 2018
Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Gal Gadot, Greta Gerwig, and Sterling Brown, among others, were also featured on the list. Meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Stranger Things superstar Millie Bobby Brown, became the youngest person to be featured on the list.
Millie Bobby Brown Is TIME’s Youngest 100 Most Influential People Honoree Ever https://t.co/bH4vcZroyw
— People (@people) April 20, 2018
The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders
Senior advocate Indira Jaising was featured on Fortune’s list of greatest leaders. Jaisingh’s efforts to fight for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy was lauded by Fortune.
Fortune said: “(Jaisingh) helped Syrian Christian women in India win property rights equal to their male counterparts’, and helped draft India’s first domestic violence law.”
At the 24th spot in the list was businessman Mukesh Ambani, for bringing “mobile data to the masses.” Fortune said that Ambani’s Jio had “fueled a 1,100% rise in India’s monthly data consumption. ”
Delhi-based architect Balkrishna Doshi found himself on the 43rd spot in the list. “Underlying all his work is the ideal that all economic classes deserve good housing,” Fortune wrote, lauding Doshi’s principles.
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