Manmohan Singh
By Indra Nooyi
The long history of India boasts many great leaders. But the much shorter history of Indian democracy is already creating its own heroes, and Manmohan Singh, 77, is one of them.
As India's Finance Minister from 1991 to 1996, Singh realized that India had everything to gain by opening up to the world. Through his tireless efforts to cut bureaucracy and open markets, he released India's potential for the benefit of its people.
Now, as Prime Minister, he is guiding India into the ranks of the great powers. India today is a critical engine of global growth, a vital partner in global security and a model for democratic development. Perhaps more important, Singh is ensuring this progress is not enjoyed by a chosen few; he realizes that economic development is the best antipoverty program a government can design. Albert Einstein said, "Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." In endeavoring to lift India's people to prosperity and stability, Singh has achieved both.
Nooyi is chairwoman and CEO of PepsiCo
Sachin Tendulkar
In the history of cricket, only one man has scored a double century — 200 runs — in a One Day International match, and his name is Sachin Tendulkar. To millions of Indians and countless fans around the world, this act, which caps a career of record-breaking feats, arouses a sense of awe.
Cricket casts the tiniest shadow on the American sports scene, but globally it stokes the fire in people's souls. Inherited from imperial England, the world's second most watched team sport has become a symbol of beating the colonials at their own game. Sports heroes such as Tendulkar, 37, stand for national dignity in a way that perhaps only a postcolonial nation can understand. And feel grateful for.
Chopra is a New York Times best-selling author
Chetan Bhagat
Cricket casts the tiniest shadow on the American sports scene, but globally it stokes the fire in people's souls. Inherited from imperial England, the world's second most watched team sport has become a symbol of beating the colonials at their own game. Sports heroes such as Tendulkar, 37, stand for national dignity in a way that perhaps only a postcolonial nation can understand. And feel grateful for.
Chopra is a New York Times best-selling author
Chetan Bhagat
By A.R. Rahman
Many writers are successful at expressing what's in their hearts or articulating a particular point of view. Chetan Bhagat's books do both and more. A former investment banker, Chetan, 36, broke out as a writer with his novels One Night @ the Call Center and Five Point Someone, which inspired the film 3 Idiots, the biggest Indian hit in history. His latest book is about his marriage and the obstacles he and his wife faced coming from different regions of India. Many families go through this — I went through it — and Chetan conveys so well what happens when two worlds meet. The customs may be uniquely Indian, but the story is universal.
I've seen the effect Chetan has on his readers. He often writes about following your dreams and not bowing to others' expectations. That isn't easy in India, where family opinion matters and some professions are regarded as more serious than others. I run a music school, and people have quit their jobs to study music. It's great to see brave young people giving their dreams a chance. Chetan's writing inspires that kind of bravery.
Rahman, a composer, won two Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire
Aishwarya Rai
I've seen the effect Chetan has on his readers. He often writes about following your dreams and not bowing to others' expectations. That isn't easy in India, where family opinion matters and some professions are regarded as more serious than others. I run a music school, and people have quit their jobs to study music. It's great to see brave young people giving their dreams a chance. Chetan's writing inspires that kind of bravery.
Rahman, a composer, won two Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire
Aishwarya Rai
Tell us about a book or film or work of art that has influenced you.
The Alchemist was my favorite book, but I want everyone to read it for themselves and take their own journey and make their own discovery.
The Alchemist was my favorite book, but I want everyone to read it for themselves and take their own journey and make their own discovery.
Who is the person who had the most effect or influence on you when you were growing up?
It must be two people: certainly my mother and father. My mother taught by example. She is smart, caring for others, loving and always supportive of me. My father is strong, funny, loving and the best listener in the world. With their support I always feel there is nothing I cannot accomplish.
It must be two people: certainly my mother and father. My mother taught by example. She is smart, caring for others, loving and always supportive of me. My father is strong, funny, loving and the best listener in the world. With their support I always feel there is nothing I cannot accomplish.
