Chord - it does say - in no particular order :-) -A
On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 3:07 PM, AJ <purev...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > http://www.naachgaana.com/2010/08/16/50-most-creative-indians/#more-50693 > > Frankly, ARR should be in the top ten. His creative powers remain > underestimated. Vishal B was ranked higher than ARR for his films mostly. > > Hey! Vijay Iyer came in at number 16...higher than ARR! How about that!!!!! > > > 50 Most Creative Indians > Some are famous, some are not. You may agree with the list, you may not. > But these are in our view the most imaginative men and women in the country. > *In no particular order.* > > 1. ARUNDHATI ROY > Voted third on Forbes' list of `30 Utterly Inspiring Role Models', the > author of God of Small Things is a voice you ignore at your own risk, one as > audacious as it's eloquent in raising questions. > > 2. VISHY ANAND > The first Indian world chess champion, formidably fast on the board, > inventive with tactics and strategy. He has grown better with age, and there > remains no perceptible weakness in his game. A master of player psychology, > in the past two world championship matches held recently, he spontaneously > adapted his game to the man across the board. > > 3. AMIT HERI > Audiences at the Berlin, Montreux, London and Paris jazz festivals have > been bowled over by this guitarist-composer. He's jammed with Angelique > Kidjo, Robert Miles and Zakir Hussain, but oddly enough this Bangalore > artiste's jazzy riffs remain alien to most Indian ears. For a desi listen, > try Jhoola, his album voiced by Kota, Mizo and Uttarakhandi chanters. > > 4. JITEN THUKRAL AND SUMIR TAGRA > Pop went the easel, video and installations in the hands of this Punjabi > duo, affectionately dubbed T&T. Ever since the 2005 debut of these > communication designers, they've artfully trotted out enough material to > turn even Elton John into a T&T collector. The duo, who've shown at London, > Berlin, Sydney and Shanghai, explore HIV and consumerism with safe-sex > chaddis and dinosaurs designed from strawberry-syrup bottles. > > 5. SACHIN TENDULKAR > Sachin was the cherub of the team when Kapil Dev took up a bet with him: > "You must play ten years for India." He played 20. He is still playing. > Earlier, bold strokes were Tendulkar's unique selling proposition (USP). > Now, it is the way he rations his experience, body and skill to climb peaks > only he can. > > 6. SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE > When he graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in > 1999, he was heralded as the future of Indian design. In subsequent years, > he has lived up to expectations by crafting a series of stunning > collections. By using indigenous techniques like bandhani, gota work, block > printing and hand dyeing, Sabyasachi creates modern silhouettes that carry a > rich aroma of India in them. His kalidaar kurtas, lehengas and saris are in > heavy demand across the world, and his label thrives in countries like the > US, UK, UAE, Greece, Germany and Singapore. > > 7. SIDDHARTH BASU > The original quizmaster of India, he made general knowledge fashionable > among youngsters. Starting off with Quiz Time on Doordarshan, he went on to > host and produce programmes like Master Mind India and India Child Genius. > Basu's biggest success came in the form of Kaun Banega Crorepati , a show > that not just marked Amitabh Bachchan's debut on the small screen, but also > redefined TV viewing in India. Through his company, Synergy Communications, > Basu is now working on various reality TV formats like Dus Ka Dum¸, India's > Got Talent and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. > > 8. PRASOON JOSHI > As a poet, lyricist, award winning adman and Aamir Khan's chief creative > officer, Joshi wears many caps. His `Thanda matlab Coca-Cola' campaign, > which won a Golden Lion at Cannes, was fizzy enough to guarantee his role as > his advertising mentor Piyush Pandey's spiritual successor. > > 9. JAGGI VASUDEV > Some say he's the coolest spiritual guru since Osho. `Sadhguru', who often > swaps his trademark beige robes and turban for denims and Orkleys, and > enjoys the occasional volleyball game, dubs his brand of spirituality `inner > engineering' and `software for the soul', making him the go-to saviour of > sanity for millions of stressed out infotech professionals in South India. > Now, his Isha Foundation is taking the franchise route to reach a suburb > near you. > > 10. DAKSHA SHETH > Over the last 45 years, Daksha Sheth has created an entirely new dance > vocabulary by blending Mayurbhanj Chhau, Kalaripayattu, Kathak and the > spectacular aerial techniques of Mallakhamb. Not one to shy away from the > unknown, Daksha enjoys moving into fresh territory. Some of her famous works > include Search for My Tongue, Mahisasur Mardini, Kalia Daman and Sarpagati. > > 11. SUBODH GUPTA > Bihar once had Nalanda. Bihar also housed this artist from Khagaul until he > stormed the art world with his cowdung installations, steel katoris (bowls) > and kattas (country revolvers). With a sensibility shaped by his home state, > Gupta's hands have converted clanging cooking vessels into gargantuan > God-faced installations which have hung over Venice. When he exhibited > gigantic steel buckets, art collectors filled them with half a million > euros. A migrant-aesthete with global acclaim. > > 12. BIJOY JAIN > He shapes local raw material into houses you cannot forget. Take Tara House > in Kashid, outside Bombay, with an underground pool in which cylinders of > light stream down from lawns above. And he makes resorts to die for, such as > Leti 360, an exquisite stone and wood structure in the Himalayas. > > 13. E SREEDHARAN > Delhi is an AM/PM city, thanks to him: ante-Metro and post-Metro. The rest > of the city may be strewn with rubble, but his gleaming rapid transit system > swishes its way around with élan. > > 14. VISHAL BHARADWAJ > His music is superlative, his dialogues memorable, and his movies cultural > events. Pity that he got over his fixation with Shakespeare. Omkara and > Maqbool remain as good as anything out of the Hindi film industry. > > 15. GUITAR PRASANNA > No one had coaxed a Carnatic kriti out of a Western guitar. No one could, > until this player-composer with an engineering degree shook the raga > firmament. In Electric Ganeshaland, he fired off a Carnatic-Rock tribute to > Jimi Hendrix. Imagine that. > > 16. VIJAY IYER > Jazz critics all over America are waxing eloquent about this 38-year-old > wizard on piano. His creativity, he says, took shape when he watched jazz > legend Julius Hemphill's solo presentation in New Haven, Connecticut, in > 1990. He says, "He gave you something profound and alive." For a sample of > Iyer's music, try Historicity. > > 17. EKTA KAPOOR > Neither saas nor bahu, and yet she changed the face of Indian television > singlehandedly. Her Balaji Telefilms has been cloned, but having meandered > into Hindi cinema, she has a new obsession to whet. > > 18. PRABHU DEVA > This dance prodigy stormed into Indian consciousness with the song Muqabla > from the film Kadhalan. India was spellbound, as his seemingly boneless body > moved, as if of its own volition, to this Rahman chartbuster. A trained > Bharatanatyam dancer, he came to be known as India's Michael Jackson. He now > choreographs, acts and directs films as well. > > 19. NAMDEO DHASAL > When this Dalit poet-politician called himself "a venereal sore in the > private parts of language", admirers and critics sat up. Ever since 1972, > when his dark poetry of Golpitha burst forth from Bombay's seamy underbelly, > Marathi literature hasn't been the same. > > 20. RAHUL BHATIA > His journey from a Janpath travel agent to the owner of India's most > innovative no-frill airline, Indigo, has been a swift and heady affair. The > aviation industry may be turbulent, but Bhatia's metronomic attention to > detail is the stuff of legend. > > 21. GIRISH KARNAD > In college, his dream was to become as famous as Shakespeare and TS Elliot. > Today, this prolific author, playwright, actor and film director has > achieved this in his own way by penning plays like Yayati and Tughlaq, using > India's rich history to tackle contemporary issues. > > 22. PINAKIN PATEL > This design guru has used every material available, including his elbow, to > create shelf-space for Indian crafts; his latest offering is Hara Villa, a > pop-up, bio-degradable holiday home. > > 23. RAKESH MARIA > This supercop investigated the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts. More recently, he > gathered the evidence that convicted Ajmal Kasab. Currently DGP of > Maharashtra's Anti Terrorism Squad, he has a good network of informants. > > 24. FILMMAKERS OF MALEGAON > Some 300 km separate Bollywood from the nondescript town of Malegaon, where > a bunch of filmmakers with micro budgets make spoofs of blockbusters. Sample > Malegaon ke Sholay. Sheikh Nasir Khan, the man behind it all, has now gone > global with Malegaon ka Superman. > > 25. AR RAHMAN > Among the world's all time top selling artistes: over 150 million records > of film soundtracks. Starting off with the Chennai rock group,Nemesis > Avenue, he's won award upon award. His Dil Se soundtrack is a classic. > > 26. SANDIP TRIVEDI > Most of us gulp at the idea of a world that demands dimensions more than > the three we are familiar with. This is but the starting point for string > theory. And Trivedi is working it out for us. > > 27. RONNIE SCREWVALA > He changed the mediascape with his company, UTV. Starting in 1981 with > India's first organised cable TV venture in Bombay, he got audiences > addicted to daily soap operas before venturing successfully into cinema. > > 28. MALAVIKA SARUKKAI > She sees dance as an extension of life; it needs to draw inspiration and > meaning from its surroundings to evolve. For nearly three decades now, she > has stretched the conventions of Bharatanatyam. > > 29. FARHAN AKHTAR > With Dil Chahta Hai, this director threw Hindi cinema a whole generation > ahead, and at warp speed. Since then, acclaimed lyricist Javed Akhtar's son > has never failed to surprise with his brand of cinema, be it as a producer, > actor or director. > > 30. ABHIJIT AVASTHI > Currently O&M's national creative director, he is the adman behind some of > India's most talked about campaigns for brands such as Fevicol and Cadbury. > > 31. CHARLES CORREA > This architect-activist and urban planner has given fresh meaning to > shelter, shade and beauty. Mahatma Gandhi's Memorial in Sabarmati offers > clues. > > 32. RAJAT SHARMA > A snake's marrying a mongoose, the mountain that Hanuman lifted… from the > fertile imagination of Rajat Sharma and India TV has come a new definition > of news, bridging fantasy and fact, myth and reality. > > 33. RAJKUMAR HIRANI > The test of a director, they say, is the sequel. Rajkumar Hirani passed > that test with Lage Raho Munnabhai. And if you thought a dream run is hard > to maintain, along came 3 Idiots, a film that shall delight generations to > come. > > 34. SUNIL GANGOPADHYAY > Modern Bengali poetry owes its existence, almost, to the founding editor of > Krittibas, which in the early 1950s offered a platform to young, > experimental poets who explored new forms of poetic themes, rhythms and > words. Gangopadhyay's travelogues, prose, essays, features and children's > fiction are equally loved. > > 35. PRANAV MISTRY > An Indian graduate student at the MIT laboratory, he has ensured that it is > technology that adapts to our needs rather than our adapting to technology. > His latest invention integrates our real world with the virtual world. > > 36. PRINCE DANCE TROUPE > Last year, a troupe of 24 faceless dancers became the toast of the nation > when it won the popular reality series, India's Got Talent. Instead of the > usual Western jazz routine, these untrained dancers from Behrampur, Orissa, > showed the richness of Indian classical dance. > > 37. AAMIR KHAN > This actor rarely works with the same director twice, and yet his movies > are not just a cut about regular Bollywood fare, but make money too. With a > celluloid record any performer anywhere in the world would die for, he's > simply a must watch. > > 38. HARSH MANDER > An Indian Administrative Service officer with an imagination, Harsh Mander > became an inspiration when he resigned in protest of the 2002 anti-minority > pogrom in Gujarat. He has since dedicated himself to an India free from > `hate, hunger, and homelessness'. > > 39. G RAVINDER REDDY > Everyone, even the gods, would want this sculptor gilding them for > posterity. He has re-fashioned Hindu deific traditions into giant gold-faced > female heads who stare at you unblinkingly. Fibreglass, his favoured medium, > is worth more than platinum in his hands. > > 40. VIRENDER SEHWAG > This Sachin clone has morphed into one of India's most imaginative shot > player in cricket. Boring knocks are anathema to him, with a Test match > average of 81.5 runs every 100 balls. > > 41. RATAN THIYAM > This theatre guru is known for his ingenious stage craft and > thought-provoking themes. A painter, composer, choreographer, costume > designer, playwright and director, he sees theatre as `collective > expression' . See Andha Yug and Chakravyuh. > > 42. A RAJA > It requires quite some talent to shut the press up if you figure in a Rs > 60,000 crore telecom scam and your tapped tele-conversations with an alleged > lobbyist make headlines. It takes even more creative ambition to whistle > along as if nothing is wrong with India's telecom policy framework. > > 43. JAYANT V NARLIKAR > A scientific imagination and an ability to present his ideas make Narlikar > a champion of astronomy in a country given to much mumbo jumbo. From > envisaging the Steady State theory of the universe as an alternative to the > Big Bang, to suggesting life having reached earth from outer space, he has > also steered clear of conventional science as we know it. > > 44. ANURAG KASHYAP > He's written movies like Satya, an underworld film which impressed several > viewers on the lookout for such gritty `realism', and even managed to become > a film director himself. Dev D, that phantasmagoric journey of a film, a > supposed remake of the classic Devdas, exemplifies his very own take on > modern `reality'. > > 45. LALIT MODI > The terminator of Test match tedium, he created a distinctly Indian yet > global brand of Twenty20 cricket, Indian Premier League (IPL), that grabbed > more attention overnight than anybody dared dream possible in this era of > relentlessly declining attention spans. Despite his undoing and ejection > from the BCCI, his creation cannot be dismissed. Few have ever drawn Indian > eyes as compulsively as he has. > > 46. RAGHU DIXIT > With a mind trained in microbiology and a body in Bharatanatyam, the last > ten years have seen him achieve fame as a musician. Touring India and the > world, he has played with Israel's Dub LFO, England's Too Late Lucy and > renowned French musicians Anaïs, Emily Loizeau and Mademoiselle K, to name a > few. > > 47. VG SIDDHARTHA > Founder-owner of the Café Coffee Day chain and son-in-law of External > Affairs Minister SM Krishna, he has developed a fine nose for lucrative > business opportunities. Apart from coffee shops, his businesses include > venture capital, financial services, plantations and real estate. > Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Co, set up in 1993, is India's largest green > coffee exporter, and he wants to take his cafes global. > > 48. SAINA NEHWAL > Not yet 20 and already the country's top woman athlete. At a young age, > Saina's mastered the one thing that matters: winning. You don't see her > smash her racquet to score a point beyond the scoreboard, unlike her > name-dyslex-sake. Saina has four Super Series wins already, and is the world > No 2. She admires Federer, but her own game relies on toil, not grace. But > if it works, why complain? > > 49. ABHAY DEOL > Precariously perched between commercial cinema and its indie cousin, he's > the guy who took off for New York right after the finest film of his career > to study a craft. Not your average film star. > > 50. PATU KESWAN > This Taj Hotels' veteran leads the country's budget hotel boom. His chain > of no-frill hotels, Lemontree and Redfox, is what market leader Ginger (a > Tata chain) is watching closely. > > > -- -A http://viewsnmuse.blogspot.com
