Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Wipro chairman Azim Premji and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai figure in a list of the world’s 100 most powerful and influential people compiled by Time magazine. In the list to be published tomorrow, Vajpayee finds mention along with world leaders US President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. The list called Bush, ‘‘a radical gambler’’. Saying the Republican President will be judged by the Iraq war, columnist Andrew Sullivan wrote: ‘‘We do know that this unassuming man became a radical gambler with his fate and with humanity’s.’’Democratic challenger John Kerry was called ‘‘a solemn unifier for the Democrats’’ by Joe Klein, who wrote a best-seller about the Clintons. Time listed National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, saying: ‘‘She can have her pick of Cabinet posts in a second Bush term’’ — especially if the Secretary of State or Defence were to leave. Neither of those top officials were listed.The commander of US forces in Iraq, General John Abizaid, was included, along with cleric Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, and the founders of ground-breaking Arab TV station Al-Jazeera. Interestingly, Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is also included in the category of leaders and revolutionaries, the list available exclusively to The Independent on Sunday said. The list is split into leaders and revolutionaries, builders and titans, scientists and thinkers, heroes and icons, artists and entertainers, with 20 names in each. Yoga instructor B.K.S. Iyengar is included in the heroes and icons category which also mentions Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi and the Dalai Lama among others. Former Miss World and actress Aishwarya Rai shares the limelight in the entertainers category with Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, singer Norah Jones and author of the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling. Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro Ltd, which has just turned into a US $ 1 billion firm, is clubbed with media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
