NDTV today honoured exceptional Indians at its biggest event of the year - NDTV Indian Of The Year. The event saw biggest faces - from top politicians, business leaders to film and sports personalities - who strengthen and inspire our society. The women of India were awarded NDTV's 'Indian Of The Year' award. The honour was a nod to the year that had 'naari shakti' at its core, a year that saw the passage of the women's reservation bill in Parliament.
The heroes from the Silkayara tunnel rescue operation were honoured with the 'India's Heroes' award. Vikrant Massey, who delivered a stellar performance in the superhit film'12th Fail', won the 'Actor Of The Year', the 'Sports Performance Of The Year' went to India's Women's cricket team. Sunny Deol, who made a grand comeback last year with his blockbuster-hit 'Gadar 2' a remake of his 2001 film, won the 'Entertainer Of The Year'.
The awards honour those who have thought ahead, dared to be different and redefined the meaning of 'being a true Indian'.
The event was attended by Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Hardeep Puri, Ashwini Vaishnaw, tennis star Sania Mirza, actor Sunny Deol, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal and social media influencers Prajkta Koli and Kusha Kapila
Health Leader of the Year:
Dr Yazdi Italia, Padmashree awardee
- Ex. Hon. Director, Go-NGO Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Program, Govt. of Gujarat
Business Leader of the Year:
N Chandrasekaran, Chairperson, Tata Sons
- Mr Kreethivasan, CEO Tata Consultancy Services, accepted the award on his behalf.
Entrepreneur of the Year:
Deepinder Goyal
- CEO and founder, Zomato
Innovator of the Year:
Peyush Bansal
- Founder, LensKart
The India First Award:
Amitabh Kant
- India's G20 Sherpa
Best Performing Small State Award:
Pramod Sawant
- Chief Minister of Goa
Entertainer of the Year:
Sunny Deol
Sports Performance of the Year:
- Indian Women Cricket Team
(Represented by: Shafali Verma, Shriyanka Patil, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav)
India's Heroes:
The Silkyara Saviours
Actor of the Year:
Vikrant Massey
Director of the Year:
Atlee
Climate Influencer of the Year:
Prajakta Koli
- UNDP Youth Climate Champion
Science Icons of the Year:
M Srikanth, Mission Director, Chandrayaan-3 and Mission Director, Aditya L1
Dr P Veeramuthuvel, Project Director, Chandrayaaan-3
K Kalpana, Associate Project Director, Chandrayaan-3
Nigar Shaji, Project Director, Aditya L1
Social Impact Influencer of the Year:
Kusha Kapila
- Actor, influencer
The Life In India Award:
Gadge Meenakshi
- Sarpanch, Mukhra village, Telengana
Indian of the Year:
Women of India
Since 2003, when NDTV launched the first ever Indian of the Year, the event has become synonymous with recognizing those Indians – individuals, organizations and institutions – who have contributed to the idea and identity of India in one way or the other, whose contributions to the country have strengthened the foundation of our society.
The awards have recognized the unsung hero in the same breath as the most celebrated – our focus has always been on the extraordinary work. It is to honor extraordinary work that we gather once again to celebrate the Indian of the Year - 2024.