TIME magazine’s “TIME 100” is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The list includes individuals from various fields such as politics, entertainment, business, technology, and more, where each person on the list is accompanied by an essay written by another influential figure, highlighting their impact and significance in today’s world.
TIME magazine has released its TIME100: The Most Influential People of 2024 list – included are many notable South Asians from all walks of life, who are making a significant impact in shaping our world. See below for who made the list this year:
— ARTISTS —
Dev Patel
Penned by Oscar winning actor Daniel Kaluuya, this essay talks about Dev Patel’s upward career trajectory, with reference to his latest film Monkey Man as the inspiration behind inclusion on this list. Kaluuya calls Patel fearless, and limitless, and that “his humanity shines through every time he graces the screen”.
Alia Bhatt
Tom Harper says, “Alia’s superpower is her ability to mix movie-star magnetism with authenticity and sensitivity.” He credits her stardom, business acumen and philanthropy behind her addition to the list.
— ICONS —
Sakshi Malik
Sakshi Malik is India’s first and only female wrestler to win an Olympic medal. In 2023, she joined a group of India’s celebrated wrestlers to demand arrest and accountability for the actions of the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, who is accused of sexually harassing female athletes. This now year-long battle has gained worldwide traction. “This fight is no longer only for India’s female wrestlers,” says Malik, “it is for the daughters of India whose voices have been silenced time and again.” Malik later resigned the sport in an act of defiance and to show her support for the female athletes.
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera is a pioneer of LGBTQ rights in Sri Lanka, with her persistent fight against the country’s ban on same-sex relationships. In 2022, the United Stations supported Flamer-Caldera’s case against Sri Lanka’s legalized ban and discrimination against same-sex couples, calling it a human rights violation. This has led to steps being taken towards the decriminalization of homosexuality in Sri Lanka, with a bill being introduced to achieve the same, and is currently a hot topic within the country’s political sphere. Caldera’s group Equal Ground is working relentlessly to ensure that the law passes, ushering in a new era of LGBTQ acceptance within the nation.
— TITANS —
Satya Nadella
The Indian born CEO of Microsoft Corporation is leading the AI revolution with Microsoft’s investments in OpenAI and Mistral AI. He is also credit for effectively making Microsoft the largest company in the world, with its $3 trillion dollar market value. The co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments Mellody Hodson also expresses her admiration for Nadella for “leading with integrity, strength, and kindness.” as well as not wanting to be the center of attention, but commanding it all the same.
— LEADERS —
Ajay Banga
The U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen applauds Ajay Banga’s leadership and drive since he became the president of the World Bank in 2023. Banga’s work on programs tackling worldwide poverty, developing financial tools to help with the same, and forging new financial partnerships deserve recognition. During his time as the CEO and then then Chairman of Mastercard, Banga tripled revenues, increased net income sixfold and grew market capitalization from under $30 billion to more than $300 billion. He is also an outside advisor to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jigar Shah
Jigar Shah is the director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, working on clean energy programs. Shah is working on a large-scale transition to clean and green energy, with over $200 billion in government loans, that Richard Branson (founder of the Virgin Group) calls “one of the largest economic-development programs the world has ever seen”. Shah has previously worked on investments into the solar energy market, and set up the Carbon War Room with Virgin, working on climate action. “His legacy lives on as the Carbon War Room merged with energy nonprofit RMI to become an unstoppable force.” – Richard Branson.
— INNOVATORS —
Marina Tabassum
Award-winning Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum is credited with her innovative and modern architectural designs that combine local cultures and values with cost-effective and climate-disaster-friendly houses and buildings – buildings that are easy to move in case of a natural disaster. Tabassum won the Aga Khan award in architecture for the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, where she implemented historical designs (bricks) and practical features to tackle climate issues such as heat, natural lighting and flooding.
— PIONEERS —
Asma Khan
Asma Khan’s critically acclaimed restaurant Darjeeling Express (London) employs an all-female staff, featuring South Asian immigrant chefs who lack formal training, providing them economic opportunities and the training that comes with working with a world-class chef. Khan has also been featured on ‘Chef’s Table’, and will soon be hosting a documentary series Tiffin Stories, showcasing the Indian diaspora. “She will be a natural host: she’s hospitable, and genuinely cares about people.” – Padma Lakshmi.
Priyamvada Natarajan
Priyamvada Natarajan is an Indian-American astrophysicist and professor known for her work in cosmology, gravitational lensing, and black hole physics. She is also the founding director of the Event Horizon Telescope. Her research focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies, the distribution of dark matter, and the nature of dark energy. She has made significant contributions to our understanding of gravitational lensing, and has studied the role of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies and their connection to galaxy evolution. In addition to her research, Natarajan is passionate about science communication and outreach, aiming to make complex scientific concepts accessible to a broader audience. She has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to astrophysics and science education.
Source: TIME Magazine