Non-resident Indians(NRI) , but live out of the country has made the country proud in their own exclusive ways. From being at the controls of relationships in the corporate world to make a mark in policy - it is all over the world. Here is a look at NRIs who made headlines this year. The selection is based on news value and the degree of interest and concern for NRIs.
Lakshmi Mittal made news for the wrong reasons this year. The world's largest steel producer after he took over Arcelor, Mittal had to make difficult decisions about staff layoffs, to respond to environmental and acquisitions and mergers. On the positive side, he was honored with Padma Vibhushan by India and the third Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award for heroes of entrepreneurial capitalism and free enterprise.
In Photos: Mittal Steel Co. Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal, he laughs answer reporter questions at news conference announcing that the company raised its bid for rival Arcelor SA by 34 percent in London, Friday 19 May 2006. Merger of the world's largest steelmakers would create a company with almost 10 percent of global production and annual revenue of around 56 billion euro
Sonal Shah: appointed Transitional Facility team of U.S. President la Obama, she is a member of a three-man team to coordinate technology, innovation and government reform during the transitional phase rules. She was previously head of the Department of philanthropic Internet giant Google, and was Vice President of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and developed and implemented the company's environmental strategy. Shah, who has raised funds for victims of the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat through the Vishwa Hindu Parishad-America, has denied any connection to this organization.
Sir Salman Rushdie: His long-time bestseller "Midnight's Children" was for a public vote, declared the best of the Booker Prize is 40-year history. On the picture: Author Salman Rushdie is shown in this October. 3, 2007, file photo in New York. A leading Indian Muslim group threatened to boycott a major conglomerate products Thursday 17 January 2008, after its owners hosted author Salman Rushdie at their home in suburban Mumbai.
Navanetham Pillays: A South African Indian judge, he was appointed four years of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights - an important result for NRIs. Her grand-parents migrated from Tamil Nadu to South Africa as indentured cane workers in the late 1800s, she became the first woman to start law practice in South Africa Natal province in 1968. Pillays defended several anti-apartheid activists and successfully fought for the rights of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. In Photos: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillays speaks with media during a joint press conference with European Parliament Vice-President Luisa Morgantini, unseen, to mark 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday October 8, 2008. UN human rights chief said Wednesday she would press governments worldwide to ensure they are followed by international standards of human rights in the fight against terrorism. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillays said it was "committed states ... to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms."
Lord Swaraj Paul: A consistent NRI news maker for more than three decades he has made history by becoming vice president in the House of Lords. He is the first Indian to sit on woolsack the traditional seat. He has extensive investments in India for its multi-billion pound company Caparo Group. Linked to the peerage in 1996 and honored with Padma Bhushan by India in 1983, 77-year-old Lord Paul is one of the most famous Indian origin entrepreneurs in Britain. In Pictures: Lord Swaraj Paul is talking to members of the Confederation of Indian Industry and Commerce in New Delhi, India, Monday, October 1, 2007.
The Great Khali, Dilip Singh Rana: One of the greatest athletes in the World Wrestling Entertainment and World Heavyweight Champion, Khalilov conversations even after the Hindu goddess Kali. This seven-meter high giant three inches enjoyed a hero's welcome during his visit to India this year. He has come up film contracts. In Photos: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as The Great Khali, standing 7 feet 3 inches (220 cm) and weighs 420 pounds (190 kg), speaking on a show designed to communicate with fans in New Delhi, India, Wednesday May 7, 2008. The entertainer, whose real name is Dilip Singh Rana, has earned prizes, movie roles and piles of money for his prowess in the wrestling mat with serving a promotion in Punjab's police.
Dev Patel Dev who? Well, he is a 18-year-old actress in the new Hollywood hit "Slumdog Millionaire. Based on the novel" Q & A by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup and in a film by the acclaimed director Danny Boyle with music by AR Rehman, this film is ready to capture some rates at the next Oscars. Patel plays Jamal, a slum child who is a national entirely after he comes to the final question about India TV "Who will be a Millionaire?" Look at him! He could win the best supporting actor award. (Content courtesy: IANS) In Pictures: Actor Dev Patel come for the screening of "Slumdog Millionaire, a" last movie showing at the BFI London Film Festival to a central London cinema, Thursday 30 October 2008.
Anand Jon: He was convicted of rape after a brilliant career as a fashion designer to Hollywood stars. From Beverley Hills to prison birth units, he made headlines with a trial, when he was accused of enticing young women and girls as young as 14 years, to an apartment where he worked out Sadistic fantasies. The strong, strident campaign for his innocence mounted with his sister Sanjana claims he was framed. In Photos: Designer Anand Jon Alexander is shown in this 29 April 2004 file photo in New York. Beverly Hills, California, prosecutors filed 12 new charges Wednesday 4 April 2007, against Celebrity fashion designer accused of sexual violence against as many as a dozen women and girls. The latest charges against Alexander include 11 felonies and one misdemeanor. The most serious are forcible rape and sodomy by use of force.
Karpal Singh: A Malaysian-Indian veteran lawyer and human rights activist, he fought the general election that the opposition candidate for the treatment of all Malay for public contracts, jobs and appointments. He has highlighted problems deprived for 30 years and has been compared with Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. In the Photo: In this 28 April 2008 file photo, Democratic Action chairman Karpal Singh speaks during a press conference in Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Top Malaysian opposition figure met police probe for alleged sedition Friday, 9 in May 2008 after the authorities accused him of insulting a state Sultan.
Vikram Pandit: The CEO Citibank shocked everyone with his sudden appointment as the world's largest bank. After a year he is right in the eyes of the global economic tsunami to save his bank and spearhead its recovery. He makes the news with the U.S. government's multi-billion U.S. dollar development package to its bank, job losses, restructuring and reviving an icon in the U.S. financial sector. Is facing a difficult recovery, Pandit is facing one of the toughest challenges seen in the banking sector. On the photo: A woman leaving a Citbank branch in New York's Financial District, on Monday morning 17 November 2008. People informed Citigroup's plans, says the bank giant is cutting another 53,000 jobs in the coming quarters.CEO Vikram Pandit is revealing the plan at the company's town hall meeting Monday with the employees.
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