Holy 'Numnah!' Indiana Boy, 13, Wins Bee
Sameer Mishra spells 'guerdon' to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
By JOSEPH WHITE Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON May 30, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
After watching his sister try three times to win the Scripps Nationals Spelling Bee, Sameer Mishra put himself on a mission.
The 13-year-old boy aced "guerdon" to win the 81st edition of the bee, held in the nation's capital. Sameer will receive $35,000 in cash plus more than $5,000 in other prizes.
"I told my mom I was going to do the bee," Sameer said. "And if I was going to do it, I was going to win it one day. And I guess it happened."
Did it ever. With the sister coaching him, Sameer augmented his spelling talent with a sense of humor that often kept the Grand Hyatt Ballroom audience laughing. The 13-year-old from West Lafayette, Ind., was finally all business when he aced "guerdon" — a word that appropriately means "something that one has earned or gained" — to win the 81st version of the bee Friday night.
"I'm not used to people laughing at my jokes — except for my sister," Sameer said.
Appearing in the bee for the fourth time and a top 20 finisher the last two years, Sameer clenched both fists and put his hands to his face after spelling the winning word. He won a tense duel over first-time participant Sidharth Chand, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who finally stumbled on "prosopopoeia," a word describing a type of figure of speech.
Sameer was a crowd favorite throughout the tournament. When told one of his words in the semifinals was a dessert, he deadpanned: "That sounds good right now." He rolled his eyes and muttered "wonderful" when told that one of his words had five different language roots. He once asked "Are you sure there are no alternate pronunciations?" In another round, he uttered "That's a relief" after initially mishearing the word "numnah" (a type of sheepskin pad).
And what did he have to say while hoisting the heavy trophy? "I'm really, really weak."
Sameer, who won more than $40,000 in cash and prizes, likes playing the violin and the video game "Guitar Hero" and hopes one day to be a neurosurgeon. He tried to watch the movie "Ratatouille" during the long wait before the finals but found he "couldn't really relax that much." His sister, Shruti, cried after her brother's victory on a day in which she received her own big news: She was accepted to Princeton.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Saba Naqvi Bhaumik on Arundhati Roy
OPINION
Why We Love To Hate Ms Roy
Deconstructing the complex Indian responses to Arundhati Roy reveals layers of prejudice. Apart from the macho male response, more intriguing is the Indian response to her at a personal level...
Saba Naqvi Bhaumik on Arundhati Roy in outlook.com May29, 2008
Arundhati Roy certainly has a stomach for controversy. By writing several articles and providing an introduction to a book defending Mohammad Afzal Guru (13 Dec, A Reader: The Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament), the main accused in the December 13, 2001, attack on the Indian Parliament, she has stuck her neck out again. Ever since the lady made her views on the matter public, many furious friends have called. "Who does that woman think she is?" they have thundered, accusing her of "passing off conspiracy theories as investigations". As far as they are concerned, Roy should be the first citizen in their rogue’s gallery of ‘anti-national’ elements. No other writer inspires as much anger and mountains of hate mail to publications where she writes as this ‘petite woman’.
So when a foreign journalist recently asked me how Roy is perceived by Indians, the best reply I could come up with is that we have a love-hate relationship with her. I then checked the Net and found an old essay in the Observer, London. "Is India just jealous of Arundhati Roy," asked the paper which profiled her under the headline ‘The Dam Buster’. The same day the Sunday Times carried a full-page article that somewhat absurdly equated Roy with Victoria Beckham, both described as "role models for young British women". Ridiculous as the comparison between a sexy footballer-wife-pop-star and a serious novelist-essayist may be, it does reveal that Roy has been an icon in the West for some years now.
But what of her status back home in India? She’s certainly not the sort of role model that utters platitudes and makes us feel good about ourselves. On the contrary, she manages to ruffle many Indian feathers. Deconstructing the complex Indian responses to Roy reveals layers of prejudice.
First, there is the macho male response to a woman who is not just brilliant and beautiful, but is also blessed with a talent for turning out powerful prose. Roy would be adored by the Indian male if she had been content to sit prettily on a pedestal. Instead, she has repeatedly asked for trouble challenging the big boys when they are playing with their favourite toys: the Big Bomb, the Big Dam, the Big War and now the Big Terrorist.
Even more intriguing is the Indian response to Roy at a personal level. Despite her waif-like appearance, she does not fit the stereotypical Indian woman. If Indian men feel threatened by her, the average woman would probably be deeply confused by her personal carriage. Roy’s sartorial tastes are like a bucket of cold water to a cash-rich middle-class pursuing polyester dreams. Ethnic chic, new-age hippie, Western vogue, all rolled into one. Her mix of colourful peasant style skirts with the casual Western T-shirt is devastatingly trendy, but also very individualistic.
Her haircut, too, is a case in point. Some years ago she changed to a close-cropped style to expose her slightly protruding ears. In one stroke, she challenged the conventional stereotype of beauty. The hair has now grown, but so has Roy’s appetite for courting controversy.
The trendy style, impeccable articulation and high profile causes have certainly made Roy a romantic heroine in the West. In an article titled ‘Grassroots gamine’ the Guardian’s Madeline Bunting wrote: "The next time someone asks you what happened to feminism, you know the answer. It moved south in search of the sun."
But an Indian summer is not a sun-bathing vacation. It is a long, hot, miserable ordeal. Roy’s causes have all landed her in conflict with the Hindu Right that freely bandies the phrase ‘anti-national’.It also portrays her as a lost soul in search of a cause; an individual who is raising issues that an emerging superpower cannot afford to engage with. To some extent, they have succeeded in projecting this image.
Self-absorbed as we are, most Indians are oblivious that Roy’s forceful post-September 11 essay made her an icon not just in the West but also in West Asia. Yet, most of us still think of Roy as a Booker Prize-winning author of a novel we have never read, who inexplicably seems to enjoy slumming it with anti-dam activists and now ‘Muslim terrorists’.
Indians would probably like Roy better if like VS Naipaul and Salman Rushdie, those other great writers they claim as their own (despite both of them living in the West), Roy made grand statements about Islam or Indian civilisation in rarefied writers’ fora and then swiftly retreated from the public stage. Besides, shouldn’t she learn some lessons from Naipaul and Rushdie, both of whom are now on the right side of the great ‘clash of civilisations’ debate?
Yet, Roy seems to prefer clashing with those who believe they know better. But Indians are a forgiving people and her critics would absolutely adore Roy if she moved to the West, where they believe people like her actually belong. Then every Indian heart would swell with pride whenever they recall their great galaxy of English language writers.
But if Roy insists on staying on in India, there are a few things she could do to soften the hatred she often inspires in some Indians. Wear saris, shut up, stay at home, have babies, grow her hair long and start plaiting it.
Why We Love To Hate Ms Roy
Deconstructing the complex Indian responses to Arundhati Roy reveals layers of prejudice. Apart from the macho male response, more intriguing is the Indian response to her at a personal level...
Saba Naqvi Bhaumik on Arundhati Roy in outlook.com May29, 2008
Arundhati Roy certainly has a stomach for controversy. By writing several articles and providing an introduction to a book defending Mohammad Afzal Guru (13 Dec, A Reader: The Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament), the main accused in the December 13, 2001, attack on the Indian Parliament, she has stuck her neck out again. Ever since the lady made her views on the matter public, many furious friends have called. "Who does that woman think she is?" they have thundered, accusing her of "passing off conspiracy theories as investigations". As far as they are concerned, Roy should be the first citizen in their rogue’s gallery of ‘anti-national’ elements. No other writer inspires as much anger and mountains of hate mail to publications where she writes as this ‘petite woman’.
So when a foreign journalist recently asked me how Roy is perceived by Indians, the best reply I could come up with is that we have a love-hate relationship with her. I then checked the Net and found an old essay in the Observer, London. "Is India just jealous of Arundhati Roy," asked the paper which profiled her under the headline ‘The Dam Buster’. The same day the Sunday Times carried a full-page article that somewhat absurdly equated Roy with Victoria Beckham, both described as "role models for young British women". Ridiculous as the comparison between a sexy footballer-wife-pop-star and a serious novelist-essayist may be, it does reveal that Roy has been an icon in the West for some years now.
But what of her status back home in India? She’s certainly not the sort of role model that utters platitudes and makes us feel good about ourselves. On the contrary, she manages to ruffle many Indian feathers. Deconstructing the complex Indian responses to Roy reveals layers of prejudice.
First, there is the macho male response to a woman who is not just brilliant and beautiful, but is also blessed with a talent for turning out powerful prose. Roy would be adored by the Indian male if she had been content to sit prettily on a pedestal. Instead, she has repeatedly asked for trouble challenging the big boys when they are playing with their favourite toys: the Big Bomb, the Big Dam, the Big War and now the Big Terrorist.
Even more intriguing is the Indian response to Roy at a personal level. Despite her waif-like appearance, she does not fit the stereotypical Indian woman. If Indian men feel threatened by her, the average woman would probably be deeply confused by her personal carriage. Roy’s sartorial tastes are like a bucket of cold water to a cash-rich middle-class pursuing polyester dreams. Ethnic chic, new-age hippie, Western vogue, all rolled into one. Her mix of colourful peasant style skirts with the casual Western T-shirt is devastatingly trendy, but also very individualistic.
Her haircut, too, is a case in point. Some years ago she changed to a close-cropped style to expose her slightly protruding ears. In one stroke, she challenged the conventional stereotype of beauty. The hair has now grown, but so has Roy’s appetite for courting controversy.
The trendy style, impeccable articulation and high profile causes have certainly made Roy a romantic heroine in the West. In an article titled ‘Grassroots gamine’ the Guardian’s Madeline Bunting wrote: "The next time someone asks you what happened to feminism, you know the answer. It moved south in search of the sun."
But an Indian summer is not a sun-bathing vacation. It is a long, hot, miserable ordeal. Roy’s causes have all landed her in conflict with the Hindu Right that freely bandies the phrase ‘anti-national’.It also portrays her as a lost soul in search of a cause; an individual who is raising issues that an emerging superpower cannot afford to engage with. To some extent, they have succeeded in projecting this image.
Self-absorbed as we are, most Indians are oblivious that Roy’s forceful post-September 11 essay made her an icon not just in the West but also in West Asia. Yet, most of us still think of Roy as a Booker Prize-winning author of a novel we have never read, who inexplicably seems to enjoy slumming it with anti-dam activists and now ‘Muslim terrorists’.
Indians would probably like Roy better if like VS Naipaul and Salman Rushdie, those other great writers they claim as their own (despite both of them living in the West), Roy made grand statements about Islam or Indian civilisation in rarefied writers’ fora and then swiftly retreated from the public stage. Besides, shouldn’t she learn some lessons from Naipaul and Rushdie, both of whom are now on the right side of the great ‘clash of civilisations’ debate?
Yet, Roy seems to prefer clashing with those who believe they know better. But Indians are a forgiving people and her critics would absolutely adore Roy if she moved to the West, where they believe people like her actually belong. Then every Indian heart would swell with pride whenever they recall their great galaxy of English language writers.
But if Roy insists on staying on in India, there are a few things she could do to soften the hatred she often inspires in some Indians. Wear saris, shut up, stay at home, have babies, grow her hair long and start plaiting it.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Preity Zinta
I have no expectaion from anyone: Preity
21 May 2008, 0000 hrs IST,MANDVI SHARMA ,TNN
Preity Zinta
Success comes at a cost and Preity Zinta knows it. Her jadoo ki jhappis to her boys in the Mohali team after their every win, are making news but what people have forgotten are the jibes that came her way when she first got into the business of cricket.
She was mocked as the girl who hardly understood the game but had bought a team, she was sneered at when the VIP box during her matches was strangely bereft of any VIPs and Ness’ mother Maureen Wadia reportedly even wondered if her son would be a victim of fraudulent practices after investing in the IPL team with her. With all the success that her team has gathered and her Cannes appearance, a lot of people have to eat crow, and PZ has something to crow about. Here’s all...
‘You need to have that kind of stature to reach Cannes’: I was supposed to walk the red carpet at Cannes but I missed it because my flight was delayed. And to think I flew some 17 hours for that one appearance! But I did attend the dinner and the next day’s event.
I enjoyed Cannes because I got to play an actress after so long. These days, IPL sees me dressed in tees-jeans and no make-up. Here, I wore a designer gown, emeralds and a 1930s hairstyle. For me, the red carpet is about looking like a complete doll. If I do this kind of thing here, people will think I am crazy. Also, you need that kind of stature to be at an event like Cannes. There, I met Cate Blanchett, Misha Barton, Gillian Anderson among others. Also, when I was out shopping in Cannes, a group of French women came to me and called me Zaara as they had seen Veer-Zaara. India is sure going places!
‘Cricket is my passion now’: I am back so soon from Cannes because I won’t miss IPL for the world. I never thought that it would become my passion. I never expected to get so attached to the game. Its highs are so high and its lows are so low! The boys are great but they will make mistakes sometimes. And it is terrible when they do. Such is the madness of the game that I forget I am an actress and I have a certain protocol to follow in front of those 40,000 spectators. It is just too real for me to keep any appearances. In fact, I still remember the way I was looked at when I entered the dressing room for the first time. When I asked everybody what was the issue, they told me they have never had a woman in the dressing room before.
‘Who has time for films now?’: It is not sensible to make films with IPL in full flow. If everybody is hooked on to matches, who will go and watch films? But that doesn’t mean I have lost interest in Bollywood or I am not that great an actress anymore. I have an amazing line-up of films in my kitty. The minute IPL gets over, I have Har Pal, The Last Lear, Heros and Heaven on Earth releasing. And there is a surprise movie that I shall start shooting for very soon. Also, I have the world tour with the Bachchans in the offing.
‘This series is an emotional experience for me’: IPL is a very emotional experience for me. It is my first business venture and I have put my hard-earned money in to it. I have worked really hard to earn it all... dancing in minus four degrees in a thin chiffon saree is not easy. People have spoken about how my friends are not there to cheer my team. Well, I have told them that they are most welcome if they want to come. But I don’t need anyone to stand with me and cheer. I can stand on my own, be out there and do it for myself. I have that conviction. If people choose to come along with me, it’s great. However, I don’t have any expectations.
21 May 2008, 0000 hrs IST,MANDVI SHARMA ,TNN
Preity Zinta
Success comes at a cost and Preity Zinta knows it. Her jadoo ki jhappis to her boys in the Mohali team after their every win, are making news but what people have forgotten are the jibes that came her way when she first got into the business of cricket.
She was mocked as the girl who hardly understood the game but had bought a team, she was sneered at when the VIP box during her matches was strangely bereft of any VIPs and Ness’ mother Maureen Wadia reportedly even wondered if her son would be a victim of fraudulent practices after investing in the IPL team with her. With all the success that her team has gathered and her Cannes appearance, a lot of people have to eat crow, and PZ has something to crow about. Here’s all...
‘You need to have that kind of stature to reach Cannes’: I was supposed to walk the red carpet at Cannes but I missed it because my flight was delayed. And to think I flew some 17 hours for that one appearance! But I did attend the dinner and the next day’s event.
I enjoyed Cannes because I got to play an actress after so long. These days, IPL sees me dressed in tees-jeans and no make-up. Here, I wore a designer gown, emeralds and a 1930s hairstyle. For me, the red carpet is about looking like a complete doll. If I do this kind of thing here, people will think I am crazy. Also, you need that kind of stature to be at an event like Cannes. There, I met Cate Blanchett, Misha Barton, Gillian Anderson among others. Also, when I was out shopping in Cannes, a group of French women came to me and called me Zaara as they had seen Veer-Zaara. India is sure going places!
‘Cricket is my passion now’: I am back so soon from Cannes because I won’t miss IPL for the world. I never thought that it would become my passion. I never expected to get so attached to the game. Its highs are so high and its lows are so low! The boys are great but they will make mistakes sometimes. And it is terrible when they do. Such is the madness of the game that I forget I am an actress and I have a certain protocol to follow in front of those 40,000 spectators. It is just too real for me to keep any appearances. In fact, I still remember the way I was looked at when I entered the dressing room for the first time. When I asked everybody what was the issue, they told me they have never had a woman in the dressing room before.
‘Who has time for films now?’: It is not sensible to make films with IPL in full flow. If everybody is hooked on to matches, who will go and watch films? But that doesn’t mean I have lost interest in Bollywood or I am not that great an actress anymore. I have an amazing line-up of films in my kitty. The minute IPL gets over, I have Har Pal, The Last Lear, Heros and Heaven on Earth releasing. And there is a surprise movie that I shall start shooting for very soon. Also, I have the world tour with the Bachchans in the offing.
‘This series is an emotional experience for me’: IPL is a very emotional experience for me. It is my first business venture and I have put my hard-earned money in to it. I have worked really hard to earn it all... dancing in minus four degrees in a thin chiffon saree is not easy. People have spoken about how my friends are not there to cheer my team. Well, I have told them that they are most welcome if they want to come. But I don’t need anyone to stand with me and cheer. I can stand on my own, be out there and do it for myself. I have that conviction. If people choose to come along with me, it’s great. However, I don’t have any expectations.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Padma Shri Madhuri Dixit
Padma Shri is a culmination of my hard work: Madhuri | Bollywood News - Yahoo! India Movies
Padama Shri Madhuri Dixit
By indiaabroad
Wednesday May 14 8:35 AM
Mumbai, May 14 (IANS) Madhuri Dixit received Padma Shri for her contribution to Indian cinema and the former Bollywood diva says the honour is a result of her hard work and honesty.
'It's always a wonderful feeling to have your work honoured. One has worked so hard for so many years. The Padma Shri is a culmination of all my hard work and honesty. I think I'm being honoured for doing my work sincerely,' Madhuri told IANS.
Madhuri's children are in the US with her in-laws and her parents.
'They're all there. I guess my kids are lucky to have three sets of parents. My husband was here with me to share this moment. He left on Sunday.'
Did Madhuri's children share her excitement about the award?
'Not the younger one. He's only three. Too young to understand, but my five-year-old son kept asking me why I was getting this award. I told him it was because I did movies in India for many years. 'You did movies. Why? Why do people call you Dixit?' he asked me.
'I think he's finally getting to know that his mom who cooks meals and puts them to bed had a life beyond the home and kids before marriage.'
Bollywood's former diva admits it's hard to bridge the gap between the life she has now in the US and her long and successful innings in the film industry.
'I've gotten used to a life with my husband and kids. And to leave them behind in the US and come to Mumbai to work is tough. Although our parents take really good care of the kids, Ram and I still worry about what's happening back home when we're in India,' said the actress.
She reigned the Hindi film industry in 1980s and 90s and churned out greatest hits like 'Tezaab', 'Ram Lakhan', 'Beta', 'Dil', 'Saajan', 'Khalnayak', 'Dil To Pagal Hai' and 'Devdas'.
Madhuri says the fact that back home people still want to see her on screen makes her happy.
'It is wonderful to know that people still think about me in my home country, although I don't live here any more. That they still want me back, it makes me feel very wanted.'
Last time Madhuri was in the country, it was for the release of her comeback film 'Aaja Nachle'. The film didn't work, but she says its failure wasn't a blow to her.
'I did my part sincerely. And I did everything I could. So did the whole team. I've worked in this field long enough to know you win some, you lose some. Sometimes you feel everything is going right and the end product still falls apart. It's okay.'
So what is she doing to rectify her fans' sense of disappointment?
'Is that your way of asking if I'm doing another movie? Next time I'll ask my fans what they want to see me do on screen. The fact that I did a part for a woman specially written for an actress my age was a triumph. I'm not in India to sign another movie, not this time. I came just to receive the Padma Shri.'
After the Padma Shri, Madhuri is staying back in Mumbai to catch up with family friends and a whole lot of personal work.
'I do have a life beyond movies,' she laughed.
I finally touch on the Madhuri Dixit aura undiminished by time, marriage, motherhood and the failed comeback vehicle.
'I never thought of what you call an aura. For me this life as a wife and mother was what I dreamt of almost all my life.'
Thank God, she did at the right time.
'What's the right time?' she quipped. 'If you mean the right time to have kids then let me remind you a 63-year-old woman had twins. Nothing is impossible at any age any more.
'As for me, I had always said if I meet the right person I wouldn't think twice about giving up my career. And that's exactly what I did. I never planned anything in life.'
Padama Shri Madhuri Dixit
By indiaabroad
Wednesday May 14 8:35 AM
Mumbai, May 14 (IANS) Madhuri Dixit received Padma Shri for her contribution to Indian cinema and the former Bollywood diva says the honour is a result of her hard work and honesty.
'It's always a wonderful feeling to have your work honoured. One has worked so hard for so many years. The Padma Shri is a culmination of all my hard work and honesty. I think I'm being honoured for doing my work sincerely,' Madhuri told IANS.
Madhuri's children are in the US with her in-laws and her parents.
'They're all there. I guess my kids are lucky to have three sets of parents. My husband was here with me to share this moment. He left on Sunday.'
Did Madhuri's children share her excitement about the award?
'Not the younger one. He's only three. Too young to understand, but my five-year-old son kept asking me why I was getting this award. I told him it was because I did movies in India for many years. 'You did movies. Why? Why do people call you Dixit?' he asked me.
'I think he's finally getting to know that his mom who cooks meals and puts them to bed had a life beyond the home and kids before marriage.'
Bollywood's former diva admits it's hard to bridge the gap between the life she has now in the US and her long and successful innings in the film industry.
'I've gotten used to a life with my husband and kids. And to leave them behind in the US and come to Mumbai to work is tough. Although our parents take really good care of the kids, Ram and I still worry about what's happening back home when we're in India,' said the actress.
She reigned the Hindi film industry in 1980s and 90s and churned out greatest hits like 'Tezaab', 'Ram Lakhan', 'Beta', 'Dil', 'Saajan', 'Khalnayak', 'Dil To Pagal Hai' and 'Devdas'.
Madhuri says the fact that back home people still want to see her on screen makes her happy.
'It is wonderful to know that people still think about me in my home country, although I don't live here any more. That they still want me back, it makes me feel very wanted.'
Last time Madhuri was in the country, it was for the release of her comeback film 'Aaja Nachle'. The film didn't work, but she says its failure wasn't a blow to her.
'I did my part sincerely. And I did everything I could. So did the whole team. I've worked in this field long enough to know you win some, you lose some. Sometimes you feel everything is going right and the end product still falls apart. It's okay.'
So what is she doing to rectify her fans' sense of disappointment?
'Is that your way of asking if I'm doing another movie? Next time I'll ask my fans what they want to see me do on screen. The fact that I did a part for a woman specially written for an actress my age was a triumph. I'm not in India to sign another movie, not this time. I came just to receive the Padma Shri.'
After the Padma Shri, Madhuri is staying back in Mumbai to catch up with family friends and a whole lot of personal work.
'I do have a life beyond movies,' she laughed.
I finally touch on the Madhuri Dixit aura undiminished by time, marriage, motherhood and the failed comeback vehicle.
'I never thought of what you call an aura. For me this life as a wife and mother was what I dreamt of almost all my life.'
Thank God, she did at the right time.
'What's the right time?' she quipped. 'If you mean the right time to have kids then let me remind you a 63-year-old woman had twins. Nothing is impossible at any age any more.
'As for me, I had always said if I meet the right person I wouldn't think twice about giving up my career. And that's exactly what I did. I never planned anything in life.'
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Tata, Sonia on Times top list
Ratan Tata, Sonia on Time's most influential list
1 May 2008, 1730 hrs IST,PTI
NEW YORK: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Industrialist Ratan Tata and PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi were the three Indians who have made it to the Time magazine's 2008 list of the world's 100 most influential people that also included Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Gandhi, the only Indian politician to make the cut, has been listed in the category of leaders and revolutionaries while Nooyi and Tata figure in the list of Builders and Titans.
The Time said the story of Gandhi (61) is "remarkable at every level" and its narrative about the Congress leader has a fairy-tale element.
The magazine said the most appropriate way to describe Nooyi (52) is as a "world class leader". Her sharp strategic mind, tremendous market insight and humanitarian contributions all combined to make her a rare executive among the global corporate giants, it said.
Tata (70) was hailed for unveiling his tiny Re one lakh car 'Nano'.
The list covers leaders and revolutionaries, heroes and pioneers, scientists and thinkers, artistes and entertainers and builders and titans who are perceived to have a made a profound impact on the world.
The 2008 list, appearing on the magazine's website on Thursday also includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. It is Blair's first time on Time's 100 list; his successor, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, made the list in 2005.
Presidential contenders Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton also figure in the list. Obama and Clinton made the list last year.
1 May 2008, 1730 hrs IST,PTI
NEW YORK: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Industrialist Ratan Tata and PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi were the three Indians who have made it to the Time magazine's 2008 list of the world's 100 most influential people that also included Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Gandhi, the only Indian politician to make the cut, has been listed in the category of leaders and revolutionaries while Nooyi and Tata figure in the list of Builders and Titans.
The Time said the story of Gandhi (61) is "remarkable at every level" and its narrative about the Congress leader has a fairy-tale element.
The magazine said the most appropriate way to describe Nooyi (52) is as a "world class leader". Her sharp strategic mind, tremendous market insight and humanitarian contributions all combined to make her a rare executive among the global corporate giants, it said.
Tata (70) was hailed for unveiling his tiny Re one lakh car 'Nano'.
The list covers leaders and revolutionaries, heroes and pioneers, scientists and thinkers, artistes and entertainers and builders and titans who are perceived to have a made a profound impact on the world.
The 2008 list, appearing on the magazine's website on Thursday also includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. It is Blair's first time on Time's 100 list; his successor, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, made the list in 2005.
Presidential contenders Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton also figure in the list. Obama and Clinton made the list last year.
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