History TV18 & CNN-IBN kick-off nationwide poll for 'The Greatest Indian'

Over 40,000 votes received on the day one on the website; the initiative remained top tending topic on twitter

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | June 5, 2012

HISTORY TV18 and CNN IBN have revealed the names of 50 nominees for the channels' biggest local initiative –“The Greatest Indian”. The list, being released for a nationwide poll, contains the who's who of iconic Indians across various spheres, which have had the maximum impact on the nation since independence. One can cast his vote at www.thegreatestindian.in

From Jawaharlal Nehru and Lata Mangeshkar to Vikram Sarabhai and E Shreedharan, the list is a fascinating read on some of the greatest Indians who have shaped the nation in the last 64 years. Of 50 nominees, 15 have received the Bharat Ratna, 13 have played a role in the freedom struggle while 6 are women. Among the 31 super achievers, Pt. Ravi Shankar (92), M S Swaminathan (87) and A B Vajpayee (88) are the senior most, while Sachin Tendulkar (39) is the youngest.

The initiative is based on the path-breaking series featured on BBC called 'The Greatest Briton', and is set to trigger a national debate on who is the Greatest Indian after Mahatma Gandhi. Launched in 2002 in the UK, the initiative reached out to millions of viewers and broke significant viewership records there. An astounding 21 countries have successfully adopted this format since then, and it now promises to create history here in India too.

Commenting on initiative, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief IBN18 Network said “We believe that this is a one-of-a-kind initiative in the life of a nation that should both excite and educate. I'm sure this series will trigger an enthusiastic debate in homes, offices & public places around the country. Just from the jury discussions and internal debates in the news room, I've got a real sense of how passionately people feel about the initiative. We hope that the series will continue to provoke debate and encourage people to cast their vote for the Greatest Indian.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Chacko, President, A+E Networks | TV18, stated, “HISTORY TV18's attempt has been to create interest across generations in the subject in an informal and entertaining way. This partnership with CNN IBN enables HISTORY TV18 to bring forth the inspiring figures over the years, after the Mahatma, who have had the maximum impact on the country's present and future. While the jury and nationwide polls will ultimately lead to the search for that one individual whose contribution to India has been overwhelmingly acknowledged as the most enduring, it also gives us Indians a chance to be aware of the contributions of many other great individuals from diverse fields.”

Dilip Venkatraman, CEO - CNN-IBN at Network18, added, “At CNN IBN, we have always believed in celebrating India with its unmatched spirit- its will to survive, succeed and thrive against all odds. What better way to be a part of this path-breaking initiative to find out who the Greatest Indian is.  An initiative such as this is all the more relevant today, with challenges our country faces, as it would be an interesting reflection of the mood of the nation.”

Myleeta Aga, General Manager & Creative Head of BBC Worldwide Productions India, said, “BBC Worldwide is thrilled to be partnering with History TV18 to bring this format to the Indian audience. We have no doubt that the interest and debate around identifying the “greatest Indian since Independence“will make the series a huge success in India as well. “

The jury for the entire process consists of a panel of 28 eminent Indians from different walks of life, the likes of Chairman, UIDAI-Nandan Nilekani; Editor-in-Chief, The Indian Express Group-Shekhar Gupta;  Three-Time World Billiards Champion- Michael Ferreira; Leading Author and Historian- Ramachandra Guha; Author and Member, Lok Sabha- Shashi Tharoor; Acclaimed Film Director, Writer and Editor- Raju Hirani; Film Writer, Director, Actor- Girish Karnad; Leading Political Scientist- Prof. Yogendra Yadav, Eminent Jurist- Soli Sorabjee, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha- Arun Jaitley, National Award Winning Actor- Shabana Azmi & Noted Jurist- Harish Salve among others.

The entire process, one of the most thorough and meticulous in the industry, is being audited by Grant Thornton. Along with the nationwide poll, equal weightage will be given to the jury's selection as well as a separate market research poll conducted by The Nielsen Company.  This process will be followed in both phases of the initiative, the first being to arrive at a shortlist of the top 10 'Greats' and the second, the selection of the 'Greatest Indian'. The shortlist of top 10 'Greats' is slated to be revealed on July 1 after which the second round of voting begins.

The initiative will culminate with the announcement of the Greatest Indian in a glittering ceremony to be telecast around Independence Day this year.

As part of the nationwide poll, viewers can cast they're vote by visiting the website TheGreatestIndian.in or giving a missed call to a unique number assigned to their nominee of choice.

Following are the 50 Nominees for the Greatest Indian

POLITICAL LEADERS

1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee 08082891001
2. Dr. B. R Ambedkar 08082891002
3. Indira Gandhi 08082891003
4. Jawaharlal Nehru 08082891004
5. Jayaprakash Narayan 08082891005
6. Kanshi Ram 08082891006
7. Vallabhbhai Patel 08082891007
8. Dr. Rammanohar Lohia 08082891008
9. Rajagopalachari 08082891009

10.  Sam Manekshaw 08082891048

11.  APJ Abdul Kalam 08082891049

ARTS AND SOCIAL LEADERS

12.  Baba Amte 08082891010

13.  Mother Teresa 08082891011

14.  Ela Bhatt 08082891012

15.  Vinoba Bhave 08082891013

16.  Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay 08082891014

17.  Pt. Ravi Shankar 08082891015

18.  M S Subbulakshmi 08082891016

19.  M. F. Husain 08082891017

20.  Bismillah Khan 08082891018

21.  R K Narayan 08082891019

22.  R K Laxman 08082891020

23.  B. K. S. Iyengar 08082891050

MOVIE RELATED

24.  Amitabh Bachchan 08082891022

25.  Raj Kapoor 08082891023

26.  Rajinikanth 08082891024

27.  Satyajit Ray 08082891025

28.  Lata Mangeshkar 08082891026

29.  A. R. Rahman 08082891027

30.  Kishore Kumar 08082891028

31.  Dilip Kumar 08082891029

32.  Dev Anand 08082891030

33.  Mohammad Rafi 08082891031

ENTREPRENEURS & IDEA LEADERS

34.  Homi Bhabha 08082891032

35.  Dhirubhai Ambani 08082891033

36.  Verghese Kurien 08082891034

37.  Ghanshyam Das Birla 08082891035

38.  J. R. D. Tata 08082891036

39.  N R Narayanamurthy 08082891037

40.  Vikram Sarabhai 08082891038

41.  M. S. Swaminathan 08082891039

42.  Ramnath Goenka 08082891040

43.  Amartya Sen 08082891021

44.  Dr. E. Sreedharan 08082891047

SPORTS & ADMINISTRATORS

45.  Sachin Tendulkar 08082891041

46.  Kapil Dev 08082891042

47.  Sunil Gavaskar 08082891043

48.  Dhyan Chand 08082891044

49.  Viswanathan Anand 08082891045

50.  Milkha Singh 08082891046

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