The Greatest Indian

The Greatest Indian was a poll sponsored by Reliance Mobile and conducted by Outlook magazine, in partnership with CNN-IBN and The History Channel. The poll was conducted from June to August 2012, with the winner, B. R. Ambedkar, announced on 11 August. A program associated with the poll aired from 4 June until 15 August.[1]

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was voted the "Greatest Indian".

Unlike other editions of Greatest Britons spin-offs, The Greatest Indian did not include people from all time periods of history. Two reasons were given for this choice. The first was that "the pre-independence history of India is dominated by Mahatma Gandhi and it is impossible for anyone to come close to the Father of the Nation when it comes to Leadership, Impact and Contribution. [...] The panel of experts felt that if Gandhi were to be included in the list, there would be no competition for title of The Greatest Indian".[2] Secondly, The Greatest Indian chose to focus on India as a modern nation: "India today is unrecognizable from the India that got independence in 1947. This nation has achieved this stature in the world thanks to contribution from millions of Indians. This is an effort to recognise one who has made the maximum contribution and impact in the surge of independent India".[2]

Nominations and voting process

A list of 100 names was presented to and compiled by a 28-member jury composed of actors, writers, sportspersons, entrepreneurs, and men and women of distinction in their fields.[3] This jury included N. Ram (former Editor-In-Chief of The Hindu), Vinod Mehta (Editor-in-Chief of Outlook), Soli Sorabjee (Former Attorney General of India), Sharmila Tagore (Bollywood actress and former Chairperson of the Censor Board of India), Harsha Bhogle (sports), Chetan Bhagat (author),[4] Ramachandra Guha (historian),[3] Shashi Tharoor (politician and author), Nandan Nilekani, Rajkumar Hirani, Shabana Azmi and Arun Jaitley.[5] They finalized a list of the top 50 nominees, which was released to the public on 4 June 2012, by CNN-IBN Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai. A three-way process was then used to assess a top ten, in which equal weight was given to the votes of the jury, an online poll, and a market survey conducted by the Nielsen Company.[3] 7,129,050 people participated in this phase of the online poll.[6] Public voting was conducted from 4 June to 25 June,[1] with the final top ten were announced on 3 July.[7] A second round of voting followed, using the same method as the first, lasting from 1 July to 1 August.[1] Individuals were able to cast votes either by visiting www.thegreatestindian.in or by calling a unique number given to each of the nominees.[7] Nearly 20,000,000 people voted in this round of the survey.[8] The announcement of the winner was made on 11 August,[9] with a special finale, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan and featuring other Indian celebrities, airing on 14 and 15 August (Independence Day).[10]

Top ten nominees

The top 10 nominees have all received the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the Republic of India.

List of the top ten "greatest Indians".[11]
Rank Image Name State Notability
1 B. R. Ambedkar
(1891–1956)		 Maharashtra Ambedkar is recognised as the "founding father of the Republic of India".[12][13][14][15] Polymath scholar, Social reformer and leader of the Dalits,[16][17] Ambedkar was the architect of the Indian Constitution and also served as the first Law Minister of India.[18] He was given the honorific title "Babasaheb" ("respected father"). Ambedkar predominantly campaigned against the social discrimination with Dalits, the Hindu caste system.[19] He was associated with the Dalit Buddhist movement and accepted Buddhism as a religion along with his more than half a million followers on 14 October 1956.[20] Ambedkar revived Buddhism in India.[21][22]
2 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
(1931–2015)		 Tamil Nadu Aerospace and defence scientist, Kalam was involved in the development of India's first satellite launch vehicle SLV III and was the architect of Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. He worked for Indian National Committee for Space Research, Indian Space Research Organisation, Defence Research and Development Laboratory and was appointed as the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Secretary to Department of Defence Research and Development and Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation.[23] Later, he served as the eleventh President of India from 2002 until 2007.[24]
3 Vallabhbhai Patel
(1875–1950)		 Gujarat Widely known as the "Iron Man of India",[25] Patel was an independence activist and first Deputy Prime Minister of India (1947–50). Post independence, "Sardar" ("Leader") Patel worked with V. P. Menon towards dissolving 555 princely states into the Indian union.[26][27]
4 Jawaharlal Nehru
(1889–1964)		 Uttar Pradesh Independence activist and author, Nehru is the first and the longest-serving Prime Minister of India (1947–64). Nehru himself was Prime Minister of India at the time of receiving Bharat Ratna award.[28][29]
5 Mother Teresa
(1910–1997)		 West Bengal
(Born in Skopje,
now North Macedonia)		 "Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta" was a catholic nun and the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, Which manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work in 1979 and was beatified on 19 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II and canonised on 4 September 2016 by Pope Francis.[30]
6

J. R. D. Tata
(1904–1993)		 Maharashtra Industrialist, philanthropist, and aviation pioneer, Tata founded India's first airline Air India. He is the founder of various institutes including Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Tata Memorial Hospital, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tata Motors, TCS, National Institute of Advanced Studies, and National Centre for the Performing Arts.[31][32]
7 Indira Gandhi
(1917–1984)		 Uttar Pradesh Known as the "Iron Lady of India",[33] Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India during 1966–77 and 1980–84.[28] During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, her government supported Bangladesh Liberation War which led to the formation of a new country, Bangladesh.[34]
8 Sachin Tendulkar
(b. 1973)		 Maharashtra Having debuted in 1989, Tendulkar played 664 international cricket matches in a career spanning over two decades. He holds various cricket records including the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries, the first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in both ODI and Test cricket.[35][36]
9 Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924–2018)		 Madhya Pradesh Parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee was elected nine times to the Lok Sabha, twice to the Rajya Sabha and served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms; 1996, 1998, 1999–2004.[28] He was Minister of External Affairs during 1977–79 and was awarded the "Best Parliamentarian" in 1994.[37]
10 Lata Mangeshkar
(b. 1929)		 Maharashtra Widely credited as the "nightingale of India",[38] playback singer Mangeshkar started her career in the 1940s and has sung songs in over 36 languages.[39] In 1989, Mangeshkar was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema.[40]

List of original fifty nominees

Of 50 nominees, 15 have received the Bharat Ratna and 6 are women. The oldest living nominees at the time of the poll were Ravi Shankar (92), M. S. Swaminathan (87) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (88), while Sachin Tendulkar (39) was the youngest.[41]

  1. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956)
  2. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931–2015)
  3. Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950)
  4. Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964)
  5. Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
  6. J. R. D. Tata (1904–1993)
  7. Indira Gandhi (1917–1984)
  8. Sachin Tendulkar (b. 1973)
  9. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018)
  10. Lata Mangeshkar (b. 1929)
  11. Jayaprakash Narayan (1902–1979) social reformer
  12. Kanshi Ram (1934–2006) politician and Founder of the BSP
  13. Ram Manohar Lohia (1910–1967) Socialist leader
  14. C. Rajagopalachari (1878–1972) First Indian Governor-General of India
  15. Sam Manekshaw (1914–2008) Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army
  16. Ajith Kumar (b. 1971) actor,Racing Driver, Pilot
  17. Baba Amte (1914–2008) social worker
  18. Ela Bhatt (b. 1933) founder Self-Employed Women's Association of India
  19. Vinoba Bhave (1895–1982) advocate of nonviolence
  20. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (1903–1988) freedom fighter
  21. Ravi Shankar (1920–2012) musician
  22. M. S. Subbulakshmi (1916–2004) Carnatic vocalist
  23. Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee (1901–1953) Politician and Founder of Jansangh
  24. Bismillah Khan (1916–2006) musician
  25. R. K. Narayan (1906–2001) writer
  26. R. K. Laxman (1921–2015) cartoonist, illustrator, and humorist
  27. B. K. S. Iyengar (1918–2014) founder of Iyengar Yoga
  28. Amitabh Bachchan (b. 1942) film actor
  29. Raj Kapoor (1924–1988) director of Hindi cinema
  30. Kamal Hasan (b. 1954) actor, director
  31. Satyajit Ray (1921–1992) filmmaker
  32. A. R. Rahman (b. 1967) composer and philanthropist
  33. Kishore Kumar (1929–1987) film playback singer
  34. Dilip Kumar (b. 1922) actor, producer and activist
  35. Dev Anand (1923–2011) producer and actor
  36. Mohammad Rafi (1924–1980) singer
  37. Homi Bhabha (1909–1966) nuclear physicist
  38. Dhirubhai Ambani (1932–2002) business tycoon, founder of Reliance Industries
  39. Verghese Kurien (1921–2012) social entrepreneur
  40. Ghanshyam Das Birla (1894–1983) businessman
  41. N. R. Narayana Murthy (b. 1946) IT industrialist
  42. Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971) scientist
  43. M. S. Swaminathan (b. 1925) geneticist
  44. Ramnath Goenka (1904–1991) newspaper publisher
  45. Amartya Sen (b. 1933) philosopher and economist
  46. E. Sreedharan (b. 1932) civil engineer
  47. Kapil Dev (b. 1959) cricketer
  48. Sunil Gavaskar (b. 1949) cricketer
  49. Dhyan Chand (1905–1979) hockey player
  50. Viswanathan Anand (b. 1969) chess Grandmaster
  51. Milkha Singh (b. 1935) field sprinter

Results

Babasaheb Ambedkar was generally approved of as the greatest Indian, with several prominent scholars writing articles congratulating him, including Ramachandra Guha[3] and S. Anand.[42]

See also

References
  1. "The Greatest Indian: Terms of Use". Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  2. "The Greatest Indian: FAQ". Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  3. "The Hindu, 21 July 2012: Indians great, greater, greatest?". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  4. "Indian Television, 18 May 2012: History TV18, CNN IBN name jury members for 'The Greatest Indian'". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  5. "TwoCircles.net, 5 June 2012: Now vote for 'The Greatest Indian'". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  6. "India Info Online, 3 July 2012: HISTORY TV18 & CNN IBN reveals names of 'The Greatest Indian'". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  7. "Outlook, 11 June 2012: The Greatest Indian After Gandhi". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  8. "The Hindu Business Line, 14 August 2012: Ambedkar voted "Greatest Indian" in poll". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  9. "Asian Human Rights Commission, 16 August 2012: INDIA: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar – the greatest Indian". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  10. "Indian Television, 13 August 2012: 'Dr. B R Ambedkar is 'The Greatest Indian after the Mahatma'". Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  11. "A Measure Of The Man". Outlook. 20 August 2012.
  12. https://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/bhimrao_ambedkar.html
  13. https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/learning/ambedkar-jayanti-2019-facts-babasaheb-for-kids-5672744/
  14. https://www.bloombergquint.com/opinion/in-india-dalits-show-power-of-building-statues
  15. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/ambedkar-jayanti-president-pm-pay-tributes-on-129th-birth-anniversary-120041400324_1.html
  16. "Profile: Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  17. https://time.com/5770511/india-protests-br-ambedkar/
  18. "Some Facts of Constituent Assembly". Parliament of India. National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  19. Jain, Anurodh Lalit (14 April 2013). "Let's help realise the vision of Ambedkar for Dalits". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  20. Vajpeyi, Ananya (27 August 2015). "Owning Ambedkar sans his views". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  21. https://thebuddhistcentre.com/stories/ambedkar/
  22. https://thewire.in/religion/buddhism-teachings-ambedkar
  23. "Bio-data: Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam". Press Information Bureau (PIB). 26 July 2002. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  24. "Former President of India". The President's Secretariat. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  25. "PM Modi pays tributes to Sardar Patel on his death anniversary". New Delhi: IBN Live. 15 December 2014. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
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  27. "Profile: Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  28. "Prime Ministers of India". Prime Minister's Office (India). Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  29. Guha, Ramachandra (11 January 2014). "Leave it to history: India's best and worst prime ministerse". The Telegraph. Calcutta. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  30. "Profile: Blessed Mother Teresa". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  31. "Profile: J.R.D. Tata". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  32. Shah, Shashank; Ramamoorthy, V.E. (2013). Soulful Corporations: A Values-Based Perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 149. ISBN 978-81-322-1275-1. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018.
  33. Thelikorala, Sulakshi (18 November 2011). "Indira Gandhi: Iron Lady of India". Asian Tribune. World Institute For Asian Studies. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  34. "Profile: Indira Gandhi". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  35. "Profile: Sachin Tendulkar". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  36. "Records/Combined Test, ODI and T20I records/Batting records; Most runs in career". ESPNcricinfo. 13 September 2015. Archived from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
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  38. "India's Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar turns 82 today". Firstpost. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  39. Gulzar, Nihalani & Chatterjee 2003, pp. 486, 487.
  40. https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/music/lata-mangeshkar-pays-her-respects-to-dadasaheb-phalke-2778051/
  41. List of 50 Nominees for the Greatest Indian
  42. "Outlook, 20 August 2012: A Case For Bhim Rajya". Retrieved 3 March 2013.

Sources

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