Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 20 August 2018 | Page 24
GAME
CHANGERS
20 ICONS
It’s been a short century—still in its teens. But
by Ruben Banerjee
NDIA turns 71 next week and festivities tinged
with a nationalistic fervour are around the
corner. Given the likely turn in collective mood,
even we at Outlook decided to take a break this
week from our usual staple of reporting blood,
gore, mayhem, distress and deprivation to join in
the celebrations.
Deciding on a magazine cover is both a challenging and cumber-
some task. After animated discussions and heated debates over
this Independence Day special issue, we decided to encapsulate
what defines the underlying spirit of India: of human excellence that
flourishes against odds and the ugly depravity that swamps us at times
despite the opportunities this proud republic has to offer.
To make it even more interesting, we zeroed in on 21 individuals who
have made a lasting impression on this country—for both good and bad—
so far in the 21st century. So, what you now have are profiles, laudatory in
some cases and critical in a few, of those individuals who we believe have
left noteworthy imprints. They include 20 icons and, significantly, one con.
To add another twist to our tale, we got 21 equally important personalities
to write on the 21 individuals we chose.
Though the choices we made are not scientific, I believe they will stand the
test of scrutiny. Few, after all, can disagree that Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
irrespective of the passions he stokes in rival camps, has been one politician who
has simply dwarfed others in recent times. Or, that Sonia Gandhi, the matriarch
of the Congress, has been a powerhouse of political influence despite her quiet
demeanour. Our experiment to get other influencers to write on the influential
gives our issue a special edge. It was a rare privilege, in fact, which also allowed us to
breathe a bit easy. After all, when a celebrated writer such as Shashi Tharoor writes
24 OUTLOOK 20 August 2018