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.

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