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MUMBAI: Forbes India, the country?s most influential business magazine, is set to declare its choice for the ?Person of the Year? in its upcoming edition that will hit the stands on Friday, December 18. In the race for the honour are 21 eminent Indians who have shown leadership, courage and enterprise and in many ways, exemplify the unique ?Indian Way?.
Forbes India invites its readers to take part in the process of discovering the one person who will top that list. From today, until 11.00 p.m. on Thursday, December 17, readers can vote for their choice of the Person of the Year by logging on to www.forbesindiamagazine.com/personoftheyear.
There are prizes to be won too. Among those who vote for the eventual winner, to be chosen by the Forbes India editorial team, 25 people will be picked by a lucky draw for a special prize.
Similarly, among those who vote for the popular choice in the online poll (who may or may not be the eventual winner), 25 people will be selected for a lucky prize.
The idea behind the Person of the Year package had its genesis in the newsroom discussions at Forbes India, where senior editors debated about what is gripping the minds of the readers as a very volatile and action-packed year draws to a close. They figured it is the emergence of India as an economic power and its arrival on the world stage.
But India has a long way to go before it realises this potential. The country must find ways to develop its economy while making sure the growth is inclusive of the less privileged. It must make its governance more efficient while safeguarding its democratic institutions. Such a comprehensive economic solution for nearly 1.2 billion people has never been attempted in the world before.
This cannot be achieved by a cookie-cutter approach, by importing models from the developed world and implementing them here. India must find its own way, by blending the best from all corners of the world, but also evolving local solutions from the hearts and minds of its citizens.
The 21 personalities in Forbes India?s People of the Year List are those who are finding out this Indian Way. In 2009, they have demonstrated a rare ability to bridge the country?s traditional strengths with modern thoughts on development. As 2010 unveils, they will help us find answers for many of our development problems.
But there is one person among the 21 who stands out for an ability to blend visionary ideas with surgical execution. Who is that Forbes India Person of the Year?
The answer will be known on December 18, when Forbes India?s last issue of 2009 comes out.
The Nominees are:
A.R. Rahman, Music Composer
Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson, Hindustan Times Group
Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India
Chetan Bhagat, Author
Lalit Modi, Commissioner, Indian Premier League
Facebook, everybody?s Man Friday to connect with humanity
Pranav Mistry, Student and Inventor
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Captain, Indian Cricket Team
Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group
K.G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India
Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary, Congress Party
Karambir Kang, General Manager, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai
Anjali Gopalan, Founder, The Naz Foundation
Kiran Karnik, Interim Chairman, Sayam Computer Services
Mehmood Khan, Managing Trustee, Rasuli Kanwar Khan Trust
Rahul Dhir, CEO, Cairn India
Francisco D?Souza, CEO, Cognizant Technology Solutions
Rahul Bhatia, Chairman, IndiGo Airlines
Sunil Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Group
Vikram Akula, Founder, SKS Microfinance
Jean Dreze, Development Economist
