The most powerful Indians in 2014: No. 91-100
Indian Express: The most powerful Indians in 2014.
See who is placed where this year.
RANK 91: ARUNA ROY, 67
Bureaucrat-turned-activist
Rank (2013): 66
WHY
With one-time associate Kejriwal turning to politics, it is now on Roy to take RTI forward, especially during troubled times when the conflict between the CIC order on parties being under the ambit of the transparency law and Parliament’s dogged resistance to it is unlikely to resolve anytime soon.
POWER PUNCH
The former NAC member has mastered the art of staying within the system while attempting to change it. Her ability to straddle the two worlds of New Delhi’s power corridors and dusty tracts of Rajasthan villages has made her one of the most respected social activists.
WHAT NEXT
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, the organisation she runs, is pushing for universal pension.
BY THE WAY
She trained in classical dance at Kalakshetra.
RANK 92: ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA, 57
Chairperson, State Bank of India
(New on the list)
WHY
As head of the largest bank in India with over 15,000 branches and almost 20 per cent of the country’s total deposits, her decisions on interest rates and banking initiatives are keenly watched and followed by other banks.
POWER PUNCH
She is the first woman chairperson of the bank; she was appointed in October 2013, beating three male contenders.
WHAT NEXT
Bhattacharya has to stop the slide in the asset quality and improve the margins. At the same time, she has to boost the credit delivery.
BY THE WAY
She makes it a point to try local food wherever she travels.
RANK 93: SUNIL BHARTI MITTAL, 56
Chairman & Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises
Rank (2013): 80
WHY
He is the founder and chairman of India’s largest private telecom player, Bharti Airtel, which had 192.22 million subscribers as of August 31, 2013.
POWER PUNCH
The recent acquisition of Mumbai-based Loop Mobile by Airtel will make it the largest mobile operator in terms of subscriber base in the city.
WHAT NEXT
In a landmark handshake, one-time rivals Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal have agreed to share telecom infrastructure. Bharti has already commenced 4G services in some areas and has bought out Qualcomm stake in a mobile broadband venture.
BY THE WAY
The telecom titan is also a yoga freak.
RANK 94: JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA, 43
Union minister and Congress leader
Rank (2013): 96
WHY
Young and energetic, Jyotiraditya Scindia is among the main leaders of the Congress in MP. The Union minister has initiated reforms in the power sector.
POWER PUNCH
He was the face of the Congress’s campaign in the 2013 Assembly polls and was drafted late as the campaign committee chief in MP.
WHAT NEXT
Although he was recently inducted as a member in the Rahul Gandhi-led election coordination committee for the Lok Sabha polls, he is likely to focus on expanding and strengthening his base in Madhya Pradesh.
BY THE WAY
He avoids using the official vehicle in his constituency and never uses his car’s AC during campaigning.
RANK 95: Sachin Pilot, 36
Rajasthan state Congress president, Union minister
(New on the list)
WHY
At a time when the Congress is decimated in Rajasthan, recording an all-time low of 21 seats in the Assembly, Pilot has been sent out to hold the fort. He has been one of the youngest parliamentarians, and one of the youngest ministers with an independent charge. Pilot’s new role in the state marks a generational shift in the party.
POWER PUNCH
Party high command reposed faith in Pilot, sidelining stalwarts like Ashok Gehlot.
WHAT NEXT
Pilot will have to rebuild the party from scratch and strengthen the organisational base, charting a long-term plan.
BY THE WAY
An adventure sports enthusiast, he likes bungee jumping, skydiving. Be it an Ambassador or a Bolero, he loves being behind the wheels.
RANK 96: K V KAMATH, 66
Lead independent director, Infosys
Rank (2013): 68
WHY
India’s banking doyen stepped down as chairman from the Infosys board last June calling on Narayana Murthy to bring back the mojo to the company. His step has pushed the market cap of the company by a massive 62 per cent in just 10 months.
POWER PUNCH
There have been questions over the role of Rohan Murthy in Infosys. But Kamath’s association with the company has warded off reservations about the family getting inside the board room.
WHAT NEXT
He expressed his admiration earlier this year about AAP’s anti-corruption agenda, but has decided to stay away from politics for now.
BY THE WAY
The army of women bankers he nurtured, he says, was inspired by his mother. In a letter to his daughter Ajnya, he says she had clear views on women taking on leadership roles.
RANK 97: SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR, 57
Spiritual guru and founder, Art of Living
Rank (2013): 100
WHY
He has taken his Art of Living movement around the world, to some of the most strife-torn areas. After supporting the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, he now talks about “nation building”, a clear sign that he plans to expand his influence.
POWER PUNCH
He facilitated a Skype interaction between Modi and members of the European Parliament last year that led to him being invited to the European Parliament.
WHAT NEXT
He is scheduled to address a global inter-faith meet this year as the only spiritual leader from India.
BY THE WAY
He likes Ferrero Rocher chocolates and offers them to devotees at his satsangs.
RANK 98: GAUTAM ADANI, 51
Chairman, Adani Group
(New on the list)
WHY
The net assets of the Adani Group in 2012-13 were over $18 billion. Its consolidated income for the first nine months of the current fiscal increased by 11 per cent to Rs 38,896 crore. The company’s total commissioned capacity is 7,920 MW, making it India’s largest private thermal power producer.
POWER PUNCH
Adani’s Mundra Port handled 74.73 million metric tonne of cargo during the first nine months of 2013-14. It signed an MoU with the Belgian port of Zeebrugge to act as a strategic entry port for the European market.
WHAT NEXT
The group has diversified its businesses — ranging from oilseeds to ports — and as on March 31, 2013 it had 73 subsidiaries.
BY THE WAY
He started as a diamond trader.
RANK 99: RANBIR KAPOOR, 31
Actor
Rank (2013): 95
WHY
With his eclectic cinema choices, Ranbir has cracked the right balance between the commercial blockbuster and the creative film experience.
POWER PUNCH
The Rs 19.45 crore of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Rs 20 crore day one of Besharam are his personal best.
WHAT NEXT
Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos, Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet, Vicky Singh’s Roy and a special appearance in Bhootnath Returns.
BY THE WAY
He loves reading biographies of actors. His favourite is Errol Flynn’s autobiography, My Wicked Wicked Ways.
RANK 100: SUBODH GUPTA, 50
Artist
(New on the list)
WHY
He is India’s face of contemporary art in the world, and critics often describe him as the ‘Damien Hirst
of India’.
POWER PUNCH
His successful mid-career show of around 50 works that were spread across two galleries of Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art. This was his largest show ever in India or abroad.
WHAT NEXT
Coming up in fall is a major show at MMK museum in Frankfurt, Germany.
BY THE WAY
His first job was as a graphic artist at Navbharat Times.
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