From Bollywood’s Badshaah Shah Rukh Khan and maverick filmmaker Mani Ratnam to Olympian Neeraj Chopra, A-listers from the fields of entertainment, policy, sports, business and social service will descend on a shared platform at CNN-News18’s Indian of the Year 2023 awards on January 10, Wednesday.
Currently in its 13th edition, CNN-News18 Indian of the Year is an initiative that recognizes Indians who have made significant contributions to various fields and have had a profound impact on the nation. Since its inception in 2006, CNN-News18 Indian of the Year has firmly positioned itself as the biggest awards in the world of news television, celebrated for its unassailable credibility.
Over the years, the Indian of the Year award recipients have included the likes of PM Narendra Modi, Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, cricket star Virat Kohli, the Indian women’s cricket team, NGO Stop Acid Attacks, Chess Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand, AR Rahman, former PM Manmohan Singh, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, MC Mary Kom, Deepika Padukone, N Chandrasekaran and Arvind Kejriwal, to name a few.
The 2022 edition saw Neeraj Chopra being conferred with the Indian of the Year award for winning India’s first ever Olympic gold in track and field and then winning the world javelin championship.
Here’s a look at this year’s categories and nominees:
SPORTS
- Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra
- Boxer Nikhat Zareen
- Shuttlers Satwik & Chirag
- Cricketer Shubhman Gill
- Footballer Sunil Chhetri
RISING SPORTS STAR
- Wrestler Antim Panghal
- Hurdler Jyothi Yarraji
- Chess player R Praggnanandhaa
- Cricketer Shefali Verma
- Cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal
ENTERTAINMENT
- Actress Deepika Padukone
- Filmmaker Mani Ratnam
- Actor Manoj Bajpayee
- Actor Sunny Deol
BUSINESS
- SBI chairman Dinesh Khara
- Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons N Chandrasekaran
- MD & CEO of ICICI Bank Sandeep Bakhshi
- Chairman & Managing Director of ITC Limited Sanjiv Puri
- Dixon Technologies Co-founder and Chairman Sunil Vachani
CLIMATE WARRIORS
- Arun Krishnamurthy: An environmentalist from Chennai, Arun has converted wasteland into green spaces
- Atul Sati: Sati has been working in the Joshimath region of Uttarakhand and is the convenor of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti
- Dinesh Kumar Mishra: An authority on the river network of Bihar, Mishra is convenor of Barh Mukti Abhiyan
- Ridhima Pandey: The young climate activist has made great achievements in her efforts to bring attention to the ongoing climate crisis
- Saalumarada Thimmakka: Known as the mother of trees, Thimmakka has planted 8,000 trees in the last few decades
SOCIAL CHANGE
- Dr R Ravi Kannan: Oncologist of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC) who won the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award
- Manju Srivastava: Srivastava leads Ekal Sansthan, the organization that has been working towards ensuring a more progressive India by imparting education and training in remote villages
- Menaka Guruswamy & Arundhati Katju: Power lawyer couple who are beacons of hope for the LGBTQ community in India
- Pushpa NM: Bangalore-based scribe, Pushpa has helped write a total of 1,070 examinations so far for not just blind students, but across various subjects and streams for students with physical and mental disabilities
- Sujit Chatterjee: Popularly known as the `Rs 2 teacher`, the retired school teacher from is recognised for his free coaching center named `Sadai Fakirer Pathsala’
Youth Icon
- Composer-singer Anirudh Ravichander
- Indo-Canadian singer and rapper AP Dhillon
- Influencer Kusha Kapila
- Podcaster and influencer Ranveer Allahbadia
- Transgender doctor Trinetra Haldar
The esteemed panel of jurors comprises iconic figures, including former Solicitor General of India Harish Salve, screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra (retd), former Indian athlete and Vice-President of Athletics Federation of India Anju Bobby George, chairperson of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group Sanjiv Goenka, and environmental activist and lawyer Afroz Shah.
Their collective wisdom will ensure a judicious selection of the most deserving awardees. So, who will be Indian of the Year 2023?
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