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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : Aroon Purie
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Volume XLIII Number 18 ; For the week April 24-30 , 2018 , published on every Friday
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FROM THE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
T he 15th year of india today ’ s Power List sees a distinct shift , not only because it has the highest number of departures ever . As befits a year of churn , 12 people have made their exit from the list in 2017-18 as against 11 last year . The nature of power , so far largely defined by what Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian calls crony socialism — the cosy relationships between captains of industry and government ministers and officials — is giving way to a new power structure . Power which was once solely about who you knew and what you could get fixed with the powers-that-be has changed under the Narendra Modi regime . One of the great achievements of this government is restricted access , even for those , or perhaps especially for those , who make the mistake of taking it for granted . Look closely at the list and you will understand some precipitous falls . The number of powerful businessmen has come down from 26 in 2017 to 22 this year . More important than the dropouts is the change in rankings . Reflecting the turbulence , 29 have moved up and seven have moved down .
Power is now about ideas , information and image . It is ideas that have transported youthful risk-takers to the top . These modern buccaneers have multiplied their fortunes and created value for stakeholders , whether through a financial app or an online retail start-up . They are showing agility in the face of global behemoths , rather like a twisty baba in a saffron half dhoti who is chasing mammoth multinationals all the way back to their original homes . Information is what a crusty MP has on friends and rivals which has seen him cut many behemoths to size . A public image is what a successful automobile manufacturer knows is important in the era of social media which gives him immense influence . He exerts it for a good cause , whether it is to drum up support to save an iconic institution or to underscore the empathy required in public life .
Any fool with a bit of luck can find himself born into power . But Lord Varys , kingmaker , schemer , plotter , in Game of Thrones , the millennials ’ version of Sun Tzu ’ s The Art of War , has it right — earning it for yourself , that takes work . Keeping it is even more difficult — some great titans have reached an age where they have just
Our February 3 , 2003 , cover
faded into the background . But the power list celebrates the resilience of other industrialists , whose investments in 20th century businesses from oil to automobiles to commodities are as firm as their credibility . Position , we know , is not always power . But how power is exercised indicates influence . As sociologist Shiv Visvanathan says , by overemphasising corporate , bureaucratic and political power , power as knowledge and power as image get underplayed . india today ’ s Power List doesn ’ t make that mistake . Thought leaders , from a lawyer who is shaking the judiciary to the core to a polymath and public intellectual who takes a keen interest in nurturing the next generation of knowledge generators , are well represented . Those who influence our dreams are equally present in the list , their images claiming mindspace , from the action star who has reinvented himself as an actor with a conscience to a young woman whose box office credentials are backed by the courage to speak out even in the face of the vilest threats . If any proof is needed about the power of moving pictures in India , it is that two great superstars of the south are attempting to launch their political careers , converting loyal fan clubs into party cadres .
Normally , great wealth means power . But india today editors go beyond that in taking stock of the men and women on our list : their philanthropy , their carbon footprint , their icons , their motivations and their social imprint . These men and women control the narrative of our lives , they move us , shape us , and sometimes transform us . They affect our lives at various touchpoints . Good to know who they are and what they are up to .
( Aroon Purie )
APRIL 30 , 2018 INDIA TODAY 1