Gandhi voted `Asian of century’, Indira `woman of the millennium’

"Gandhi’s name is the first to spring to mind when thinking of great Asians," the weekly says in "The Asian Of The Century" cover story which appears in its latest issue, according to a release of the Hong Kong-based weekly.

To name one person as the `Asian of the century’, the weekly’s editors looked to individuals from five areas who have each contributed to the betterment of Asia in their respective fields over the past 100 years and from among the five who topped their separate categories, Gandhi was picked, it said. “More than 50 years after his death, Gandhi is the only Asian leader this century whose achievements and influence have transcended international borders. Gandhi showed that freedom and dignity are inherent in people, and are not qualities to be allocated by a minority in power,” it said.

While Gandhi topped the category of “moral and spiritual leadership”, Morita Akio, co-founder of Japanese multinational `Sony’, was selected leader in the business and economics field.

Other leaders selected were Charles Kao Kuen, father of fibre optics (science and technology), Akira Kurosawa, first Asian to win an Oscar (art, literature and culture) and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (politics and government).

In the BBC online poll, Indira Gandhi and Queen Elizabeth I were followed by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa, Marie Curie and Aung San Suu Kyi and former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Those next to them chosen by the international users of BBC as the greatest woman of the last 1000 years, included Joan of Arc, Emmeline Pankhurst and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Lord Swraj Paul, leading NRI industrialist and chairman of the 500 million pound Caparo group said he was personally delighted to hear about the BBC news online verdict about Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated by her own bodyguards in 1984.

"I have always believed that Mrs Gandhi was the greatest politician of the century. But to be adjudged the woman of the millennium is more heartening," he said.

"No other politician who has acquired powers, called for an election when nobody believed her, lost the elections, handed over the power and then won back the people’s verdict in a manner in which Mrs Gandhi did. It was my honour, pleasure and privilege to know her and I am delighted," he said.