Nehru, Tendulkar, Gavaskar in History TV18, CNN IBN's 50 great Indians list

MUMBAI: History TV18 and CNN IBN have announced the names of 50 nominees for the channels’ local initiative 'The Greatest Indian'. The list, being released for a nationwide poll, contains iconic Indians like Jawaharalal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. The names have had the maximum impact on the nation since independence.

The list focusses on 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 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.

IBN18 Network editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai 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.”

A+E Networks TV18 president Ajay Chacko said, “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.”

CNN-IBN at Network18 CEO Dilip Venkatraman said, “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.”

BBC Worldwide Productions India GM, creative head Myleeta Aga 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 consists of a panel of 28 epeople like UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani; The Indian Express Group Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta and author and Member, Lok Sabha- Shashi Tharoor and jurist Harish Salve among others.

The entire process 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 1st July 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.

These are the 50 nominees for the Greatest Indian