From the Prime Minister, a self-proclaimed “politician by accident”, winning the ‘Leader of the Year’ award, to the confident Bollywood superstar sharing his message for honesty for politicians in reply to a question from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, the winners in the seven categories were equally deserving.

The award in the Cinema category went to the biggest star of south India, Rajnikanth, while Shah Rukh Khan won the special award in the category. And both the actors were seen to be complimenting each other generously at the function. “He (Shah Rukh Khan) is an excellent actor. I like his integrity. He is serious about promoting cinema and hockey,”’ Rajnikanth said, while describing Amitabh Bachchan an “actor par excellence” in reply to a question.

While chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand was honoured with the ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ award by Union Sports Minister Mani Shanker Aiyar, former cricket captain MAK Pataudi presented the special award in the category to football player Bhaichung Bhutia and the hockey team in the Chak de India film. “From the most unlikely minister of sports to the most deserving sportsperson primarily because he belongs to my constituency,” Aiyar said in jest while presenting the award to Anand’s parents.

The Global Indian award went to R K Pachauri, the chief of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The nominees in the category included PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Vodafone Group Plc. CEO Arun Sarin and filmmaker Mira Nair.

In the business category, Mukesh Ambani, CMD of Reliance Industries, won the award while the special award was given to KP Singh, president of the DLF Group. “(He is) a great implementer. I can’t think of a businessman who can set a deadline and emulate it (like him),” Finance Minister P Chidambaram said while presenting the award to Ambani. Sharing his vision for the year 2008, Ambani said he would like himself to be seen as a person “responsible for rural transformation in India” and for “bringing in new business models”.

In the Unsung Heroes category, introduced for people “who should have made headlines but don’t”, the award went to ‘The Indian Soldier,’ representing the Army — the second largest standing army in the world with 3.3 lakh soldiers guarding Kashmir and Assam in extreme conditions. The award was accepted by Army chief General Deepak Kapoor.

A R Rehman, the award-winning musician, won the Indian of the Year award in the music category while the special award for inspirational leadership was given to former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

But the most special award, NDTV Indian of the Year, was presented, once again, to The Indian Soldier. “They have upheld the values enshrined in the Constitution of India. They are the finest representation of all that’s best and brightest in the country. May their tribe flourish and flourish in the country,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while presenting the award.

Some tough questions for the PM

The ceremony had a few discomforting questions for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was asked if he slept well. “I don’t sleep well all the time. When you are PM of a country with a billion plus people, it’s an awesome responsibility. Not sleeping well is part of the process of being a politician,” he replied. When asked about the “most satisfying” and the “most disturbing” moment in his tenure as the premier of the country, he said: “Service of the people of India is most satisfying. I have enjoyed every moment of it when we have done well and even when we have not done so well,” he said.

On the Left Front’s opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal, Singh said he always prayed for courage when under pressure. “In life, one has to live with many disappointments. I have always prayed to God to give me courage,” he said.

Award list

NDTV Indian of the year: The Indian Soldier

Global Indian: RK Pachauri

Sports: Vishwanathan Anand

Special award: Bhaichung Bhutia and the hockey team in Chak de India

Business: Mukesh Ambani

Special award: KP Singh

Unsung Heroes: Indian soldier

Cinema: Rajnikanth

Special award: Shah Rukh Khan

Music: AR Rehman

Leader: Manmohan Singh

Special award for inspirational leadership went to APJ Abdul Kalam.