Foreign-born Mother Teresa the greatest Indian: Survey >From Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Yugoslavia-born Mother Teresa has been voted the greatest Indian in a survey by a news magazine, marking 55 years of the country's independence on August 15, 1947. Sister Agnes or Mother Teresa, who made India her home and gave hope to millions of homeless, destitute and ill with her healing touch, is the only one of foreign origin who figures in the list of the 10 greatest Indians of free India. The poll, conducted by the weekly magazine "Outlook", kept Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, out of the voting process. "A poll of greatest Christians of all time would look rather ridiculous if it included Jesus Christ as one of the nominees, wouldn't it?" explains the magazine. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee just about makes it to the 10th spot. The witty "bachelor who enjoys cooking" may have lost some of his popular appeal due to various political compulsions, but he continues to be in the reckoning as one of contemporary India's most widely respected politicians. He falls behind cricketing phenomenon Sachin Tendulkar and Reliance magnate Dhirubhai Ambani, who died last month. Tendulkar is the youngest among the titans. The survey should be good news for the golden boy of Indian cricket who has lately come under criticism for a string of poor performances. The top five in the list are people long dead but who are still quite alive in the country's collective consciousness. India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru is the second greatest Indian, described as the architect of India's foreign policy and a socialist who gave India a mixed economy and a secular base. He is followed by his tough-handed deputy Vallabhbhai Patel - the "iron man" -- another key figure in the freedom struggle who also dealt with the post-independence pangs of a new republic. Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi, who was prime minister of India for 16 years, has been placed on the fourth spot. Though she took many controversial steps during her reign and is accused of encouraging nepotism and favouritism, she is considered the last prime minister with a pan-Indian appeal. Renowned industrialist J.R.D. Tata, the pioneer of one of India's largest private sector business groups, was ranked the fifth, just ahead of B.R. Ambedkar, the father of India's constitution and the messiah of the socially underprivileged in India. After Ambani and Tendulkar, comes Jayaprakash Narayan, who spearheaded a spirited campaign for social change in the 70s and is considered the mentor of many contemporary socialist leaders. He was instrumental in evolving the country's first non-Congress government in March 1977. For a popular vote, the Outlook took out advertisements in 18 newspapers in seven languages across the country, and received some 50,000 responses. Mother Teresa topped the list in nearly every geographical zone, city and age group. But she has been ranked in the second spot, below Ambani, in Mumbai, India's business capital. Nehru and Patel do not figure among the top three in Kolkata, where respondents swam against the tide to rank Indira Gandhi and Tata in the second and third spots. Older respondents preferred Nehru as the top choice, but younger people voted Mother Teresa. According to the magazine, respondents who were 60 or older seemed to be "more cynical" about her contribution. --Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
