Time Magazine's annual list of the world's 100 most influential people is out, and this year, five South Asians have made the cut.
Images from Time 100
- Category: Leaders & Revolutionaries
Ashfaq Kayani profiled by Admiral Mike Mullen
Excerpt: Here is a man with a plan, a leader who knows where he wants to go. He seemed to understand the nature of the extremist threat inside Pakistan, recognized that his army wasn't ready to meet that threat and had already started working up solutions.So far he's done everything he told me he would do. He said he would provide the Frontier Corps with material support and strong leaders. He did it. He said he would send more Pakistani army troops to the northwest border region. He sent nearly 2,000. He said he would use those troops to go after alQaeda and extremist groups in Bajur and the Swat Valley. They have mounted several operations in just the past few months.
"Ashfaq Kayani made it to the list because Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world. And the role of the Pakistani army in making it more safe is absolutely vital," said Michael Elliott, Editor,Time International. Listen to Elliott's interview in Time's 'The People Behind the People' interactive feature.
- Category: Builders & Titans
Nandan Nilekani profiled by Vikas Swarup
Excerpt: A middle-class kid from a small town, he rose to become a co-founder and co-chairman of Infosys Technologies and a key player in India's growth story. And just as truly successful companies and individuals have the ability to reinvent themselves, Nandan's new avatar is that of a civic-minded intellectual keen to shape public policy. In his book Imagining India (which won him the highest-ever advance for a nonfiction book in India), he offers a "safety net of ideas" on issues ranging from urbanization to environment to take India into a second phase of dramatic, technology-driven growth.
- Category: Artists & Entertainers
A.R. Rahman profiled by Padma Lakshmi
Excerpt: Rahman is a shy and quiet man, but his music has emotional force. Renowned for his immense range, he'll do a traditional score for a conventional film, then blend exotic vocals with Japanese music and Western classical arrangements in his next project. A veritable Pied Piper, he has no competition, yet he makes it a priority to discover new talent and promote it. He has shaped modern India's music for more than a decade. Now the "Mozart of Madras" has the world's foot tapping along with him.
- Category: Artists & Entertainers
M.I.A profiled by Spike Jonze
Excerpt: I met her right before she put out her first record, in 2005, and she insisted she wasn't a musician. To this day, she doesn't consider herself a musician. She has this wide range of talents and influences — she's a Sri Lankan refugee who didn't speak a word of English before she was 10, yet she's also a child of Chuck D and the Pixies and Fight Club and MySpace. There are no borders for her. She made me realize that you don't have to be from the West to have a favorite Biggie song. We are all listening to the same music.
Watch video: M.I.A. Makes the TIME 100 - Category: Heroes & Icons
Suraya Pakzad profiled by Khaled Hossein
Excerpt: I cannot imagine the reserves of courage that Pakzad, 38, taps into every morning when she steps out the door, knowing it may be for the last time. But for several years now, at great risk to herself, this is just what she has done. It is difficult to name a more committed advocate for women's rights in Afghanistan. A recipient of the 2008 International Women of Courage Award, Pakzad is the founder of the Voice of Women Organization, committed to providing Afghan women with shelter, counseling and job training. Her shelters give abused women safe haven, legal services and long-term protection. She has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about gender-based violence that victimizes Afghan women.
The 2008 and 2007 Time 100 listed several South Asian profilers and profilees as well. Read our Time 100 blog posts from last year and from 2007.
